Vanity Fair

So I've been reading Vanity Fair and it's actually taking me longer than I thought. First, the book is the same length as the fourth harry potter book, more or less. Second, I have so much schoolwork that I am not reading every single day and forget what happened in the story the last time I read. I've had to go back and re-read some of the story a couple of times...

It still bothers me that women did not have rights during this time period. The only way for women to gain class in this society was by marrying the "right man". The ideal husband was a man from a well to do, respected family and a steady income. It did not matter if the man was old enough to be your father or had a nasty personality. Rebecca, when hunting for a husband, aims for a rich man. The first person she goes after is her best friend's (from school) older brother. He is a chubby merchant in India who has absolutely NOTHING attractive about him. He only cares for food and drinks, nothing else. In Rebecca's opinion, he is also on the dumb side. But she chases him and flirts with him because he has class and money. I'm really glad that our current society doesn't really have that kind of a mindset anymore...although some people still do consider being rich more important.

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair is a novel about a young girl Rebecca wanting to move foward in society. Although she is a very accomplished, bright young lady, she is constantly ignored because of her family's social class and because of her job as a governess. Rebecca tries to increase her rank in society by trying to marry a rich bachelor and winning over the affections of "important figures" with her charming personality.


In those days, governesses were looked down upon even though they were very learnt and educated. The wealthy and the nobility thought of them as "high class wannabes" and ignored them. Yet it was okay for a boy from a middle or low class family to move up the class ladder. This is shown through the life of another character in this novel. I think this mindset is ridiculous and sexist. What makes it okay for men to move up the social ladder without anyone lashing out at them, but not for women? Why is this profession not acknowledged? Women have to learn and master subjects in all areas (not just academics, but cooking, sewing, etc). I think this is a much bigger accomplishment then learning just one trade or living off of family fortune's.

Short stories and AR questions

I really like the short story unit we're doing. I actually like stories that are really twisted and creepy, kind of like Lamb to the Slaughter or stories that have an unexpected ending because it leaves the reader really shocked. I really enjoyed reading Lamb to the Slaughter because the ending just left the reader hanging. The reader has to imagine what happens next and figure out the character of the wife. Is she psychotic? Does she have a mental disorder? I think the author was wise to leave the reader hanging because that just makes the story even more creepy and scary. I thought she had a mental disorder because her giggling at the end was a symptom for a mental disorder I learned about while peer editing in writing class. I also did not know Roald Dahl was capable of writing such scary stories because usually he writes books for children. His novels are kind of weird too and have a lot of imaginary creatures involved.

I read Mrs. Sen's today between getting my haircut, shoe shopping, lunch, and food shopping. I could really relate to what Mrs. Sen was going through with being in a completely new country. She always compares things to the way things were in her country. She always goes, "In India they always had..." I do that all the time and I'm sure people get really annoyed and just want to tell me to shut up, I really can't help doing it. I guess Mrs. Sen and I both miss our homes too much.

Question on the AR reading test...
when is it going to be set up? Because i really need to return my library book, i'm tired of renewing it :p

I finished reading The Catalyst. Kate was really self-centered and selfish in the beginning. She thought she was in the worst situation ever and pitied only herself. Even though she knew that Teri had been through a lot more than she has, Kate could not bring herself to symphatize with Teri. She's too caught up with her own life plus Teri has always been a bully. I think one of the messages the author is trying to tell is "even if you don't get into the college of your dreams, it won't be the end of the world. life will still go on." She's trying to say there are more important things than just studying and going to a prestigious university.

I think this is a good message for a lot of Korean students (including me). In Korea, students AND parents are obssessed with getting straight A's, scoring well on the SAT, doing well in AP or IB classes, graduating top of the class, and getting accepted to one of the top colleges in the US/ world. A student's high school, and sometimes middle school, life revolves around achieving these goals. But life isn't about going to Harvard; it's about what you choose to do with your life after college, what kind of a person you become.

I can personally relate to Kate's busy high school life with no sleep. Even though I'm not in any IBs yet, balancing forensics with school is really difficult. I prepped SO MUCH for the first competition because if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it right. Sure, it paid off, I placed well in both of the events I participated in. But now, because I was working so hard on forensic stuff, I'm so behind on school stuff that is all due next week. I'll pull it off somehow because I'll be so hard on myself it I don't, but it's just stressful...

'I've been running too much. My legs need a rest.' -Kate Malone

I couldn't agree more.