Many literary critics believe that Shylock is the main antagonist, mostly because of his religion. While reading this book, the character Shylock is portrayed as a harsh person for wanting a pound of Antonio's flesh if he doesn't pay his loan back, but yet I am still finding myself feeling sympathetic for him because he is constantly getting picked on because of his religion.
Shylock: You called me 'dog'; and for these courtesies/I'll lend you thus much moneys?
Antonio: I am as like to call thee so again/... Lend it not/ as to thy friends,...But lend it rather to thine enemy.
This quotation show how Antonio treats Shylock, and that Antonio doesn't care about his emotions and isn't going to stop. Shylock wants to have some power for once over Antonio, so he allows him to borrow money, but threatens to take a pound of Antonio's flesh, meaning his heart, if he doesn't repay him on time.
Shylock:If you repay me not on such a day./ In such a place, such a sum or sums as are/Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit/ Be nominated for an equal pound/ Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken/ In what part of your body pleaseth me.
When Shylock says this to Antonio we see how severely he is willing to punish Antonio for not repaying him, and we are presented with a more cruel and evil side of Shylock. Shylock wants Antonio dead and so he wants the heart as his pound of flesh, but he could have chosen an easier punishment. But since Antonio has done nothing but be mean to Shylock he is just going to act the same way when giving him the loan. This is where we are introduced to the antagonist in Shylock. He is considered the "Bad Guy" in this novel but yet we feel sympathetic towards him because he is constantly being picked on by others. Shylock could have easily not accepted the offer from Antonio, but he lends him money even after being so cruel to him. Shylock doesn't even show any hostility towards Antonio and strangely enough wants to become Antonio's friend but He denies him and asks him to be is enemy. We see this in the first quotation. In that scene we see how Antonio talks to Shylock, like he is lower than him, and Antonio has no regret in any of his hurtful actions. When we read how cruel Antonio has been to Shylock we feel sorry for him because he has been abused by Antonio and seeks no revenge on him. When I am reading this book a feel terrible for Shylock because many people can relate to being bullied for no apparent reason. But i become even more sympathetic when Antonio clearly states he is going to keep bullying him and that he feeling no remorse for what he has done and will do. Therefore, I have sympathy for Shylock, although he is in the antagonist in the book.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Blog #3 Great Expectations
One expectations changes from childhood to adulthood. We can see these changes occurring during chapter 38 and 39. As Pip and Estella grow older they see a clearer path for there futures. Pip sees himself being a great gentleman and having Estella, which he has had all along but when he finds out the benefactor isn't Ms. Havisham he doesn't know how his future with Estella will work, "Miss Havisham's intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me; i only suffered in Satis House as a convenience, a sting for the greedy relations, a model with a mechanical heart to practice on when no other practice was at hand; those were the first smarts i had.(pg. 323)" With hearing this news he figures out that all the fantasy's he had with Estella were just merely dreams and nothing else. When the convict tells him this news he isn't grateful at all but more disappointed and ashamed in away. With this news he finally realizes that dreams don't always come true.
Estella has come to some of the same conclusions about expectations as Pip. She has definitely changed through the book, she has grown up. In the beginning she was a rude and proud person and now she has become a more caring and generous person. She realizes that she was never really herself in the beginning and she was just a molding of Ms. Havishams makings. "I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the successes, take all the failure; in short, take me.(pg 304)" Estella basically tells ms. Havisham that she has made her who she is today in whole. Ms. Havisham has taught her everything, including not to love any man, be cold hearted, and rude. She finally sticks up for herself and states, "The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but two together make me.(306)" Estella finally realizes that through all of her hardships with Ms. Havisham she can get passed all of that and love someone. She is sick of being that snobby little girl and she wants to be a polite young women. Her expectations of herself have changed completely.
We have watched Pip and Estella grow up and learn from there mistakes. I believe that Estella and Pip are still drawn to each other and through it might be hard they could still be together. This prediction might be hard to understand but although there relationship might be rocky at times we know from past experiences that they would always be there for each other. What ever Pip and Estella chose to do in the future i feel like they are mature enough to make the best decisions and be happy with them. I know that for a fact.
Estella has come to some of the same conclusions about expectations as Pip. She has definitely changed through the book, she has grown up. In the beginning she was a rude and proud person and now she has become a more caring and generous person. She realizes that she was never really herself in the beginning and she was just a molding of Ms. Havishams makings. "I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the successes, take all the failure; in short, take me.(pg 304)" Estella basically tells ms. Havisham that she has made her who she is today in whole. Ms. Havisham has taught her everything, including not to love any man, be cold hearted, and rude. She finally sticks up for herself and states, "The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but two together make me.(306)" Estella finally realizes that through all of her hardships with Ms. Havisham she can get passed all of that and love someone. She is sick of being that snobby little girl and she wants to be a polite young women. Her expectations of herself have changed completely.
