I started reading Frankenstein the night after our AS exam (RAGE RAGE RAGE at the memory of that exam!!) as I got it for free on my Kindle!! How great is that! Francis, if you don't have one, I'd deffs recommend a Kindle - you can get loads of classics for free and other books are much cheaper than paper and hard backs! You can also get newspapers! Jeez, you'd think I work on commission for Amazon.
ANYWAY.
When I started reading, I was so confused to what I was actually reading because I was reading letters from a sailor. I was thinking, "I did not think that Frankenstein or his monster was a sailor" so I kind of gave up reading for a while. THEN at the end of Sir Brannagh's Frankenstein when it ended with that sailor, it suddenly clicked! and I got into the book because I understood it.
What is also good about reading this book on a Kindle is when I don't understand a word (which is often) you can click that word and the kindle defines the word! It's wonderful!
The letters did confuse me a bit when the sailor spoke about the man they had taken aboard because I just couldn't work out whether it was Frankenstein or the monster. I really like the way the book begins with the letters from the sailor thought because it describes the condition of Frankenstein after he has created the monster and how it had affected him. Readers are provided with a detailed description of his appearance which we may not be provided with when the book is written through the eyes of Frankenstein.
When Frankenstein begins his story it is a bit boring learning about all his childhood and so on for a few chapters - it is only when he goes off to Uni when the real story of the monster begins.
That'll do.
P.s:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0051QVF7A/ref=amb_link_170675047_2?ie=UTF8&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1G4SXYDRY4RXXRV5HSSK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=317900367&pf_rd_i=468294
Sunday, 19 August 2012
The Bloody Chamber
So it's like half way through the holiday and this is my first blog, but NO FEAR! I have still been reading.
At this stage, I'm like half way through the Bloody Chamber but just to amuse you Francis I'll pretend I have just started.
So, I've just finished the first book in The Bloody Chamber which just so happens to also be called The Bloody Chamber. I think that's a little biased, don't you?
My first thought when I finished this short book was, "wow, a third of an exam just on 43 pages! Score!" Until someone burst my little bubble and told me there was still 9 other books within this book. Boo! :(
However, I did enjoy this short story, despite Francis already ruining it for us all in lesson when he summarised it to us (which I believe was for the soul purpose that he could say the C-word to us all, but hey-ho)
What I liked about this story was the mother's role in the story. The story, you would assume, is about a newly-wed couple, however, the story begins with the bride's/narrator's memory of her mother and ends with her mother saving the narrator and the mother is also featured throughout the story through phone calls and memories. The mother is portrayed to be a strong woman, notable because she raised her daughter single-handedly following the death of her husband (who was like this soldier man, so she probs learned a thing or two from him --- and she stole/kept his gun - perhaps she knew she would need it)
THE CHOKEY! Killed fresh wife. Yum
FRESH MEAT
inabit.
At this stage, I'm like half way through the Bloody Chamber but just to amuse you Francis I'll pretend I have just started.
So, I've just finished the first book in The Bloody Chamber which just so happens to also be called The Bloody Chamber. I think that's a little biased, don't you?
My first thought when I finished this short book was, "wow, a third of an exam just on 43 pages! Score!" Until someone burst my little bubble and told me there was still 9 other books within this book. Boo! :(
However, I did enjoy this short story, despite Francis already ruining it for us all in lesson when he summarised it to us (which I believe was for the soul purpose that he could say the C-word to us all, but hey-ho)
What I liked about this story was the mother's role in the story. The story, you would assume, is about a newly-wed couple, however, the story begins with the bride's/narrator's memory of her mother and ends with her mother saving the narrator and the mother is also featured throughout the story through phone calls and memories. The mother is portrayed to be a strong woman, notable because she raised her daughter single-handedly following the death of her husband (who was like this soldier man, so she probs learned a thing or two from him --- and she stole/kept his gun - perhaps she knew she would need it)
inabit.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
To what extent do you agree that the women in Cousin Kate are heroic?
