Monday, January 31, 2011

Pride and Prejudice Blog #5

The relationship between Jane and Bingley is one that readers have seen progress and struggle all throughout this story. On the other hand, the relationship between Lydia and Wickham was a much more spontaneous and frowned upon one. When learning that Mr. Bingley was interested in their daughter, Jane, the Bennett family was more than ecstatic, Mrs. Bennett in particular. They all knew that this meant their family would quickly move up on the ladder of societal success, turning around what the engagement of Lydia and Wickham had surely begun doing:“the Bennetts were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the world; though only a few weeks before…they had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune”(339). Although Mr. Wickham was not an unsuccessful man, the knowledge of Lydia's immaturity and undeniable need to be married made the situation seem much less desirable. It was clear that Lydia's constant focus on being married at a young age is what led her to make the rash decision of being engaged to Wickham, and his reasoning was backed by the money aspect. Jane and Bingley were the two parts of a much more pleasing love story. Their engagement may not have gone smoothly at first, but was eventually made out of love and compassion for their counterpart. These two aspects were ones that did not exist in the relationship between Wickham and Lydia. The relationship between Jane and Bingley is expected to have a very healthy affect on all involved, while that of Wickham and Lydia is a much more unhealthy situation that could not only end up in a broken relationship, but a broken family. In the engagement of Jane and Mr. Bingley, the Bennetts are very hopeful that it will affect them all for the better, which balances out the fear they have for young Lydia who may very well be making a bad decision. Although this is true, Elizabeth still tries her hardest to be supportive of her sister, saying: "Small as their chance of happiness, and wretched as is his character, we are forced to rejoice"(294). She knows it will most likely cause problems in the future for herself and her family, but at the moment, she is willing to see that Lydia has made her decision, and although it has little chance of working out, it is going to happen whether they like it or not. This shows a lot about the character of Elizabeth, who seems to be the constant among variables in her family. We see these variables especially in Jane and Lydia, two very different characters making huge changes in their lives at the same time, and through the same sacrament, but in very different ways.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Pride and Prejudice Blog #4

Jane Austen succeeds in revealing the true character of Miss. Bingley through her use of syntax and diction, among many other rhetorical strategies. Austen accurately describes this character through a strong word choice (syntax) and the use of hyperbole to reveal her true personality to her readers. When Miss. Bingley reveals her overwhelmingly jealous character to the readers, it is done so "with sneering civility" (logos). How she interacts with Elizabeth at this moment shows that Miss. Bingley's ability to somewhat mask her evil motives by her manners has been lost due to the amount of jealousy she feels towards Elizabeth. Austen makes this jealousy clear when Miss. Bingley aims for Elizabeth's feelings and bashes her and her family without a second thought, stating that the militia "must be a great loss to [Elizabeth's] family". (pathos) This succeeds in proving Miss. Bingley's cold character because Austen's audience can connect with Elizabeth and her reaction to Miss. Bingley's snide remark on a more personal level. Overall, how Miss. Bingley's interactions with others, such as Elizabeth, are portrayed in the novel, decide how the audience will see her. Because of Austen's use of rhetorical strategies, the audience sees Miss. Bingley as the demeaning, selfish, and truly mean character she was written to be.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Pride and Prejudice Blog #3

I believe Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are to blame for the elopement of their daughter, Lydia, and Mr. Wickham.“The business of her life was to get her daughters married”(7); if Mrs. Bennett didn't have this mindset, she could have easily avoided much of the destruction she has caused.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett's five daughters were raised with very little structure and discipline, causing them to act out and be looked down upon by those higher in society. This lack of structure seems to have affected the youngest daughter, Lydia, the most, possibly due to the parent's lack of energy to stay on top of her actions after raising four other young girls. At this point, the strongest impression Mrs. Bennett had made on her daughter was the importance of marrying off to a rich and successful man. Unfortunately his had now become the business of Lydia's life as well. Mr. Bennett's inactive role in Lydia's life very well may have made just as much of an impact as Mrs. Bennett's overly active one. If Mr. Bennett had been able to stand up and teach her that she can be strong on her own rather than depending on a man for happiness, she would not have turned out the flirty and conceited young woman we see her become. Her actions regarding the soldiers in town are a perfect example of how she believes she should act around marriage prospects, explaining the bad name she continues to give the entire Bennett family. Lydia is slandering the family name by coming off as a desperate young woman who will go after any man she comes across in order to put herself ahead.These actions are not something Lydia could have simply picked up on her own, these are actions that Mrs. Bennett approved of and forced Lydia to believe to be socially acceptable. In reality, they were the opposite.
It may seem as though parents cannot be to blame for how a child turns out, which is arguable, but this is a very specific case. This is a case in which the child happens to have a somewhat invisible father, and a rather crazy and demanding mother. This is not a good mix. Lydia did not have anyone there to possibly refute the ideas that her mother drilled into her brain her entire life. These ideas consisting of it being a necessity to marry rich, at a young age, and into a family that will strengthen their own family name. When this is the situation a young girl is put into, the outcome is nearly inevitable. This outcome is exactly what is seen take place in Pride and Prejudice. If Mr. Bennett had been able to step up and set ground rules for Lydia, he would have never allowed her to set off to Brighton, and she would have never been able to elope. At the same time, if Mrs. Bennett hadn't brought Lydia up in such a fashion, her head would not have been so wrapped around the idea of getting married as soon as possible, and she would not have even wanted to elope so badly. In conclusion, both parents are equally to blame for the elopement of Lydia and Mr. Wickham.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Writing Critique #9

