Pip and Estella

Throughout Great Expectations Pip and Estella develop into different people. Pip starts out as a timid boy who follows any orders from anybody. Pip takes everything to heart, such as Estella’s teasing. Estella takes many orders as well. However, all her orders only come from Miss Havisham. Estella teases Pip in an immature manner by laughing about “what course hands he has! And what thick boots” (Dickens 36). Pip is always ashamed in front of Estella, and “shouldn’t like to see her again” (Dickens 37). Pip gradually comes to like Estella. He would do anything to be enough for her, so he pulls away from Joe and the idea of being Joe’s apprentice. Estella leaves to become a fine lady while Pip is stuck in his life of daydreaming about Estella and how to be good enough for her. However, all these dreams seem to become a possibility for Pip when he learns that he will become a gentleman.

Pip and Estella live their own lives for while. Pip learns how to be a gentleman, and builds up pride and confidence while doing so. He no longer wants to be associated with Joe or Biddy. Later on, he is reunited with Estella. She no longer mocks Pip in a childish way, but instead is just very short and cold with him. He is no longer afraid of Estella and confidently talks with her. Pip comes to believe that Estella is set aside for him and then “a burst of gratitude came upon [him], that she should be destined for [him], once the blacksmith’s boy” (Dickens 144). However, Estella spends more time other suitors than Pip, which eventually leads to him finding out that she will be marrying someone else. Pip’s entire world revolved around Estella, so when he learned he couldn’t have her, the last of expectations were destroyed. Estella stays cold and never expresses pity for him. When all of Pip’s expectations are gone. he finds no joy in his life, and can “never, never undo what [he] had done” (Dickens 190). Estella is not happy about her future either, but doesn’t care to do anything about it. Now, Pip and Estella are both more disappointed and unhappy with their lives than they were before.

Ski day

Because nothing very interesting has happened in my life recently, and I am not very political, I was not sure what to write about this week. I eventually came to the conclusion to write about my ski day over winter break with Chloe. The day did not start very easy. As Chloe and I got in the line to go up the lift, her pass would not scan. Apparently, a waiver was not signed for her and the pass would not activate until it was signed. She came with my family, so my father ended up having to sign the form. However when we started skiing, it was a great time. At lunch, people complained about the snow. I did not notice and real bad snow, but I guess my skis were just nice and sharp. We all did find one thing to complain about, and that was the lift we were on. Loads of beginners were on this lift. It had to slow down or stop every time someone fell down while getting off or on. So, we decided to head over for a different lift.

This ski lift is known for going fast and not stopping often. My younger brother was tired and so he and my mom went to hang out in a lodge. Chloe, my dad, and I skied a few runs by that fast lift. We got on the chair lift again and halfway up it stopped. We sat there for a few minutes wondering what the deal was. Then, the chair moved again and thought our waiting was over. Unfortunately, the lift only moved a few inches and stopped again. This happened a few times, and I began to fear the worst. I was concerned that the chair lift was broken, and we would be stranded for hours. After a while, they got it working again and we made it off. Yet, the dread of getting stranded on a chairlift still lingers in my mind every time I ski.

Can you make someone fall in love

Can we make someone fall in love? Well, first we would need to define love. I think that true love is when you put someone’s needs and desires before your own. It is when you know their flaws, yet still choose to be with them. Therefore, there has to be something about them that causes you to love them. I believe that it is a combination of small things about them, but mainly their characteristics and who they are as a person are what makes you fall in love with them. In addition, different people are attracted to different personalities. So with that in consideration, I do not think you can make someone truly fall in love with you.

Some may argue that if you get lots of money, become funny, change your appearance, etc, you could make a particular person fall in love with you. However, are they really in love with you? For example, if someone loved you because you were rich, they actually do not love you. They love your money. If you wanted to become more comedic in order for someone to fall in love with you, they also would not love you. This is because they would love who they think you are, and not who you really are. Finally, if you altered you appearance for the sole purpose of making someone fall in love with you, then you would be wasting your time. If you really think about it, by loving someone only for looks, you could be happy for a while. After a while, you would hate being around someone. You would end up hating their personality and end up loathing the idea of them. Therefore, making someone fall in love with us will create a shallow relationship that will not last long.

In one of those shallow relationships, there may or may not be a mutual feeling of “love” towards each other. Yet regardless if both people feel they love each other, they truly do not. One person might love the other, but the person that “made” to love the other will not love them. They would end up loving the false appearance of the other person, or their possessions. If someone were forced to love someone, they would not be able to know or demonstrate true love. So if you cannot make someone fall in love with you, then you have to wait to find someone who loves you back.

We cannot make others love us. So, we have to simply wait until we meet someone who that loves us for who we are, and we love them in the same way. I believe that love is not something forced, but something found. Finding love is the only way to experience and know what true love is. The person you love still can get on your nerves, you can still choose to love them. You can choose to put them before your desires. This is because you love who they are as a person, and nothing they can do will change that. In the end, we cannot make someone fall in love with us, but we can find someone who already does.

 

 

 

 

 

New Year’s Resolutions

At the start of every year, it is very common for people to be setting resolutions for the months to come. While many fail to uphold to their desired change in life, many other people are able to not break the resolution. Even though we can set resolutions whenever we want, there is something special about creating them in January. This is because it can be an uplifting and motivating way to start out the year. In addition, we can look back at the end of the year and see how far into the year we kept our resolutions.

Apparently, self improvement is the second most common resolution (Healthier lifestyle being the first). My self improvement this year is learning to be more selfless. While it is easier for me to remember to let others go first, or give up my wants for their needs, I realized I struggle when it comes to valuing other people’s opinions over mine. It can be hard to remember that people don’t feel the same way as me on different subjects. Therefore, my resolution will help me remember that things don’t have to go my way, and that it can be better to let others have their way instead of fighting about it.

