Examine how Charlotte Bronte portrays John Reed, Mrs Reed and Mr Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre - How do these characters affect your early impression of Jane?
Examine how Charlotte Bronte portrays John Reed, Mrs Reed and Mr Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre. How do these characters affect your early impression of Jane? Charlotte Bronte was a female writer in the 19th century. She was born in 1816 and suffered the loss of her Mother at the age of 5. She was then moved to a Yorkshire parsonage, and shared a close relationship with her siblings. During their time at the parsonage, they created a 'fantasy world' using nothing but toy soldiers and their imagination. This shows that they were obviously socially deprived, forcing them to socialise via their imaginary characters. One could assume that Charlotte's deprived childhood might have contributed to the way in which she portrayed characters in her novels, and the genre. As regards to the question above, Jane's character is defined by the meeting of 3 characters; John Reed, Mrs Reed and Mr Brocklehurst. When Jane encounters John Reed, we can see that she is (as a child) a 'bold' character that isn't easily intimidated, without the use of undue violence, and even then Jane is often resilient. A quote that justifies this is: "Wicked and cruel boy! ... You are like a murderer, you are like a slave driver, you are like the Roman Emperors" This was Jane's retort to one of John's many childish and spontaneous violent acts. Because of John's stupidity, he must resort to violence in order to
Comparing the relationship between Jane Eyre and her cousin John Reed.
In this essay I am going to be comparing the relationship between Jane Eyre and her cousin John Reed. The story is written before 1900 and is a fictional autobiography. Charlotte Bronte uses the fictional character of Jane Eyre to portray herself in parts of the story, especially the similarities between the fictional Lowood and Cowen Bridge school, i.e. the conditions, characters and the fact that Jane teaches at Lowood after finishing there as a pupil, and Charlotte Bronte taught at Cowen Bridge school after finishing her education there. Charlotte Bronte tells the first ten chapters through the eyes of a ten year old Jane, who is brought up by her uncles' wife, Mrs Reed at Gateshead. Jane's relationship with John Reed is not a good one. This is established from the first page of the novel, where Jane talks about her relationship with John Reed and his sisters Georgiana and Eliza as, 'humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John and Georgiana Reed' - page one From this quotation, I can pick out three main words - humbled and physical inferiority. Therefore, John, in contrast to Jane is superior in strength, age and mind. A point to remember is that the story is told by Jane, from Jane's point of view, so the descriptions of John are most likely to be biased and not completely true. One of the reasons why John treats Jane like this is the fact
Jane Eyre
Write about the opening chapter in the novel Jane Eyre showing how Bronte establishes Jane's character and engages with her reader, you should look particularly at: -The way Bronte presents the incident to the reader -How Jane's response reflects her character. -The story's setting language and historical context. The opening chapter of Jane Eyre very effectively draws you into the plot of the story and tempts you to read on. It does this by making you empathise with the main character, Jane Eyre. The story is told in first person by the older Jane looking back on her childhood. The fact that she is so involved in the tale allows readers to feel closer to the character and it brings you into the book. The book opens with Jane Eyre, a ten year old girl it does not seem as if she is 10 because of her great knowledge and wide vocabulary. We straight away find out where she is living "We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning" In those days people who took walks in shrubbery's were rich and had very large houses this tells us Jane Eyre is living with very rich people. As there is no mention of Jane's parents I assume she is not living with them and is living with Mrs Reed who is mentioned in the passage. I know that Mrs Reed and Jane have a relation with each other and I notice that Jane refers to her as Mrs Reed this shows that Jane may
Jane Eyre
