Atonement Part 3

Summary:

Briony is undergoing vigorous training to become a nurse under Sister Drummond. They are preparing for a batch of soldiers to come in. Yet, when the soldiers do arrive the nurses are terrified and that day changed their whole outlook on nursing and the war. Briony for once doesn't mind taking a break on her writing and tries to focus on taking care of the men. She gets a letter from the publishing company rejecting her novel and they refuse to publish it until Paul Marshall and Lola were dead because it exposed them. She truly feels, looking back, that Paul Marshall was the one that raped Lola, not Robbie. On a day off, Briony goes to witness Lola and Paul Marshall's wedding. She has extreme ill feelings towards the two of them but her character won't allow her to act on her feelings. Briony finds and goes to Cecilia's for the first time since the accusation. Cecilia refuses to ever forgive her. Robbie walks in and the argument escalated from there. Briony said that she would formally announce that her accusations in the past were a lie.

The setting changes to London in 1999, on Briony's 77th birthday. She has been diagnosed with dementia. Briony goes back to her childhood home which is now a hotel, for a birthday celebration. That night she looks back and reflects about what she did and how her book never got published. She reveals that she never did go to Cecilia's and that her and Robbie never reunited, for they both died.

Response: To tell the truth I expected them both to die without seeing each other. Yet, the part where Briony said she went to go see them made me think I was wrong. That just made the ending suck more, was the false hope. Although the ending was not my favorite, it showed what Briony wanted to be true and showed her remorse for her actions. I think without the ending being the way that it was the book wouldn't have been as interesting and probably wouldn't be such a success. I couldn't help but kind of laugh when the book was talking about the harsh Sister Drummond. I grew up in a Catholic school and nuns don't play. Haha. Anyways, I really enjoyed the book because it was unlike anything I have ever read before and I found it enlightening, not frustrating.

Atonement Part 2

Summary: Robbie went to fight in WW2 after serving time in jail, thanks to Briony. Cecilia and Robbie met up after his time was served in prison and they hoped to share quality time before he was shipped off to war but he was called and was on his way. He met up with two guys named Nettle and Mace and they became allies and stuck together throughout the war and tough times. His only motivation that kept him pushing through the war was Cecilia and her letters of affection. Cecilia moved away from her family and refused to speak to them because she felt that they gave Robbie that awful fate and she blamed them solely on her unhappiness. Robbie, Nettle, and Mace see death everywhere but Robbie is able to push them on despite horrible living conditions. The whole journey Robbie keeps thinking about his resentment towards Briony and how he feels he can never forgive her. They finally made it to a bridge where people were handing out goods such as food and water to the soldiers. Robbie fakes and injury so he doesn't have to go back into infantry. They finally are able to make their journey home.

Response: I don't like this section of the book as much as the first part. I'm not a big war and death person. It's depressing but I can however appreciate it. I think that true love can pass the test of time and they have certainly proved it. I don't however expect a good outcome. Yet I kind of like it that way. Not all books should have a fairy tale ending. It would be hard for me to try to ignore the one I love's sister sealed me into a terrible fate. That would always but a sour twist to my relationship with the one I loved. Yet that isn't Cecilia's fault. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more.

Atonement Part 1

Atonement starts off with a young girl named Briony trying to organize a play to show her brother Leon when he returns from college. She entitled it, "Trials of Arabella". Her cousins come to visit and she casts them all in the various roles but accidently gives the leading role to her elder cousin Lola. She is greatly disappointed because her two younger cousins, Jackson and Pierrot, really don't fit the profiles of the characters she has chosen for them to play. With all the frustrations she decides to cancel it altogether.

Cecilia, Briony's sister, is at a crossroads in her life. She has returned for college but is discontent and debates about leaving but for some reason always tells herself she needs to stay for various and untrue reasons. Robbie, the servant's son, and Cecilia have always been attracted to each other and have wierd tenson but they both refuse to admit it. One day Cecilia was trying to fill a valuable vase with water. Her and Robbie started to struggled with it and they eventually knocked it and broke a couple pieces off. Cecilia stripped down and retrieved the pieces and stormed off in frustration.

