Jane in Chapters 1 - 11
How does Charlotte Bronte prepare us for character of the adult Jane in the first 11 chapters of the book? From an early age Jane is portrayed as rebellious and independent in the face of repression. This is shown when she is attacked by her cousin John and she unconsciously but brutally defends herself, and again when she is later ostracized from the rest of the family: "Here, leaning over the banister, I cried out suddenly and without at all deliberating on my words - "They are not fit to associate with me." Here Bronte singles Jane out against the Reed family and this shows the confidence Jane was beginning to develop in herself. This budding independence is later reflected in her act of sending out the advertisement for a job as a governess, "...it came quietly and naturally to my mind 'Those who want situations advertise: you must advertise in the -shire Herald.'" This independence starts of early on when Jane is often left to her own element. During the time she was excluded from family activities, she expresses in thought, "To speak truth, I had not the least wish to go into company, for in company I was very rarely noticed..." When one is left to themselves, loneliness evolves into self-sufficiency as you have no one to rely on but yourself. At another instance in the beginning of her days at Lowood school, "As yet I had spoken to no one, nor did anybody seem to take
A Feminist Approach on Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver Travels"
A Feminist Approach on Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver Travels" The purpose of this essay is to annalyse Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels from feminist perspective. To fully understand the views that Swift exhibited, with respect to feminist approach, it is important to have some background on Swift himself and women's role in society in the eighteenth century. In the time of Swift, women were considered the legal responsibility of their fathers or husbands. Whatever a woman said in public was a reflection of the ideas of her father or husband. The ideal wife was obedient, for if not their husbands were allowed to physically discipline them. The general view of women was that of an object to be enjoyed by men. It was feared that education of women might lead to a subversion of the natural order which gave men unquestioned dominance. It was commonly believed among men that women need not be educated at all, because their main purposes in society were to tend to domestic dealings and procreation. Swift's view of woman was influenced by the times and the society that he lived in. The paucity of love in author's childhood and the little exposure he had to women when he was growing up also attributed to the corrosive personal isolation. Some critics like Lord Orrery, Middleton Murry and Norman O. Brown have suggested that Swift was a misogynist, because of the way in which he is
The author not only wrote this novel to present his views on human personality but also because he wanted to shock contemporary readers out of their complacency. Show how parts of Jekyll and Hyde read as a horror story
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Coursework "The author not only wrote this novel to present his views on human personality but also because he wanted to shock contemporary readers out of their complacency. Show how parts of Jekyll and Hyde read as a horror story." There are many aspect of the horror genre that contribute to making a story scary in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Fighting and violence are evident as well as conflict between good and evil; the supernatural and the transformation; also the weather. These all appear in the novel and each contribute to the horror side of the narrative. The first element of horror that I will discuss is fighting and violence. This is a very prominent element of horror in the novel. At the start of the book Mr Enfield describes an incident where he sees Mr Hyde trample a young girl "then came the horrible part of the thing for the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to hear but it was hellish to see." This was quite a horrific graphic description of Mr Hyde and this is just the start of the build up of Mr Hyde's character. At this early description of suspense and horror the reader has a sense of the type of character of Mr Hyde and the tension is built up throughout the novel. A reader will have a sense of anticipated horror and repulsion every time they read about him, knowing what he
Austen wrote that Pride and Prejudice is too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade. How far and In what ways do you agree with Austens view of her own novel?
