Do Now
• What do you think of when you hear the
word success? What does it mean to you?
Great Expectations
Background on England in the
1800s
• The 1800s were a turbulent time in England.
• Poverty and disease were rampant.
• The legal system was unjust.
– Many abuses
– No rights for children
– Money could solve any problem
• Women had few legal rights.
– If a divorce should occur, the husband received
the children and any and all property or
belongings of the wife, even if they were in her
possession before the marriage.
Charles Dickens
• 1812-1870
• Worked in a factory as a child
– This experience had a profound effect on his writing.
• Campaigned for social reform
– Critique of the harsh living conditions of England are often seen in his
novels
• One of the most celebrated and important English authors
• Wrote some of the most memorable characters in all of literature
– Ebenezer Scrooge
• A Christmas Carol 1843
– Oliver Twist
• February 1837 – April 1839
– David Copperfield
• May 1849 – November 1850
• Wrote Great Expectations in two chapter, weekly installments in the
publication All the Year Round from December 1860 to August 1861
Guiding Questions
• Protagonist: Phillip Pirrip – “Pip”
• Guiding Questions
• What does it mean to have “great expectations”?
• How do the hopes and dreams of the characters in the
book grow and change as the story progresses?
• What are the possible benefits and downfalls of
achieving everything you have ever wanted? How does
this relate to the characters in the book?
Bildungsroman
• Story is an example of a bildungsroman
– A German word meaning “a novel of selfcultivation”
– a novelistic form that concentrates on the
development and growth of the protagonist
usually from childhood to maturity
– “Coming of age story”
– The protagonist goes on a journey of some kind.
– The novel ends with an understanding by the
protagonist of himself/herself and his/her new
place in the world.
Themes
•
•
•
•
Good vs. Evil and Right vs. Wrong
Struggle Between Social Classes
Ambition
The Burden of Guilt
Classwork
• Complete worksheet on Predictions.
Homework
• Read Chapters 1-3 of Great Expectations
and complete corresponding questions.
Do Now
• The feeling of being lonely is an inevitable
part of the human experience. However,
some people’s lives are particularly
lonelier than others. How is loneliness
embodied in the opening chapters of the
story?
Chapters 1-3
• Why is the first chapter so important?
• Compare and contrast Pip and the first
convict.
• What examples of humor can be found in
the first chapter?
• Explain why the story is more interesting
written in first person point of view.
• Explain how guilt has affected Pip’s life.
Chapters 1-3
• Discuss the theme of right and wrong or
good and evil found in these first three
chapters.
• How is the relationship between Pip and
his sister different from the relationship
between Pip and Joe?
Classwork
• Complete character web worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 4-5 and complete
corresponding questions.
Do Now
• What do you think it says about a person
when he is willing to offer compassion to
another who may not necessarily be
deserving of such a feeling?
Chapters 4-5
• Describe the Christmas dinner from Pip’s
point of view.
• How are the attitudes of Pip and Joe
toward the first convict similar? How does
the convict’s behavior warrant
compassion?
• What themes are beginning to emerge
from these chapters?
Chapters 4-5
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 6-7 and complete
corresponding questions.
Do Now
• As human beings, we treat the different
people in our lives in different ways, based
on the relationship we may have with
them. However, it can be argued that
everyone in your life has a sense of the
person that you truly are. Do you agree
with that statement? Or do you think it’s
possible to treat the varied people in your
life in completely different ways?
Chapters 6-7
• How does Dickens build suspense in his
novel?
• Explain how the bond between Pip and
Joe becomes even stronger.
• Describe Joe’s relationship with Pip and
his relationship with his wife.
Chapters 6-7
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 8-9 of Great Expectations
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
• How do the authors or directors of your
favorite books and movies keep you
interested throughout? What do they do to
ensure you keep reading or watching?
Chapters 8-9
• How does Pip’s first day at Miss
Havisham’s change him forever?
• Give examples of Joe’s goodness.
• Compare Miss Havisham and Satis House.
• Describe Estella and her effect on Pip.
Chapters 8-9
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 10-11 of Great Expectations
and answer corresponding questions.
Chapters 10-11
• How does Pip’s visit with Miss Havisham
and her wedding cake affect him?
