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Search for Meaning
"...Good writing is about telling the truth. We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason why they write so very little." *Anne Lamott
Wordsworth
"There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,/The earth, and every common sight,/To me did seem/Apparelled in celestial light,/The glory and freshness of a dream..." *William Wordsworth
Mystery
"But we still need enchantment in our lives. We still need mystery. Something to connect us to what lies beyond the obvious..." *Charles DeLint
19 comments:
Will
On page 63 Estella is talking to Pip and she says "You have been crying till you are half-blind, and you are near crying again now." Estella's speech is much different than Pip's and Joe's because she is wealthy and educated, this is evident here when she is talking down upon Pip. However, the poor people talk differently in the book. For example, on the bottom of page 110, Joe says "You might, old chap." The way Joe talks is different from the rich by using different words such as "chap".
Some examples of this today is how country people talk versus the city people. People who live in the country or farmers use words such as "Y'all" and "honkey-tonk", however, these type of words are not used in the city or urban areas.
Tim:
On Page 7, Joe says ¨She sot down, and she got up, and made a grab for Tickler, and she ram-paged out. That´s what she did,she ram-paged out, Pip.¨ This is an example of the broken grammar and the low level of education of the poor people of Victorian England, like Joe and Pip.
Another quote, on page 167, Mr.Jaggers ¨Now, I ask you, you blundering booby.¨ This shows how Mr.Jaggers feels towards the poor people of London and how serious he is towards his job.
Many people say different things based on what region of the world they are from and what they are used to saying. For example, people say ¨pop¨, ¨soda¨, or ¨cola¨ when saying soda based on what part of the U.S. they are from.
Steven: One of the main examples of jargon is in the name symbolism of Pumblechook. "Chook" was a word used in Dickens' that meant pig, and "Pumble" is very similar to pubble which means pudgy or fat. One example of this is on page 104, when it says, "'It's five-and-twenty pound, mum,' echoed that basest of swindlers,Pumblechook." The jargon of pubble and chook, gives the reader a greater understanding of how greedy Pumblechook is. Another example of jargon from Victorian England was to be "brought up by hand" Being brought up by hand meant that you were beat a lot as a child. This example of jargon gives the reader a good idea of the abuse Pip suffered growing up. This is shown when Pip says, "And to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as she was laying it upon me, I suppose Joe Gargery and me were both brought up by hand." Vittles was a word used in Dickens' time to describe food. The convict asks Pip, "And you know what wittles is?" He is telling him to bring food but the old jargon adds to the mystery of the convict because the reader is unsure at first what he wants Pip to bring.
Some examples of modern day jargon include "dough" meaning money, "do an about face" meaning changing your position radically, and being "thick-skinned" meaning that you aren't easily offended.
Katie R
On page two, It states " A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg." The jargon "iron" is a word commonly used during the Victorian Era for what today are called chains.
On page 3, unique jargon of the time is also used. For example " You know what a file is?"
" Yes, Sir."
"And you know what wittles is?"
"Yes, Sir."
Jargon such as "file" and "wittles" is used, This connotes how the convict, and the poor talked during this time.
In our generation we have a very distinct word choice. Many people use words such as "savage" and "legit", and often talk using abbreviations such as "gtg", "ttyl", and "asap".
Megan: Charles Dickens uses jargon as a way to differentiate between the wealthy and the poor. This helps develop Pip's character and shows his transition from lowly and poor to a gentleman. This contrast in jargon can be seen on page 330 in a conversation between Pip and the convict. The convict says, "I mustn't see my gentleman a-footing it in the mire of the streets; there mustn't be no mud on his boots. My gentleman have horses, Pip! Horses to ride, and horses to drive, and horses for his servant to ride and drive as well. Shall colonists have their horses (and blood-'uns, if you please, good Lord!) and not my London gentleman? No, no, We'll show 'em another pair of shoes than that, Pip, won't us?" Shortly thereafter, Pip says, "First...what precautions can be taken against your being recognized and seized?" The contrasting jargon shows the contrast between the social classes. Especially during the Victorian Era, this contrast was large and Dickens emphasizes this throughout the novel.
