Literature is often about crossing boundaries, both physically and mentally. In what ways, and to what extent, does the crossing of boundaries contribute to the novel?
In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the themes of love and supernatural activities cross the boundaries of the era's society. The cross between Romanticism and Gothic literature conjured odd and nearly unrealistic incidents to occur within the novel. In terms of the Romanticism aspect, this novel did revolve around Jane, in which she had often been very emotional and aware of nature, as well as showing her rebellion by defying Rochester but also falling in love with him as well. In being connected with her emotions, she had claimed her love for Rochester on many occasions before revealing her secret. "He had never called me into his presence more frequently, never been kinder to me-and alas! never had I loved him so much" (Bronte 175). This would've been seen as a scandal at the time, since Rochester was two times Jane's age, he was her master, and she was not of a high social class as he had been. Other from this broken boundary, Jane also took notice in the supernatural, which can be identified in both Romanticism and Gothic Literature. As for Gothic, the novel was incorporated with drama, gloominess, and mystery, which overall revolved around Rochester's demon-like wife, Bertha Mason. When she had been introduced into the novel, she had been left nameless, as Jane had thought she was an omen, but she had been an actual threat to Jane. "Of-a vampire... Sir,it removed my veil from its head, ripped it in half, flung it on the floor, and trampled on it" (Bronte 200). It was unlikely that this seemingly supernatural creature hadn't been Jane's imagination, and it was soon revealed that this creature was Rochester's mad wife. She should've been placed in an insane-asylum, but Rochester believed that that was cruel. It apparently wasn't her fault when she had committed infidelity, which was a sin. Overall, these examples had crossed boundaries within the era's society.
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In what ways is the novel concerned with gaining, maintaining, or losing a paradise of some kind?
In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the idea of paradise continuously varies as the plot only continues to change. Jane's original paradise had been her imagination, mostly caused by novels, as she hadn't yet met people that she would confide in. "From these death-white scenes I formed ideas of my own--shadowy, like the dreams that float dimly through child's brains" (Bronte 7). Her isolation does continue in various times throughout the novel, but it had been a large change for Jane once she found other places of paradise. Lowood was no paradise, but Jane had found her paradise in another person. She was able to feel safe and secure around Helen and Miss Temple, in which she longed for more caring experiences like she had felt with these characters. "Miss Temple embraced us both, saying, as she drew us to her heart, "God bless you, my children"" (Bronte 53). Once Jane had moved on from Lowood, she found paradise in the gloomy Thornfield. Edward Rochester had been the true paradise of the estate, as Jane had found love with this man. He made her feel loved, and she fell for him. "I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had tried hard to wrench from my soul the seeds of love that began; and now, at the sight of him again, they grew all at once, green and strong!" (Bronte 125). Alas finding this paradise, she had to quickly move on from it, as Rochester made her feel like she wasn't significant to him. Her most cherished paradise became her biggest fear, so onward Jane went. The constant changing of paradise-like ideals continued to change throughout the novel created conflict for Jane, as she struggled to preserve her feelings for her paradises. Authors use the portrayal of characters who are somehow trapped or imprisoned as a means to criticize society. Based on the novel, show to what extent and in what ways this statement is true.
In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, women are often trapped by society's problems of classicism and sexism. Even though Jane can be overall seen as a strong, independent woman, she had doubts and was worrisome about her own class, when it came to falling for a man of higher class. "It would indeed be a relief, I thought, if I had even a small inheritance...If I had a hope of one day bringing a fortune to the marriage, I could better tolerate being kept by him now" (Bronte 191). Edward Rochester didn't seem to mind Jane's class as he was blinded by love, but it would've been looked down upon them if they hadn't gone quietly with establishing their relationship. However, she had also defied sexism, as Jane had gone against orders, defying the inferiority that men had over women. ""Return to the drawing room; you are leaving too early." "I am tired, sir"" (Bronte 129). It may not seem like a big deal, but Jane had gone against Rochester's request, which would've been seen as a sin to any other master. Another perspective could be from Thornfield's housekeeper, Mrs. Fairfax. At Jane's arrival, she had thought Mrs. Fairfax as the owner of the estate, however she had only been the manager of the house. This fact shows that women rarely had possession of their own estate, but also that women had been controlled by men. "I consider myself quite an ordinary housekeeper. My employer is always polite, and I expect nothing more" (Bronte 73). Mrs. Fairfax accepts her position, and she is compliant with her master. Her compliance proves that there is an issue with sexism, despite Rochester being her employer. Overall, the characterization of the female characters had shown the connection between the sexism and classicism that had been occurring within society. “Defiance becomes our duty in the face of injustice.” Explore the ways in which the writer has attempted to persuade us to accept or challenge this view.
