Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Due Friday, June 8th - Read "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë - Chapters 1-10 (pages 1-96).

1) Read Jane Eyre by Charolette Brontë - Chapters 1-10 (pages 1-96).
2) Please use the questions below as a guide, and compose a blog response for our class discussion.

1. Review the following passage: “I began to recall what I had heard of dead men, troubled in their graves by the violation of their last wishes, revisiting the earth to punish the perjured and avenge the oppressed; and I thought Mr. Reed's spirit, harassed by the wrongs of his sister's child, might quit its abode—whether in the church vault or in the unknown world of the departed—and rise before me in this chamber. I wiped my tears and hushed my sobs, fearful lest any sign of violent grief might waken a preternatural voice to comfort me, or elicit from the gloom some haloed face, bending over me with strange pity” (16). How does this passage contribute to the gothic effects in the novel? Remember that Jane is ten years old. How typical are these insights for a child this age? Later, Jane comments that the incident gave her nerves such a shock that she feels the “reverberation to this day” (19).

Analyze the thought of a frightening childhood incident and its ability to imprint itself on a person’s long-term memory.

2. Review the following quotation: “I always took my doll; human beings must love something, and in the dearth of worthier objects of affection, I contrived to find a pleasure in loving and cherishing a faded graven image, shabby as a miniature scarecrow” (28). In your own words, what is Jane saying about the need for love?

3. Compare the religious attitudes of Helen Burns to those of Mr. Brocklehurst. With which views does Jane want her readers to agree or sympathize? Cite text to support your answer.

4. How do Miss Temple and Helen Burns affect Jane’s attitudes about life? Give examples to support your ideas.

5. Examine the harsh living conditions present at Lowood. What are some of the difficulties encountered by Jane and the other girls? What message does this send about the life of orphaned children? What statement does this make about those who are commissioned to run organizations that provide for the care of others?

6. Review the following passage: “If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse” (57). Do you agree with this philosophy? Why or why not? How might this be applicable in today’s society?

16 comments:

  1. As a child, it seems Jane loved the doll that she had specifically because she felt that everyone deserves to be loved. In her own life until that point she hadn't truly experienced love. Instead, she has the Reed children, who either ignore her or are downright bully her, and Mrs. Reed, who is cold and refuses to knowledge how mean her son is. The doll, who as she says was graven and shabby, reminded her of herself, so she went out of her was to love it as she felt she deserved in her own life.
    Jane finally experiences someone caring for her once she leaves the Reeds. At Lowood, she and the other girls struggle with a lack of good food, clothing, and living conditions, but Jane is finally cared for by Miss Temple and her new friend Helen Burns. For once, someone takes the time to listen to her about Mrs. Reed, and in her new friend she begins to think differently about her life and future. Both Temple and Burns also affirm that she will not be condemned for being despicable or a liar as Reed and Brocklehurst believed. Instead, she could actually achieve things in her life and be happy. Helen also begins to change her views on how to react to dislike and resentment. She tells Jane that, "It is not violence that best overcomes hate-- nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury(57)." Instead, she tells Jane that she should forgive her enemies so that she can let go and forget their trespasses. Whether she will do this isn't yet apparent, but it is certainly a lesson that Jane may remember. She also learns how to better deal with hardship, not only in her life at school, with terrible food and frozen feet, but also with people. When Miss Reed gets married and leaves, Jane again feels alone, but now it motivates her into moving forward and out into the world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Religion in the novel so far has been portrayed quite darkly, citing the afterlife and death as main points of reflection for Jane and Helen, both looking at death with a warped sense of life, having had death hover over them for their whole lives. Jane has been plagued by the death of her parents, causing her to have to endure the suffering of the Reeds and Lowton, although the latter proves to be rather educational. Jane, due to her tragic upbringing, is apt to act up for herself as no one else had ever acted for her, thus she seems not to subscribe strictly to religion, but, rather, to her own will. As she says, “If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse.” In Helen’s case, she is much more sympathetic to the world as she knows she has little time upon it, thus seeks to prove her life a tribute to her immortal soul, passively enduring the suffering of others, laying down in submission, saying, “If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends." Helen sees the world as a trial rather than a reality, being she has only got death to look forward to in life. On the other hand, there’s Mr. Brocklehurst, who, as a religious man, should be kind and pious, but is instead a flaming bag of trash. He sees only villainy in the kindness of humanity when it is served to those below him. He is fervently religious, but sees himself above the girls of Lowton and thus a good judge of character, though he hardly listens to the case before spouting out his call of rectification. He lives in excess, but inflicts starvation of more than just the edible kind on those he’s meant to serve, claiming, “when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children’s mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls!’” He, in contrast to Helen, however, knows little of how terribly ill he will find himself once his own ghastly immortal soul is brought to judgement. It’s clear from Helen’s portrayal that Bronte wants the reader to sympathize and learn from Helen as a martyr and lesson in kindness, but, more so, to learn from Jane as a heroine and activist for her own best interest with that reslience learned from Helen in mind. However, the message has mostly been, “don’t be a pretentious clergyman who thinks he’s above human decency.”

