Great Expectations Book Review

Great Expectations Book Review Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, first published in 1860, is a classic fictional novel. The novel doesnt really have a genre, possibly a drama or adventure, but its more like just his story so Id say just a normal fictional novel. The story is set in 1812 to 1840 in an English town surrounded by marshes, Pip lived outside the town, once receiving his fortune he moved to London though. The novel tells of Pip, a young orphan, and his story, his life. Pip was raised by his sister, only known as Mrs. Joe, and her husband Joe. In the beginning of the novel Pip is in a graveyard, where his parents are buried, and he is approached by a shady looking man, who is in fact an escaped convict, the convict asks Pip to bring him some tools so he can escape and Pip does this. This becomes very important in the novel. One day Pips uncle takes him to play at a rich, weird old ladys house, Miss Havisham, here Pip meets Estella, who he falls in love with, though Estella only toys with Pips feelings and doesnt like him at all. Pip then becomes Joes apprentice blacksmith, but Pip struggles as a blacksmith and isnt very happy. Then one day a lawyer called Jaggers appears and announces to Pip that he has been left a large fortune and needs to move to London immediately. Pip moves to London, meets many new people and has some fun. Then one night a convict breaks into Pips room, the same convict that Pip helped when he was just a little boy, and the convict, Magwitch reveals that he made a fortune in Australia and he gave Pip his mysterious fortune. Pip is shocked but decides that he will help Magwitch escape from London, and so they escape. Pip begins to like Magwitch as they get to know each other and Pip discovers many things about his past. As Pip is about to help Magwitch escape London Pip is nearly killed, Magwitch eventually does escape and kills somebody, he is sentenced to death and hence Pip loses his fortune. Pip then goes and works abroad as a merchant, many years later he returns home and meets his childhood love, Estella, they get together, with Pip believing they will be together forever. Two main characters of Great Expectations are Pip and Estella. Pip is the main character is the novel, he is also the narrator. In the beginning of the novel Pip is a young child but as the book goes on he ages and is an adult by the end. Pip is a good boy, he always tries to do what is right, and is quite sympathetic, e.g. helping Magwitch, always caring for Mr. Mrs. Joe. Pip is always looking to improve himself, whether it is learning to read and write as a boy, or learning to become a gentleman. He is of the lower classes, until he receives his fortune, and he desires to become an upper class, largely so he can impress the girl he admires, Estella. Estella is an important character in the novel. As a girl she had been raised by Miss Havisham to be cruel and heartless towards men. When she meets Pip she acts cruel and heartlessly, toying with his emotions. Though Pip still loves her, maybe he saw something inside her, or he just longed to be in the upper class. She then married an upper class man, who treated her badly, this would have changed her, gotten rid of her coldness and cruelty. So when Pip returns she is kind, and they get together. The themes in this novel include social class, aspiration, wealth and crime. I think that Charles Dickens in this novel was trying to say that social class doesnt matter, and that desire to become better and change should be congratulated. The novel is set in first person, with the narrator, Pip, also being the main character. The language used is pretty weird, with some old English sort of stuff in there. Once you get used to the language its pretty good and not that hard to follow. Overall, I thought this novel was pretty good, for an old book. The language used was a bit hard to get at times, and sometimes the story was a bit slow, but overall I thought it had a good story and I liked it. Estella was an interesting character I thought, normally the girls are loving and the guy isnt really interested or too busy doing other stuff, but this time Pip loved her and she was totally uninterested and cold. And the twist with Magwitch having supplied Pips fortune I thought was good as well. 7/10 on the scale of goodness.