From the very beginning of Emmeline's letter, her amazing use of vocabulary stood out to me. I really liked how she recognized all the issues that Elizabeth was going to address throughout the letter in the second paragraph, it did a really nice job of setting up the reader and letting them know what to expect. I specifically liked how Emmeline referred directly to Mr. Darcy's letter, making it clear why Elizabeth was saying what she was saying. Although she also made it clear that Elizabeth was understanding of Mr. Darcy's actions, she did not avoid standing up for herself and her sister, only proving that she indeed is the independent and strong woman that we believe her to be. Emmeline does the same when it comes to Elizabeth referring to her family, she does not act ignorant to the situation and how they act, but she stands up for them. Overall, I liked everything about Emmeline's letter :) Good job!

Writing Critique #8

Sarah's letter was very unique in that she made what she expects to happen later in the novel very clear. The letter showed that Elizabeth simply wanted Mr. Darcy to accept her apology and offer his hand in marriage yet again. Sarah also very successfully shows how Elizabeth's point of view on Darcy had changed up to this point, proving that she may not be as prejudice as some would think. This is a very apologetic and genuine letter, which only made me like it even more. Lastly, the ending was very cute and definitive, clearly stating that Elizabeth has changed her mind and would like to now accept Mr. Darcy's hand in marriage. I like the confidence that Sarah's stating this shows, and to be honest, I hope this happens in the book. Woo hoo happy endings! Overall, it was hard for me to find much wrong with this letter, good job Sarah :)

Writing Critique #7

In Dasomi's blog, I really liked how she represented Elizabeth. She made it clear that it was an apologetic letter, but not with a begging tone. Her letter keeps a very consistent honest tone, which is somewhat how I would imagine Elizabeth speaking. She also succeeded in making Elizabeth's feelings of closeness with Jane clear. Dasomi uses a very wide display of vocabulary, which keeps me interested throughout the letter. In the end, I liked how she left me wondering. She didn't specify whether or not Elizabeth now wanted to accept his hand in marriage, but she made it clear that she did not want things to end. Good job Dasomi :)

Writing Critique #6

Just like everything of Rachel's that I read- I absolutely loved this letter response! Rachel's use of language from the text was on point. I felt like I was reading Jane Austen's words. She succeeds in describing Elizabeth's point of view on everything Mr. Darcy had expressed in his letter, and describes it exactly as could be expected of Elizabeth due to her character's strengths and flaws. Not only does Elizabeth address that she was wrong in this letter, but she stands up for herself and explains why she acted as she did. Due to Elizabeth's strength and independence that we know her to have, doing this suits her perfectly. I don't think Rachel could have closed this letter in a better way. She tied all the loose ends and finished it off with one last apology. I really enjoyed reading this letter and think Rachel did an amazing job :)

Writing Critique #5

Qing Fei! I thought this blog thoroughly represented all of the ideas that we have spoken about in class thus far, so good job! :)
Not only did it represent those ideas well, but it also covered all the issues that Mr. Darcy referenced in his letter to Elizabeth. By having Elizabeth deny the proposal, I think Qing Fei accurately displayed the characteristics that we have seen Elizabeth display. I also liked how she made it clear that Elizabeth feels strongly about her sister, which justifies why she was so upset that he succeeded in breaking up her relationship with Mr. Bingley. Overall, I really liked the content of this letter but there are some language adjustments that could be made. If different word choices were used, in order to make the letter sound like it was straight out of the book, this letter would be very quality work :) Good job Qing Fei!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Pride and Prejudice Letter

Dear Mr. Darcy,

I write this letter, not to continue those words I so rudely had spoken to you or with any intention of further wrongly accusing you, rather, quite the opposite. After reading your letter, which held such an air of sincerity, I have felt more than obliged to reply appropriately. It may not often be within my character to admit my wrongdoing, and I would not blame you for completely disregarding this letter, but I hope that you do pay me the attention in which I believe I still deserve.

I am glad to see that you agree with my feelings of resentment towards your action of breaking up my dear sister and your dear friend, Mr. Bingley. Though this is true, I also understand why those actions took place. To be quite honest, I very well may have done the same thing were roles reversed and my sister believed to be the one in danger of heartbreak. You may have a keen eye of the personality's of others, as I myself do, but in this case, I still believe you to be incorrect. Though this is true, I believe that you were not aiming to inflict pain on her poor heart, or mine, therefore, I apologize for my attack of your character.

