My opinion about Wuthering heights and Pride and prejudice

 Two works that I have enjoyed the most from my English class this year, are wuthering heights and pride and prejudice. These are literary classics that everyone should know about. I really enjoyed working with these two novels because the plots are very original. I feel like they are more than just a typical love story between two people with different social status and background. They also have meaningful lessons and messages of life to its readers. Jane Austen has never failed to show her sense of humour and wittiness in her novels. They are amazing in form of writing style, plot and message. Pride and prejudice was not an exclusion of that. The story was light-hearted and there were very little oppositions of the couple or drama in the novel. I also liked how Austen was ahead of her time with her feministic values and thoughts. Moreover, the novel contains a lot of humour and sarcasm, so it was fun to work with it.

Wuthering Heights, on the other hand, was very difficult to work with and understand the plot. But after looking at different aspects and side of the story, I kind of realized that this was not a love story. It was more like a romanticised obsession between two unstable people. Catherine and Heathcliff were not in love. Heathcliff was obsessed with her because she was the only one that showed affection towards him as a child. She did what other people did not do. Catherine on the other hand seems to possess some narcissistic traits like her lack of empathy towards the people she hurts and the way she enjoys the attention she gets from both men. I found the story much more interesting after realizing this. It was a lot darker than the books that I usually would go for, but it was nonetheless a very interesting book with very compelling topics to talk about.

These two novels are very similar in terms of representing two people with different status falling in love. In addition to that, they also criticize the way the society think and bring up different social problems like a woman’s value and the oppositions of people marrying below their social status. But other than that, they are very different from each other. While Pride and prejudice had a lighter mood and feeling in story with a little humour, Wuthering heights was a lot darker and had a more serious tone to it. You can say that pride and prejudice had more of an idealistic vision and outcome of two people with different status falling in love, whereas Wuthering heights seems to be more realistic. We all know that the chances of the lovers ending up with each other are very slim, especially back in those days.

Until today, these books are still very relevant and often discussed about. I think the reason why they have stayed so relevant in our time, is because it is like a mirror of the past. It is a written past that everyone can uncover by reading it. You can learn about the writing style, the language, the society and what people’s thoughts were back in those days. Even though people are entertained by the fictional love story in the novels, they are more entertained by the accurate portrayal of the society and people in the past. You get to learn about history, the evolution of literature and enjoy your story. You get the best of both worlds, as well as increasing your knowledge. 

Mice and Men chapter 1 analysis

Having read and worked with chapter 1 of Of Mice and Men, write a blog post about the five questions below. Remember that any good analysis requires «proof» – use examples from the chapters to strengthen your own arguments.

I actually liked the way he starts the novel, it was very simple a not complex. I felt very drawn into the story. The scenario was written quite well and beautiful, and I also felt some familiarity with the scene which made me feel like I was in that story. It might have gotten my attention because of the coronavirus lockdown and made me reminisce about the old times of being out in the wild and explore nature. And I know that I might not be the only one that thinks this way.

My first impression of the main characters is how different they are from what they look like. George is a small and short man but can be very sharp and moody. He is a person that loses his temper quite often and nags on Lennie a lot. But what I see is that he looks out for the wellbeing of Lennie and is extra cautious of him because he suffers from mental issues. Lennie, on the other hand, is a big man but he is actually quite soft unlike what he looks like. Maybe because of his mental disability, he doesn’t understand the situation and therefore is very positive about things. Like how he likes to touch soft things like the mouse. He has been carrying the dead mouse in his pocket for a while after killing him by «petting» it. Lennie is quite big but he doesn’t know what he is capable of. And we also got to know that they were chased out because Lennie was accused of assault. He likes soft things and tried to touch some girl’s skirt, so that led to some misunderstandings. From what I see is that he is a person that means well by thinking positive and keep encouraging George when he feels stressed out.