Leon returns home with a friend of his named Paul Marshall. Cecilia, her brother and his guest all sit around talking and getting to know each other. Leon tells Cecilia that he has invited Robbie over for dinner and she is livid because of what happened earlier. Robbie realizes how strong of feelings he has for Cecilia and decides to write her a letter telling her how he feels. He can't seem to find the right words and writes an explicit letter but then decides to write another one to give to her instead. He accidently gives Briony the wrong letter to give to Cecilia but instead Briony reads it and is appalled and refuses to give it to Cecilia. Robbie decides to confront Cecilia about the letter in the library but things got heated and they ended up having sex and Briony walked in.

Dinner was weird and awkward. The two twins asked to be dismissed from supper and after they departed Lola found a note. It stated that the twins were unhappy and were running away. Everyone created a search party and they all went out looking for the twins. Briony took her own route but instead found Lola on the ground and her sexual attacker running away. She assumed it was Robbie since he had been very sexual lately with Cecilia. Lola didn't see her attacker and was unsure. When they returned home Briony showed everyone the explicit letter and the police were called. Robbie was arrested and Cecilia was upset and annoyed.

Response:

I really love this book. I feel like it's on a whole new level. Even though Briony has some insight I much rather be reading from Cecilia's point of view. I feel like she's kind of unsure about what she wants in life which I can relate to. I hate that Robbie got arrested because I really don't think that he did it. I think that weird Paul guy did. I don't like him. I can't stand how Briony is always putting herself in other people's business and she thinks it's her right. However, Robbie was stupid for giving her any kind of letter to give Cecilia. He should have known to give it to her himself. That was asking for trouble on his part. I do think that Briony has given Robbie a terrible fate without any proof. The timing just sucked too because him and Cecilia finally expressed their true feelings for each other. I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next chapters!

Thanks for letting us read a book like this because most English teachers around here don't have the balls to. :)

Heart of Darkness Part 2 & 3

Marlow overhears the manager and his uncle questioning Kurtz and his methods. Krutz is deathly ill and Marlow, the manager, the clerk, and pilgrims start a journey on Marlow's repaired steamer to find him. On the way many elements test Marlow such as the weather and the direction and choppiness of the tide.

They stop to find a stack of firewood and a note was found that stated, "Wood for you. Hurry up. Approach cautiously." There was also a code a note that was suspected to be the work of the Russian trader. They continue their journey and are attacked by a group of natives, who killed one of their crew. They finally arrive at the Inner Station where they run into the Russian who is surprisingly and extremely fond of Krutz. They find Kurtz but he doesn't want to return to England, infact, he's the one who ordered the attack from the natives. The natives worship Kurtz and want him to stay. In the night Kurtz escaped from Marlow in attempts to reach the natives but Marlow caught him and the next day they were headed back to England. Kurtz dies on the river and his last words were, "The horror! The horror!"

Marlow returns and pays a visit to Kurtz's fiance who is in terrible mourning. She asked Marlow what was Kurtz's last words and he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth so he lied and said he spoke her name.

Response: I'm not very fond of this book. I hate when it takes an author ten pages to state one fact. I did however love some of the insightful quotes that really made me think such as, "They had behind them, to my mind, the terrific suggestiveness of words heard in dreams, of phrases spoken in nightmares." I also admired Marlow and his outlook towards the end and I respected his loyalty for Kurtz. It amazed of how Kurtz had such a strong affect on people. Some people are natural leaders. I know how it is to lose someone and I would want someone to lie to me in a situation like that. Who wants to think of their loved ones in pain and suffering in their last hours? I'm glad Marlow lied and saved that woman of even more pain and heartache.

I'm ready to read something abundantly and ridiculously happy.

