Great Expectations By Charles Dickens Essay Example For Students

Great Expectations By Charles Dickens Essay Our third stimulus was a talk from a senior teacher in our school, who had previously spent many years working in an African school. Amongst the many things I learnt from him, perhaps the most vivid was the attitude presented towards intellectualism, and the desire to do well. The teacher explained how in Africa one must pay hefty fees in order to attend school and how only a few children are be funded by each village. This of course puts immense pressure upon pupils to do well academically, as it is anticipated they will go on to get a good job and return with money to their village. It is perhaps no wonder, that education is such an exciting thing to them and a huge privilege. The teacher talked of how some pupils were so eager to do well, that they rocketed, a term used for pupils who studied when they were meant to be sleeping. He even did the same to [emailprotected], a person who had edicated his life toward helping. When Magwitch finally revealed to him that he was Pip’s benefactor all Pip had to say was, â€Å"Oh, no, no, no†¦ Was there no one else! ’ †¦ Estella, Estella! † (522) All Pip cared about was himself and getting together with Estella. It was not until the loss of people very close to Pip, Magwitch and Miss. Havisham, that he began to realize that goodness does not come from material possessions, and social standing, but from inside a person. When Pip lost Magwitch, his eyes were opened and he realized how ignorant and selfish he had een to the people who cared for him. On the other hand, Joe, was pretty much the opposite of Pip in his satisfaction with life. Joe realized fully, the value of true goodness. He was completely satisfied with the way he lived and who he was. Joe did not have to learn this the hard way as Pip did, because Joe never had a problem with who he was. He never needed to be better or higher in society than he was, just to prove it to himself or for someone else. Joe even tries to help Pip feel more satisfied with his life by telling him that e is actually Very uncommon in many ways. â€Å"You’re oncommon small. Likewise you’re a oncommon scholar. † And he encourages him, â€Å"you must be a common scholar afore you can be a oncommon one,† (565) to help Pip through his times of low self-esteem- Joe is also very forgiving. Even with all the selfish ways Pip treated him when he was â€Å"a gentleman†, Joe still continued to carp. for and love Pip. When Pip was ill, Joe was by his side, and when Pip was in debt, Joe, even though he is not wealthy, pays off his bills for him. .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 , .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .postImageUrl , .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 , .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:hover , .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:visited , .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:active { border:0!important; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:active , .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7 .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u41798e1ac0c62e07a5f365029f9ffcc7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: â€Å"Barbie Doll† And â€Å"La Migra† EssayThis frame of mind nd knowledge of true goodness leads to Joe living a very peaceful, pleasant, and satisfying life. In the book, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, while some characters must find out that true goodness and character does not come from status or material possessions, but from just plain kindness, the hard way, there are those gentle more peaceful characters who realize the true value of goodness. It is obvious that those who realize this will lead better, more satisfying lives, and not have to figure it out for themselves the hard way.