![]() ![]() Can you eat when you are in the depths of despair?" Anne Shirley, p. She tells Diana that she will never forgive Gilbert, and she proceeds to do her best to live out this resolution. Anne's humiliation over the name-calling, compounded with the embarrassment of having to stand on the platform and write lines, is too much for her sensitive nature to endure. Phillips sets in motion a series of events that lead to several years of Anne refusing to talk to Gilbert. This exchange and the resulting punishment from Mr. Gilbert Blythe tries to get Anne's attention when he doesn't succeed, he pulls her hair and calls her "carrots." Anne unleashes the full force of her temper on him, breaking her slate over his head. "Gilbert Blythe has hurt my feelings excruciatingly, Diana." Anne Shirley, p. Discarded by the ones on whom she once relied, she turns to Marilla, who is impatient with the child's whimsies and retorts with a blunt and pragmatic reply: "I guess it doesn’t matter what a person’s name is as long as he behaves himself." To her, a new name is a new identity, and a new identity means that she can begin fresh and forget the past incidents of her life. By means of an exotic name, Anne hopes that she might escape her mundane life, even for a second. She insists upon being called by the name Cordelia, as it sounds more fascinating and beautiful to her rather than the name she was christened with, Anne. This quote is a popular reference to Shakespeare's famous lines from Romeo and Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Anne's young and questioning mind does not understand the depth of these words. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage." Anne Shirley, p. "I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. This is why Anne takes herself to be a dreamer. Dreams, on the other hand, can motivate one to improve one’s life, strengthening one and leading one to improve oneself in a healthier way. Wealthy life spoils people, in her view, leading them to become vain and selfish. In her opinion, it is better to leave that space for one's imagination and dreams. ![]() Anne says to Diana that she always wanted to have beautiful things in her room, which would make it more delightful-but she isn’t sure that she will feel comfortable with it. Here, the story illustrates how poverty has shaped the character of Anne. “That is one consolation when you are poor-there are so many more things you can imagine about.” Anne Shirley, p. ![]()
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