    -eileen o

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jane Eyre’s childhood seems to be almost Cinderella-like. She is entrusted in the care of one who is of no relation to her, and the children of this woman are not pleasant towards Jane, as Cinderella’s stepsisters are not. However, Jane’s temperament is unlike that of Cinderella’s, as instead of living life graciously towards those she lives with, she fights back and is punished soundly for it. Her sentence is isolation, as Cinderella’s undeserved punishment is. This parallel made the reading more interesting, as it was similar to a story I am quite familiar with. Yet Jane has no fairy godmother to help her out. This is where the two stories diverge paths and where any hope for a happier turn of events was dashed (for me).
    I’ve found this section to be both interesting yet also painful to read. Helen’s story had some foreshadowing to it, but when it resolved so poorly I was a bit shocked. Jane Eyre is not Pride and Prejudice. Though Jane has reason to be bitter and her life isn’t altogether pleasant, her outlook on life is vastly different than that of Elizabeth Bennet’s or Cinderella’s, and I’m not enjoying the perspective as much as I had hoped. I have hope that this next section will prove a bit happier than this one, however, for now Jane is choosing her own path instead of it being chosen for her.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1.This passage adds a lot of gothic elements- the heightened emotion, the element of the supernatural, imagined or not, the atmosphere of suspense. Jane’s insights are more than what would be expected of a child her age. A frightening childhood incident can often leave someone with a long-lasting phobia, even an incident that would be relatively minor to an adult. Children bitten by dogs will often later be afraid of them.
    2.She is saying that humans need to have and receive love, and will take it wherever they can get it even if that is only in the form of a shabby doll. This is actually a known psychological phenomenon with objects such as a doll, where young children will take comfort and security from a special soft object that can help them cope with stressful circumstances, something Jane certainly had plenty of to deal with.
    3.Helen Burn and Mr.Brocklehurst stand as the duality of christianity, both at the time and now. There are those like Helen, who follow it as the core of what it was meant to be- forgiveness, kindness, acceptance, a framework for beliefs about the afterlife and divinity. And then there are the Mr.Brocklehurst type. Who apply rules strictly on those they don’t like, pretending at the moral high ground to shame them, and then turn around and not say a word about the very same things they claimed were deadly sins, when present in someone of a higher class. “My mission is to mortify these girls in the lusts of the flesh, to teach them to clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel”(65) Mr.Brocklehurst says, then immediately turning to ladies who are “attired in velvet, silk and furs. The two younger of the trio… had grey beaver hats, then in fashion, shaded with ostrich plumes”(5) and greeting them deferentially and with the utmost respect. The hypocrisy here makes him particularly hatable, combined with the fact that his stingy portioning of food gets some of the girls killed by making them more vulnerable to disease. Helen on the other hand, responds with kindness and tolerance to all things. “Life appears to be too short to me to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs”.(58)
    4.Helen Burns’ values and calm acceptance give Jane the strength to endure what she must. Helen’s mere presence helps her withstand Mr.Brocklehurst's humiliation, and I am reminded of one of their initial conversations where Helen says “it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear”(53). Ms.Temple, she had been the teacher and role model that Jane had wished to impress. When she leaves, Jane says “the reason for tranquility was no more”(87).