Coursework question: write about the ways in which Charlotte Bronte uses the red room incident as a turning point in the novel for the young Jane Eyre. In your answer you should comment on the following: * How Jane is portrayed before being locked up in the red room. * How Jane's cousins treat her * Her change in attitude towards her aunt after the event. Jane Eyre The red room incident Charlotte Bronte uses the red room incident as a turning point in the novel for the young Jane Eyre. The incident sets the momentum for the rest of the novel; it determines how Jane's character is going to develop. Besides if it hadn't happened then most, if not all of the novel would not have taken place. Jane Eyre, a nine year old orphan, on a rainy, sombre, bitter day curls up with a book in the window bay; is discovered and stuck by her cousin John Reed; fights back then is locked up in the terrifying red room as her punishment by her aunt Mrs Reed. It was Mrs Reed's dead husband's whish she should keep his niece Jane. As a result John Reed thinks of Jane as an outsider and has no remorse for Jane. He often exerts his authority and power over her" say...Master Reed", he also demands that he was addresses as Master Reed by Jane. He fells that its unfair that Jane the outsider should be a burden upon his mother "...You are a dependant, mamma says; you have no money; your father
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Social protest is an act of express opposition through words to do with social issues. This is what charlotte Bronte did by writing this book, 'Jane Eyre'. Mainly Charlotte Bronte was protesting against the position of middle class women, social inequality between the rich and the poor and marrying above or below status. These issues were very important in the Victorian times. Charlotte Bronte was very critical of the Victorian society. To her everything was not fair. The book 'Jane Eyre' is based on a true-life story. It is just like a reflection of Charlotte Bronte's life and the way she was treated. People were divided into different classes: upper, middle and lower class. All these classes were treated differently and unfairly. The upper class were the highest of the classes; they were treated with the most respect and honour. Middle class then was divided into, upper and lower middle class. Upper middle class were treated more or less the same as upper class individuals, they were respected and people below them obeyed them. Lower middle class middle class mostly consisted of orphans who were dependents; people who were of a higher class then raised them. Working class was the lowest class of them all; the majority of them were treated like slaves, and were not given any self-respect. Nearly all of them had jobs even the children. Women of that age were not
Jane Eyre
What do we learn about the character of Jane in the first two chapters of 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte Charlotte Bronte wrote the book of 'Jane Eyre' in 1847. In the Victorian era women were not equal to men and they were classified as the property of their husbands, also this attitude could be seen and tolerated towards children. Children could not talk until they were ordered to answer some questions or told to talk with someone. The book is a critique of the Victorian assumptions of gender and social class. In addition Bronte put some autobiographical elements into the story of 'Jane Eyre' which can be recognised throughout the story of Jane such as when Jane's friend Helen Burns dies from tuberculosis recalls the death of Bronte's sisters, Maria and Elizabeth. I think that Bronte was right and wrote a good book about the society in the Victorian era. She made the book into an informal text so every person in the era could understand the unfair situations in their lifetime towards women and children. There are three themes in the book named 'Jane Eyre'. In the first sentences of the book we read about the first theme, the introduction theme of isolation. The hook inside the chapter is the first person narrative style and Jane is the protagonist. In the introduction theme Jane's mood is described by the weather conditions outside the house. The depressing mood is
Jane Eyre
Sekariya Sultan English Coursework How does Charlotte Bronte convey Jane Eyre's state of mind in chapter two of the text 'Jane Eyre'? Charlotte Bronte was born on April 21st 1816, at Thornton, in Yorkshire. Bronte had a hard childhood trying to keep healthy and had been very unhappy at school, and the setting of the novel is in Victorian Times, when a woman's place was at home and the husband's earning money by being a landowner or pursuing a profession. Bronte has created a heroine but has still made the character, Jane, to have a difficult childhood like herself (orphaned and penniless Jane being treated unfairly by her relatives) but to make something of her life as an independent woman. The novel, Jane Eyre appears to draw on her own life and experiences in various aspects. The novel begins in Gateshead, where a ten-year-old orphan named Jane Eyre is living with her mother's brother's family. The brother, surnamed Reed, died shortly after adopting Jane. His wife, Mrs. Sarah Reed, and their three children John, Eliza, and Georgiana neglect and abuse Jane, for they resent Mr. Reed's preference for the little orphan in their midst. In addition, they dislike Jane's plain looks and quiet yet passionate character. Thus, the novel opens with young John Reed bullying Jane, who retaliates with unwonted
