Notes for September 18, Bleak House

Available as MS Word Document

Sidra Khalid

CLT 361.01

September 18^th, 2012

Notes:

·        Professor starts class
·        For next class read up to chapter 32 in Bleak House.
·        Jumped right to the prompt discussions

Prompt Discussion: Bleak House

Structure:

Ø  What would Kincaid think of these characters from Bleak House? How would she accept these characters as tourists?

Skimpole-

o   Kincaid probably thinks that she’s a prime example of self-indulgence. 
o   Mr. Skimpole speaks about Mr. Dedlock.
o   Pg. 218: “If I have a pimple on my nose…” (Making a metaphor)
o   Skimpole: There’s this material quality, concreteness of principles.
o   When someone is on vacation, you act differently because you are within a different society and that’s you are a tourist.
o   When Skimpole leaves his class structure, he leaves his morality and doesn’t behave the same way.
o   Kincaid sees the tourist to go out of their way and enjoy the environment. When tourists are on vacation, they don’t fully see everything for example: schools and hospital, yet the native would see that.
o   Skimpole is similar because he comes from an environment where people are rich, and feel that he doesn’t needs to relate to people who are already living there.  

 Richard-

o   He is careless but cares enough to know what will make him happy.
o   At the same time he is trying to do what he wants.
o   Kincaid wouldn’t like him as a person in Antigua.
o   Kincaid admitted about stealing a book from the library. Library = “you”.
o   Kincaid does justify carelessness.

Esther Summerson-

o   She could be described as a tourist.

Ada-

o   Kincaid would judge her but also have respect and admiration towards her is she was a tourist in Antigua.

Sir Dedlock-

o   Kincaid might want to despise him.
o   He would really be hated because he would be one of the people leading colonization.

Details:

Ø  Each group gets a different character. Based on the description, create an image. When done, show the picture to class and let them guess.

Thesis- Mr. Jarndyce

o   Big head with a small body.

Details- Lady Dedlock

Analysis- Esther

o   House keeper for Mr. Jarndyce

o   She’s holding a lot of keys in her hands.

Structure-

o   Looks old school, tall skinny, extra shoes.

o   Nickname in book- The Oyster of the Old School

Analysis:

Ø  Yes or No Questions!! Guess the character.

1)      Structure:
*Girl
?Esther?

2)      Structure:
*young
?Ada?

3)      Thesis:
*boy
?Skimpole?

Reading: Lana finishes up class by reading from Pg. 298 in Bleak House.