    5.The girls get alarmingly stingy portions of food, and extraordinarily poor food at that. They have to make clothes themselves, and all sorts of other necessities are excessively rationed. The society as a whole seems to regard orphaned children as destined for a poorer life than their counterparts, they are forced to grow used to scarcity.
    6.I agree with the philosophy- Yes, there are limits on punishment, and punishment for the wicked should be less for the sake of vengeance and more for the sake of making them think twice before hurting someone again, but if there are no consequences for their actions they will keep doing it. Actions that are harmful must have consequences, fair and proportionate consequences, but consequences all the same.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey guys hows the class going haha i already read this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  6. The fear of ghosts is normal for kids her age but the wording she uses doesn't fit the childlike idea of being afraid of ghosts. The line she feels the “reverberation to this day” (19) shows she is still not over and the memory of it still scares her.
    I think what Jane is trying to say is people no matter what need to love and be loved to live a life without love is not really living.
    Helen’s belief is as long as you are good and don’t fight hate with hate you will go to heaven. Mr. Brocklehurst’s believe is that minimalism and self restraint will get you to heaven. I want her to follow Helen’s belief but at the same time I want Jane to be able to stand up for herself when needed.
    Miss Temple and Helen Burns affect Jane’s attitudes about life by showing her when it is the right time to give up and not to always lashback. They were also the first people that actually listen to her and cared about her letting to learn to believe in others.
    The harsh living conditions experienced were the cold and limited food. This shows that the orphans were having a rough time and the organizations were not doing enough.
    I think this is applicable to the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer. I believe there are times to fight back but you should pick your battles.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. This passage adds to the gothic theme of the novel by lighty( in this instance) darkening the mood and discusses the dead and/or paranormal. The word choice is also revolves around this idea, “I thought Mr. Reed's spirit, harassed by the wrongs of his sister's child, might quit its abode—whether in the church vault or in the unknown world of the departed—and rise before me in this chamber. “ These are not typical thoughts or insights an average 10 year old would have. However, these could just be be how she retells it.
    2. Jane is saying that as humans, we have a need to have a person/object of affection; in a sense, something to direct our attention towards. Something to feel close to.
    3-4. I believe Jane hopes her readers will sympathize with Helen’s view of religion. To quote Helen, “Life appears to be too short to me to be spent in nursing animosity.” This view is presented as what religion should be in the novel, in comparison to Mr. Brocklehurst who looks down upon those who are less fortunate. I think that the kindness shown by Helen and Miss Temple also help to nurture this view. Examples include Helen’s quiet resistance to Jane’s shunning and Miss Temple’s generosity toward Jane in the classroom.
    5. Difficulties suffered by the orphans include unsafe and unclean learning conditions, poor eating conditions, etc. This shows us just how bad the conditions were at the orphanage prior to the new administration being installed and how little the past administration acted when needed.
    6. I agree and and disagree with this philosophy. I think it is something situation and can’t really be applied like a blanket.

