Reflections on a year of Reading English Literature
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Oliver twist by Charles Dickens
The tempest by William Shakespeare
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Already being a huge fan of the English culture and the classic literature it has to offer choosing England was an easy choice for me. The country has a very rich cultured past and everything in England is very posh and elegant. The inclusion of a royal family is just an example as to why England is very classical in England you can even be knighted by the queen! The landmarks like the Big-Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the tower of London are just a few of the largest tourist attractions in the world that England has to offer. The literature follows suit to this reputation in every novel that I’ve read especially Dickens work. The landmarks make appearances and the royal family even is coherent. The poor in the novels are really poor and the rich in the novels are especially really rich! The characters are always speaking to each other in elegant fashion and the occupations they have like being teachers, black smiths, and stock brokers are still popular jobs in England. The characters eat crumpets and drink lots of tea and the stereotypes of English people are really true in these novels and it actually is quite comical. The land of the Iconic union jack has produced some of the best classic authors that literature has to offer just like my favorite author from there Charles Dickens.
What I’ve learned from Great expectation is that no matter what the upbringing or what mistakes you have made in the past if you pay your dues you will be rewarded in the end. Pip helps an escaped convict run away from the police and even though that is something illegal later on during his adult hood he was gifted with something amazing to escape his abusive sister and future of being a blacksmith. Pip gets to become a gentleman and is gifted a fortune to lie with from a mysterious donor and that donor is the very convict he helped when he was a kid and it repaid him later on in life because he did his job and stayed focused.
What I’ve learned from Oliver twist is that sometimes you may have to do the wrong thing to help support yourself in the long run. Oliver starts out as an orphan destined to work a job at a funeral home who is ready to run away to the city and make a living out there. When he was trying to make his living he and three other children are kidnapped by a villain named Fagin who is going to use them as servants. The entire group starts pick pocketing to make enough money to eat and escape the clutches of Fagin while all of the orphanages owners are looking for him. Fagin turns himself in and the inheritance Oliver is given and the money he made to escape stays with him and he gets adopted by the orphanage owner and stealing to keep himself alive.
What I’ve learned from The Tempest is that if you stay focused and on task you can really accomplish anything you set yourself to doing. The king of Naples is taking a ship home with his other family back home from his daughter’s wedding and he ends up in a shipwreck with the daughter watching it happen. He doesn’t want his daughter to see him die so he and the crew build a small ship and brave the oceans cruel waves to make it back home. The reason they made it back is because the way they kept their mind to a task and the way that they just never gave up they completed the task the set their line too.
What I’ve learned from David Copperfield is that there is always going to be somebody in the world who is there for you and on your side. David’s father died when he was you and he grew up with an abusive step father who wouldn’t let him try to pursue his aspiring writing career. David’s step father sends him to a boarding school and while he’s there he meets many people who go against him. He stuck to his wits and became a successful writer with the help of his new found love Agnes. Because she was there to support him through all of the hatred he is shown he is able to become a successful writer. If you find a support system you can always complete anything you try to do through any hate.
What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m still not a huge fan of reading anymore like I was when I was a little kid. But if the book I’m reading is something from dickens or any English literature I am a little bit more interested in reading. What I have learned about myself is also that I wait till the last minute to finish things that I have to do which is something that I should work on doing. The reading itself was enjoyable it gave me a routine to follow every week during school and I had something to do every Sunday night and it became normal. In the end of all of these blog posts the biggest thing I figured out is that English literature is my personal favorite literature and that I do better on my homework and finish assignments when I am put on a schedule and I get into a routine.
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