Author's Note: This piece is a response to the prompt, Can we love everyone? This was a very controversial topic, so we decided it would be best to reflect our feelings in a response. The prompt is connected to Pip because in response to Mr. Johnson's question, does Pip love the convict? I replied that Pip basically loves everyone. Mr. Roehl then argued it was impossible to love everyone therefore we assigned this prompt. Please let me know your opinion on my response in a comment below.
Author's Note: This piece is a response to the prompt, what was Pip's real motivation for bringing the food and the file to the convict who waits for him in the cemetery? My initial reaction was that I had absolutely no idea. Of course everyone's first instinct was that Pip stole out of pure fear, but the word real really made us think. What was his real motivation? What made his decision unique to him? This piece is my thoughts towards these questions.
Love is such a beautiful word with so many remarkable attributes. Unfortunately, most are unknown. As a result of this pure lack of knowledge, universal love is often believed to be unreasonable and quite frankly -- impossible. Too often society writes off the possibility of having compassion or care for more than just close friends and family. However, who is commanding that we cannot love everyone? No one. We can love everyone, whether it may be on different levels or in different ways; universal love is more than possible and something worth making a reality.
The common misconception with universal love is that the concept inquires loving everyone equally. Having an equal love for everyone is a moronic notion. Just the thought of having affection for all people equivalently is clearly a farce and in fact destructive. You simply cannot love everyone and everything the same without misusing and therefore destroying the definition of true love. Nevertheless it is achievable to feel some form of love towards everybody.
It is incredibly sad that our world has become an inhabitance where we have to define our terms as to what love really means. It is incredibly sad that our world has become an inhabitance where we can't go up to a friend, teacher or neighbor and say we love them without a misconception that we are plain creepy or a mentally deficient person. It is incredibly sad that our world has become an inhabitance where society forgets the one main desire we all have in common -- the desire to love and be loved. We all live for love.
The desire for affection, love, and compassion can so easily be fulfilled with universal love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (The Bible: 1 Corinthions)
Author's Note: This piece is a response to the prompt, what was Pip's real motivation for bringing the food and the file to the convict who waits for him in the cemetery? My initial reaction was that I had absolutely no idea. Of course everyone's first instinct was that Pip stole out of pure fear, but the word real really made us think. What was his real motivation? What made his decision unique to him? This piece is my thoughts towards these questions.
In the novel Great Expectations, the opening scene exploits Pip in a cemetery envying his deceased family. Suddenly he becomes caught of guard by a convict that demands Pip bring him "whittles" and a file. Out of poor, desperate fear Pip obliges. Many ponder why he would do this despite his contradicting morals and what he knows is right. Even so, he compromises his values out of fear. As a result of his questionable actions, we ask ourselves what was Pip's real motivation for bringing the food and file to the convict in the cemetery? Was it because of the guilt he may feel after not granting the convict's needs? Was it because he felt sympathetic towards the convict? Was it because he wanted to keep the man from hurting not only him, but his family, too? Or perhaps was it simply because, just like any other child in this situation, he was petrified of what might happen to him if he did not accommodate to the convict's needs? In all honesty, I am not quite sure myself of Pip's motive, but I am positive of one thing; lying and stealing is a sin that leaves us with much unneeded guilt and
pressure, constantly trudging over our shoulders.
Throughout the continuing chapters, you can easily tell that Pip feels these emotions; he feels the results of his actions. Whenever his family sits down for dinner, he has to worry about what consequences may occur if Mr. and Mrs. Joe find out what he stole. This is because Pip not only stole from his family, but because he lied to his family about it, too. Instead of being honest and explaining what a tough situation he was in with the convict, he left important words unsaid.
When it comes down to deciding what Pip's real motive behind his stealing was, I suppose I really don't have a straight forward answer to that. I know that Pip accomplished this unfortunate deed out of fear, but I doubt that was his only reason. Perhaps his motive wasn't even that complicated at all. Perhaps his choice to steal for the convict is simply the result of his compassion for others -- the result of Pip's personality. I may be left not knowing why Pip really did what he did, however I know that the way Pip went about this scary confrontation was exactly how any empathetic human would. In the end you could easily say there was no motive; this was simply an act of human kindness.