    -Matthew Hebert

    ReplyDelete
  8. This passage contributes to the gothic effects in this book by throwing in the facts that this is a ten year old speaking of the dead and being fearful of what is going to happen to her, there are also mentions of life and death involving the church. The typical insights for a ten year old should not be about ghosts or the dead crying or coming back to life. What ten year old's should think about are playing hopscotch or running around outside screaming with joy. I believe Jane is much different from kids her age given her outlook on life, due to the poor care of the family that had taken her in. A traumatic event is traumatizing to anyone, in some peoples cases it may be more. In the case of a traumatic event happening to a child that event can impact how a child grows, makes decisions for him or herself, and how they react to certain situations. The impact from that trauma could fester in that person's mind forever or with time it could fade. In Jane's case she as a child feared what she did not know and the trauma in which she suffered festered.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 6. In some cases this philosophy is right and in other cases it isn't. In the case of Helen and Jane, I agree with this philosophy since she is just getting berated by the teachers with no repercussions on the teachers end. However there is not much Helen can do herself to stop the teachers from berating her so she is better off not saying anything if she doesn't want to get in trouble. In the real world I agree with this philosophy when doing something like raising a child. If the child is being a brat you have to show them discipline and punish them if they're being cruel so as to prevent them from doing it again. However, if someone is angry about something then sometimes all we need to do is treat them kindly and hear what they have to say in order to calm them down. In this situation, fighting back would only make the anger escalate.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jane Eyre is a young girl who is a orphan and only allowed to live with Mrs. Reed her aunt because of her mothers charity. John is a bully to Jane and they both start fighting and when Mrs. Reed comes in she blames Jane for being responsible for the fight and sends her to the “red room” which was a frightening chamber in which her Uncle Reed died- as punishment. Jane tries to resist Miss Abbott and Bessie Lee who were servants to Mrs. Reed. When she thinks about how she got into this situation she remembers her kind uncle Reed bringing her to Gateshead after her parents passed. And when uncle Reed passed away his only wish was to make sure his wife takes care of Jane like she's one of her daughters but now you see that the wife did not keep that promise. Meanwhile over hearing two of the servants conversation she heard that Jane's mother was a member of the wealthy Reed family, which strongly disapproved of Jane’s father, an impoverished clergyman. When Jane's mother died she wrote a will to her. Months passed and Mrs. Reed was even more cruel to her then ever. She arranged Jane to go to school at Lowood. The teacher Mr. Brocklehurst, Mrs. Reed told the teacher that Jane was a propensity for lying. Jane traveled to her new school alone. Jane meets a new friend named Helen Burns because Miss Scatched is very harsh to Helen. This school was for orphans that means Mrs. Reed didn't have to pay a single cent for Jane to attend Lowood. Lowood was a harsh school and students were being overworked and forced to sit still. When Jane has Mr. Brocklehurst for a teacher she was scared and nervous because she remembered that she aunt told him that she was always lying. Jane was humiliated in front of her classmates because he said that she was a liar and no one is allowed to talk to her. She felt so embarrassed and her reputation was ruined at Lowood Miss Temple believes that she isn't a liar and proves that Jane is innocent, and is relieved and goes back to studying. Jane hears bad news that her friend Helen is dying not front typhus but from consumption. As you can tell in this novel that the love that Jane is shown is terrible. But between other characters they are given much more attention and affection to. But Most with Jane's aunt, she does want anything to do with Jane and doesn't keep the promise that uncle Reed said the wife would do. I wonder if uncle Reed was still alive and sees how aunt Reed is treating Jane that he would he be angry at his wife?

    ReplyDelete
  11. 6. I agree with this philosophy because if you are obedient to somebody truly evil, they will continue being cruel and unjust. If you want people to change you need to be proactive and do something to show the wicked person the way instead of just being submissive to their behavior. An example of this is Helen, who is beaten with a rod by Miss Scatcherd because of her faults such as not being able to clean her fingernails or wash her face despite the water being frozen. Even Jane, "could not comprehend this doctrine of endurance". Therefore, I believe that being nice to a person who is just repetitively cruel, will just makes things worse and worse by living life in the evil person's way and by their rules.