Today, we have very different jargon that we use. Words such as selfie, snapchat, and instagram are huge parts of our language nowadays. Additionally, people often use abbreviations of words such as legit or s'up.
Zoe
¨This is how it were. I were at the Bargeman t´other night, Pip¨
This jargon helps the reader understand the difference between the rich and the poor and how the poor had little to no education, also it gives the reader an understanding of what kind of life Pip is growing up with.
Now,Mr, Pip pursued the lawyer, I address the rest of what I have to say to you. You are to understand, first that is the request¨
The rich are very demanding and tried to control anyone of lower status.
Today people often speak in abbreviations so they get their point across faster. Examples: S´up, ttyl, tbt, lol
Claire
The use of jargon in Great Expectations is often used to indicate a character's region or social background. For example, we can compare the way Joe speaks to the way Mr. Jaggers speaks. On page 47, Joe says " 'Well, you see Pip, and here we are!" Joe's way of speaking is very informal, and reflects the country region he lives in. On the other hand, Mr Jaggers speaks very formally, and in more general terms. On page 416 Jaggers says," 'Put the case, Pip, that passion and the terror of death had a little shaken the woman's intellects". This reflects Jaggers' personality as being a very uptight lawyer in London.
Shannon C
Pg404: "she had received serious hurts..." Despite using more serious wording, due to difference in language softens the situation.
Pg394: "Deuce take me," Though in our modern language 'deuce' has different meaning, the reader can still pick up on what the phrase is implying.
pg374: "Aged-Parent." - The phrase affects how to reader sees Mr. Wemmick in that though he cared for his 'aged' parent he may not necessarily respect them very much. The distant, almost clinical wording makes his response seem less nurturing.
Ex. 'smol'; used to describe something that is both small and cute.
Ex. 'nah' ; more relaxed way of saying 'no' that isn't formal.
Ian M: Dickens particularly exaggerated the disparity between the speech of the rich and the poor in instances where those who were rich and educated came into contact with those who were poor. The first example of this is in the interaction between Pip and the Havishams, where it almost seems that they are intentionally speaking over his head to assert their superiority. For instance, during the card game played between Pip and Estella, Estella made several insults upon Pip's state of being, where a specific example was, "He calls the Knaves, jacks, this boy!". This example is a particularly literal example in the disparities of speech, but it's point still stands. Another example is in the encounter of Joe and Pip in the second portion of Pip's expectations. Dickens particularly emphasized the language disparity here to show how Pip had changed. A direct example is the exchange, "(pip)'And you, Joe, look wonderfully well' 'Thank god,' said Joe 'I'm ekerval to most' and she's no worse than she were'". Today, we often use the words "like" or "um" in our speech, as well as the use of "sick", to describe something cool.
Claire
I agree with Megan, the use of jargon to differentiate between rich and poor is very prominent, even in more subtle differences like Jaggers and Wemmick, or Herbert and Pip.
(Also I forgot to add the part about modern jargon so I'll just add it in here.)
In different parts of the country, we have different jargon. For example, in the south it's not uncommon to here words like "y'all" or "young'uns"
Julie: There was an extremely large gap between the wealthy and the poor during the Victorian Era in England. This gap explains why Dickens emphasized the distinct difference in the way that the wealthy and educated spoke, compared to the way that the poor spoke throughout the novel. For example on page 20, Mrs. Joe says, "'And where the deuce ha' you been.'" The use of the slang ha' instead of have shows her lack of education and properness. The reader can then further infer that Mrs. Joe is poor, due to her unusual jargon. Conversely, on page 318 Pip says, '"That I cannot wish to renew that chance intercourse with you of long ago, under these different circumstances. I am glad to believe you have repented and recovered yourself."' The upscale language allows the reader to contemplate how Pip's education has impacted his jargon. Right before Pip declares this, the convict says, '"you was a-saying.'" Dickens purposely uses these contrasting jargons to emphasize the difference between the educated and uneducated.
