◇ Reflective Essay

INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

REFLECTIVE ESSAY

NAME: IVÁN FERNANDO MARTÍNEZ VALDEZ

Without a doubt, the Blogging Project has been quite satisfactory and it has contributed a lot to my educational development, specifically because I could improve my writing skills, experience with a new app called Blogger and most importantly I had the opportunity to read and analyze the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

First of all, the blogging project has definitely ameliorated writing due to the fact that it made it enjoyable. To begin with, as the writing process was not meant to be quite structured, I was able to actually expand my ideas freely without stylistic concern in mind. However, I took into account grammar and proper writing, but it did not interfered with what I wanted to express throughout each entry. Moreover, I learned new vocabulary because of the book and the writing itself that most of the time forced me to look up words to convey the right meaning in context which was essential to understand this book on account of the different metaphors, paradoxes, personifications and comparisons found in this work written by Burnett. 

Secondly, Blogger has been of paramount importance to elaborate each entry because it made me reflect what I had in mind to create the perfect scenario for the story. Firstly, designing the blog was pleasing for me as I am the kind of person who appreciates exploring on new things regarding creativity. I have never come across a blogging model design, but I tried my best so that it looks good and consistent. Another aspect that should be mentioned is that this book indisputably belongs to the fantasy genre: therefore, I had to come up with numerous ideas so that the same name of the book is reflected in the design of the blog, which is the garden, and also the photographs that should match with the story, the characters and the context in which they were told. Blogger has a great variety of tools that helped construct everything and accordingly present an appealing work.

Thirdly, the book has exceeded my expectations at all times and left me concise messages that I will never forget. Initially, I chose this book because of what I have been told by one of my teachers, which I have explained in one of my entries and I followed Mary Lenox, who is the protagonist of the book, in her journey. She suffered, she was considered arrogant which at the end was clarified; her tough life story made her develop certain behaviors that were not appropriate, but everything has an explanation. She is an unwanted child and she did not come with that idea by herself, instead her parents told her squarely which was obviously detrimental. Besides the difficult situations she has faced since childhood, she found a way to overcome all the obstacles and thus encounter happiness.

Overall, this Blogging Project has been beneficial in several ways. I am seriously more keen on doing these kind ventures since they only provide advantages to continue growing as a student. Finally, we should all think less about ourselves and more about other people around us. Being selfish can make you unhappy, while thinking and helping others joyful.

Feelings about the book...

When I finished reading all the chapters of the book I simply felt satisfaction and happiness, because behind this story there is much more than meets the eye. In short, now I understand why they told me to read this book and that I was going to be surprised. In addition, these types of novels end up being forgotten for many because they treat them as insignificant for the simple fact that they are old or because they are not supposedly complex. This book made me confirm once again that the short stories of Frances Hodgson Burnett are unique and incomparable, especially this one because it contains different topics. For example, the author writes about magic, but combines this fantasy with matters of great controversy.

Apart from everything already mentioned regarding the book in the different entries, the panorama is clear. However, there is one issue that I think should be taken into account and this has to do with something that I realized when I finished reading the story. It is about the strong connection that exists with nature in the book.

The same title of the novel has to do with nature and this is obviously reflected throughout each chapter and it takes more and more strength according to the story progresses. Firstly, the garden is a place that is totally desolate and neglected because everyone in the house is disconnected to it and this means that nature cannot show the best of itself, if we are not attached to it. Once Mary entered in the garden and began to bring more and more people, you can see a clear advance on this place; beautiful flowers, plants and everything started to go green. I describe this as "Nature and the human being must go hand in hand," just as we need it, nature needs us to show us its beauty. In reality, this can be transported with certain actions such as planting trees, watering plants and developing an ecological attitude to maintain our flora and fauna.

As I am a person who appreciates nature, this novel means a lot to me because there are many changes linked to the ecosystem, almost all the characters in the book experience some kind of profound change in which they come off their bad character to start a new lifetime. For example, Colin has always thought that he is sick and incapable of everything, but in reality this is only an illusion of the mind, because he is a clever and artful. In addition, Mrs. Craven herself lives in her garden, which is her favorite place and most importantly she is with her son. In this way, it can be inferred that nothing dies completely, there will always be something special that reminds us of someone we love or something that we have apparently lost.

