Emma’s Comments (group member since May 12, 2016)

Emma’s comments from the Mills AP Lit and Comp group.

Emma Cohen per. 1

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep
Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again

Throughout the Tempest Caliban is portrayed a drunken monster and over time becomes a purely ridiculous character. However, in this excerpt the audience sees a side of him that explores the depth of the character and his hold on reality. These lines, spoken by Caliban to Stephano and Trinculo during the play is considered one of the most poetic in the play. In this speech Caliban is trying to explain the music that is brought to them by magic. Caliban is unsure where these noises come from and in describing them coveys the wondrous nature of the island. It is as though he is sitting at the top of a symphony hall before the conductor comes on. The quite hum consumes him and therefore draws him into another world.

In an age of virtual reality, Pokemon Go, and social media the line between the real world and a screen is often blurred. It is easy to become dissatisfied with ones own life, as a new one is just a click away. This sentiment is clearly expressed in this passage. Caliban, so enchanted with the magical music wishes that he could re-live it rather than continue without it.

Bridget wrote: "Bridget Galaty
Period 2

Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is a tale of dreams recognized and dreams dashed. Throughout the novel, Pip gains much of what he had hoped for as a child, including we..."

Emma Cohen per. 1

Overall, I enjoyed your analysis. I thought that is was well thought out, to the point, and clear. I also agree with you that the that the printed ending is both emotionally and narratively superior to the original. However, I disagree with your point that the reader comes to root for a relationship between Pip and Estella. I agree that the reader comes to identify with Pip’s feelings and actions, but ultimately find that his fascination with Estella causes him more harm than good. Regardless of how much he may love her, she will never be able to reciprocate those feelings and therefore continuously causes him pain. It is not Estella’s happiness that the reader hopes for, but rather Pip’s.

Emma Cohen Per. 1

Many 19th century English novelists found it essential to include moral lessons in their writing. This is illustrated by the overarching moral premise of novels such as Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. These novels taught that one should not be too quick to judge and that “your will shall decide your destiny” (Bronte). The moral of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is that people should be rewarded for good deeds. The ending that truly encompasses this moral both emotionally and narratively is the published ending.

Abel Magwitch believes that Pip did a good deed when he didn’t turn him into the authorities; Magwitch rewarded him by enabling him to become a gentleman. However, after recognizing his dream and having it taken away from him, Pip realizes the true majesty and charm of Estella’s beauty (465). Emotionally, the printed ending enables the reader to find closure and satisfaction that they “will continue to be friends apart” (466). That is to say, although this may not have been the life that Pip envisioned for himself, it was payment enough for the charitable impulse he showed toward Magwitch.

The original ending lacks the ability to showcase the true moral of the novel and provides a harsh emotional finish to Pip and Estella’s relationship. Due to its satisfying emotional end and the way that it conveys a the complete moral of the novel, the published ending is superior.

Emma Cohen Per. 1
Literary realism in the victorian era of writing served as a stark contrast to the romantic texts that preceded it. This technique provided a sense of reality that revealed the truth about characters, themes, and life in the 19th century. Distortion, although quite dissimilar to realism, essentially has the same effect. It enables the reader to find truth within a novel without it being thrust upon them.

Although Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is known as a primarily realist text, Dickens uses distortion to entice the reader and further the plot of the novel. The best example of his use of literary distortion are Pip’s encounters with the convict who he later comes to know as Magwitch. Pip’s first encounter with Abel Magwitch takes place in the graveyard where his parents are buried. This scene portrays an erie sense of “the marsh country” and the bleakness of the churchyard with its “overgrown with nettles” (pg 1). The distorted description of the graveyard and Pip’s encounter with Magwitch set it apart from the rest of the novel. Dickens’ use of literary distortion is seen once again when Pip, Joe, and Mr. Wopsle are having a drink at a bar. He notices a strange man (Magwitch) sitting adjacent to them who stirred his rum “not with a spoon that was brought to him, but with a file” (pg 74). Magwitch and Pip’s encounter defies the readers expectations that both Joe and Mr. Wopsle would take notice of the convict.

The distorted way in which Dickens portrays Pip’s interactions with Magwitch allow the reader to recognize them as events that do not appear in realistic fiction. They bring the focus away from the bland encounters that Pip has between his sister, Joe, or Miss Havisham and towards a story of a poor boy and his wish to become a gentleman.

Emma Cohen
Period 1
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald revolves around the love affair between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. The illuminating moment or “casement” that sheds light on the entirety of the story is Gatsby’s death. This moment shows the extent to which he was willing to go to win back Daisy. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (180). He was unable to live outside of the life that he had lost and it ultimately lead to his demise. This moment gives meaning to the entire story that proceeds it by revealing the depth of love and emotion that is seen throughout. It sheds light on the lack of morality of the East and brings the novel full circle.

Emma Cohen
Period 1
It is within human nature to long for something new. One thing for too long fosters complacency and boredom. In leaving home there is a great sense of adventure. However, the thrill of uncertainty can quickly become overwhelming. In order to balance uncontrollable nature of change people often resort to the familiarity of home. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Nick aches for the excitement of the East, but ultimately seeks to balance his desire for adventure and the comforts of the West.
Throughout the novel Fitzgerald uses the West to symbolize the inherent innocence in characters such as Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, Nik, and Jordan. Upon returning from World War I Nik feels the the West can no longer fulfill him. He views it as “the ragged edge of the universe” (3) and craves the wild restlessness of the East. He directly associates the West with traditional values and peaceful society while he views the East as a place of loose morals and high society. Ultimately, Nike’s view of the West changes as he recalls the appeal of the “street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark”(176) and the “solemn”(176) appeal of long Mid-Western winters. He finds that “after Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for (him)” and that it had “distorted (his) eyes’ power of correction”(176). The excitement of the East faded as he realized that he is unfit for the lifestyle and returns home. This enables him to reach a balanced sense of comfort and adventure that is necessary if one is to truly be at peace.

Emma Cohen
Period 1
In writing the The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald succeeded at creating a well structured novel filled with an elegant and descriptive narrative. However, the fundamental fault within the novel is the lack of female character development. This is seen directly through Daisy as she is left as a one dimensional paper doll who wears whatever aspect the men around her dictate.Without the ability to know Daisy’s own wishes, the novel fails to encompass the complexity of America in the 1920s.
Both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan show a complete disregard for Daisy. They plan their lives around her without any input from Daisy herself. She is expected to blithely follow their every desire. This is seen through Gatsby’s desire for Daisy abandon her life for him. He “wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’”(109). He neglects to think about her responsibility to her daughter as well as any feelings that she had for Tom. Similarly Tom seeks to control Daisy while he feels free to galavant around the city with whatever woman he pleases. He believes that “women run around too much these days”(103) which only highlights his hypocritical nature as he is seeing another man’s wife.
Fitzgerald’s characterization of Daisy as a mirror of those around her fails to reflect the increased influence of women in society during the 1920s. Women gained the right to vote, enabling them to have opinions on a national scale, and experienced increased opportunities in employment and education. In an early Fitzgerald short story Bernice Bobs Her Hair he demonstrates his ability to convey a woman’s perspective. This shows that his neglect for Daisy’s character was not due to a lack of understanding for women, but an intentional disregard of her point of view.