Disappointment

Disappointment is something everyone experiences many times throughout life. The last time I was disappointed was actually last weekend. My family and I were going to go up to our land in the mountains and snowshoe. I know that you can’t ever count on the weather here in Colorado, but that didn’t stop my imagination. Last time we went snowshoeing, there was snow everywhere. It was like walking in a winter wonderland. So naturally, that is what I had envisioned. However, there was barely any snow. In fact, I didn’t even need to wear a winter coat. The only snow to be seen was found in patches here or there that the sun hadn’t quite reached. So instead of snowshoeing, we hiked around instead.

Pip also feels disappointment when what he had envisioned was not reality. In chapter 21, Pip was disappointed when he reached Bernard’s Inn. He imagined it to be the Blue Boar from his hometown. However, he “found Bernard to be a disembodied spirit, or a fiction, and his inn the dingiest collections of shabby buildings ever squeezed together in a rank corner” (Dickens 101). Clearly, Pip had a nicer looking building in mind, and all he got was dingy, shabby buildings. I know I would be disappointed as well. Pip most likely faced a greater disappointment than I did. It is going to snow again, and then I can snowshoe. However, Pip can’t just hope for the building to magically meet his standards.

Even though disappointment is not a fun thing to experience, it is necessary to grow as a human being. For example, no one particularly enjoys loosing a game. Yet, people set expectations to win. When they loose, it teaches them that life does not always go the way you would like it to. It is impossible to get through life without being let down. Disappointment is just something every human being goes through. However, experiencing disappointment is one thing that anyone can relate to. So maybe, disappointment helps unite us together.

Ode to Fellowship

Ode to Fellowship

Mankind suffers when alone,

But you bring a happier tone

You unite family and friends-

bringing a joy that never ends

a

Loved ones share happy times,

And even when the sun fails to shine

we can share in our suffering

For through you, we experience reconstructing

a

Yet, when fellowship ceases,

the candle of joy freezes

Under the weight of each burden mankind begins to groan

when fellowship is unknown

Mankind suffers when alone

Expectations

“Expectation is the root of all heartache” -William Shakespeare

I agree with Shakespeare when he said this quote. When we set expectations and they are not met, we experience disappointment. Someone can expect greatness out of something, and end with a mediocre result. When what we vision doesn’t take place, we feel disappointed, upset, or as Shakespeare puts it, “heartache”. In addition, we ultimately feel unsatisfied. Not all expectations aren’t met, but by setting them, we still open up a door for possible disappointment.

It is hard to  never have any expectations, but a way to avoid consistent disappointment is to just be content. By being happy with what we have, we don’t have to set expectations. We wouldn’t hope for something great because we would realize what we already have can be great. Then, we wouldn’t end up with that possibility of disappointment. In the end, when we are satisfied with what we have, we can learn that we don’t need to set expectations.

The Quest of the Golden Fleece

In The Quest of the Golden Fleece, Jason and various other heroes go on a quest to obtain the golden fleece. In order to receive the golden fleece, Jason must complete a few nearly impossible tasks. However, he is able to get help from the king’s daughter, Medea, who had magical powers. In the end, Medea even betrays her own family just to help Jason. This is because she is in love with him. Jason brings her back to Greece, but in the end doesn’t lover her. Therefore, the story ends in heartbreak for many.

However, none of the heartbreak would’ve taken place if it weren’t for Hera. In the beginning, she guides Jason and his crew through the ocean and watches over them. These are nice gestures, but gods shouldn’t really interfere (As seen in the Iliad). Hera continues to interfere when inviting Aphrodite to cause Medea to fall in love with Jason. Medea falling madly in love with Jason leads to a series of chain results the end in the heartbreak for everyone. In the end, when gods interfere with the lives of mortals, it almost never ends well.

The Quest

The quest is a common theme found in many books and films. One book that clearly demonstrates the quest is Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. The quester is obviously Percy Jackson. The place to go was the Underworld. The reason to go there was because it was believed that Hades stole the thunderbolt. Some trials Percy faced were fighting Medusa, a Chimera, and Ares. Finally, the real reason Percy wanted to go to the world was to save his mother that was taken hostage.

Quests are a very common idea found in literature. This is because a quest can easily set up an exciting plot. People enjoy reading them because they give us excitement. Quests give readers a glimpse of adventure that is relatable through its trails. This results in quests almost mirroring daily encounters in our lives. Quests are so popular because so many people enjoy reading stories about quests.

The Lost Trail

  The Lost Trail is a Native American myth that begins with a man named Acantow and his wife, Manetabee. Acantow had to leave for four days and left his wife in their lodge. When he returned, his wife was gone. He saw footprints and knew the Arapaho took her. He followed the trail and game across some Arapaho men gambling over Manetabee. Acantow quietly untied his wife and they began to run back to his horse. The Arapaho men saw him and began to chase them. Acantow almost made it to his horse, but then tripped over a root. Just then, a flood of fire came from the clouds in a loud roar. When Acantow and Manetabee looked back, all they saw was a large block of river granite dripping with blood. Their enemies and trail were gone. They believed their god, Manitou, had broke the trail so that the Arapaho will never cross it again.

This myth shows a story of a god protecting Acantow and his wife. I think this myth shows a lot about how the Native Americans viewed their gods. They probably were feared because they could easily strike you down. However, they also looked out for their people. These principles are seen in the way Manitou strikes down the Arapaho men, and protects Acantow and Manetabee. Therefore, I think they viewed their gods as gods that protected the good and did not tolerate evil people.