Conflict Is A Destructive Force In Our Lives Essay

In our lives conflict plays a huge force in our everyday activities, social events, interaction with our friends and family. But what is the real explanation of conflict? A struggle or destructive force. This description of conflict only touches the surface of what conflict really means. People encounter conflicts almost on a daily basis, whether it is self-brought upon conflict, conflict with what religion, age, gender you are. Who your family and friends are and how they contribute to your life and how their decisions impact you and the others around you. Conflict is an unavoidable thing that we will all face and have already faced conflict in one form or another throughout our lives. How we deal with conflict determines whether it destroys us or not. Conflict, as a force can either crush or build people’s strength people depending on how they deal with it and the repercussions they have to go through post-conflict. It is known to bring trauma and devastation but has also ha s the ability to bring people together and settle the differences between one another. Conflict in any form can prove to be rather hurtful and brutal, either for the individual or towards multiple groups. Conflict is a destructive force as it generates separation as a result of different ideas and opinions between different people or groups. When individuals or groups of people have social orders placed upon them, there is an inclination of trust and the idea of togetherness to be damaged. We live in a world of social structure and laws that are enforced to keep society under control. This is because the majority of conflicts that occur are destructive but they try to remain constructive. In the movie ‘A Separation’ we see many examples of conflict being encountered. The film captures the reality of city life in modern-day Iran, where a woman Razieh’s decision to take up a job that she couldn’t handle entirely set a motion of events that end in the death of her unborn child.. As the adults involved turn to legal remedies and the accusations and counter-accusations build up, the conflict becomes Termeh, the eleven year old daughter of Nader and Simin. The conflict occurred and encountered with Termeh sees her becoming more mature than what her age is due to her being  increasingly burdened by her parents’ unhappiness and the wider flaws she sees in the world that she lives in. The conflict in her life becomes a destructive force as she has to watch on as her father breaks down day by day as he can no longer deal with his own conflict that he has to deal with, which results in him being arrested and leaves Termeh in a struggle as to how she is even going to live as her mother has walked out on her for just a while. The film shows multiple variations of how conflict can be so damaging to one’s life and their being. Even though Nader’s father has no will to be even able to speak you can see his condition deteriorating as he watches the world go by him and has to see his son break down as he can no longer deal with the struggle he is put through day after day. However, the burden that Nader’s father puts on Nader impeccably shows his incapability to be able to let go of his father’s inability to live. For Nader, it is all about protecting and caring for his father who once did the same for him. He encounters conflict for the first time in the film right at the beginning when he is faced in court with the decision to leave his father and go with his wife and daughter to move out of the country. Nader is in the position where he would like to go for a better life but he simply cannot leave his father which causes his then wife Simin to get boiled over as she is beyond belief as to how Nader could not want a better life for his daughter and wife. This sets the scene for the whole film as the destructiveness continues to show from this point onwards. Conflict shows as it can be a power in our lives which can be uncontrollable in that of it can tear someone down bit by bit.

