Miss. Dalloway

I found this book to be very interesting. Virginia Woolfe created her characters with realistic lives. She allowed her readers into the psychological character. I found Doris Kilman to be the most unstable character. She was hired by the Dalloway's to tutor their daughter in history, but is more concerned with teaching hate and bitterness. Miss Kilman is a poor miserable person and despises people who have more than she. She goes as far as thinking that everyone of those people owe her something. She hates Clarissa and thinks she isn't deservant of the things in her life. Clarissa fears her, and her influence on Elizabeth. Miss Kilman over exaggerates how hard her life is and wears worn clothes to "show off" in a sense. She is a very disturbing character and represents real people in society.

Great Expectations

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens was a great piece of British Literature. It is a story of a boy named Pip who grows up with his poor uncle and aunt. He dreams of success and a wonderful life with his love Estella. He hope for love with Estella was crushed when she told him she was incapable of love. Estella was raised by a horrible and bitter old woman named Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham taught her adopted daughter to break the hearts of men for hers had been torn from her chest. Miss Havisham was left on her wedding day by her fiance. She could never let go of her pain, so she looked to torture others. Miss Havisham left all her clocks at the time when she found out she wasn't getting married. She also wore one shoe from that day. She went as far as leaving the wedding cake there to rot and collect dust. Her house remained unchanged. Pip worked so hard for his love and success that he failed miserably. He turned in a cruel man that was ashamed of the only person who ever cared about him, Joe.

Goblin Market

"Goblin Market" was a very fascinating poem written by Christina Rossetti. It was a story of the power of love between two sisters. Laura eats the forbidden food of the Goblins. Her sister Lizzie goes to the stream to find the goblins to get fruit her her sister who is now dying. The goblins torture Lizzie trying to force her to eat the fruit as well. She survives and runs home for her sister to suck the juices from her face. The next morning Laura is back to normal and thanks Lizzie for saving her. The story gives the sisters women empowerment because it shows that women can stand together, fight, and win.

My Last Duchess

"My Last Duchess" was a little confusing. Clearly the guy was obessed with the lady. He states in the poem that her husband wasn't the only man that brought her joy. I wonder if she was having an affair? She was apparently very beautiful and many men would look at her. She obviously enjoyed other men. He has in the poem that she liked anything she looked at. Maybe he grew so jealous of her that he decided to kill her so no one else could have her!

Frankenstein

I was so drawn to the book Frankenstein. It was full of emotion and pain. Mary Shelley makes you truely feel sorry for the monster. Humans tend to judge by appearance and a lot of times misrepresent the true being. The monster was harmless at first and desperately wanted a companion. Why should he be denied a fair chance at love? The monster was mistreated and banned from ever living a normal life. He never felt kindness from anyone only hate. I think Victor was selfish and paid the consequences of his actions. Many people were killed on his account.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Coleridge's tale of the mariner and the albatross was quite interesting. The mariner and the members of the ship set sail through the icy ocean. The ship is having trouble breaking through the ice when an albatross comes and brings the sailors safe passage. The mariner apparently grows tired of the creature hanging around all the time playing and wanting food. He shoots and kills the beast. The crew members feel as if the albatross was a good omen from God and they would be cursed. Coleridge is an ideal romantic poet. He writes of the supernatural. The crew and the mariner come across a ship of skeletons that play a dice game for souls. All the men die, but the mariner. He is cursed for killing the albatross. The skeletons curse the mariner to walk the Earth for etenerity teaching and telling his tale. I believe Coleridge is trying to express his beliefs in God's salvation.

William Blake

I found William Blake to be a pretty interesting author. He was considered mad for his different views. When Blake was young he reported seeing visions of angels in a tree and angels walking amoung haymakers. He also claimed to have seen the head of God in the window! Wow! His guy is particularly interesting! I like the quote in "The Marriage of Heavin and Hell" that expresses Blake's belief that humanity will overcome the limitations of the five senses. "If doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." It makes me feel like anything is possible!