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Orphaned at birth, Jane Eyre was left to live at Gateshead Hall Manor with her aunt-in-law, Mrs. Reed. Jane remained at the estate for ten years, subjected to hard work, mistreatment, and fixed hatred. After a difficult childhood, the shy, petite Jane was sent to Lowood School, a semi-charitable institution for girls. She excelled at Lowood and over the years advanced from pupil to teacher. Then she left Lowood to become the governess of a little girl, Adele, the ward of one Mr. Edward Rochester, stern, middle-aged master of Thornfield Manor. At Thornfield, Jane was comfortable with life - what with the grand old house, its well-stocked and silent library, her private room, the garden with its many chestnut, oak and thorn trees, it was a veritable palace. Mr. Rochester was a princely and heroic master, and, despite his ireful frown and brusque, moody manner, Jane felt at ease in his presence. Rochester confided that Adele was not his own child but the daughter of a Parisian dancer who had deserted her in his care. Still, even with this forthright confession, Jane sensed that there was something Rochester was hiding. Off and on, Jane heard bizarre, mysterious sounds at Thornfield. She finally discovered that Rochester kept a strange tenant on the third floor of the mansion. This hermit-like woman, once employed by Rochester - or so he said - often laughed
Jane Eyre Summary
Jane Eyre Précis Jane Eyre is a girl growing up in the home of her rich Aunt, Mrs. Reed, who, along with her children, mistreats Jane. One day after Jane's cousin, John Reed, knocks her down, she is punished for fighting with him by being sent to the room where her uncle died. There, she swoons in fear that that room is haunted, and wakes back in the nursery with a kind servant, Bessie, and an apothecary, Mr. Lloyd, at her side. After Jane confides in Mr. Lloyd about how unhappy she is at Gateshead, he recommends to Mrs. Reed that Jane be sent to school. Mrs. Reed soon has a meeting with the superintendent, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Jane is sent to Lowood school. At Lowood, Jane finds that the girls are given only the most basic amenities needed to survive. Jane is frustrated when her friend, Helen Burns, takes unjust punishment from teachers, but uses the example Helen sets to endure the humiliation Mr. Brocklehurst causes her when he calls her a "liar" in front of all the students. Mrs. Temple, a kind teacher, soon clears Jane of these charges. Many of the girls in the school become ill with the typhus fever, and Helen dies of the consumption. Mr. Brocklehurst is blamed for the illnesses, and he is soon replaced by a kinder group, who creates a much more pleasant environment for the girls. After six more years of schooling and two years as a teacher, Jane takes a
Jane Eyre
In the novel, when asked if she is "book learned" Jane replies "yes very" explore how, despite her early experiences at Lowood and the attitude towards schooling for girls in the nineteenth century Britain, Jane manages to immerge as an educated, young woman by the end of the novel. At Gateshead as a child, Jane is a sensitive, loving, intellectual and thoughtful character, she is keenly aware of her status as an outsider. Jane accepts the disapproval of both John Reed and his mother for their cruelty towards her. "No; you are less than a servant"(page 14), Although Jane is ill-treated by John, she is mostly disturbed by the fact that she is abused without Mrs. Reed caring, moreover, if she does try to speak out she is directly abandoned or ignored, once again. In addition to this Jane shows some knowledge of history throughout her reading, especially when she expresses her feelings towards John Reed, throughout her anger. "Wicked and cruel boy!"(Page13) You are like a murderer-you are like a slave drive-you are like the Roman emperor's!"(Page13) Jane Eyre shows some understanding about the Roman history even though she is living in the nineteenth century and has never been to school. She is fully aware of what and how the Roman emperors were, and their cruelty towards most people. Also as Jane gains confidence from her reading, she can fight back to John immediately, this