When reading your response to my accusations of the Mr. Wickham situation, my heart was immediately weighed down. I see now that I judged both of your characters rather oppositely. In reality, you are the kind hearted man, and Wickham is the one whose character I have always despised. Your explanation of the situation left me with no doubts that you are the honest man in which any woman would be lucky to join in marriage, causing me to somewhat regret the response that I so naively gave to you.

It is with my greatest sincerity that I say these things, and can only hope that you are capable of accepting this apology. I was rash in blaming you for things that were not my place to blame, and I now see all the errors I have made in the relationship of ours. I believe our relationship to have had much potential for a happy future, and for that potential to still remain. Once again, I would not blame you for disregarding this letter, yet still firmly believe that we both deserve second opportunities to further the relationship that would be built on much stronger grounds now. God bless you, and I pray to learn of your response to this letter in due time.

Yours,

Miss. Elizabeth Bennet

Writing Critique #4

Brittany uses an amazingly wide vocabulary, which I absolutely loved about her letter. She also used many words and expressions straight out of the book, which made the letter have a strong sense of the era that it took place in. I specifically loved when she said, "To me you were the most despicable man held captive by pride, when all along it has been me who suffered from the true abominable pride". In this one sentence, Brittany not only shows that Elizabeth is not afraid of admitting to her mistakes, but addresses how she had felt about Mr. Darcy earlier in the story. Overall, Brittany's letter was short, sweet, and to the point, which is how I would actually expect Elizabeth to write due to what we know of her character. She successfully cleared the air with Mr. Darcy, and made it clear that it was an apologetic letter for everything that had gone wrong between them to that day. I think Brittany did a really good job :)

Writing Critique #3

Nick did a really good job of addressing the specific events in which haunted Elizabeth and her view of Mr. Darcy. Even if someone had not known the background of Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship, by reading Nick's letter, they would be able to tell why she declined the proposal. This reader would also see that Elizabeth was a prejudice character, but one who has realized that as the novel went on. I really liked this specific format, addressing each necessary thing paragraph at a time. Nick did not put too much emphasis on using the language of the time, but I think his overall writing and expression of his ideas made up for it. He had a unique ending, one that caught me off guard. He uses our knowledge of Elizabeth's independent and strong character and makes it so that she sticks up for herself, rather than giving into Mr. Darcy right away. Not only does he do this, but he enters a sense of foreshadowing in at the very end, expressing that he believes Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy might be able to overcome this and remain close. I liked this blog a lot, good job Nick :)

Writing Critique #2

I really liked how Ceilli wrote her letter response in such a personal manner. Not only was she speaking directly to Mr. Darcy, but she brought up events such as their first meeting to address how her opinions of him have changed over time. I also liked how she brought up the idea of family coming first, which is a huge theme of the entire novel. I also found the way she ended the letter to be perfect. Elizabeth did not entirely let her guard down and ask for his hand in marriage, but showed that she knew she was in the wrong and would not blame him for not forgiving her 100%. That is something that I would definitely expect from Elizabeth, based on what we know of her character. It seems like Ceilli may have struggled with the language of the time, but I don't blame her, it's really difficult. Overall, I thought this was a good letter and enjoyed reading it :)

Monday, January 10, 2011

Writing Critique #1

From the very beginning of Hannah's blog her use of words seen in the text and language from the time period of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth caught my attention. She clearly steps right into the shoes of Elizabeth and responds to Mr. Darcy's letter as she expects her to, based on what we have learned of her character thus far. I don't personally think Elizabeth would give in so easily to understanding Darcy's breaking up Jane and Mr. Bingley, but Hannah displays this idea very well. Despite her making Elizabeth seem to have completely changed from her strong and independent self, to a woman who succumbs so easily to the word of a man, I think Hannah's use of vocabulary and knowledge of the text makes this letter quality work. She succeeds in thoroughly displaying what she believes Elizabeth's reaction to be, not only towards the letter, but towards Darcy himself. This thought leads to predictions that could be made for the future of the text, which left me thinking. Good job Hannah :)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Pride & Prejudice #2

Based on the discussion we had today in class, I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Darcy is not as much of an antagonist as he was made out to be. After Mr. Darcy was first introduced, I was sure that he would not be a favorite character of mine. As I continued to read though, I began finding him interesting. His brutally honest state of being tends to offend those around him, but cannot be considered an all around bad trait. This is true because Mr. Darcy does not intend to hurt others with his words, he simply believes all should be as strong as him and able to handle the truth. This sense of strength and independence is something that Darcy sees in Lizzy and is automatically fascinated by. Although they both take pride in their independence, we see a wall come down when Darcy openly asks Lizzy to dance, and Lizzy accepts. If nothing else, this can be considered proof that Darcy may tend to judge quickly, but actually has an open mind and an open heart and may not be as prejudice as we believe.