We have watched Pip and Estella grow up and learn from there mistakes. I believe that Estella and Pip are still drawn to each other and through it might be hard they could still be together. This prediction might be hard to understand but although there relationship might be rocky at times we know from past experiences that they would always be there for each other. What ever Pip and Estella chose to do in the future i feel like they are mature enough to make the best decisions and be happy with them. I know that for a fact.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Blog #2 Great Expectations
Question #1:
Pips visits to Ms. Havisham's has created all of Pip's ambitions and expectations for himself. It wasn't till Pip traveled to Ms. Havisham's that he realized his potential. " That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me.(72)"After Estella made fun of how he was so common and he wasn't special in any way he realized she was right and he wanted to change he was going to study harder and be more polite after the comments that Estella made. "My hands were coarse, my boots were thick; that i had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves jacks; that i was much more ignorant that i had considered myself before, and generally that i was in a low-lived bad way.(65)" He just realizes that he doesn't have anything special about him and he sees this through Estella because she is uncommon and has unique traits about her. "There had been a beautiful young lady at miss Havisham's who was dreadfully proud, and that she had said i was common, and that i knew i was common and that i wished i was not common.(70)" He has never wished to change himself before he traveled to Miss Havisham's but once he doesn't she convinces him there is nothing special at all about him. After he traveled there he started studying harder and he also helped Joe so he could be more presentable. He then had more aspirations to do more in life then be a blacksmith but he didn't know how he was going to succeed. Pip wants to become a gentleman, someone that Estella would look up to, but it isn't till he meets her and she treats him like that along with Miss Havisham that he realizes what he truly wants.
Pips visits to Ms. Havisham's has created all of Pip's ambitions and expectations for himself. It wasn't till Pip traveled to Ms. Havisham's that he realized his potential. " That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me.(72)"After Estella made fun of how he was so common and he wasn't special in any way he realized she was right and he wanted to change he was going to study harder and be more polite after the comments that Estella made. "My hands were coarse, my boots were thick; that i had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves jacks; that i was much more ignorant that i had considered myself before, and generally that i was in a low-lived bad way.(65)" He just realizes that he doesn't have anything special about him and he sees this through Estella because she is uncommon and has unique traits about her. "There had been a beautiful young lady at miss Havisham's who was dreadfully proud, and that she had said i was common, and that i knew i was common and that i wished i was not common.(70)" He has never wished to change himself before he traveled to Miss Havisham's but once he doesn't she convinces him there is nothing special at all about him. After he traveled there he started studying harder and he also helped Joe so he could be more presentable. He then had more aspirations to do more in life then be a blacksmith but he didn't know how he was going to succeed. Pip wants to become a gentleman, someone that Estella would look up to, but it isn't till he meets her and she treats him like that along with Miss Havisham that he realizes what he truly wants.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Great expectation blog #1
Mrs. Joe:
“By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on.”
Mrs. Joe is an all-powerful women who is very hostile toward Joe and Pip and others in the book. While on the other hand Joe is a mild, good-natured, sweet tempered, and easy going guy, who lets Mrs. Joe in some ways take advantage of him. Mrs. Joe is very short tempered and when someone gets on her nerves she shows it. Mrs. Joe has a lot of control over Joe and she would show that power through abusing him and pip. She is the dominate person, the leader of the house hold, and she proves this trait by abusing pip and Joe. Joe is a very kind and quiet man who lets Mrs. Joe take advantage of him, and convinces Pip that she is a "Fine figure of a woman" which isn't quite true in the eyes of the reader, one would not quite understand why Joe even married her in the first place. She also is very rude and cruel to Pip, she always reminds him she "raised him by hand" and creates fear for him. She makes sure that if she was hitting Joe or if she was hitting Pip the other wouldn't say anything or go against what she was doing. “By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on.” This quote is a great example of how Mrs. Joe treats the boys, like children, and though they arent the age of children somethimes they act like them. When they compare bit sizes or when they watch out for eachother for eachother and trip eachother. Through this book Mrs. Joe will keep abusing Pip and Joe unless someone stands up for them and tells her she is in the wrong.
“By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on.”
Mrs. Joe is an all-powerful women who is very hostile toward Joe and Pip and others in the book. While on the other hand Joe is a mild, good-natured, sweet tempered, and easy going guy, who lets Mrs. Joe in some ways take advantage of him. Mrs. Joe is very short tempered and when someone gets on her nerves she shows it. Mrs. Joe has a lot of control over Joe and she would show that power through abusing him and pip. She is the dominate person, the leader of the house hold, and she proves this trait by abusing pip and Joe. Joe is a very kind and quiet man who lets Mrs. Joe take advantage of him, and convinces Pip that she is a "Fine figure of a woman" which isn't quite true in the eyes of the reader, one would not quite understand why Joe even married her in the first place. She also is very rude and cruel to Pip, she always reminds him she "raised him by hand" and creates fear for him. She makes sure that if she was hitting Joe or if she was hitting Pip the other wouldn't say anything or go against what she was doing. “By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on.” This quote is a great example of how Mrs. Joe treats the boys, like children, and though they arent the age of children somethimes they act like them. When they compare bit sizes or when they watch out for eachother for eachother and trip eachother. Through this book Mrs. Joe will keep abusing Pip and Joe unless someone stands up for them and tells her she is in the wrong.
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