Austen wrote that Pride and Prejudice 'is too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade'. How far and In what ways do you agree with Austen's view of her own novel? Austen believed that Pride and Prejudice was 'too light, and bright' and said it needed to be 'stretched' out with 'long paragraphs of sense'. Indeed others have taken the view that Pride and Prejudice is nothing more than a comedy and a pretty love story. For example in his 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Joe Wright focuses hugely on the love and the humour arguably removing any 'shade'. It can be considered that some characters have no function other than to be caricatures. They are there to poke fun at society and provide humour. For example Mary, whose every action is exaggerated and shown to be lacking. 'Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how' here the 'very' makes her desire seem childish by accentuating it and combined with her inability 'knew not how' completely undermines her intelligence. Both the narrator and the characters mock Mary suggesting there is no real substance to her, 'what say you Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection I know.' The fact that Austen mocks Mary in the form of the omniscient narrator is telling, as Eaglestone says, 'even the omniscient narrator is a character' guiding us as to how we should perceive each character and
What Does The Reader Learn About The Three Main Characters In The Opening Chapter Of, "The Picture Of Dorian Gray"?
What Does The Reader Learn About The Three Main Characters In The Opening Chapter Of, "The Picture Of Dorian Gray"? Oscar Wilde wrote the novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray", in 1891. When first published in, "Lippincott's Monthly Magazine", it was criticised for being immoral and provoked a response in Britain. It follows the story of young, Dorian Gray, who when realises his good looks will eventually leave him after witnessing the result of a portrait of himself, he exchanges his soul for endless youth and beauty. In the opening chapter, we are made known of three main characters, Basil Hallward, the artist who paints Dorian's portrait, Lord Henry Wotton, Basil's witty friend who eventually becomes close with Dorian and the main character himself, Dorian Gray, a handsome young gentlemen of society. The first chapter starts off in the residence of Basil Hallward. At once we can tell that the man inhabiting here is of an artistic nature, the place described as, "the studio", a typical place where artists work. We can tell that Basil takes care of his home, it's, "filled with the rich odour of roses... the heavy scent of the lilac... delicate perfume", giving the impression of a very rich, fragrant home, filled with elegance. We are then introduced to Basil himself, "whose sudden disappearance some years ago caused, at the time, some public excitement and gave rise to so
Jane Eyre. We would like to show you Jane Eyres character and its developement during the time with the help of each section. Then we have dealt with gothic and romantic features. It may seem that the novel contains a romantic love story, but it is ac
CHARLOTTE BRONTË - JANE EYRE INTRODUCTION We have chosen the book Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë because the novel has many controversial and interesting topics which we can deal with. It has always been a hot theme of discussions. We would like to show the reader that the role of women in the Victorian era wasn´t as easy as you may think. But there were women (like Jane Eyre) who tried to live their own lives, trust mainly themselves and be independent. We would like to show you Jane Eyre´s character and its developement during the time with the help of each section. Then we have dealt with gothic and romantic features. It may seem that the novel contains a romantic love story, but it is accompanied by many gothic elements. CONTENT I. JANE EYRE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA a. The Victorian Age - Social Background b. Women in The Victorian Era c. Feminist features in the book II. CHARACTERIZATION AND DEVELOPEMENT OF JANE EYRE´S CHARACTER a. The Gateshead section b. The Lowood section c. The Thornfield section d. The Moor house section e. The Ferndean section III. GOTHIC AND ROMANTIC ELEMENTS IN THE BOOK a. Gothic elements b. Romantic elements JANE EYRE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA VICTORIAN ERA - SOCIAL BACKGROUND The Victorian Era is dated from 1837 to 1901, the years that Queen Victoria was the British monarch. The era was preceded by the Regency era and
The two characters of Ruby and Ada are brought to the reader of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier as an example of the strange and illogical way
Examine how Frazier portrays Ruby and Ada in the chapters you have read so far. Focus on the way he presents the contrast between these two women. The two characters of Ruby and Ada are brought to the reader of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier as an example of the strange and illogical way in which people were thrown together in times of desperation and uncertainty such as the American Civil War. The reader is enthralled as these two women find in each other the qualities to soothe their needs and for Ada, gain the appropriate education which is crucial in order for her even to survive. Frazier uses the relationship built between these two characters to impel the reader into feeling and understanding the desperation and hardships faced by the characters at the time of the novel and the utter importance of knowing nature and the workings of the natural world. The contrast between the two women is evident from the beginning of the novel from their individual appearances through to their motivations, priorities, life experiences and status economically and socially. It is however, the common drive, the need to survive, that brings Ruby and Ada together and Frazier uses this strange union to explore many intriguing themes and ideas. We are first introduced to Ada in chapter two of the novel as she 'sat on the porch of the house' writing a letter to her beloved Inman. An
Compare the persuasive techniques and the development of the argument in 'Old Major's speech' and Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal.
