Connecting with Romeo and Juliet

There isn't really much that I can connect with in Romeo and Juliet, but there are a few things that I can relate to. Romeo's overdramatic personality is something that I can recognize. We all know someone who makes a big deal out of nothing and how much they drag on things to get attention. Of course Romeo is exactly like that but it's something that is similar. I can also connect with Romeo's friends. Benvolio and Mercutio try to help Romeo by getting him to move on past the girl he sought after in the beginning. This was the right thing to do as friends, though the best choice may not have been taking him to a party where they were specifically banned; however, as he met Juliet, it did seem to be effective. I have definitely given my friends advice, (and had it given to me) about life, school, boys, etc. I feel that I can best relate to Benvolio because of his ways as Romeo's friend.
   I think that reading at home and then in class is really helpful. If there is something that I'm confused about at home, it's good to read over it and understand it the next day in class. I think that also watching the movie clips are nice in class because its a visual aspect to see how that is portrayed in the movie from what we are reading. I can understand most of the reading before we get to class, but it's nice to have the refresher and just in case there is something I don't understand. I wish sometimes that we wouldn't spend the whole period reading because I start to zone out sometimes after we have been reading out loud for a long time. The reading is helping me get new ideas in class that hadn't occurred to me the night before, but the group activities are good to do also. It's nicer because then there is more time where we are physically doing something with the text than just reading it, or hearing it read. I think that I am getting a good understanding of the novel and both the readings in and out of class are what helps with that.

Wrapping Up Great Expectations

In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens there are a few different things that could be overall messages. I think that the most prominent and widely used one is that money doesn't guarantee happiness. Throughout the story Pip longs to be a gentleman and have money to buy nice clothes and other things. As the novel progresses Pip realizes that even though he has come into money he is still unhappy. I think that this is a universal experience for people everywhere. People often see something that is "better" or more expensive than what they have and automatically want it. It is just human nature for people to want more than they have. Decades, centuries, ago people longed for something better; now people long for the same. That is one of the parts of this book that makes it timeless. People can always relate to wanting something better (and then feeling ashamed of what they have currently in comparison to that better thing). Even though they know that having a better house, better clothes, etc doesn't mean they will be happy and satisfied with their lives people don't seem to ever get over the feeling of striving for better. The message that money won't ensure happiness is universal for everyone everywhere, which makes Great Expectations a book that people will enjoy(or not), but relate to nevertheless for years to come.