• What does Dickens use to create suspense
and interest in the novel?
• Discuss Pip’s encounter with Miss
Havisham’s relatives. What are his
impressions of them?
• How is humor used concerning Pip and
the pale young gentleman?
Homework
• Read Chapters 12-13 of Great Expectations
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
• In the novel, Pip’s eyes are being opened
to things that he has not previously
considered. Specifically, his view of right
and wrong is being altered. Can you
remember an event in your life that
changed your view of right and wrong?
Chapters 12-13
• How has Pip changed? Give examples of
his dissatisfaction with his life and family.
• How is Pip affected by being apprenticed
to Joe?
• Describe Uncle Pumblechook.
Chapters 12-13
• Complete worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 14-15 of Great Expectations
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
• What are some of the plot developments
Dickens has employed so far to create
suspense in the novel? Be specific with
your examples.
Chapters 14-15
• Describe Orlick.
• Describe Pip’s return to see Miss
Havisham. How is he feeling? What is
really motivating him to go back there?
• Describe the current state of Joe and Pip’s
relationship.
Chapters 14-15
• Complete worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 16-17 of Great Expectations
and complete corresponding questions.
Do Now
• When faced with decisions, we often play
out scenarios in our heads and imagine
what our lives will be like if we choose one
path as opposed to another. How often do
you find yourself doing this, especially
now as you choose a college? When you
make your final decision, do you tend to be
a risk taker or do you play it safe?
Chapters 16-17
• Describe Biddy. How does she differ from
Estella?
• Explain the relationship between Pip and
Biddy.
• Discuss the attack on Mrs. Joe. How has it
affected Pip?
Chapters 16-17
• Complete worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 18-19 of Great Expectations
and complete corresponding questions.
Do Now
• In the novel, Pip’s values are changing for
various reasons. Has there ever been an
instance in your life when something that
occurred changed your values or views
dramatically?
Chapters 18-19
• Describe the circumstances or coincidences that help
make Pip believe Miss Havisham is his benefactor.
• Discuss the first stage of Pip’s life. How can this stage be
called one of innocence or childhood?
• Discuss the two settings in the novel – that of Satis
House and that of the forge with its marshes. What
characters are associated with each, and how do they
affect Pip?
• Dickens is well-known for his life like characters.
Explain how he uses them to add meaning to the story
thus far.
• Do any of the characters we’ve seen so far embody
stereotypes? (the spoiled rich girl, the uneducated poor
man, etc.) Which characters show stereotyping and
how?
Chapters 18-19
• Complete worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 20-23 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• In these chapters, we’re introduced to the
character of Belinda who seems to be an
“ornamental” person; she is of a high
social class but is incapable of caring for
her household or children. Due to the fact
that Pip is learning how to be a gentleman
but is not learning a trade or anything
substantial, do you think he could be
classified in the same way? Why or why
not?
Chapters 20-23
• Discuss Pip’s impressions of London.
• Describe Mr. Jaggers’ office and how it is representative
of the lawyer.
• What does Pip find out about Miss Havisham’s past?
Relate her story and its effects upon her life.
• Discuss how Herbert’s new name for Pip is appropriate.
• What is Pip’s impression of Belinda and Matthew
Pocket’s home life?
• Compare Belinda Pocket’s obsession with social status
and nobility with that of Pip’s quest for social status and
becoming a gentleman.
Chapters 20-23
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 24-25 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• We are getting towards the half way point
of the novel. What stands out to you the
most about the story? What do you find
most interesting? Is there anything that’s
happened in the story that mirrors your
own life? What do you like the best? The
least?
Chapters 24-25
• Does Pip have a high opinion of his tutor?
• Describe the dual personalities of Mr.
John Wemmick.
• Describe Mr. Wemmick’s life at Walworth.
• Discuss the irony of Mr. Wemmick’s
labors at the Castle being an acceptable
source of pride, and Joe’s labors as a
blacksmith being unacceptable to Pip.
Chapters 24-25
• In your group, look for one of the
following major themes of the novel.