In today's lesson we discussed the question "To what extent do you agree that the women in Cousin Kate are heroic?" and what our opinions on this question were.
Persona
Persona
- She faces injustice but manages to come out on top. She does this by showing society that she isn't the traditional idea of a "fallen woman" as she stays strong and resists the negative views of society.
Facing injustice - Neighbours look down on her "Call me an outcast thing"
- Lord discarded her for other woman "Chose you, and cast me by."
Comes out on top - Has son of Lord when Kate cannot have children "I've a gift you have not got, and seem not like to get"
Not a fallen woman - Has son which is more important which gives her power and control "Your father would give lands for one to wear his coronet." - She experiences an emotive journey which creates sympathy for her as she is a victim. However, she still holds her head high after all the criticism from society - "Call me an outcast thing"
She has a son who she is proud of "my pride" despite the views of society and becomes strong and powerful over the Lord and waits for her victory "would give lands for one to wear his coronet"
- Kate has moral high ground for she doesn't have sex before marriage and so society look highly and proudly of her "He bound you with his ring" "The neighbours call you good and pure"
- Gains status by marrying a Lord (social climber) shows that poorer, more innocent people are rewarded. "He saw you at your father's gate" "He lifted you from mean estate"
- The women in Cousin Kate exhibit women's material desires Kate falls in love with the Lord's property and ring "Your love was writ in sand" "He'd not have won me with his land"
Persona also exibits women's material desires despite her denying that she would have been "won" by the Lord's land, at the end of the poem she is awaiting her revenge where she will claim the Lord's land due to mothering his son. "would give lands for one to wear his coronet" - Kate breaks family bonds for a man
- Man retains control "wore my like a silken knot, he changed me like a glove" "He bound you with his ring"
- Women are bitter - the two women are divided over a man which portrays women's bitchyness but also how men are often the cause of fall outs.
- The poem focus's on women's bad points, e.g. bitterness, naivety, giving in to temptations. However, it doesn't show any good points of women and so makes it seem as though this represents all women.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Fallen Women
In our previous English lesson we pondered over the topic of "Fallen Women". We discussed what we thought a fallen woman could be. I personally thought a fallen woman could represent a woman who has faced a lot of difficulties in her life, perhaps vocationally or in relationships. Either way, a woman who has been crushed by a traumatic event in her life. Other ideas were of women who had slept around before marriage, or who had been enticed by men who use them and abandon them.
We looked at another of Christina Rossetti's poems, Cousin Kate. The narrator in Cousin Kate truly represents a "Fallen Woman" for she abandons her innocence and acceptance in society by falling for a Lord who eventually knocks her up then marries her cousin, to be blunt, which is pretty much our second idea of a "fallen woman." However, this woman doesn't remain bitter about the situation, as towards the end of the poem she finds something which makes up for her loss of innocence and acceptance...she has a child. Her child, a boy, is the son of the Lord who leaves her for her cousin, who we find out cannot have children of her own. The woman discovers the positive outcomes she received from being hurt and an outcast and decides to concentrate on her son, her happiness.
We looked at another of Christina Rossetti's poems, Cousin Kate. The narrator in Cousin Kate truly represents a "Fallen Woman" for she abandons her innocence and acceptance in society by falling for a Lord who eventually knocks her up then marries her cousin, to be blunt, which is pretty much our second idea of a "fallen woman." However, this woman doesn't remain bitter about the situation, as towards the end of the poem she finds something which makes up for her loss of innocence and acceptance...she has a child. Her child, a boy, is the son of the Lord who leaves her for her cousin, who we find out cannot have children of her own. The woman discovers the positive outcomes she received from being hurt and an outcast and decides to concentrate on her son, her happiness.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
The Morality of Goblin Market
In Tuesday's English lesson we were put into groups to consider the different themes within Goblin Market. The theme which our group looked at was Morals of the poem.