Negative and Positive Effects of Peer Relationships

Possessing a functional or dysfunctional family is of much importance to a healthy development, helping children through peer pressure, acceptance, and the anxiety of belonging. Yet how important is the environment that a child is raised on, this being shared or non-shared? How difficult or easy can peer pressure be? Will peer pressure help or deter a child from being functional. How much do these factors affect development from childhood to adolescence? This paper will explain the different stages of childhood to adolescence, and how a child and adolescence copes with nature and nurture .Family is of great importance to having a functional or dysfunctional development; it will help or impede the child to have a support system in place. The key areas are the family structure, function, shared and non-shared environment. A functional family is a family bonds and works together toward achieving needs. In a difference, the dysfunctional family is the opposite; non-shared environment. In a shared environment, the children are by same parents in the same home and have a crucial role to the development of the Middle childhood and Adolescence period.Children raised by a functional family have some standard to behavior. Parents are first role model. In a functional family, the words that come out from the young child mouth are very selective. The parents built them with such image of respect for both in and out of their environment. Other than behavioral factors, there are conditions that impair the development of the middle childhood. Children living in a non-shares environment maybe malnourished poorly guided, as a result of dysfunctional family. The attitude of such children will most likely be very raw, and disrespectful.Regardless of the family structure, there are stress factors that affect the middle childhood and adolescence development such as separation from both parents if they are divorced, delayed puberty because of malnutrition, adaptation to new environm ent and peer pressure . Positive impacts of peers and peer groups could be moral development, close friendships, and stability. Negative impacts of peers and peer groups could range from rejection, to bullying, and to no sense of belonging. During the Middle Childhood stage, children tend to look for a sense of belonging.As changes occur within and around them, they develop somewhat of their own culture. This culture allows the child to involve himself with others and create a bond that can compromise, share, and defend one another as an equal (Burger, 2010). As these bonds develop, moral growth is also developed. The morals that a child develops during these stages, sets a foundation for his or her morals to continue throughout adulthood. This childhood culture many times allows the children to develop close friendships. Close friendships become like an extended family to some of these children.These friendships can also hold another positive effect on the child, by providing stabi lity. Many children are affected by family disasters, such as divorce, and single parents. The stability of a close friend developing during this time continues to impact the child positively in to Adolescence and adulthood. It is always easier to discuss the positive impacts that peers can and may have on children in the Middle Childhood age, but negative impacts play a large role in a person’s life. One of the largest negative impacts that peers and peer groups can have on a child between the ages of 7-11, is rejection.Rejection impacts the child from the time it begins and continues all throughout the development stages. Bullying is known to impact the child deeply through words and physical actions. Upon peers and peer groups, bullying and rejection can lead to of place. The negative impact of bullying and rejection can lead a child and adolescence into depression or even no sense of belonging. The effects that peers have on a young adolescent can determine how that child behaves and also how the child views the world around them. During adolescent years children often find themselves in scenarios that could harm their future wellbeing.More than ever in this society as children find the need to belong or fit in to the popular crowd in school for acceptance they often tend to mimic their friends behaviors. This is often a result of the individual child trying to find him or herself. The results however, are not always negative. In fact, there are some positive results that may occur as a result of copying their peers. Simply stated, â€Å"When teens surround themselves with people who make good decisions and who are involved with positive activities and choices, it makes the adolescent child want to be better† (Stock, 2010 pg. 2).Positive peers influence adolescents and can drive the child toward improved confidence, and improved grades in school. Inversely, the same can be said for the adolescent child who decides that he or she wants to be l ike his or her friends who have a negative influence. Children who fall into this category are those that are of the bandwagon philosophy. Those negatively impacted by peers often show signs of lower grades in school, increased distance from family. In fact, â€Å"peer pressure can lead to experimentation with drugs and alcohol, and various high risks behaviors† (Fact Sheets, 2009 pg. ). The changes in the adolescent child can have lasting effects depending on which type of peer influences that child may be surrounded by. The negative impact of peer pressure can be strong; however there are also positive influences. Healthy influences are important to have in our lives from birth until death. Additional pressures that adolescents face compared to middle childhood are mostly from the bodily maturation process. Puberty has an enormous impact on the attitude and character that an adolescent presents.In addition, adolescents face a period of identity confusion. According to Inter national Child and Youth Care Network (2001), â€Å"Identity formation arises from repudiation of childhood identifications and the assumption of new configuration with both internal and societal recognitions. † Understanding the effects of puberty and its effects on the child’s identity, for boys, growing facial hair, voice changes, and the onslaught of acne can impede the need to find the identity of his ego. Girls will face breast growth, menstrual cycles, and acne as well during adolescence.The pressures that arise out of coping with these changes are very different, important, and upsetting for an adolescent compared to a nine-year-old. Stages in a child’s life are diverse and will be expressed in the child’s behavior. When a child reaches middle childhood, he or she will be in what is called the latency stage. Latency stage is the time the child starts to make friends of the same sex, is subjective to specific sexual behaviors, and thinks in terms o f morality, intellectual, and social skills start to develop.As an adolescent, they would be in their final phase of the developmental stage which the child focuses more on a heterosexual relationship outside of the family. Given that adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situations, a child can pass through preceding the preceding stages with the most favorable gratification. If not behaviors that inhibit a person's ability to adjust to particular situation can produce unfavorable results. Oswalt, (2008). Moral reasoning will portray the outcome of a child’s behavior in society .There are three levels to moral reasoning and they develop in stages. First is pre-conventional reasoning which there is no integral part of values and external rewards and punishments force reasoning. Second is conventional reasoning that can be characterized by various integral parts of values, usually these values are put in place by parents. The third level is post conventional reasoning, this is when morals are altogether incorporated and is not contingent on non-essential sources. The media's impact and communal outlook with the development with adolescent has been far-reaching.Today's children are pummeled with unachievable values on what is considered beautiful, exposed to violent images of sex and violence. Exposure to such expectations and combined with the physical and emotional changes, children are more likely to struggle with sexuality, be subjected to violence at school, and incur eating disorders. These early years in childhood development are times when children are most vulnerable and when psychological disorders like depression and other temperamental disorders start to appear during this stage of life.Having a functional or dysfunctional family is of great importance to a healthy development. The environment and peer pressure are also of great importance, helping or deterring a child’s function in society. Children must believe they are safe, protected helping the child through key stages of development .