Heart of Darkness Part 1

Heart of Darkness starts off with a ship called, "The Nellie" banked at the Thames river due to the direction of the tide. The narrator gives a detailed description of all the members on the boat before reaching Marlow. Everything is silent and calm and Marlow decides to break the silence and tell about the past of the Thames river and all the adventures that took place. He then goes into his experience when he was younger and was employed, when his aunt pulled some strings, as a fresh water sailor at a Belgian company. He set off on a French steamer to Africa. He is surrounded by death, war, and horrible conditions on his journey. He reached station where he saw mistreated and neglected enslaved blacks being controlled by whites. He stays at station for 10 days and decides to set foot with 60 other men. When he arrived at Central Station he noticed that his boat had sunk and whether it was by accident, he is unsure. As he is repairing his boat he meets the manager of Central Station is becomes very uneased by his presence. Marlow then meets a man that had something to do with him getting his job and he tries to get supplies from him to fix his ship, but fails. The Eldorado Exploring Expedition comes sweeping in, with their leader being the manager's uncle.

Response:

This book was very hard to follow and I felt they took forever to just make one point. I kept having to reread certain parts because the complexity of the language was confusing. It was filled with very detailed descriptions and imagery. Figurative language was all over the place and I loved some of Marlow's perceptions and descriptions. One of my favorites was, "It is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one's existence--that which makes it truth, its meaning--its subtle and penetrating essence. It is impossible. We live, as we dream--alone." I didn't however like their ignorance and how they treated the Africans. The descriptions were sickening even though Marlow was trying to give us a real mental picture of what it was really like. I'm glad the times have changed. I'm interested to see how Marlow's journey will turn out and what new characters he has to introduce for the next section of the book.

"Life Cycle of Common Man" by Howard Nemerov

I think this poem will be the never ending emotional cycles of mankind. Howard writes about how men leave behind things after they are gone. From material things, to words, to things that they use, he is amazed at all a human being does. The poem contains a metaphor (the world is his apple, and forces him to eat), a personification (would stagger the imagination), and imagery (cartoon's bubble of speech proceeding). Nemerov day dreams about all the things involved in a human's life and is infatuated. He wants his readers to share his fascination and reflect about his writing and relate to his opinion. The shift happens when he starts to question all the actions of humans in line 19. The title means what all humans do in their lifetime and what impact they leave. The theme is life is what you make it.

I think this poem kind of strange and used weird analogies but I liked it. The stuff that he was writing about was deep and not an ordinary poem. He actually made me think about what he was saying.

"My Mother's Face" by Brenda Serotte

I think this poem will be about someone reflecting about their mother's face. This poem says that this women is getting ready for work and she sees her mother's face looking at her in the mirror. Her mother cries and sighs and she states that if her mother had been silient she would of surely thought it would have been her in the mirror. Serotte uses imagery (red frizzled hair wild in all directions),and personification (smile weighted with loss). The shift occurs in line 12 when she says that her mother started crying without warning. The title means that she sees her mother's face in the mirror and it resembles her own. The theme is mother's are emotional about their children.

I thought the whole time she was talking about herself until she said that that if she would have been silent she would have thought it would have been her. I like this poem even though it's random. Her mother sounds straight up ugly.

"Dreamers" by Siegfried Sassoon

I think this poem will be about someone dreaming about something pleasant. The soldiers are surrounded by war and horrible conditions. Their only hope of getting home is surviving. They dream about being at home with their spouses and enjoying the little things. This poem has a metaphor (soldiers are citizens of death's grey land), personification (mocked by hopeless longing), and hyperbole (gnawed by rats/lashed with rain). I think Sassoon admires the soldiers and feels sorry for them at the same time. I think he wants us to try and imagine what they are going through and feel his sympathy for them. The shift happens when he says soldiers are dreamers. The title means that soldiers are the actual dreamers. The theme is dreams are not always reality but we all have to have hope.

I like this poem although I'm not usually into war poems. I think in hard times we all dream of a unrealistic reality. I feel sorry for all the terrible conditions they go through. Yet that's what the author wanted me to do, feel sorry for them.