The themes that I picked up, were dreams and loneliness. What got my attention from the first sentence; «A few miles south of Soledad», was the word Soledad. It is a Spanish word that means loneliness so I figure out that it might have something to the theme. what adds to my thoughts of that is that the main characters are all alone in the middle of nowhere. The story starts off with just the two of them in the wood. They are all alone and by themselves, away from civilization. The reason why I thoughts of dreams were that at the end of the chapter, Lennie asked George to repeat their dream of having their own ranch where he could take care of rabbits.

The mood in the story starts off with a very romantic and idealistic atmosphere by having a full description of the beautiful nature and everything around them. After we were introduced to the main characters and got to know them, everything started to get more realistic. We have them bickering back and forth. We were told that Lennie had a mental disability and that explains why George was nagging a lot. It was quite frustrating how George has to look out for Lennie every second, but it got pretty sad when Lennie offers to be left behind so that George could continue living normally. And the end of the chapter ended with them finding the tone and dreaming of good things. I feel like the mood in the story is very inconstant and like an emotional rollercoaster. It goes from romantic and idyllic to a bit tense and hopeful at the end.

The relationship between Lennie and George goes beyond friendship. They successfully showed that their bond is so strong that they look out for each other, care for one another, and rely on each other. Usually, from George’s perspective, it can be burden to look out for Lennie. They have no blood-relation and he could walk out of his life anytime he wants. But instead, he chooses to stay and take care of him. Lennie, on the other hand, knows how handful he can be so he often tries to uplift George by letting him know that he can leave or change the topic to where they think about their dreams. It shows that they are more than just friends and are at this point brothers.

 

The sea change and Eveline

By Jessica and Lise

«The Sea Change» and «Eveline» are two modernist novels. The Sea Change is written by Ernest Hemingway, while Eveline is written by James Joyce.

Our group discussed the content and theme and agreed on a lot with each other about it mainly being about people deciding whether or not to leave their current life behind for an abrupt change. That is the main thing we noticed about the similarity between the two novels. But a big difference is, of course, the reasoning behind the main characters’ changes in their lives. 

We thought the way the content was written (the structure) made a big difference between the two novels as well and also changes the feel of the stories. Eveline seemed more thought through because of its’ length and details, while The Sea Change felt more present and got stressful faster than Eveline did. It was easier to connect with Eveline because of what we get to know about her life and how sad she seemed.

The mood in the two novels is very dark especially The novel Eveline; the novel talks about abuse and mistreatment in the family. It also goes into eloping without getting permission from their parents. these topics are very taboo and restricted in that time of period because it is something that was seen to be shameful and was not talked about. So we would say that it created a dark and dim mood in the novel. The other novel: The sea change has a few topics that are also quite prohibited. A person’s preference or sexuality is a topic that can cause a lot of negative reaction because it is expected that everyone has only one preference and is heterosexual. Another thing is cheating, which can be a sensitive topic for many people. It is considered to be something that is not morally right and people should be ashamed to do it. But the novel goes on with how calm and collected the girl is, even though she has caused a lot of pain for the man. This type of message can also stir up negative reactions from the viewers.

 

The modernist traits in the novels are that it is very honest and has an intentional break with the traditional views in society. Like we said earlier, topics like abuse, mistreatment, cheating, and homosexuality are something that was prohibited to talk about. It goes against the norms of the society, for example, social and religious views. And like modernist literature, the novels focus more on the individual human being rather than the whole society. These two novels show the action of the main characters and how they are dealing with the consequences.

Both of them seem to possess the Iceberg Style but in different degrees. Hemingway, of course, used the style to a very high degree as we almost know nothing of the main characters, and it feels like a lot has been left out because we are not even introduced to the theme during the first sentences. Eveline gives us a lot of information, but with Joyce’s story, we felt that he wrote about Eveline as if she has a lot on her mind which she will not let out to us readers. Eveline seems less honest than Hemingway’s story did.

We both agreed that our favorite story was The Sea Change. I, Lise, like The Sea Change the most because of how open it was to interpretations and how exciting it was trying to figure out what was going on. Plus I strongly dislike overly descriptive texts about the surroundings and such, so I enjoyed the conversation they were having. And I’m a curious cat, so listening to the drama is very interesting for me.