Irelands Big Wind, 1839

Ireland's Big Wind, 1839 In rural Irish communities of the early 1800s weather forecasting was anything but precise. There are many tales of people who were locally revered for accurately predicting turns in the weather. Yet without the science we now take for granted, weather events were often viewed through the prism of superstition. One particular storm in 1839 was so peculiar that rural folk in the west of Ireland, stunned by its ferocity, feared it could be the end of the world. Some blamed it on the â€Å"fairies,† and elaborate folk tales sprang from the event. Those who lived through the â€Å"Big Wind† never forgot it. And for that reason the horrendous storm became, seven decades later, a famous question formulated by the British bureaucrats who ruled Ireland. The Great Storm Battered  Ireland Snow fell across Ireland on Saturday, January 5, 1839. Sunday morning dawned with cloud cover that amounted to a typical Irish sky in winter. The day was warmer than usual, and the snow from the night before began to melt. By midday it began to rain heavily, and the precipitation coming in off the north Atlantic slowly spread eastward. By early evening heavy winds began to howl. And then on Sunday night an unforgettable fury was unleashed. Hurricane force winds began to batter the west and north of Ireland as a freak storm roared out of the Atlantic. For most of the night, until just before dawn, the winds mauled the countryside, uprooting large trees, tearing thatched roofs off houses, and toppling barns and church spires. There were even reports that grass was torn off hillsides. As the worst part of the storm occurred in the hours after midnight, families huddled in total darkness, terrified by the relentless howling winds and sounds of destruction. Some  homes caught fire when the bizarre winds blasted down chimneys, throwing hot embers from hearths throughout cottages. Casualties and Damage Newspaper reports claimed that more than 300 people were killed in the wind storm, but accurate figures are difficult to pin down. There were reports of houses collapsing on people as well as houses burning to the ground. There’s no doubt there was considerable loss of life as well as many injuries. Many thousands were made homeless, and the economic devastation inflicted on a population that was nearly always facing famine must have been massive. Stores of food meant to last through the winter had been destroyed and scattered. Livestock and sheep were killed in vast numbers. Wild animals and birds were likewise killed, and crows and jackdaws were nearly made extinct in some parts of the country. And it must be kept in mind that the storm struck in a time before government disaster response programs existed. The people affected essentially had to fend for themselves. The Big Wind In a Folklore Tradition The tural Irish believed in the â€Å"wee people,† what we think of today as leprechauns or fairies. And tradition held that the feast day of a particular saint, Saint Ceara, which was held on January 5, was when these supernatural beings would hold a great meeting. As the mighty wind storm had struck Ireland on the day after the feast of Saint Ceara, a storytelling tradition developed that the wee people held their grand meeting on the night of January 5, and decided to leave Ireland. As they left the following night, they created the Big Wind. Bureaucrats Used  The Big Wind as a Milestone The night of January 6, 1839 was so profoundly memorable that it was always known in Ireland as the Big Wind, or The Night of the Big Wind. The Night of the Big Wind forms an era, explained a reference book published in the early 20th century. Things date from it: such and such a thing happened before the Big Wind, when I was a boy. A quirk in Irish tradition was that birthdays were never celebrated in the 19th century, and no special heed was given to precisely how old someone was. Records of births were often not kept very carefully by civil authorities. This creates problems for genealogists today (who generally have to rely on church parish baptismal records). And it created problems for bureaucrats in the early 20th century. In 1909 the British government, which was still ruling Ireland, instituted a system of old age pensions. When dealing with the rural population of Ireland, where the written records might be scant, the ferocious storm that blew in from the north Atlantic 70 years earlier proved to be useful. One of the questions asked of elderly people was if they could remember the Big Wind. If they could, they qualified for a pension.