Depositphotos

Paper to petal

Magic - Allegories

Magic is definitely a topic of paramount importance throughout the novel because this supernatural power has been mentioned several times and in different situations. First of all, Colin Craven uses to explain his return to the health of both him and the Secret Garden possibly because of the ghost of the dead wife, or possibly because of God. Also, when Colin gets up for the first time, he thinks that the Magic that is healing his legs comes from Dickon, but Dickon tells him:

"Tha's doin' Magic thysel' […] It's same Magic as made these 'ere work out o' th' earth," and he touched with his thick boot a clump of crocuses in the grass. (Hodgson, chapter XXVII)

Therefore, it can be inferred that magic was apparently involved in this sense and this was what helped Colin to stand up and which brings the plants out of the earth from the seeds. And there are not only positive physical effects (curing careless children and producing green and growing things), but also spiritual magnitude. Another  proof for magical presente in the novel is when Dickon tells Mary in private that Mrs. Sowerby believes that Garden Magic is a maternal power that comes from the persistent spirit of Lilia’s Craven. This is shown when he said:

Mrs. Craven was a very lovely young lady," [Dickon] had gone on rather hesitatingly. "An' mother she thinks maybe she's about Misselthwaite many a time lookin' after Mester Colin, same as all mothers do when they're took out o' th' world. They have to come back, tha' sees. Happen she's been in the garden an' happen it was her set us to work, an' told us to bring him here." (Hodgson, chapter XXVI)

Having considered all these, magic is a combination of two central ideas in this novel: the importance of positive energy and thought for the general health of a person, and the redeeming and healing power of maternal love. Lilias Craven is a mother who cannot let his son alone in life and somehow has been sent to real life again to explain and make everyone understand her death and tell that there is nothing to be afraid of. She is happy and lives peacefully, but she wants the same for her siblings. She wants each person in the house to feel joyful and not sad about her death. As a good mother, she has to keep watching Colin even from beyond the grave. Thus, magic was beneficial at the end on account of the fact that it helped grow the relationship among everyone in the house and it also brought peace and tranquility back to the lives of all the people in the home that was becoming dark and even terrifying.

Magic in the garden - https://www.storyboardthat.com

Explanation of the story. Colin can walk - https://www.storyboardthat.com

The Garden, a symbolism

The Garden

After reading most of the chapters, one can already fully understand the meaning of the garden in the novel. Believe it or not, this place has gone through different chances because, at the beginning, the Secret Garden was originally meant for two people Archibald and Lilias to celebrate their love. They were an inseparable couple who loved each other sincerely and this setting was their refuge to escape from the cruel world of outside.

Nevertheless, the garden suddenly became a sad and horrible place where instead of being a place that Craven never wanted to leave, it became the last place where he wanted to be. All of these happened due to the fact that his wife died tragically in the garden. In this matter, Craven looked the garden with other eyes, but Colin, his son, started to understand or realize how the garden could change his life or his feelings at least. Mrs. Sowerby helped him comprehend the garden by expressing }Thy own mother's in this 'ere garden, I do believe~. This means that he should see the garden as a spiritual place of connection with his mother and that is what he did. Colin spent more time in the garden and he was finally able to look at his mother's portrait again.

Therefore, the garden seems to be the home of Lilias where she is waiting for Craven and Colin, but unless they start changing their behavior they will not feel her. Moreover, Mary also has a story with the garden and this consists in her first visit to the garden. When she had the chance to get into the garden this was in a detrimental situation, just like her life. Mary has been suffering a lot because of her parents and the incomprehension; thus, I believe one can compare the garden with her multiple problems. However, once she started restoring the garden, she also began to grow as a person. This demonstrates that the garden is a reflection of growth or evolution. If the characters learn from their mistakes and behave effectively, the garden will come alive again. Even a sort of peace has arrived in the Craven family.

Overall, there is definitely a connection between the characters and the garden and it consists of being a good and a happy person so that your life can be transformed immensely.

Painted by Marie Southarn Ospina

The Secret Garden film 1993

Discovering Mary Lennox...

Mary Lennox

To start describing Mary Lennox, I thought it was necessary to review 4 chapters because in those chapters we had the opportunity to discover how Mary Lennox lives on a daily basis and why she has developed a hateful behavior.

Personally, I feel terribly sorry for what happened to Mary. Imagine knowing that you are an unwanted daughter; it must be terrible. Further, I do not blame Mary for absolutely anything because she is just a reflection of how she was raised and educated. Mary never received affection from her parents. On the contrary, she was witness to the cruelty and perversity of her parents. Consequently, she tends to be cold-hearted and deadly in action.

One of the phrases that caught my attention was this one:

Mary had never possessed an animal pet of her own and had always thought she should like no one. So she began to feel a slight interest in Dickon, and she had never before been interested in any one but she, it was the dawning of a healthy sentiment.