What I found most interesting about the morality of the poem was how religious based the poem actually is, which isn't at all surprising considering Christina Rossetti's religious background. What I noticed about the poem was how it is linked into the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden from the Bible. In this verse of the Bible, Adam and Eve are forbidden to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, however one day a serpent tempts Eve and tells her that if she eats the fruit she will gain wisdom. Adam and Eve give into temptation, however when they do they become aware of their nakedness and are banished from the Garden of Eden. I notice how the Goblin Men in the poem could be seen to represent the serpent in the story, who tempt Laura and Lizzie to buy and eat their fruit. Laura gives into the Goblin Men but once she eats the fruit she becomes vulnerable, depressed and begins to age prematurely. This seems to mirror the Adam and Eve tale.
Also, when considering the morality of the poem we noticed the similarities between the poem and the story of Jesus being crucified in the Bible. In Goblin Market, Laura is suffering extremely badly after eating the "forbidden fruit" and is at the verge of dying. Her sister Lizzie cannot bear to watch her sister slowly die and so sets out to find the Goblin Men to buy their fruit for Laura to try and save her. However, when she gets to the Goblin Men they beat her constantly for not eating with them. Lizzie doesn't give into the temptation of eating the fruit and returns weak and hurt to her sister and saves her. This is similar to Jesus being crucified because in the Bible, Jesus suffered and gave his life to redeem the sins of all the humans even though he hadn't sinned himself, which I believe is shown in Goblin Market when Lizzie suffers to redeem Laura's sin of giving into temptation.
What I also found interesting about the morality of the poem was how in the last stanza the last few lines are similar to what you might hear at a wedding ceremony. What this could be taken to mean is that marriage redeems your sins and gives you a fresh start and will keep you safe.
What I found most interesting about the morality of the poem was how religious based the poem actually is, which isn't at all surprising considering Christina Rossetti's religious background. What I noticed about the poem was how it is linked into the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden from the Bible. In this verse of the Bible, Adam and Eve are forbidden to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, however one day a serpent tempts Eve and tells her that if she eats the fruit she will gain wisdom. Adam and Eve give into temptation, however when they do they become aware of their nakedness and are banished from the Garden of Eden. I notice how the Goblin Men in the poem could be seen to represent the serpent in the story, who tempt Laura and Lizzie to buy and eat their fruit. Laura gives into the Goblin Men but once she eats the fruit she becomes vulnerable, depressed and begins to age prematurely. This seems to mirror the Adam and Eve tale.
Also, when considering the morality of the poem we noticed the similarities between the poem and the story of Jesus being crucified in the Bible. In Goblin Market, Laura is suffering extremely badly after eating the "forbidden fruit" and is at the verge of dying. Her sister Lizzie cannot bear to watch her sister slowly die and so sets out to find the Goblin Men to buy their fruit for Laura to try and save her. However, when she gets to the Goblin Men they beat her constantly for not eating with them. Lizzie doesn't give into the temptation of eating the fruit and returns weak and hurt to her sister and saves her. This is similar to Jesus being crucified because in the Bible, Jesus suffered and gave his life to redeem the sins of all the humans even though he hadn't sinned himself, which I believe is shown in Goblin Market when Lizzie suffers to redeem Laura's sin of giving into temptation.
What I also found interesting about the morality of the poem was how in the last stanza the last few lines are similar to what you might hear at a wedding ceremony. What this could be taken to mean is that marriage redeems your sins and gives you a fresh start and will keep you safe.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Goblin Market - Christina Rossetti
The first time I read the eleven page long Goblin Market, my initial thoughts were that the poem was extremely long, tiring and confusing. After reading a 31 line long stanza of different fruits I already felt that the poem was definitely not my cup of tea. However, I have now read the poem several times and each time I read it I find I understand the poem and notice something new which entices me.