"Dear Tia" by Carolina Hospital

This poem is about a child that never really knew their mother. She was scared to write for so long and tried to act like her mother never existed. The poem has a paradox (in a land so familiarly foreign), and imagery (the sweetness of your bath). The author feels scared to write to her mother. She feels depressed because she never got the chance to experience anything with her at all. I think the author wants the reader to feel some of the pain that she felt. The shift happens when she reveals that the person she's writing about is her mother in line 12. The title is the name of her mother. The theme is no matter what has happened it is in a child's nature to love their mother.

I loved how this poem is written but it made me depressed. I can't imagine how she feels. I would be so scared to write to my mother after all those years. I wondered how she even knew her address.

"The Sound of the Sea" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This poem is about someone who loves the sea and is dreaming in awe of it's raw and confusing powers. He describes in great detail of his view of the sea and explains that some things are beyond our reason or control. This poem contains a paradox (a voice out of silence from the sea), personification (the sea awoke), and a simile (as of a cataract from the mountain's side). Longfellow loves the sea but realizes that he will never understand it and that it's out of his control. I think he wants his readers to realize that as much as you try to understand something sometimes you have to respect the fact that you can't control it. The shift happens in line 9 when he stops describing the sea and talking about emotions. The title means that the sea's sounds, like the sea, are unpredictable and uncontrollable. The theme of this poem is some things are out of our hands.

I think he really loves and respects the sea. I think everyone should be passionate about something and the sea inspires him. I really liked all the descriptive words and the use of his paradox.

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden

This poem talks about a boy's father that did a lot of nice things for him. The boy never thanked him because he was scared to talk to his father and he didn't want to make him angry. The boy didn't understand that his father actually did love him a lot. This poem uses imagery (banked fires blaze, cracked hands, blueblack cold), personification (heat the cold splintering, breaking), and metaphor (love's austere and lonely offices). Hayden feels regret that he didn't thank his father and realize that he truly loved him. I think that he wants his readers to feel somewhat sorry for him and his loss and not to make the same mistake that he did. The shift happens when he said he was fearing the chronic angers of that house because before that it was just talking of all the nice things his father did for him. The title is him thinking back to those winter sundays that he spent with his dad. The theme is love speaks in many ways.

I feel really sorry for Hayden because he never did understand his father and was scared of him. I experienced the whole being scared of your dad thing but if my dad had done nice things for me I think I would have realized that he loved me. I know he regrets not thanking him but I'm sure he just didn't know how to.

"Woman" by Nikki Giovanni

I think this poem is about a woman who wanted to be so many things and when she looked for support in her partner he refused to be there for her. In the end instead of being depressed and upset she decided that it was alright that he didn't want to be a man for her. There are many metaphors in this poem because she compares herself to things(a blade, robin, web, a book, a bulb, and a woman). It also gives you imagery (grass amid the fields). I think Giovanni wanted this woman to feel disappointed and then self assured in the end. I think Giovanni wanted the readers to feel sympathy and somewhat happy for her independence with the ending. The shift happened when she decided it was all right when he didn't want to be a man for her. The title means a woman can be independent and it be okay. The theme is women are strong without a man to disappoint.

I like this poem because it shows the strength of this woman. Although she wanted him to be so many things for her when he refused she decided that it was okay. Every woman on earth is disappointed by a man some time in their life and for her to be able to accept it gives inspiration.

"Another Descent" by Wendell Berry

I think when winter comes around these people in the poem feel like they aren't even on earth because the weather is so harsh. When spring comes back around they feel like they have their home again and everything is brighter. This poem uses hyperbole (We walked above the ground on fallen sky), simile (rivulets run like songbirds on the slopes), personification (branches of light sing in the hills), imagery (branches of light, March warms), extended metaphor (Winter is another planet, and spring is their earth). I think the author feels on one hand miserable and on the other hopeful. I think he wants the readers to feel sympathetic for him and the people. The shift happens when he talks about the warm March and the hope that March brings. The title means that they were descending from a harsh winter which felt like another planet, to a warm home they call earth. The theme for this poem is life goes through its cycles of ups and downs.

