Dominoes

That quote refers to one little thing, one day, one time in which something happened and forever altered your life. The "...iron or gold, thorns or flowers,..." part is referring to whether or not that happening was a good one. If it is a good change that day could give you a beautiful garden but if that one first little link was something bad you could get a land of thorns and it all boils down to that very first link.

The first day that Pip met Mrs. Havisham and Estella - and his long chain began - he realized how small and "common" his world was. I think Pip also realized the state of Mrs. Joe and Joe and that, even though they were older than him, were just as unwise and conforming (In my opinion he tested this theory by feeding the lies of Mrs. Havisham and her dogs and her black coach to them and found it to be further true: his guardians lived in just as small a world as he did). He came to be more self-aware realizing that the way he looked was the basis of how others treated him. After that day at Mrs. Havishams Pip wanted more. He wasn't happy with being the blacksmiths apprentice or having rough hands. 

In chapters 10-16 Pip becomes more independent (especially in his thinking), just a few days later Pip is already asking Biddy "...if she would impart all her learning..." to him in hopes that this the new knowledge would make him more "uncommon." Pip also begins thinking with bigger ideas and seems to be understanding concepts with a new grasp of knowledge. It seems to me that he also has built a heavy hatred towards Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook and I can tell that he is ready to take off if something were to happen, without giving them a thought; I first realized this when they took his money (calling it theirs) because they gave absolutely no care to him or his wishes and thus he became emotionally resigned. In some ways these changes are positive and in some ways they are negative. The fact that he is becoming emotionally resigned from Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook is negative and positive, it's good that he is staying away from their constant complaints of him but a part of me fears that he will paid for it later on with abandonment issues (which is negative). Also the fact that Pip is beginning to understand concepts with greater knowledge is positive except for the fact that he seems to be using his knowledge to plot against/lie/keep secretes from Mrs. Joe and others close to him.

The summer before 5th grade I fell and broke my arm and looking back now (4 years later) I realize that that one happening has really shaped a lot of my life. Before I broke my arm I had an illusion that I was invincible, I thought that I would never break a bone, or die, or have a disease because I had never had any physical problems before, however, after I broke my arm that safety bubble I had been floating in, popped and dropped me back onto the ground. I have been relatively cautious since then when playing sports, or doing something physically risky. For instance when I play soccer I am not very aggressive and try to stay back from players who are running straight down the field with a mad look in their eyes. Before I broke my arm that fear was not there, I would run straight at the player without any fear of getting hurt. Breaking my arm was a small event in my 14 years of life but it has made a huge difference in who I am today. I think I owe the fact that I like to play tennis to breaking my arm because tennis is a no contact sport and I hated it when I was little, yet now I actually enjoy the idea of a whole 100 feet between me and the person with who I am playing.