Jessica did inform that she thought of Eveline as her favorite story until she finished reading The Sea Change. I (as in Jessica) liked Eveline at the beginning, because of how honest and real the story is. Another thing I liked is that it was easier to understand the storyline in Eveline. The Sea Change was quite hard to read and was pretty difficult to understand until Lovise Andrea came with her interpretation. That was when I realized the theme and storyline in the novel. I would say that the reason why I liked this novel more than Eveline was because of the conversation between the characters. There were more feelings and a lot of internal fighting inside the minds of the man and the woman, which make the story more realistic and interesting to read. 

Fire and Ice

I have recently read the poem, Fire and Ice, by Robert Frost. The poem talks about how the world will end, either in fire or in ice. It is a very short poem with one stanza and nine verse lines. The poem goes like this:

«Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I`ve tasted of desire

 I hold with those who favor fire

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To know that for desctruction ice

is also

and would suffice.

288 by Emily Dickenson

Task 1

• It is possible to be a «Nobody» if we think about how Emily Dickenson had interpreted the word as a person who is considered an outsider or someone who stands out. She is showing by the first stanza that it is possible to find a similar person who shares the same interests. it is like showing that you may stand out from the rest but will eventually find someone who is like you.
• I would say that «Somebody» is a reference to a person who is popular and well respected in a group or a society. If we think about our own circle, «Somebody» may be the person who is the most popular among the students in our school.
• This poem was apparently about fame and recognition. What I think Dickenson was trying to say was that you don’t need to be a «somebody». You need to be yourself and perhaps one day you will find a person who has the same qualities. Dickenson tells that it is dreary to be somebody. It is better to have things to yourself than have to publicly share your life with everyone else.
• I do agree with her.  I am an introvert myself and can relate to this poem a lot. There is a time where we want to get attention and be recognized by others. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we want to be famous or popular, but some time seeks for a positive reaction for our good deeds.

The British Victorian Age And Myself

I feel like I have learned a lot throughout working with The British Victorian Age. It goes from learning about different authors to learning about «The double life» in the Victorian era. What I liked the most about working with this period was working on «The double life». I found it interesting how many sociopaths were lurking around the street and how long they have tricked people without getting caught. Another thing was the ways the authors called out the society. Instead of being direct with their message, they made the storyline more sarcastic and humorous.

What I liked the least was working with the last poem called Dover beach. It was not like it was terrible or hard to work with, but more like it was the least interesting compared to the other things we were taught about in this period. I do not have anything particular to ask about, but I just would have loved to learn more about Oscar Wilde. He seemed to be so ahead of his time. Not only his fashion or his look, but also his behavior. He could express himself how he liked and seemed to be proud of his sexual orientation compared to other homosexual men in this period.

Pride and Prejudice

1. What would you say is the most important message in this story? Why?

The most important message, in my opinion, is that we should not be quick to judge. Everyone has a story of themselves and their behavior. So instead of judging a person based on your first impression of them, you should get to know them and find the back story. Not everyone seems to be bad as others portray them to be or how they portray themselves to be.

2. How can we tell that this is a novel of manners? Give specific examples.

I could tell that this is a novel of manners based on the title and the characters. First of all, the title is Pride and Prejudice so we can tell that this is going to be about the characteristics of the characters. Another thing is how different the characters are from each other. You have two characters like Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy who have a prestigious background but are very different. You have one that is humble and the other one who is proud. The Bennet sisters are also very different from each other, which kind of represents a variety of aspects of how women are in that period. We have a very proud and arrogant woman like Lady Cathrine, a selfless and loving like Jane and an ethical woman like Elizabeth.

3. Who is your favorite secondary character, and why?

My favorite secondary character has to be Mary. She seems to be very invisible compared to the other characters but has the aura of your typical main character. Mary gives me the vibes of a wallflower who everyone forgets about. She hides so many good qualities like playing piano and how calm and collected she is compared to her sisters. It makes me want to protect her because she looks so soft and fragile.