– Good vs. Evil
– Struggles Between Social Classes
– Ambition
– The Burden of Guilt
Homework
• Read Chapters 26-27 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Think of a time when you had to share
something significant or confess
something that was particularly difficult.
How did you prepare for it? How did you
finally find the nerve to share your
feelings? What was the outcome?
Chapters 26-27
• Compare and contrast Pip’s dinner
engagement at the home of Mr. Jaggers
with that of Mr. Wemmick.
• Discuss Joe’s visit with Pip. How has Pip
changed?
• In your opinion, what characteristics make
a gentleman?
Chapters 26-27
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 28-29 of Great
Expectations and complete corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• In these chapters, Miss Havisham
encourages Pip to love Estella, even if she
attempts to push him away or treats him
poorly. What do you think of people who
continually put up with tough situations in
relationships? Are they foolish for sticking
it out? Or are they simply trying to do
what they can to make the relationship
work?
Chapters 28-29
• Discuss the different kinds of love
presented in the novel.
• Describe how Dickens uses coincidence to
piece together his novel, and how the
coincidences affect Pip.
• How has the relationship between Joe and
Pip changed from the beginning of the
novel? Explain the reasons for the
changes.
Chapters 28-29
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 30-31 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Unrequited love is experienced by
arguably everyone at some point in life.
Pip is in the midst of this feeling right
now. Have you experienced this feeling?
How did you deal with it? How did the
situation work out?
Chapters 30-31
• How is Pip received when he visits his
village? How does he act?
• What is a farce, and how is Mr. Wopsle’s
performance an example of this term?
Chapters 30-31
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 32-33 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Can money buy happiness? Explain your
reasoning.
Chapters 32-33
• Discuss the influence of prisons, convicts, and criminal
lawyers upon Pip’s life.
• Explain why Mr. Wemmick is compared to a gardener in
Newgate Prison.
• Does wealth bring happiness to Pip? Explain this in
terms of Pip and Estella’s relationship.
• How have Miss Havisham’s relatives played a part in
Estella’s and Pip’s lives?
• Define and discuss the use of similes in these two
chapters.
Chapters 32-33
• In your group, look for relevant quotes
that reflect the themes of the novel.
– Good vs. Evil and Right vs. Wrong
– Struggles Between Social Classes
– Ambition and Self-Improvement
– Guilt and Innocence
Homework
• Read Chapters 34-35 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Pip is realizing in these chapters that his
wealth is not bringing him happiness. In
fact, it is causing him to be quite
miserable. Sometimes getting what you
want can make you unhappy. Have you
ever had an experience where you finally
got what you wanted and it wasn’t
everything you’d hoped it would be? How
did you react?
Chapters 34-35
• How has Pip’s fortune affected him and
those around him?
• Describe the funeral of Mrs. Joe.
• Discuss Pip and Biddy’s relationship at
this time.
Chapters 34-35
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 36-37 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Mr. Jaggers makes Herbert and Pip feel
extremely uncomfortable. Have you ever
encountered a person whose mere
presence makes you feel uneasy? Explain.
Chapters 36-37
• Compare and contrast Mr. Wemmick’s
life in London working for Jaggers and his
life at the Castle in Walworth.
• Explain the conditions of Pip’s financial
situation.
Chapters 36-37
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 38-39 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Some secrets are revealed in these
chapters that leave Pip reeling. How do
you react when secrets are revealed? Do
you hide your shock well or is your
reaction quite evident?
Chapters 38-39
• Trace the references to convicts in Pip’s life. How have
they influenced his life?
• Discuss the second stage of Pip’s life and how it may be
called one of sin or adolescence.
• How does the realization that the convict and not Miss
Havisham is his benefactor affect Pip and his
expectations?
• Dickens’s characterizations are well known. Describe
the character of Estella and her impact upon the novel.
• Discuss the character of the first convict. Describe his
motivations and relate his story while in Australia.
Chapters 38-39
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 40-41 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Is it possible to separate yourself from the
past? Why or why not?
Chapters 40-41
• Discuss the effect of the mysterious man on the
stairs.
• Mr. Jaggers tells Pip that he has no evidence that
Miss Havisham was his benefactor. What
evidence or indications does Pip have to believe
that she was the author of his great
expectations?
