The Halloween Tree: Pipkin Vs. J.

Imagine if there were no Christmas trees on Christmas. How would it feel? Till this day in almost every American household there is at least one Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is one of the symbols and early traditions from the pagans that early Roman Catholics adopted. Although, the Roman Catholic Church perceived sinful and unacceptable some of the pagan traditions such as the value and behavior that the Anglo-Saxons had towards their cattle and how they sacrificed them to their idols. The church had to synchronize and blend some pagan traditions so they could influence their new strategy to evangelize and attract the heathens.

On the surface, both characters appear to be polar opposites of each other. Pip is referred to as Young Pip by Orlick who refers to himself as Old Orlick, even though according to Pip, "he was about five-and-twenty, but he usually spoke of himself as an ancient person" (106). The work ethic of the two blacksmith apprentices vary immensely, with Pip basically being a diligent worker as opposed to Orlick’s lazy habits who is described by Pip as "always slouching" (105). Orlick hates his job and is a generally mean and dispirited individual.

The first character to play a big part in shaping Pip’s personality is his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery. His sister’s vicious attitude and harsh punishments force Pip to have an unfriendly childhood. This bringing up “by hand” has caused him to be a “sensitive” boy. The constant threat of being beaten with the Tickler has also instilled the fear of speaking out against adult’s treatment of him because it would send his sister into a “terrible Rage.” However, her brutality has also made Pip able to feel when something was a “keen injustice” because he himself feels so about her actions and words towards himself.

Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations chronicles Pip’s struggle to improve his status in English society. He is originally taught that his happiness directly correlates to the amount of wealth he accumulates. Two characters he encounters—Joe Gargery and Miss Havisham—help him realize that this notion is an unfortunate misconception, and their experiences show Pip that he not live his life by such norms.

Of Pip’s encounters with different characters, meeting Joe was the most memorable and had the greatest impact on Pip. The indirect characterization of Joe and his dialogue was used to portray that he was easily forgiving . Joe, a static character, shows never

We all believe in the tooth fairy, the boogeyman, and Santa Claus when we’re little. Well, for me it was a family of ghosts with the skin color of blue and blood dripping down their mouths and if they get me, they eat me. The children ghosts eat more than the adults; therefore, they are the scarier. Another of my worst childhood experiences was with Dokkaebi, or goblins. My mother carved melons into claws and feet and boiled them saying they were goblins. I was scarred for life at the age of four. The “Death of Santa Claus” by Charles Webb is a poem about a not so Jolly Santa and his not so merry band suffering because of a nonbeliever and a boy in Texas is talking to his mom about how “stupid kids at school say Santa’s a big fake.” In this

Have you ever dreamed of going on an amazing journey with some of your best friends? If so, The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury, would be the perfect book for you to read. This is a story about eight friends who are on the hunt for another one of their friends, who mysteriously went missing on Halloween night. They travel through space and time, and meet a lot of people, but stay focused on the task at hand. Even though The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury, deserves its awards, it does not deserve to be on the Pre-AP book list.

In John’s informative piece, Mockingjay Discussion 15: The Hanging Tree, John argues that the song, “The Hanging Tree,” is actually the official rebel anthem of the resistance, the person hanging on the tree was actually a resistance member, not a murder. He develops this claim by first that Mr. Everdeen knew the song was actually the anthem of the rebellion, and he was singing it because he was a member and was asking other people to also join the resistance, then John states that after Peeta was tortured and “reprogrammed,” and once he heard the song again, the “revolutionary artist’s soul” recognized it as the resistance’s anthem, and finally John concludes that, since Katniss wouldn’t give Peeta a suicide pill when he claimed he was a

What goes on at the North Pole? Are Santa and the Elves immortal? If you find yourself asking those questions, then The Elf Brief might be the book for you! Noel Night is fairly new to the North Pole in the scheme of things, but Santa Christo has a special mission for him. Santa wants him to chronicle the events during the change of Santas. You see, Santa Christo is retiring, and Samuel Locke has accepted the job of becoming the new Santa. Noel will make detailed notes during this time in order to help the transition to be smoother in the future. Noel’s job is also to help Samuel in his transition. What secrets will Noel find out during this process?

In the beginning of the book, a somber tone is set. The audience is introduced to Pip, a young orphan who lives with his livid and cruel sister. Pip visits the graves of his family members (which he never saw) and feelings of sympathy and grief are drawn from the audience. While there, he encounters a strange man who demands that Pip brings him food and a file. If he fails to comply, the man insists that he will kill him and eat his heart. Fearful, the young boy runs home with the intent to steal food for the man. When he reaches home, Pip gives an artful description of Joe, his uncle. Pip has been raised mostly by his sister and her husband. However, she is very harsh. As a result, Pip sees Joe as a kind and understanding man who acts as his

Through learning experiences in both Scout and Pip’s lives, they started to find their identity. Seeking identity takes time and is a journey to find in all individuals lives, and is one of the many themes found in both of these novels. Because this theme can be found in books that were written in different time periods and locations,

Namely, he is raised by his abusive sister, Mrs. Joe, who is seemingly the antithesis of the mother archetype. It is mentioned that, despite Pip being a “morally timid and very sensitive” child, Mrs. Joe used “capricious and violent coercion” on him, as well as physically abusing him, often with a “wax-ended piece of cane” that she calls Tickler (110) (13). Suffering domestic abuse has a profound impact on Pip as it drives him to believe that he was “born in opposition to the dictates of reason, religion, and morality” (38). His early existential guilt, together with persistent “injured feelings,” contributes to dissatisfaction with his current circumstances (110). His unpleasant time at home is not aided by his common class status.

They both felt the wrath of Mrs. Joe; she frequently “knocked his (Joe) head…against the wall” or the Tickler for Pip. Knowledgeable critics have referred to Pip’s experience as that of a "Dickensian childhood - stripped of his rights, found guilty of being himself, and rendered invisible by all those around.

effect on Pip through his love. Pip loves Joe for what he is and in

After Pip first meets Estella, he begins to dislike everything he has ever known. He is uncomfortable feeling common in front of Estella and takes out his frustration on Joe, the one who brought him up to be common. “I determined to ask Joe why he had ever taught me to call those picture-cards, Jacks, which ought to be called knaves. I wished