April 2, 2013

Dear Mom & Dad:

Welcome to the accumulation of work, essays, and projects that I have steadily produced throughout sophomore year in Honors English. I appreciate any time taken to observe these thoughtfully crafted assignments which mainly revolve around responses to novels such as Great Expectations and All Quiet on the Western Front. This introductory letter presents the central theme of sophomore Englishreflecting upon ones identityin which each novel contains characters that discover their identities through overcoming issues in their lives. Each characters epiphany led to greater revelations about my own identity that transformed from uncertain to confident over the course of the school year: in Great Expectations, Pips realization about social class shaped my view on luxury versus poverty; also in Great Expectations, Estella and Miss Havishams scorn and mistreatment of men taught me to always treat others respectfully, properly, and genuinely; in Macbeth, Macbeths willingness to commit murder to achieve power manipulated my identity into one that will never use treachery to reach greatness. Pips journey from low class to upper class in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens represents the youthful dreams of many teenagers: the desire to be rich, famous, and influential in comparison to medias depiction of celebrities. Pip transforms from an innocent apprentice of a blacksmith to a false believer that chases flitting wishes of marrying Estella and becoming rich. His goals in life eventually are not attained due to his gullibility and others wicked intentions, but his path through different social classes made me ponder my own social standing. My dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, living in an affluent neighborhood, owning expensive cars, and buying an enormous house strangely resemble Pips own dreams. Pips failure to meet his desire due to eagerness and petty foolery helped me find my place in society; if riches were in store for me, then I would gladly accept, but I would certainly not chase fame and fortune like Pip. This understanding of my own future goals shifted from youthful craving to elderly contentment and marked a time of mental growth through identity recognition. Great Expectations emphasizes the importance of character development and mental revelations, so it is no wonder that another character, Estella, also evokes connection between me and the novel. Throughout Dickens tale of self-recognition and discovery, Estella leads Pip on like a fisherman reeling in an easy catch; she kisses him then snubs him, flirts with him then sneers at him, laughs with him then laughs at him. Pip feels intimidated by Estellas overwhelming beauty yet believes that Miss Havisham has a plan for their marriage. As Pip progresses into adulthood, he chases Estella, and she plays with his mind increasingly more. Estellas immature behavior was clearly negative, but I identified with a positive aspect of Estella. I gained an essential sector of my identity to never be cruel, sneaky, or treacherous towards others especially if it meant deceiving another individual. William Shakespeares play, Macbeth, focuses on murder, corruption, and greed and conveys an important message about the importance of good morals. The main character, Macbeth, murders several people to become king and retain that title without any doubts from others. His greed

forces his sword upon his peers and taints his hands with blood of former friends. Macbeth did not use the proper procedure of becoming king, so inevitably, he dies in the end of the play; therefore, good fortune must be obtained naturally and without conflict. Although I would never resort to such drastic measures as Macbeth, I am now certain that I will always use legal, safe, and moral judgment to get to my desires. Being a genuine moral person has become the focus of my identity: morals guide my actions, not greed or hatred. Every assignment in this English class has shaped my identity not only as a writer but as a citizen as well. My writing has improved thanks to Ms. Gardner; my morals have improved thanks to characters in novels; my gratitude has improved thanks to your time and effort put into reading this. Thank you mother and father for supporting my education and allowing me to pursue my educational desires; my hard work will have paid off at the end of the year when you may enjoy the entire collection of assignments and writing pieces to read. Sincerely,

Justin Frnz