Here is where everything that Mary went through was clarified. Marry, being a girl, has never had any pet and without knowing any she already had the concept that would like no one.

Another quote that I would like to share is this one:

"A bird with a red breast was sitting on one of them and he sang."

To her surprise the surly old weather-beaten face actually changed its expression. A slow smile spread over it and the gardener looked quite different. It made her think that it was curious how much nicer a person looked when he smiled. She had not thought of it before.

This is an interesting quote because one can perceived that Mary has never been loved. It even emplies that she has never seen someone smile and that is why she was living that moment like no other.

However, Mary’s personality began to improve as the story developed. She played in the moor, wandered in the old manor with hundred rooms, explored gardens and searched the buried key to the secret garden that was locked up for ten years.

From now on, we can observe a Mary Lennox with a renewed mind...

Mary and Dickon in the garden. Illustration by Inga Moore.

The first appreciation of a smile. Illustration by Inga Moore.

On the way to more, Suffering or Joy?

Chapter II

Mary being bothered. From https://sp.depositphotos.com

In the second chapter, Mary is on her way to live with an English clergyman and his family, since her parents have died. When she arrived in the house she discovered that she will not like the place because of the circumstances in which they live. It was definitely a big family, but they were poor. Mary instead of feeling good because of her new family, she felt vulnerable and this was not because her parents died. In fact, she does not even miss their parents because she barely knew them. Mary was upset because of the five children that bothered her. They always make fun of her and they gave her a mocking nickname borrowed from a nursery rhyme: "Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary."

Secondly, Mary is informed by Basil, the favorite among the children, that she will be sent to England to live with one uncle called Archibald Craven that she did not even know. However, she has heard a lot about him from others before her trip. She heard that he lives in mysterious house and he is always depressed because his wife has died. A few days later, she does indeed set sail for England and there Mrs. Medlock, the housekeeper, is the one who is responsible of Mary. They both take a train to Yorkshire where her uncle is located. During the journey, Mrs. Medlock started telling Mary everything about the house that there are about hundred rooms and all of them are kept locked and shuttered due to depression and all his problems. Mary was surprised about the different stories and she was unsure of what awaited her in that house.

Thirdly, I need to admit that it does not bother me the fact that Mary does not miss her parents. Also, I do not think it is cruel because they were their parents, but they have never taken her into account for anything they were going to do. It was always about themselves and their image in the public eye. Therefore, I believe that one cannot say that Mary is a bad person, In fact, she  has expressed many times that she has never received love by anyone and because of that she cannot give back that to other people. My perspective is different when it comes to Mary because she is a child and she has already gone through the worst things that one can imagine, but despite all that she is still standing and having fun.

Chapter III

Mary alone in her -new home- Photo taken by Laura Aguilera 

All of a sudden the train has arrived in Yorkshire. Mary and Mrs. Medlock board a carriage there, which takes them through a village; at that moment, it was all rainy and gloomy and they passed through places without any trees or anything and she expressed }I do not like it~ since she loves gardening. When they finally arrived in house, they did not have the warmest welcome because Archibald Craven did not even want to see them. Therefore, Mrs. Medlock took Mary to a room and told her not to disturb as well as not to explore. Mary was again in the same situation, a group of people that dislike her and do not take her into account.

I wonder now, Will she still be the same lonely girl? Will she find more problems in that house? Will she ever meet and get to know her uncle? The second and the third chapters were really descriptive. The author took the time to set every situation appropriately so that the reader can understand what is happening without much difficulty. My favorite part was when Basil tells her that she is going home and Mary replies "Where is home?" This shows what she feels inside. She believes that she does not belong anywhere.

The sad and tormented life of Mary

Taken by Agnieszka Holland in 1993 during the film.

The first chapter focuses on introducing each character by describing their personality, the author illustrates that Mary Lennox, the main character, is ugly, with skin made yellow because she gets sick quite easily. She is arrogant and she does not care about anything since that is what she receives, no affection. The setting of the novel, at the moment, is India where is living with her parents, who do not have time for her. Her mother called Mrs. Lennox, who admitted that she has never wanted a child at all, left Mary with some Indian servants and she even gave them instructions to keep her out of her sight. Mrs. Lennox is vain because she is beautiful and an elegant woman. The only thing that she does is going to parties and fashion events. Apart from that, Mrs. Lennox does not even tell anyone she has a little girl and this may sound cruel but I believe this is because she also thinks that Mary is ugly and that is why she does not want to present her to the people around her.