I think this poem is very expressive and emotional but in a reserved way. I liked the fact how he expressed how he felt and made me paint a mental picture.

"Marks" by Linda Pastan

I think this poem is about a mother who is always graded by her family and feels unappreciated for all that she does for them. She knows that she could improve as a mother but she doesn't even want to because of the way her family treats her. Pastan uses an extended metaphor for the whole poem comparing her performances and actions to a report card from her family's grading. I think Pastan feels like nothing she does is good enough so she uses sarcasm to express her depression and fed up attitude. I think she wants her readers to feel empathy for her and resent her family. The shift occurs when she says that she's going to "drop out". The title stands for the "marks" or grades that her family gives her. The theme is you never know what you have until it's gone.

I think a lot of mothers feel this way and Pastan is about to have a mental break down. I like this poem in a way because it shows how women are unappreciated but I don't like how her family grades her. She's human and not a report card and for her family to grade her is just mean. If my husband told me a was a B+ in bed I would tell him where to stick it.

"After Making Love We Hear Footsteps" by Galway Kinnell

I think this poem describes a married couple making love and afterwards their son jumping in bed with them. They make love while they think their son is sound asleep. When they are finished to their surprise their son appears in this baseball pajamas and hops in bed with them. He falls asleep and they look at each other and smile. This poem uses personification (only the mortal sounds can sing awake), simile (snore like a bullhorn), hyperbole (the necked opening so small, he has to screw them on), and symbolism (the smile that they share represents the love they share with their son and one another). I think the author is happy in life and has experienced what he's writing about because it comes across in a very loving way. I think he wants his readers to feel the love and happiness that he has felt himself. The shift in the poem happens when his son appears in his baseball pajamas. The title says that their son walks in after they make love. The theme of the poem is love brings many blessings.

I really like this poem because it makes me smile knowing that a couple could be that happy and in love. I don't however like how they know that their son wakes up to them making love yet they leave the door open for him to come in. That's not an appropriate for a kid to be in a bed with his parents naked. I do like how they express how much love they have for their son by comparing him to a blessing. I love how the author shows that this couple doesn't view it as having sex but as making love.

Poetry Notes

TPCASTT

• Title- What is the Significance? What does it mean?
• Paraphrase- Summary of the action/plot in 2-3 sentences.
• Connotative Language -Sound Devices-rhyme, alliteration, rhythm, assonance, consonance, repetition, onomatopoeia,
  Figurative Language- symbol, personification, paradox, synecdoche, simile, metaphor, alegory allusion, oxymoron, parallelism, irony, imagery, metonymy, enjambment
• Attitude- Tone- how the author/speaker wants you to feel
  Mood- how the author/speaker feels
• Shift/"Turn" in a Sonnet- a change in attitude or tone- Why? Indicated by transitions: ( ), -, and, but
• Title-Rethink its significance
• Theme- Universal truth stated in one or two complete sentences.
  

Scansion-analysis of rhythm in poetry

The Foot- a combination of syllables, the basic building block of poetry

• iamb(iambic)- (unstressed stressed): today, because
• trochee(trachaic)- (stressed unstressed): happy, lightly
• anapest(anapestic)- (unstressed unstressed stressed): obvious, regular
• dactye(dactylic)- (stressed unstressed unstressed): cigarette, interrupt
• spondee(spondaic)- (stressed stressed): downtown, slipshad

The Line- count feet per line

• 1 ft = monometer
• 2 ft = dimeter
• 3 ft = trimeter
• 4 ft = tetrameter
• 5 ft = pentameter
• 6 ft = hexameter
• 7 ft = heptameter
• 8 ft = octometer
• 9 ft = nonometer

The Stanza- lines per stanza

• 1 = line
• 2 = couplet
• 3 = triplet/tercet
• 4 = quatrain
• 5 = cinquain
• 6 = sestet
• 7 = septet
• 8 = octave

