How charlotte Bronte conveys the experience of childhood and school.

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By Daniel Barton

How charlotte Bronte conveys

 The experience of childhood

And school

In this essay I will be investigating how charlotte Bronte conveys the experience of childhood and school through the media of Jane Eyre. This novel has many varied examples of charlotte Bronte’s picture of childhood and school in the early 1900’s and is the perfect book to chose to display my points. I will be reviewing the first 10 chapters of Jane Eyre that cover Jane’s transformation from child to young woman.

        I will start by looking at the first segment of the book, at the period where she is living in her aunt ‘s (Mrs Reed) house with her three cousins Eliza, Georgina and john. I think that the first example of childhood in this particular part of the book is the way the children are treated, the way that is shows the very Victorian way that children should be “ seen but not heard”. The children are allocated there own nursery room with there own nanny to look after the children which makes it seem that Mrs. reed and the children have a very isolated relationship with Mrs. reed only dealing with her children when it was at her own leisure, relying on Bessie (the nanny’s) opinion of how the children behave and are instead of getting to know them personally. For example “ She regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance; but that until she heard from Bessie that I was endeavouring in good earnest to acquire a more sociable and childlike disposition”. Another example of children being “ seen but not heard” is     "Jane, I don't like cavillers or questioners; besides, there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner. Be seated somewhere; and until you can speak pleasantly, remain silent."

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This seems to be the general response whenever the rebellious Jane tries to confront her aunt on her decision; Mrs. reed always seems to ‘dodge’ the question in this way. I think this is a subtle dig at the Victorian cultures policy on children by Bronte.

        Another thing Bronte seems to dwell on in the first few chapters is the thought of inferiority that seem to become a complex in Jane, but it is a complex felt in most children in some point in there life wither at sport, academics popularity or social standards. Social standards seems to play a ...

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