Alejandra Goularte Interview

What books have impacted your life. And why? Great Expectations impacted my life when I was a teenager because it was the first difficult novel I read. The book itself is quite intimidating and difficult to read, and when I opened it I felt scared. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to finish the book, that I wouldn't be able to understand it, and that it would hurt my grade in my honors English class. I took on the challenge and faced my fear of the book by reading one page at a time. I was able to get into the story, and was able to finish the book. Great Expectations was my introduction to the world of Charles Dickens and I loved it! This book helped me develop a love for reading and a love of classic novels. There were many times in my educational life where I recalled reading Great Expectations when I was faced with a difficult academic challenge. I would think, "if I was able to read Great Expectations, I can do anything!" Why did these books matter so much to you? This book was important in my life because it symbolized my own personal educational challenge. I was very proud of myself for getting through the book. I had been so scared and intimidated by the book, that finishing it meant a great deal to me. I proved to myself that I was capable, and that I knew how to read (I read it and comprehended what I was reading). Having read this book so early on in high school was also very impacting in my high school career. I always used the Great Expectations reminder for myself when I faced challenges in my later years of high school and in college. Since I proved to myself that I could read Dickens, I knew that reading Homer's The Iliad or The Odyssey would be a piece of cake! I also liked the main theme and title of the book: Great Expectations. I related to Pip's character in that he wanted a better life for himself, and he had 'great expectations' of what his life would be in the future. I liked this theme. I too had 'great expectations' of myself and of my life. This has been a theme in my own personal and educational life. I always set great expectations for myself, and just like Pip, this can also lead to great disappointment. It's good to have great expectations of yourself, but when life happens and things don't turn out the way you want them to, you (meaning, me) end up feeling greatly disappointed and sad. How old were you at the time? I was in 9th grade when I first read this book. I was 15 years old. What was going on in your life while reading these books? When I first read this book, I was dealing with my parents' divorce. I remember that this book was assigned to me during Christmas vacation. So I spent most of December reading Great Expectations. I remember that Christmas was the last Christmas I spend with my father. My father was going to go to Nicaragua a few months after, so this was a significant Christmas season. I remember that on Christmas eve, I couldn't put the book down, and my mother scolded me in front of my dad and my siblings and told me to put the book down and to enjoy Christmas with the family. I remember being so angry at my mom because she was now delaying my reading progress. It's funny to think about it now, but it shows how much I enjoyed Great Expectations and what a significant impact it had on my educational life. If the books changed you, how so? I think the book changed me in the sense that it provided me with another source of educational motivation. It helped me to not give up on school and to tackle on challenges. Did the books make you see things more clearly? How so? I guess it made me see school assignments in a different way. As I said before, it allowed me to prove to myself that I was capable of handling a difficult book and was able to really enjoy it! I learned that learning--even when it's difficult--can be fun and enjoyable. Who would you reccomend these books to? Or who are these books intended for? I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it because it's my favorite book! :) But I would especially recommend this book to students who are in high school. This book made such an impact in my life when I was in 9th grade, that I hope it would also influence other students positively in the same way it influenced me. I really enjoy introducing students to Charles Dickens!