Rhyme

• Masculine = end rhyme is stressed
• Feminine = end rhyme is unstressed
• near/slant rhyme-same ending consonant but vowel sound is close (not same)
• internal rhyme- rhyme within the line

Sonnets

Italian/Petrarchan

• Francis Petrarch loved Laura
• 14 lines long
• 1 octave- establishes poem
• 1 sestet- shift/turn, reveals solution
• abbabba cdecde- rhyme scheme
• Organization- general to specific, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, before/after, question and answer

English/Elizabethan/Shakespearean

• 14 lines long
• 3 quatrains
• 1 couplet
• abab cdcd efef gg- rhyme scheme
• Organization-beginning, middle,end; thesis example, example; past, present, future; morning, noon, night; birth, life, death

P&P chapters 50-End

After bribing Wickham, he and Lydia return back to Longbourn. It's very awkward for everyone except Lydia and Mrs. Bennett who can't shut up about the wedding. Elizabeth receives a letter from her aunt stating that Darcy found Lydia and Wickham and was responsible for convincing her uncle to bribe Wickham in the first place. She was taken back at first but grew a lot more respect for Darcy and his efforts. Mr. Bingley returns and Mrs. Bennett jumps on the first opportunity to invite him over for dinner. Bingley decides to bring an unexpected guest, Mr. Darcy. Both Jane and Elizabeth were uncomfortable and really had no idea how to react. (I'm sure they were like wtf?!)

Bingley and Darcy continue to stop by for visits. Bingley's motives become quite clear when him and Jane become obvious with their love for another. He proposes to Jane and everyone is happy. Darcy is acting extremely awkward around Elizabeth but my guess is that he feels stupid for still wanting to be with her when she rejected him so bluntly.

The lovely Lady Catherine de Bourgh decides to make a visit to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is quite shocked at her presence. Lady Catherine questions if Elizabeth is engaged to her nephew and if not she must make a promise to decline his proposal. When Elizabeth told her that no she wasn't engaged to Darcy, she was relieved and stated that Elizabeth was not good enough to marry him and he was promised to marry her daughter. Elizabeth exclaims that she will not make such a promise and it is none of her business who she marries.

Bingley and Darcy make another visit to Longbourn and everyone decides to take a walk. Darcy and Elizabeth decide to break away from the pack and talk things out. Elizabeth questions Darcy on his strange behavior and he apologizes and confesses that he still loves her and makes another proposal and this time Elizabeth accepts. Everyone in the family is taken back to the news because they thought Elizabeth hated Darcy. She explains the story and everyone is happy for her. Jane and Elizabeth have a double wedding and Elizabeth and Darcy move to Pemberly where they lived happily ever after.

I loved the ending to this book although it's kind of expected. I love how Bingley is brought back to the picture and despite all the efforts of everyone to break them apart, his love for Jane conquered all.(as cheesy as that sounds) I was shocked whenever Darcy came with Bingley to eat with the Bennetts because if someone rejected me I wouldn't be making visits to see them. Whenever Lady Catherine came to see Elizabeth I love how Elizabeth got right back in her face and stood up to her. When Darcy and Elizabeth got engaged I was like finally! I love them together because they are not the typical couple. I loved how Jane and Elizabeth had a double wedding because they went through so much together so I thought it was sweet how they shared their love for their husbands and for each other as they tied the knot. Such a fairy tale.

P&P chapters 35-50

Darcy just left Elizabeth after he proposed and handed her a letter. It exposed Wickham for the liar and con artist that he was. Wickham was planning a scam to marry Darcy's younger sister in order to get the family inheritance. Elizabeth felt terrible for how she treated Darcy in his proposal and was shocked about Wickham.