Having read the poem several times now, I have now identified recurring themes throughout the poem, for example, the language supports the erotic and sexual nature of the poem. The first time I read the poem I did think how erotic the poem was from lines such as "sucked their fruit globes fair or red", "Squeezed and caressed her", "Bob at our cherries, Bite at our peaches" and "Held her hands and squeezed their fruits//Against her mouth to make her eat." However, I never fully considered the meanings behind these erotic sounding lines until I read the poem again. In the fifth stanza, Laura gives into temptation, "when its last restraint has gone" and goes over to the goblin men to buy their fruit. However, when Laura cannot pay for the fruit with money, the goblin men ask merely for her hair, "You have much gold upon your head." Here, I believe that her hair represents Laura's innocence and perhaps virginity which the goblin men are now taking from her. Later on in the poem when Lizzy seeks the goblin men to release Laura from her pain, the goblin men act in a way which I believe mirrors the behaviour of men. When they first spot her they rush over and "Hugged her and kissed her: Squeezed and caressed her" until they find she does not want to sit and feast with them and they suddenly turn nasty. "Their looks were evil." At this point, the goblin men are abusing Lizzy both verbally and physically, "Held her hands and squeezed their fruits//Against her mouth to make her eat" This line is especially erotic and makes you think of sexual abuse.
Another theme in the poem which particularly stands out is religion. This is because the fruit sold by the goblin men reminds me of the "Forbidden Fruit" from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. In the verse in the bible, Adam was forbidden by God not to eat the fruit of this tree, however a serpent tempted Eve into eating the Forbidden Fruit telling her it would give her wisdom. Adam and Eve ate from the fruit but then became aware of their nakedness and were then punished by God.
In Goblin Market, I believe this story is shown quite vividly. I believe the goblin men represent the serpent who through their calls "Come buy, come buy" tempt Laura into eating their fruit. After she eats the fruit she becomes vulnerable and begins to age prematurely and faces depression.
Having read the poem several times now, I have now identified recurring themes throughout the poem, for example, the language supports the erotic and sexual nature of the poem. The first time I read the poem I did think how erotic the poem was from lines such as "sucked their fruit globes fair or red", "Squeezed and caressed her", "Bob at our cherries, Bite at our peaches" and "Held her hands and squeezed their fruits//Against her mouth to make her eat." However, I never fully considered the meanings behind these erotic sounding lines until I read the poem again. In the fifth stanza, Laura gives into temptation, "when its last restraint has gone" and goes over to the goblin men to buy their fruit. However, when Laura cannot pay for the fruit with money, the goblin men ask merely for her hair, "You have much gold upon your head." Here, I believe that her hair represents Laura's innocence and perhaps virginity which the goblin men are now taking from her. Later on in the poem when Lizzy seeks the goblin men to release Laura from her pain, the goblin men act in a way which I believe mirrors the behaviour of men. When they first spot her they rush over and "Hugged her and kissed her: Squeezed and caressed her" until they find she does not want to sit and feast with them and they suddenly turn nasty. "Their looks were evil." At this point, the goblin men are abusing Lizzy both verbally and physically, "Held her hands and squeezed their fruits//Against her mouth to make her eat" This line is especially erotic and makes you think of sexual abuse.
Another theme in the poem which particularly stands out is religion. This is because the fruit sold by the goblin men reminds me of the "Forbidden Fruit" from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. In the verse in the bible, Adam was forbidden by God not to eat the fruit of this tree, however a serpent tempted Eve into eating the Forbidden Fruit telling her it would give her wisdom. Adam and Eve ate from the fruit but then became aware of their nakedness and were then punished by God.
In Goblin Market, I believe this story is shown quite vividly. I believe the goblin men represent the serpent who through their calls "Come buy, come buy" tempt Laura into eating their fruit. After she eats the fruit she becomes vulnerable and begins to age prematurely and faces depression.
- Christina Rossetti was very religious and even declined marriage proposals if the man was not also Christian. This could be the reason behind the strong representation of the poem to Forbidden Fruit verse.
- Christina Rossetti wrote mainly children's poems and she publicly stated that the poem Goblin Market was intended for children but Rossetti claimed in a letter that due to the sexual imagery it was not meant for children.