Latin Names and Terms for Family Members

Latin Names and Terms for Family Members English kinship terms, although not completely transparent even to those who grew up using them, lack the complexity found in many other language systems. English speakers might struggle to determine whether someone is a cousin once removed or a second cousin, but we dont have to think twice about what the title is for a parents sister. It doesnt matter if the parent is the father or the mother: the name is the same: aunt.  In Latin, we would have to know whether the aunt is on the fathers side, an amita, or on the mothers, a matertera. This is not restricted to kinship terms. In terms of the sounds a language makes, there is a compromise made between ease of articulation and ease of understanding. In the realm of vocabulary, the ease might be the ease of memorizing a small number of specialized terms vs the need of others to know to whom youre referring. Sibling is more general than sister or brother. In English, we have both, but only those. In other languages, there might be a term for an older sister or younger brother and maybe none for a sibling, which could be considered too general to be useful.   For those who grew up speaking, for instance, Farsi or Hindi, this list may seem as it should be, but for us English speakers, it may take some time. soror, sororis, f. sisterfrater, fratris, m. brothermater, matris, f. motherpater, patris, m. fatheravia, -ae, f. grandmotheravus, -i, m. grandfatherproavia, -ae, f. great-grandmotherproavus, -i, m. great-grandfatherabavia, f. great-great-grandmotherabavus, m. great-great-grandfatheratavia, f. great-great-great-grandmotheratavus, m. great-great-great-grandfathernoverca, -ae. f. stepmothervitricus, -, m. stepfatherpatruus, -i, m. paternal unclepatruus magnus, m. paternal great-unclepropatruus, m. paternal great-great uncleavunculus, -i, m. maternal uncleavunculus magnus, m. maternal great-uncleproavunculus, m. maternal great-great uncleamita, -ae, f. paternal auntamita magna, f. paternal great auntproamita, f. paternal great-great auntmatertera, -ae, f. maternal auntmatertera magna, f. maternal great-auntpromatertera, f. maternal great-great-auntpatruelis, -is, m./f. paternal cousinsobrinus, -i, m. maternal boy cousinsobrina, -ae, f. maternal girl cousinvitrici filius/filia, m./f. pat ernal step-sibling ï » ¿novercae filius/filia, m./f. maternal step-siblingfilius, -i, m. sonfilia, -ae. f. daughterprivignus, -i, m. stepsonprivigna, -ae, f. stepdaughternepos, nepotis, m. grandsonneptis, neptis, f. grand-daughterabnepos/abneptis, m./f. great-grandson/great-granddaughteradnepos/adneptis, m./f. great-great-grandso/great-great-granddaughter Source Sandys, John Edwin, 1910. A Companion to Latin Studies. Cambridge University Press: London.

Encumbrances, Easement and Licenses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Encumbrances, Easement and Licenses - Essay Example WHEREAS, the parties desire to create a reciprocal driveway easement for automobiles, for their use in common. â€Å" Mrs Acre† shall have the right to use the (easterly, westerly, northerly, southerly – choose one) feet of premises belonging to â€Å" Mr. Land†. â€Å" Mrs. Acre for valuable consideration of $2000† shall have the right to use the (easterly, westerly, northerly, southerly – choose one) feet of premises belonging to â€Å" Mr. Land†. Said strips of land will constitute a fifty foot reciprocal driveway easement for vehicular ingress and egress. â€Å"Mr. Land † and â€Å"Mrs. Acre † represent and covenant to and with each other as follows: 1. The strip of property fifty feet lying and being on one-half of â€Å" † side of the boundary line, and the strip of feet lying and being on one-half of â€Å" † side of the boundary line shall be continuously and forever a driveway easement. 4. The Grantor agrees to keep the premises free of materials, equipment, vehicles, trees, shrubbery, and any other obstructions which would interfere with Grantees’ access to or maintenance of water mains and appurtenances. Grantor further agrees to make no alterations to the premises Grantor, for itself and its heirs, hereby covenants with Grantee, its heirs, and assigns, that Grantor is lawfully seized in fee simple of the above-described premises; that it has a good right to convey; that the premises are free from all encumbrances; that Grantor and its heirs, and all persons acquiring any interest in the property granted, through or for Grantor, will, on demand of Grantee, or its heirs or assigns, and at the expense of Grantee, its heirs or assigns, execute and instrument necessary for the further assurance of the title to the premises that may be reasonably required; and that Grantor and its heirs will forever warrant and defend all of the property so granted to Grantee, its heirs, against every

Memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Memo - Assignment Example nts require skills that enhance their capacity to understand, analyze data, solve problems and communicate their ideas to others, which is necessary for collaboration in Park University. According to Hanson-Smith, and Rilling, such skills are fundamental to the success of the contemporary knowledge society (363). Nevertheless, most of the students do not possess these skills and the educators are not informed regarding the necessary steps to take to improve online learning. The students’ needs that should be addressed include; Effective communication through the utilization of the various tools available such as audio, visual, computer graphics and various design software. The students should also be exposed to the use of emerging communication environments such as the World Wide Web, electronic mail and social networking sites among other interactive strategies. Analyzing and interpreting information obtained from various sources including the World Wide Web. Much of the information obtained from websites is usually raw and requires skills for selection of only what is useful for the students and discarding the irrelevant data. They need skills to gather the right information, make comparisons, evaluate and interpret information to make it useful in their learning endeavors. Computational modeling is a significant skill that allows students to cope with the difficult tasks in various subjects. They need to understand a range of systems for data representation, which include; mathematical models and simulations as well as various computer programs that can be used for problem solving. The assumptions that form the basis of the models as well as their effectiveness and limitations need to be known by the students to enhance their problem solving skills. Time management is also important since it allows students to accomplish tasks on time and with ease. Improvements in learning at Park University can be achieved through promoting skills in task management and