Elizabeth accompanied her aunt and uncle to visit the lovely Derbyshire. On the way the Gardiners insist on making a stop at Pemberly. They state that Darcy, who is the master, will not be there. However Darcy arrives home early and his affection and admiration towards Elizabeth grows the whole time of her stay. Elizabeth is confused about her feelings towards Darcy but refuses to make a move. Jane sends Elizabeth a letter saying they must return at once because Lydia ran away with Wickham and Mr. Gardiner must help her father find them. Mrs. Bennett is ridiculously hysterical about Lydia's disappearance. Mr. Gardiner finds Lydia and Whickham and bribes him with a large sum of money to marry her. At this news Mrs. Bennett makes a miraculous recovery and starts to make all the plans for the wedding. Elizabeth is filled with sadness because she feels like she has lost Darcy because of her sister's scandalous actons.

I like this section of the book so much more than I did the first! I almost feel like I'm watching a soap opera.

I hate that Elizabeth rejected Darcy and accused him of all those things. I want them to get together so bad but one thing after another keeps happening to prevent it. I hated how Elizabeth was still somewhat closed to Darcy at Pemberly. I was shocked whenever the whole Lydia scandal happened. It was so random. I hated how I actually liked Whickam because he fooled me too. It amazed me that running away with someone was so unheard of. I figured it happened a lot due to all the pressure of getting married and whatnot. I was pissed at Mrs. Bennett because she's such a drama whore. She doesn't really care about her girls. She just wants to marry them all off so she doesn't have to worry about them anymore. I think Lydia is a selfish brat. I really feel bad for all the other girls because it's going to be hard for them to get married now that their reputation is screwed.

I enjoyed this part of the book and can't wait to see all the drama that is to come.

Part 1 of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is not my favorite book. I find it hard to follow sometimes. There are some parts in the conversations between characters that make it hard to distinguish who is actually talking and I have to go back and reread. I do however like how Austen shows life realistically. She displays not only love and honesty, she shows deceit and hatred.

When Mr. Bingley first came to Hertfordshire I really liked him because he was of a higher rank but he welcomed everyone and didn't act like he was to good for them. When Jane and him became intimate I couldn't help but root for them because they seemed like such a good couple. I was so pissed when he left to go to London because he didn't even tell her goodbye. Even though Jane tried to act like she was fine it was obvious that she was heartbroken. I found it sad that Jane went to visit her aunt and uncle in London to get away and secretly tried to get a chance to talk to Mr. Bingley. Though Jane is cheerful and loving her ignorance to the Bingley sisters' plans to get her brother away from her annoys me.

Mr. Collins just seems like the nerdy cousin in the family that no one wants but has to put up with. When he first came to the Bennet household to discuss the estate I suspected he had alternative motives. When he decided he wanted one of his cousins to make his wife, I was like what? They are cousins. That fact apparently didn't bother him or Mrs. Bennet. I hated how he wanted Jane at first but when he found out that she was taken, he just moved onto Elizabeth. Then when Elizabeth refused his proposal, he just moved onto her friend, Charlotte Lucas. I would be angry is my best friend got engaged to the person I dumped. I found it ridiculous that all of them were so focused on getting married for security reasons and not emotions. I grew a lot more respect for Elizabeth when she declined Mr. Collins proposal in order to be true to herself no matter what the cost.

Elizabeth is my favorite character. She is very honest and open with her opinions. Although she thinks she has everything figured out she doesn't. She should have known that something was wrong with Mr. Wickham's accusations against Mr. Darcy when he stopped pursuing her to be with someone who had money. I think she is in denial with her true feelings with Mr. Darcy. If she hates him she won't have the opportunity to admit that she is attracted to him. I don't blame Mr. Darcy for acting rude towards Elizabeth and her family. He has been raised with pride and Elizabeth is not in his rank and doesn't have money. I think he feels somewhat ashamed to love her. When he finally did propose, Elizabeth rejected him with some choice words.

I think everyone in this story puts way to much emphasis on getting married and kissing everyone else's behinds. Yet they didn't know any other way of living. I'm looking forward to the changes in the character's relationships in the chapters to come.