This contrasting jargon is commonly seen today. Many teens use abbreviations such as, "lol," "gtg," and "jk" due to the increased use of technology. Many people from past generations do not use these slangs because they did not grow up using them, often due to the lack of technology during that time.
I agree with Tim, there were many times throughout the novel that Dickens used distinct lower level word choice to help characterize Joe and the people of the lower social class. Compared to Estella and Miss. Havisham the words used by Joe, and Pip at a young age showed how uneducated they were.
Sadie
Annika: I agree with the point Ian made about how Pip's jargon changes throughout the novel. It is an important element in developing Pip's changing characterization as he grows into a man. The stark contrast between Joe and Pip's language the first time they meet in London is an important scene in the novel, because it signifies how much Pip has grown beyond his uncle and what he could've become without the help of Magwitch.
Steven:
I think that Julie's point about Dickens using jargon to help the reader understand the social backgrounds is very interesting. I also agree with her that Dickens uses Pip's change in jargon and the convict's to show how much Pip has changed since going to London. This jargon is especially important when showing why it is hard for Pip to relate to Joe now that he has become a gentleman. Without these examples of changes in jargon, I don't think the reader would be able to pick up on some of the finer details of Pip's life and journey.
Tim:
I agree with Katie that Dickins gives good examples of Jargon when the convict says "wittles" and "file", and it really shows how people spoke in the Victorian Era of England.
Lizzie: "I ain't made Pip a gentleman, and Pip ain't a-goin to make you a gentleman, not fur me not to know what's due to ye both" (pg 339) The purpose of this usage of jargon was to make the point to the reader that even though Pip's convict was wealthy enough to be Pip's benefactor, his speech still implies that he was uneducated. The reader can further deduce that he doesn't care for Pip's development into a gentleman.
"There, there! I know nothing of days of the week; I know nothing of weeks of the year. Come again after six days. You hear?" (pg 60) Miss Havisham exclaims that she has no sense of time, which she doesn't need since she is so wealthy and doesn't need to worry about working to maintain a salary to support herself and Estella. She also has no problem bossing Pip around since he is just and uneducated young boy of whom has no social status or say in the matter of his next visit.
Examples of present day jargon include the way people address a group of two or more people. Depending on where they're from, they might use "you," "y'all," "you guys," or "yous."
Zach S:
Steven's point is very interesting regarding the phrase, "brought up by hand." I never knew that phrase was talking about abusing a child. Nowadays, it is shocking to think that someone would take pride and brag about beating their child like Mrs. Joe did. The jargon used by Mrs. Joe definitely highlights the brutal behavior of many parents during the Victorian era.
Katie R
I agree with Tim that throughout the novel, we the readers witness the way Joe talks and his broken grammar. Describing social commentary, the lower class, such as people like Joe, ofter weren't well educated and didn't speak properly during the Victorian Era.
Lydia
Lizzie makes a great point on today's examples of jargon! "Y'all" is usually used in the more southern states, while "you guys" is used in the more northern places. There is also a small population in the New Jersey area that tends to say "yous guys" when referencing two or more people.
As for an example that stood out to me in the book, the use of "halloa" really confused me. Context makes it seem as though it was supplemented for "hello," but "hello" is also used often in the novel. This intrigued me, so I looked up the word in the Oxford Dictionary Website. It told me that "halloa" was a "variant of halloo," so of course I then looked up "halloo." Halloo was defined as "used to attract someone's attention." At first I was still confused, because halloo and halloa still seemed quite similar to hello. However, upon the continuation of my reading, it seemed as though halloa was much less formal than hello, and was usually only used between Pip and Joe, or other close friends. So eventually, this specific jargon began to make sense to me as what must have been their version of our "hey" today! Just goes to show you that slang has been created in all types of language, which is pretty cool if you ask me!
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