Compare the persuasive techniques and the development of the argument in 'Old Major's speech' and Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal'. Although 'Animal Farm' and 'A Modest Proposal' were written over two hundred years apart, and one is non-fiction and the other is not, there are distinct similarities between the two. Both of the pieces are political, with 'Animal Farm' based on the Russian Revolution, and 'A Modest Proposal' based on the situation of homelessness in Ireland. Also, both of the pieces are satirical. Animal Farm ridicules the ordinary Russian people for being gullible, and 'A Modest Proposal' mocks politicians who ignore sensible suggestions and come up with extreme ones. In the build up to his speech, Old Major first clears his throat, to gain all of the animals' attention. The fact that all he has to do is clear his throat to do this, gives the impression that he is authoritative, and in control. We are given the idea that the other animals respect him. In the following paragraph, Old Major mentions a dream, but he says "I will come to the dream later". The dream is the whole reason the meeting has been called, and by saying that he will talk about it later holds all of the animals in suspense. They are willing to listen to what he has to say, to hear about the dream. He also mentions his imminent death, which will gain the audience's sympathy, and again
'It is not a character, it is not alive, it is just a vast barren landscape - yet it has an important influence on the behaviour of its inhabitants'.
'It is not a character, it is not alive, it is just a vast barren landscape - yet it has an important influence on the behaviour of its inhabitants'. Examine Hardy's depiction of the heath in the light of this statement. Thomas Hardy presents Egdon Heath as a character and a vast landscape which is not barren but has an effect in the inhabitant's lives and decisions. Egdon heath rules the lives of the inhabitants and their relationship with the heath determines their lives. In chapter 1, Thomas Hardy uses personification to describe the heath as a character: 'The storm was its lover'. This suggests that the heath controls nature. It also suggests that something as destructive as a storm can be tamed into loving. Through this, Hardy also suggests that the storm does not affect the heath or its inhabitants but it affects outsiders on the heath like Eustacia who realises during the storm that she cannot and it affects trees planted outside the heath. Therefore, the heath's importance cannot be ignored by the reader as Hardy presents the heath as powerful and dominating in the lives of the inhabitants as it is Eustacia's position on the heath that prevents her from escaping. The heath does have an important influence on the behaviour of its inhabitants. The heath provides 'furze' which sustains the heathfolk as it provides food and nourishes them. Therefore, the lives of the
What Does the Concept of Dignity mean to Stevens?
What Does the Concept of Dignity mean to Stevens? Stevens is a unique character whose life evolves solely around his profession and how he can both maintain his dignity and become recognised through his work. The concept of dignity has ruled his entire life and he believes it his duty to remain dignified in all circumstances in order to be classed as a "great butler". His metaphorical journey however reveals that in trying to accomplish this, he has lost the vital element which must be sustained in life, human warmth. Stevens defines dignity as, "Something one can meaningfully strive for throughout one's career", compared to Mr Graham's views that "dignity is something one possesses," which seems more reasonable from the reader's point of view. The critic Richard Locke asks what dignity there is in not making one's own mistakes and refers to the consequent sorrow and remorse that follows, saying "such rueful wisdom much be retrospective." This certainly explains Stevens' unemotional behaviour in his mission to attain dignity because he has since regretted not "making his own mistakes" and living life to the fullest. Instead, he delicately portrays his Father's views, who was "indeed the embodiment of dignity", because he is not able to conceive his own opinions having followed Lord Darlington's orders all his life. Furthermore, Stevens has incorporated the Hayes