Secondly, another event absolutely change the story and it made it worst. A cholera epidemic breaks out in the Indian village where the Lennoxes are living. The family did not escape since Mrs. Lennox had to attend a dinner party and she might have thought that nothing was going to happen to her since she assumes she is in another level because of her social status. One day when cholera was affecting most parts of the village, numerous people were dying and others fleeing, but The Lennoxes were still in the village and Mary was locked in her room where she does nothing but cry and sleep. She even drinks wine and as a result of that she sleeps for many hours. Once, she fell into a deep sleep and when she woke up she realized she has been abandoned and that her parents have died. She has been left behind until a group of British soldiers found her there and took her with them.

The first chapter definitely met my expectations; I found everything well-described and clear. The first theme of the story I assume is the lack of love. Children behave according to their atmosphere what they perceive. In the novel, no one loves Mary and no one either pays attention to her. Therefore, Mary does not have good manners; her behavior has been affected by her surroundings. It can be inferred that she is not a naughty child, but because of the conditions in which she is growing up she tend to be selfish and hateful. On the other side, as I am reading I can deduce that Mrs.Lennox  is a cold-hearted person since she does not show any kind of affection towards her own daughter. Apparently, she did not even want a baby as it has been stated previously. Thus, Mary suffers every day the consequences of her parents' mistake and she needs to deal with the fact that she is an unwanted child.

Created by FayTaylor13 in http://es.fanpop.com/clubs/kate-maberly/images

This is how I imagine Mrs. Lennox looks like.
Animation from  https://sp.depositphotos.com

Why this book?

                     The Plot

Frontispiece,1991

An epidemic of cholera kills Mary's parents and now she is an orphan. Due to her parents death Mary returns to the United Kingdom to live with an uncle named Archibald Craven, widower and with a sick child, in a luxurious Yorkshire mansion, where they live in a suffocating and unfriendly environment. For greater restlessness, they are joined by a bitter woman called Mrs. Medlock, the strict housekeeper. However, she will discover a refuge for her and her new friends: Colin, her disabled and capricious cousin, Dickon, a naive, kind boy and great protector of animals. The three children, with their good heart will transform the place into something beautiful. Apart from that, it will help them build a special relationship that will change their destinies forever.

Personal Reason

When I was studying English, I had a teacher who was a book lover and she used to tell me about different books or stories about English literature, but once she told me that one book specifically changed her life because in moments of pain she would read this book called THE SECRET GARDEN and in some way it made her feel better and that was because the plot of the book reflects her life story because she went through many of the things that are described in the book. She told me that when she was a child she would always look for some hidden or secluded places where she could be herself. From that moment, this book caused me a lot of curiosity but at the same time I never had the opportunity to read it, until now. Honestly, from the little review I read it caught me and I think it is a story based on real events because of the way the author describes each character and the problems around them. In addition, the story definitely touches very controversial issues and on the one hand it tells how life was at that time as many of the literature books, they try to transport you to that moment that was quite painful sometimes or on the other side to that moment of joy.

About the book and the author

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The secret garden is a novel written by American author Francis Hodgson Burnett and published in book form in 1911. However, it has previously been published by parts in The American Magazine . The story of self-healing became a classic in English Literature and is considered to be among Burnett's best work.

Francis Hodgson Burnett

This image is available from the United States Library
of Congress's Prints and Photograph division.
under the digital ID cph.3b24478

Born in Manchester, England, on November 24, 1849, Frances Eliza Hodgson was the eldest daughter of a family of two boys and three girls. After the death of her father when she was three years old, the Hodgsdons experienced serious financial difficulties. When I was a child, I would write little stories on old notebooks, since I could not afford the proper writing materials. In 1865, the family moved to Tennessee, where they lived in a log cabin and the French teenager created a small school. He began to send stories to women's magazines and at a time when most women did not have careers, Frances Eliza Hodgsdon was a literary success. In 1873 he married Dr. Swan Burnett and they had two children: Lionel, born in 1874, and Vivian, born in 1876, but the marriage was not happy. His youngest son, Vivian, asked for something for young children to read, so Frances wrote "Little Lord Fauntleroy" and modeled the main character. In 1890, the tragedy occurred when his eldest son, Lionel, died of influenza. Frances and Swan separated and finally divorced in 1898, and she remarried Stephen Townshend. Frances moved to Long Island, New York in 1901 and there she began to write her two most famous stories: "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden", inspired by her poor childhood and her love for gardening. She started quite eccentric in her old age, but delighted in her grandchildren. Frances Hodgson Burnett died on October 29, 1924.