4. Why do you think Pride and Prejudice continue to be popular and relevant 207 years after its publication?

I think it continues to be popular and relevant 207 years after its publication because of how original it is. I would say that the novel was one of the first that introduced us to new romantic writing. We don’t have the typical main characters fall in love at first sight, but characters who develop a deeper connection and understanding for each other. Another thing is that it justifies the manners and behaviors of the characters instead of letting the readers hate one of the characters. If we take Mrs. Bennet as an example, she was kind of very selfish and infuriating at the beginning but actually wanted the best for her daughters.

The Tell-tale heart

In my opinion, the title is very suitable for the story because it is an object that is mentioned a couple of times and plays a big role in the story. The beating of the heart drove the murderer mad and made him reveal his crime. The word Tell-tale means revealing, indicating or betraying something, and I think that is what the heart did. To reveal the deed.

«True! –nervous –very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?» by Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-tale heart

This was the opening sentence of the short story. The story starts in medias res and starts off with a question. With the narrator questioning us his mentality. We are introduced to the narrator up close by him talking directly with us. The thoughts of not knowing who we are talking to, make me curious. It makes me want to know more. To know why he is nervous and why we would say that he is mad. I think the author did a fantastic job writing the opening sentence. He directly drive us into the story without giving us a clue of where we are at and left us with nothing but curiosity.

Horror films and stories of the macabre and supernatural have such a strong appeal even today. I would say that it is because of the curiosity in us that wants to know something we are not used to. Crimes and killings are topics that can wake up many feelings in us. That includes sadness, madness, curious, anxious and nervous. It gives us chills, which is very exciting.

 

Characterization of Ellen Dean

Ellen Dean or known as Nelly is the housekeeper of the farmhouse, Wuthering Heights. She is a middle-aged woman who has taken care of the main characters, Heathcliff and Catherine since they were young. I would say that she is the only righteous person in the whole story. Nelly knows the backstory of the relationship between Heathcliff and Cathy and has tried to advise them on how to let go and be mature about it but has always been silenced by others. Since she is only a servant, she does not have a say in this. Her strengths are her wisdom of words and comprehension of what is wrong and right. She is a caring person and shows a great motherly love for Catherine. Nelly wants the best for Cathy and has always stood by her side even though they do not always share the same mindset.

I really liked Nelly because she seems to be one of the few people who realize how crazy Heathcliff and Cathy are for each other. And I mean literally crazy. The love they have for each other has gone too far, till where it is not healthy for any of them. It is an obsession not love. The «Love» has turned into a game to see how much control they have of the other person. If you really love a person, you are willing to give them all the happiness that exists even if it means to let them go. Nelly’s only weakness is how powerless she is. She cannot control the decisions of her masters but to clean up after them. But that is what housekeepers are, right? I would say that she is a static character because her role does not change. She is still the housekeeper and has to take care of the following generation.

The Age of Enlightenment and Myself

 

As we are wrapping up the English age of Enlightenment, I just want to mention that this was both an interesting and hard topic to work with. It was hard to work with this topic because there was a lot of difficult words and language of the excerpts that were distributed in our class. It was tough to understand the text but we had a lot of discussions which helped me to widen out my vocabulary. The reason why I found the English age of enlightenment very interesting was because of Mary Wollstonecraft. Of course, there were many that were fascinating but there was just something about her that gripped my attention. Her thoughts, ideas, and principles were ahead of her time. Her words of wisdom have changed many lives. If it was not for her, then I would not have the privilege to attend school.

What I liked the best about working with this topic, was looking at the art in this period. I got the chance to find information about it while working on my project. There were so many engrossing things. I also got the opportunity to see the paintings face to face while we were in London. The paintings were very soft tuned and had an elegant touch to it. The colors did not overpower one another but highlighted and enhanced some important elements in the pictures.

What I liked the least about working with this topic, was reading tiresome and heavy texts. It demanded a lot of focus to understand those texts, so it was quite heavy and difficult for me to comprehend it.

I do not have anything more to ask about this topic, but I hope we could look into more female figures throughout history.