In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the main character developed a sense of defiance, as she has constantly been faced with injustices. However, she sometimes accepts the ways that she is treated, which mainly shows how women lived during this time period. Therefore, there are many challenges placed upon the claim stating: Defiance becomes our duty in the face of injustice. Once again Jane attempts to defy John Reed, as he becomes very violent towards her. Jane reacts to this injustice by exclaiming "Wicked, cruel boy! You are like a murderer--you are like a slave driver--you are like the Roman emperors!" (Bronte 9). Being younger, female, and insignificant to the Reed family, Jane wasn't exactly able to physically defy, but she had acknowledged the discrimination. In other cases, people who had influenced her were not defiant, and often ignored the idea of mistreatment. Jane's first friend, Helen Burns, was very obedient, and also taught Jane to be less reactive and more compliant. "I hold a belief, which no one ever taught me, that makes Eternity a home, a place of rest. With this belief, I can forgive the punisher, though I hate the punishment. Revenge never worries my heart--I live in calm, looking to the end" (Bronte 44). This challenges Jane's original behavior and who she would grow up to be. Throughout Jane's life, she had deciphered between being emotional and reactant versus calm and accepting. She had been like any other woman under sexism, but she had also understood the unfair view of society. Jane had personally been challenged within this period, which can make the reader believe that defiance was not always a duty in the face of an injustice. A narrator may be close to, or even part of, the action in a work of fiction, or distant in time and/or space. What is the effect of either the closeness or the distance of narrators?
In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the use of first-person perspective conveys the narrator's struggle with being treated as an insignificant individual. It gives a close view on the treatment of women within the era of the novel. As the main character, Jane Eyre, was nearly meeting with a life of poverty, the readers were able to understand that women and other individuals had dealt with poor living standards. Jane was used to give the readers an idea of what this dark period had looked like. The use of first-person had overall provided examples of the feelings of others who had lived in this society. Women had wanted to get away from discrimination and unfair treatment that mainly stemmed from masculinity. Jane's exclusiveness was shown directly at the beginning novel, as she had been attacked by her male cousin, John Reed. "Accustomed to John Reed's abuse, I never had any thought of striking back; I now prepared for the next blow which would certainly follow the next insult" (Bronte 9). Jane automatically tries to escape this incident, and she was blamed for her apparent wrongdoing. Not even her aunt, Mrs. Reed, would try to defend her, as she did not care for Jane. She only gave an order to get Jane out of the way of her children. "Take her away to the red-room and lock her in there" (Bronte 10). John had only been 14, and he was considered as the man of the house, meaning what he says goes. Not only is he not a man at this point, but it was unfair for Jane to be treated unfairly in her own residence, despite how excluded she had always been by the Reeds. Jane had been the least insignificant individual from the beginning of the story, which created a complex in which she was forced to obey all, even if it was unjust. Even with her defiance, she had still been belittled. Although, she had continued to grow with rebellion, developing recognition of her mistreatments. Once she finally had the opportunity to leave Gateshead, she threatened her Aunt, showing her rebellion. "I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty" (Bronte 27). Through feeling insignificant, it was her final duty to tell her aunt how she felt about her mistreatment. Overall, Jane's personal feelings express to the reader how she truly felt and reacted to unjust treatment. In Joy Harjo's "Once the World Was Perfect", a story is depicted through the light and darkness that humans cause within the world. The story begins within the first lines of the first stanza as it reads, "Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world" (line 1). This foreshadows that something negative will take place later in the poem. The second line immediately dives into the negative event that occurs, "Then we took it for granted" (line 2). This indicates the action of taking things for granted can cause darkness within a world. By taking the beautiful world for granted, humans had depleted their surroundings, and their negative emotions brought more darkness. "Each stone of jealousy...fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light" (lines 10-11). The "stones" symbolized each type of individual that had felt a negative feeling, and contributed to making the world darker. The world had continued to become darker, until an individual took pity, and was kind to another, "Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another and shared a blanket. A spark of kindness made light" (lines 19-21). This action caused the world to have light again, as it was a positive action.
More Experience: Reading through Once the World Was Perfect almost acted as an eye-opener for me. This poem seems to expose the negative aspects of what seems to be a perfect life. This negativity is shown through the action of others, rather than natural occurrences. But kindness is once again restored by an individual. It shows that with just one kind action, it can cause a chain reaction. This is what causes light in the world. In Ted Hughes' "The Jaguar", he tells the story of a jaguar's freedom within a zoo, in comparison to the other animals. Within the first two stanzas of the poem, the speaker talks about other animals and their actions. As the poem progresses, he speaks of a more mysterious creature: the jaguar. There seemed to be more importance for the jaguar, as there are three stanzas for the jaguar, and only two stanzas for the other five animals. The comparisons begin right at the beginning of stanza three when it says, "But who runs like the rest past these" (line 9), showing that more people would rather see the jaguar than the other animals. All of these animals are caged within this zoo, but it seems like the jaguar is not as it says, "there's no cage to him...His stride is wildernesses of freedom" (lines 16-180). These lines make the jaguar seem free, especially with the mentioning of his own feeling of being free within the wilderness. Lastly, this poem shows that he runs the world, rather than sitting around in comparison to the other animals. "The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel" (line 19), the jaguar is basically like the ruler of the zoo. Overall, it seems that the speaker is mesmerized with the jaguar, and feels that the other animals aren't as superior.
More experience: In my reading and analyzing of Ted Hughes' "The Jaguar", I made the decision that there weren't many allusions or uses of symbolism, therefore the poem had been literal in speaking of a jaguar. My understanding of this poem consists of the setting of a zoo, in which the jaguar is being compared to all the other animals. It also seems to express how the jaguar is feeling free, despite being in a cage, which is quite ironic. The tone and diction help to describe the animals, and later show a contrast against the jaguar. It is clear that the speaker doesn't care as much when it comes to the other animals that are mentioned, as they seem more boring next to the mysterious jaguar. |
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