Okay, so Chapter 1 might seem boring and tedious to you, but this journey is NOT tedious to Jonathan Harker. Have you ever been to Romania before? Have you ever eaten exotic foods from Eastern Europe while in Eastern Europe? Well, neither has he and so naturally he records everything he sees, hears, and smells. He's fascinated by everything he sees, and you should be to!! So try and put yourself in Harker's shoes and just absorb what he's telling you, the reader, about his surroundings.
Now, post your own observations, questions, and remarks about Chapter 1. When you respond to this posting, DO NOT simply repeat the thoughts of your classmates. You can add something new to a previous comment. You can comment or critique a previous posting, but your main goal is to add something new to the discussion. Remember, try to include direct quotes as much as possible!
9 comments:
Chapter 1 was horrible Mrs. Matty. haha (:
when i first started this i changed my name to miranda istead of gladus, but it didn't save it!! so this is miranda howard... In the first chapter i could imagine myself traveling across Romania with Jonathan with his very detailed diary. Romania sounds like a very sightful place. Towards the end of the chapter, I like how he stated the cries of all the wolfs. I couldn't imagine how horrifying it would be to travel in an unknown country, with a stranger you don't know anything about, and to hear a pack of wolves surronding you. On page 14, Jonathan says, "The keen wind carried the howling of the dogs, though this grew fainter as we went on our way. The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing in on us from every side. I grew dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear." To be traveling in an unknown place in pitch darkness, and with someone you have never been acquainted with and hearing all these frightful things, would have me on edge. I like how he says, "the keen wind carried the howling." To be traveling in the cold with the wind all around, and wolves following your every turn, and not being able to escape that dreadful sound. I wouldn't of blamed Jonathan for running away when first hearing the wolves, because I would be so freaked out by all that... now i feel like a nerd for posting something so long ahah
Miranda - excellent first posting
Interesting: "The keen wind carried the howling." What does keen mean? What is the effect of describing the wind in this manner? What figurative device is Stoker using here?
I too am fascinated with the description of Jonathan's travels through Romania. I often wonder if it looks much the same way today.
When chapter one starts, Jonathan seems to have no fears about heading to a country he has never been to before. He just sees it as business. But as the chapter continues, and Jonathan gets closer to the castle, I feel like his mood changes. On page 4, the journal says "Finally she went down on her knees and implored me not to go; at least to wait a day or two before starting. It was all very ridiculous but I did not feel comfortable." With everything the people have said about the castle, I would have been too scared to keep going. If Jonathan wouldn't have just brushed off what they said, he could have saved himself alot of trouble.
I totally agree with Rachel, if a bunch of strangers were coming up to me and saying not to go to this castle, I sure wouldn't go. But I understood keen to be meaning that it had a great effect on how it made Jonathan feel when he heard the howling. The type of effect I saw Stoker trying to use was to make us understand what Jonathan was feeling when the howling continued. He used a simile when describing that the wind carried the howling.
In chapter one I feel Jon is quite naive. He doesn't heed the warnings from the people as Rachel said and leaving to a different country as Miranda said. Dracula first appears as a friend that seems a little bit to good to be true. Also, wouldn't the sharp teeth and wolf control, along with his "prodigious strength" make jon wonder a little?
To be quite honest, as i first began the book i thought it was going to be boring. All the details of his travels were becoming monotonous to me. Then i noticed how the people in the town he passes through began to give him unpleasant warnings. As he gets closer and closer to the castle things began to get more and more ominous and you notice that Jonathan is becoming fretful as they travel. On the carriage that is taking him to the castle he's scared by the howling wolves more than once. By the time they get near the castle Jonathan is completely overcome with terror.
In chapter 1, it undoubtedly seemed to drag on and on with all of the tremendous details of the journey to the castle, but the details are essential to depict Jonathan's thoughts and actions throughout the trip. As Jonathan gets closer to the castle many people begin to heed warnings of caution and to not continue his journey. Even with all of these warnings, Jonathan still persists on continuing to the castle.
I don't know why people complain about chapter 1. Honestly, I thought it was great. Though Stoker's English is old and kinda hard to stumble through, reading it over and over again is actually pretty interesting. First pass, no idea what just happened. Couple more times, and I've got John's thoughts, feelings, and actions down to a science. But anyway, lemme get to what the comment is about..
It seems like John wouldn't be the best father. (bear with me) The way he's approaching the foreign land he's in shows exactly what kind of man he is, and that's a man that puts 98% of all his focus and energy into his career. Its all he cares about, about 98% of the time. Look at how he takes in the scenery, and the people and places he meets. Just side notes, jotted down in his journal, while he accomplishes the task set before him. Had the situation with Dracula never transpired, he would have lived out his life in England, trying desperately to reach the top of his career ladder. Meanwhile, his beautiful family would watch with longing, wishing that they were as important to him as his work.
Had I been in John's shoes, an old woman with baleful eyes handing me a crucifix and a cart full of weeping/praying peasants would have been enough for me to search for alternative employment. Jonathan's lust for his job was the nail(s) in his coffin. (lol)
And that is the basis on which I build my claim that Jonathan would not have made a good father. Thank you for your time.
-Bench
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