    ReplyDelete
  12. For a child the fear of supernatural spirits and the supernatural in general is pretty common, but Jane's insights are pretty out there for a 10 year old.
    The passage in question one really contributes to the gothic feel in the novel by using imagery to paint an image of the dead and emotions from Jane.
    I think that this childhood incident would easily be remembered because people don't really forget childhood trauma that well, especially if it
    involves something that shouldn't exist in reality for how ridiculous it is to be scared of that, or for how much it frightened young Jane. For
    number 2 I think that Jane is saying that humans must have a thing to love. Anything will work and Jane used a doll as something to love.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Evidently, Jane Eyre's childhood was terrible. Most of the mistreatment she received was caused by both prejudice between social classes and expectations of girls. At Gateshead, Jane was constantly scolded, degraded, and neglected by the wealthy Mrs. Reed and her cousins. There, Jane was somewhat satirical when describing the rich. Though Mrs. Reed and Jane's cousins were seemingly "perfect", high-society people, they possessed negative traits. However, others were influenced by their wealth and beauty into thinking they were pure and kind people. Jane, on the other hand, seemed to be mistreated by everyone at Gateshead. This brings light to the stress on social classes at that time. Because Jane was seen as being poor and plain, she was (as I mentioned before) continually mistreated. Oftentimes, she felt very unloved, hence why she had the doll with her. Though, of course, the doll wasn't real, Jane believed it was the closest she had to someone who cared about her. In a way, the doll also symbolized Jane's social class as it was described as being shabby and ugly. Before that, Jane depicts what Georgiani's toys were like, which all seemed to be very new and beautiful. This further emphasizes the divide between Jane and her cousins. In addition, Jane experiences mistreatment due to her social class at Lowood. There, the orphaned girls are also treated terribly as they are poor and alone. The adults there never seem to realize that they need love more than anyone else. So, the girls are given small portions of poorly-made food, public punishment for the littlest of things, and are forced to make their own clothing.
    Though many seem to enjoy Pride and Prejudice more, so far, I prefer Jane Eyre. To me, Jane Eyre acts as a more personal, unique narrator, who is less conformed to society than the Bennet sisters. Although the Bennets did have some misfortune, nothing compared to what Jane had to go through.
    -Jill Schuck

    ReplyDelete
  14. “If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse” (57). This is a very interesting quotation that provokes a lot of thought. I would say that I mainly agree with it. It just makes sense really. If a bully is never stood up to, and their harassment is even made easier by a victim's compliance, what's to stop them? In that case, a victim's only hope for relief would depend on a change of circumstance, such as the bully moving away, or the bully simply getting bored. The victim couldn't even hope for a bystander's interference if all the people around him were following the same ideas of being kind and obedient. As far as this quote connects to the real world, some may argue that Gandhi used the protocol from this quotation, but this really isn't true. Gandhi wasn't obedient towards his enemies, he simply stood up to them in nonviolent manners such as hunger strikes or marches. I personally don't believe Gandhi's methods, although admirable, were ideal. It allowed innocent people to easily be victimized and the ideas in the above quotation take Gandhi's ideals to a new level, one that would simply make it easier for an aggressor.
    Ellie

    ReplyDelete
  15. I enjoy this novel a lot more than Pride and Prejudice; the primary reason, I believe, is the emotive language that the Bronte sisters, like all Gothic writers, employ. I read Wuthering Heights on my own and I loved it, and this novel gives me similar vibes. As for the quotes:
    Jane as a ten year old, like all children of that age, have a fear of the supernatural. Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins are probably all make frequent appearances in her most horrible of nightmares. The style of the writing evokes in the reader feelings of terror, reminiscent of Frankenstein. This experience probably instilled in her a fear of the supernatural, which could translate itself into her religious tendencies.
    Jane, as a child, years for love and affection; the absence of those human necessities from her adoptive family leads her to search for it in other areas, like her dolls.
    Helen uses Christian teachings as a guide for her own morality, practicing grace, kindness, and forgiveness. Brokelhurst uses it as a justification for the various tortures that he puts the girls through
    Helen and Mrs. Temple give her the strength to pull through the difficult times and serve as moral role models to her.
    The orphans' desolate lifestyle makes them belie that they are less than human, unworthy of basic commodities
    I believe in most cases one should turn the other cheek, yet if there is a clear and present danger to someone's well-being, one must intervene.

    ReplyDelete