• Discuss the convict’s purpose in making Pip a
gentleman.
Chapters 40-41
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 42-43 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• How much influence does a person’s
appearance have on others? How does it
feel when you’re judged based on your
looks?
Chapters 42-43
• Relate Provis’s story concerning his
background. Why would this knowledge
explain why Provis is so intent on making
Pip a gentleman?
• Describe the relationship between Provis
and Compeyson.
• Compare how guilt affects Arthur and how
it affects Compeyson.
Chapters 42-43
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 44-45 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• In these chapters, Wemmick shows his
true friendship to Pip. In what instances
has a friend shown his/her loyalty to you?
What were the circumstances surrounding
the showing of friendship?
Chapters 44-45
• Describe the conversation between Estella,
Pip, and Miss Havisham that occurs at
Satis House.
• Discuss the benefits of moving Provis to a
room in the same boarding house as
Herbert’s fiancée.
• Discuss the friendship that exists between
Wemmick and Pip.
Chapters 44-45
• In your group, categorize the characters in
the novel as those that harm others, those
that are harmed or hurt by others, and
those who help others.
Homework
• Read Chapters 46-47 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• In these chapters, Pip is consumed by his
paranoia and fear over being followed.
Have you ever had a time in your life when
something so significant happened, it was
all you could think about? How did feeling
like this affect you? Explain.
Chapters 46-47
• Explain how Pip’s attitude toward the
convict has changed from when he first
encountered him again.
• Discuss the plans for helping Provis escape
from London.
Chapters 46-47
• With your group, complete the timeline
worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 48-49 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• In these chapters Pip and Miss Havisham
both realize the error of their previous
ways. How do you react when you know
you’ve done the wrong thing?
Chapters 48-49
• Discuss the changes in Miss Havisham and
what has brought about these changes.
• Relate Molly’s story and how her past is
interwoven with Miss Havisham’s past
even though they never meet.
• Trace the changes that have taken place in
Pip’s character since arriving in London.
Chapters 48-49
• With your partner, look for instances of
where Dickens's storytelling makes it
evident that the story was published in
installments and discuss the effects on the
story. Cite specific examples.
Homework
• Read Chapters 50-51 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Pip learns the background on Estella’s
family in these chapters. He decides not to
tell her about these developments because
it would destroy her current life and her
marriage. Is it sometimes acceptable to
keep a secret, if it could be detrimental to a
person? Or do you live by the idea that the
truth is always best? Explain.
Chapters 50-51
• Discuss the prison system in the 19th
century.
• Discuss the court system regarding
children in the 19th century.
Chapters 50-51
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 52-53 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• Orlick finally seeks revenge on Pip in these
chapters. What do you make of grudges?
Do you tend to forgive and forget, or do
you hold onto what people have done to
you? Explain.
Chapters 52-53
• Describe Orlick’s plot to murder Pip.
• What purpose does Orlick serve in the
novel?
• How is Pip continuing to change?
Chapters 52-53
• Complete your character sketch
worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 54-55 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• What do you think of people who seem to
have bad luck? How much is what happens
in our lives in our control and how much is
left to fate or some other force? Explain.
Chapters 54-55
• Describe the escape and capture of
Magwitch.
• Discuss how Dickens uses humor in these
chapters.
Chapters 54-55
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 56-57 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• In these chapters, Pip reflects back on his
mistakes in life and wants to rectify them.
We’ve talked before about how people
react when they know they’re wrong about
something. Along the same lines, how do
you react when you know you’ve wronged
someone? How do you go about
apologizing? Explain.
Chapters 56-57
• Describe the last days between Pip and
Magwitch.
• Explain why Joe becomes more distant as
Pip becomes healthier.
Chapters 56-57
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Read Chapters 58-59 of Great
Expectations and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
• How do you feel about the way Dickens set
up the novel? Now that you know all the
answers to the unanswered questions he
put forth, was there anything you would
have done differently? Explain.
Chapters 58-59
• How has guilt affected Pip’s life?
• Explain why the love between Joe and
Biddy is the only true love in the novel.
Chapters 58-59
• Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework
• Study for Vocabulary Unit 25 quiz.