Pride vs Prejudice

I believe that it is important to know about pride vs prejudice. I have dated the nerdiest of the nerdy guys and it was the best relationship that i have ever had. I know that at one point in time, i would not have dated him because of what everyone else thought. Its hard to say that a young adult would change a decision that they made in their younger years because its natural for their maturing mind to make that decision. Pride vs prejudice is important because it helps distinguish that a decision by the mind may be bad by the heart.

Responding to Linda

Really Linda, that is awesome! Yeah I agree I wouldn't let a man beat me either. Kind of like the women in P&P... they may have had to face spousal abuse. Unlucky for them they didn't have much to say about it. So you want to be a lawyer huh? Thats fantastic. What kind of law do you want to practice? Would you consider being a divorce lawyer? jk.

I think that as a female we are expected to do certain things even though the year is 2007. We are still limited to stereotypes. I think that we go through life trying to find out who we are based on our beliefs and those who we surround ourselves with. For example, it is expected for a girl to want to get married and have children while our husbands are the bread winners; however, this day and time men stay at home with the kids while the mom is the bread winner. We are living in a society in which anything can happen.

Haley Sullivan

I have encountered the theme of marriage vs. future in my own life much like Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. My family is old fashioned and thinks that I should be actively seeking a husband at this age. I think my mom believes that marriage is the sole purpose of life, much like Mrs. Bennet. However, I feel that I am still young and should spend this time focusing on developing a career and personal identity.

Jane Austen herself chose to avoid marriage completely. By eliminating the time that would have been spent on marriage, she was able to become one of the most famous female authors ever. Maybe there is more in store for the futures of those who are never married.

My family never grew up with a lot of money. We were middle class, but since i lived in So. Cal., we like the rest of the population there tried to act at least upper middle class. Not consciously; it is just what you did. But even though I went to hs with celebrities--small celebrities, I began to realize that I did not want to be rich and famous--I guess that is why I became a teacher.

Jill Van Sleet

When I was younger I was responsible for caring for my younger brother because my mother worked two jobs and my father was away in the military. I was often required to cook and clean, wash clothes, help with homework, and ritual bedtime routines. Since my brothers were boys they didn't suffer the same responsibilities as myself. I feel that because of the traditional roles demonstrated by my mother I was unable to break away from that mentality to create a personal identity until recently, after I had left my mother's home.

marriage - not much of a future

I think the theme of marriage vs future is one of the most important themes found within the novel. From the feminist perspective, women of this time period did not stand to have much of a future except for marriage. Picking the right husband was like picking the right job or occupation, because it secured your future. Thus, women who did not marry did not have much of a future to look forward to.

Marriage vs. Future

Depending on the day, there are a variety of themes that can be representative of my live. Right now, the one that stands out to me is "marriage vs. future." I will be getting married in June of '08, and it is strange to think about my future plus one (and then more when I have kids).

Felicia Hamilton

Marriage v. Future

I was raised to be a very independent woman. I do not fit into the role of the traditional wife, and sometimes my husband struggles with this. I do not need him to take out the garbage or fix problems on my SUV, but what he fails to realize is that I do fit this mold of the traditional wife. (And, I don't like it.) When my husband proposed to me, I was getting ready to go to law school in NC, but put it off because I didn't want to begin our marriage as a long distance relationship. I like to say that I was valuing our marriage and not sacrificing myself.

Rich v. Poor...don't categorize me

Rich V. Poor...o boy, are we faced with this everyday in our society. Let me come from a personal experience of mine, which might be all too familiar to someone reading this blog as well.

The first you realize how much weight people put into being rich or poor is the most interesting. I have a class currently in which I get into good conversation with my classmates. One in particular started up a conversation with me about school and work telling me how she was able to quit her job just to go to school and "experience the wealth of knowledge". She told me she was able to just jump into classes and jump out without getting reimbursed, take classes here and there with no aim and whatnot. When I told her how I had the aim of graduating because going to school is way expensive to just take things for the sheer "experience", she gave me the "you poor girl" act. Quite hilarious to me but you realize how people put the "poor" label on you so quick sometimes.

rich v. poor

in the novel, austen has her character charlotte make choices motivated by money. while it's easy to condemn charlotte b/c of her choice of husband, i completely understand why she choose the ridiculous man, collins.
it's not easy when you have to make decisions based on money. i went to college in florida, and decided to move back home because it was cheaper to pay in-state tuition and live at home. i would rather be in florida, though. all my friends are there and the climate is amazing! (i hate cold weather). but i can't afford to stay there, so i moved back here.

Linda Finlay

Marriage vs. Future

I feel that marriage is in my future. Right now I am seventeen and am planning to go to college before I get married. Eventually I would like to get married but he has to be the right guy. There will be no abuse or I'm out the door. I have watched my mom over the years and I can't even tell you how many times my dad has hit my mom. I love my dad but I know that I do not want to marry a guy anything like my dad.
He also has to respect my plans for my future. I want to go to college and become a lawyer which means a lot of schooling but if he's worth it he will wait and make the journey with me. I look forward to eventually finding the right guy!

Who they say you are

How much of who you are depends on who others say you are? This is a struggle that I've engaged in my entirelife. As the youngest daughter (I have an older brother/boy genius) in a 21st-century Filipino-American family, I have often been told how to act, what to think and say, how to dress (do the dishes, then the laundry, they always keep her running...), etc. It's a continual battle of wills trying to get my parents to see me for who I am, that is, outside of who they would like me to become. Given the generation/cultural/communication gap (of which I am all too aware), I'm not sure that we'll ever manage to see eye to eye.

evolution of roles and identity

The roles you play and assign yourself define your identity. They evolve on a daily basis and therefore are continually changing. Traditional roles are a thing of the past in an age of technology and fast paced assimilation to the forces and structures that guide us.
Eleanor Roosevelt and Susan B. Anthony, to name two in particular, are two women that progressed the traditional roles of women and redefined the identities of women. In their time the drastically changed the manner in which women were perceived by society and therefore changed the definition of women. The roles that women played adapted and changed. This progress ultimately changed the definition of a woman.
Today women still continue to change the environmental roles that they inhabit and therefore change to common perception of their gender as well as challenge their identity. As more men begin to stay at home and more women remain in the workplace the identity of women is as constant evolution with the roles they play.

SAMPLE NARRATIVE

Have you ever had to choose between a popular decision that was wrong and an unpopular decision that was right? What makes someone popular v. unpopular? Is there a situation you can remember that involved a conflict between a friend and yourself? After thinking about the conflict did you find yourself to be in the wrong; but your pride got in the way of an apology?

I remember when I was in tenth grade and discovered what it meant to be popular v. unpopular. There was a boy in one of my classes that asked me to go to a dance with him. I was really excited about the invitation because I kind of liked the boy. Unfortunately, I consulted with my friends before I gave the boy my decision; and my friends made fun of me because his parents didn’t make a lot of money, and he didn’t drive a nice car. I knew it was wrong to not give him a chance just because he was “unpopular”, but I couldn’t get over the ridicule I would face from my friends. I told the boy I could not go with him to the dance.

As an adult I realize this was the wrong decision, but as an adolescent my pride and prejudice got the best of me.

Major Themes in Pride and Prejudice

1. Identity v. Traditional Roles

2. Marriage v. Future

3. Rich v. Poor

4. Pride v. Prejudice