- Christina Rossetti is also famous for writing the words for the Christmas carol "In the Bleak Midwinter"
- She suffered from a nervous breakdown at the age of 14 and had to leave school.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
The Destination of a Novel
The destination of a novel is the place or event which all the little details concealed inside of a novel are leading to. Whether this be discovering a new and mysterious island or simply a dreaded visit to the dentist.
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the destination of the novel is crystal clear from the very first chapter. In fact, the first sentence gives the reader a fine idea of what to expect from the novel.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
The novel begins with an idea rather than a character which shows that this idea is much more important to the novel than the introduction of a character. In this first sentence the reader can pick out just three words which sum up the destination of the novel straight away; "good fortune" and "wife." Therefore, the reader has already learnt that the novel is about marrying into wealth. This sentence is also set apart from the rest of the chapter as it is a paragraph on its own. This makes the sentence stand out on paper and also in the mind of the reader, making it more memorable. So, later on in the novel when you read about the daughters meeting officers and taking a fancy to them, you are reminded of the first sentence and are hit with the realisation, if you didn't get it at first, that the destination of the novel is finding a young, single man with a large fortune and taking him for your own.
The main and only conversation within the first chapter is based upon the arrival of a "single man of large fortune" who is the new possessor of a fine estate. This again highlights the destination of the novel as the character speaking, Mrs Bennet, fixates the topic of conversation purely on her hopes of him marrying one of her daughters, "You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them." Therefore, the reader is introduced to the fact that the novel will concern Mrs Bennet's daughters and them searching for a rich man to marry.
During the first chapter, there is a lack of setting and description until the last paragraph. This shows that the topic of conversation must be important to the novel because all of the focus is set on what the characters are talking about, which is Mrs Bennet's wish for her husband to "visit [Mr Bingley] as soon as he comes" in the hope that "he may fall in love with one of them" (being one of Mrs Bennet's daughters).
The last paragraph in the chapter finally reveals setting and description to the readers, where we learn Mr and Mrs Bennet's characteristics. However, the final sentence to the first chapter, alike the first, is boldly written and shows importance to the novel. "The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news." This final sentence does well to highlight the destination of the novel and readers will be expecting a novel solely to do with five young women trying to find a single man of good fortune and become his wife.
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the destination of the novel is crystal clear from the very first chapter. In fact, the first sentence gives the reader a fine idea of what to expect from the novel.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
The novel begins with an idea rather than a character which shows that this idea is much more important to the novel than the introduction of a character. In this first sentence the reader can pick out just three words which sum up the destination of the novel straight away; "good fortune" and "wife." Therefore, the reader has already learnt that the novel is about marrying into wealth. This sentence is also set apart from the rest of the chapter as it is a paragraph on its own. This makes the sentence stand out on paper and also in the mind of the reader, making it more memorable. So, later on in the novel when you read about the daughters meeting officers and taking a fancy to them, you are reminded of the first sentence and are hit with the realisation, if you didn't get it at first, that the destination of the novel is finding a young, single man with a large fortune and taking him for your own.
The main and only conversation within the first chapter is based upon the arrival of a "single man of large fortune" who is the new possessor of a fine estate. This again highlights the destination of the novel as the character speaking, Mrs Bennet, fixates the topic of conversation purely on her hopes of him marrying one of her daughters, "You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them." Therefore, the reader is introduced to the fact that the novel will concern Mrs Bennet's daughters and them searching for a rich man to marry.
During the first chapter, there is a lack of setting and description until the last paragraph. This shows that the topic of conversation must be important to the novel because all of the focus is set on what the characters are talking about, which is Mrs Bennet's wish for her husband to "visit [Mr Bingley] as soon as he comes" in the hope that "he may fall in love with one of them" (being one of Mrs Bennet's daughters).
The last paragraph in the chapter finally reveals setting and description to the readers, where we learn Mr and Mrs Bennet's characteristics. However, the final sentence to the first chapter, alike the first, is boldly written and shows importance to the novel. "The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news." This final sentence does well to highlight the destination of the novel and readers will be expecting a novel solely to do with five young women trying to find a single man of good fortune and become his wife.
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