Sunday, November 30, 2008

Assignment 9

I thought that this chapter was somewhat exciting to an extent. It actually reminded me of the recent chapter when Jane was awoken by a mysterious laugh and she had to help Mr. Rochester. However, I thought that this chapter was kind of cool because it created a bit more mystery. It seems to build suspense through mystery in the story, because you never know what is going to happen. Especially all of the crazy people in Jane Eyre. I liked how one of the motifs came to play in the chapter, blood. I thought it was even cooler when she looked up at the picture Jesus Christ on the crucifix because it seemed to paint some weird irony. Mr. Mason has been stabbed in the arm, for unknown reasons and although it is different, the picture does depict a similar image. I think that this chapter also gave a clear image of Jane and Mr. Rochester's "strange love." In my opinion at this point in the story their relationship seems reminiscent to Heathcliff' and Cathy's later relationship. I hope it doesn't end up the same way as theirs but I am interested to see what happens from their and how it progresses, or if progresses.

#10

These four chapters were some of the most eventful and exciting in the entire book. In chapter 21, her aunt Mrs. Reed, falls ill and before she dies, asks to see Jane. When they are both together Jane apologizes for her previous behavior and rebellious attitude to her when she was a child, but Mrs. Reed maintains her snooty attitude and dismissively forgives her. She is reluctant to get on good terms with Jane and they never fully learn to get along with each other; Mrs. Reed finally dies without having the slightest aunt and niece relationship with Jane. It is sad that she had to go on unfriendly terms with her niece. My thoughts on why Mrs. Reed died resisting a final understanding with Jane are that she never really liked her and considered her a kind of a burden. Later on in the book the reader finds that Mr. Reed loved Jane’s mother which is another reason as to why she would not have treated her kindly. She was trying to take her anger out on poor Jane. After Mrs. Reed and her mean abusive cousin die, Jane is extremely caring and compassionate towards her cousins Georgiana and Eliza. I feel that she treats them so nicely because she knows what its like to be an orphan, how it feels and how lonely and hard life becomes when a child has no one there to guide them. Its touching how after everything, she doesn’t want them to go through the same things she had to endure. Later on in the book, Mr. Rochester, to my surprise, proposes to Jane. At first she declines, because she doesn’t trust him but later accepts. I feel that because of her lack of trust in him, and his personality, which doesn’t help with her problem, their marriage, or engagement, will not last very long. The symbolism in the book continues, as the tree under which Mr. Rochester proposes, splits in two during a thunder storm. This probably means that their marriage or post engagement relationship will result in a violent, sudden, split. Jane seems happy with her decision at the time, however, and writes to her uncle John about her engagement. He is the only family she has, with the exception of her cousins, and she wants him included in her life. My feelings are that she wants someone to see how much she has grown and wants them to be proud of how much she has accomplished.

Jane eyre #10

In Chapter 21 Jane struggles with sleeping due to dreams of children and her childhood, than she finds out Mrs. Reed is becoming very ill because her son (Jane's cousin) dies, and wants she would like to see her. Jane is willing to work everything out between her and Mrs. Reed, she figures out why their was so much rage towards Jane. Mrs. Reed's husband like his niece Jane more than he liked his own children and that upset Mrs. Reed, he also liked Jane's mother. Once they were gone all of that anger was taken out on young Jane, which is extremely wrong and harsh. Jane is very helpful with her cousins after their Mrs. Reed dies, she keeps them entertained and busy. I think Jane did this because even though none of them where nice to her, she knew what it felt like to be an orphan and mistreated. She finds a note Mr. Reed wrote three years before to Jane, Mrs. Reed gave it to Jane right before she died, she never fully worked things out with Jane before she died. In Chapter 23 when the proposal occurs Jane at first declines because she does not believe him. This just shows even with an tough outside, she really does have her past with her and has a hard time trusting people. Jane finally does accept and Rochester decides that society will not effect their marriage, which is rare in their time period. I think that having tree being split by lighting is very symbolic, I think it stands for multiple things, one thing I think it stands for is that everything in their pasts will be erased when they are together. I also think that it symbolizes that they are going to break and bend all of the rules that society has set for them. I think Jane writes to her uncle John Eyre about her impending marriage, because he is all she has and she wants to tell someone in her family, so she chose him and she wants to make someone proud.

Caitlin Doherty Jane Eyre Assignment 10

The only reason I think it is so important for Jane to make amends is because without at least trying to apologize Jane would have never forgiven herself. I think Mrs. Reed resists because she absolutely hates Jane and she always has and I believe she hates Jane because she hated Jane’s mother and father. I think that since she’s a Christian she feels she can’t hate without reason and so she didn’t want to forgive Jane because then she would have no reason to hate her, and it makes her feel better to at least have a reason to blame her hate for Jane on, even though its not the real reason she hates her. I think Jane is so helpful because she feels bad for her cousins. She feels it’s the least she can do, even though they were always mean to her, because they’ve lost all their family members except for Jane and their relatives from their mother’s side of the family. Also, I think Jane feels bad for them because she’s always wanted siblings and her parents died too. She can only imagine what it’s like to first lose one’s father at a young age, and then lose their brother because when he was only in his twenties he committed suicide, and because of the death of their brother and the debt he left behind from gambling to lose their mother. I think the way Jane revealed her feelings was perfect and in a way very romantic. I also think the way Mr. Rochester proposed was a little too sudden, but at perfect timing and at a perfect place. I think the split of the tree is a warning that Jane and Rochester will be separated, but the tree still meets at the bottom so I think it means they will see each other again after they separate. Jane writes to her uncle to let him know she is alive and getting married. She writes to him because if he were to leave her his fortune in his will she would feel better because she would be more even in money to Mr. Rochester when they marry.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Chapter 17 assignment Assignment 7

I like Mr. Rochester a lot. I’ve always loved stories with a misunderstood, tormented, man. Everything about men like this attracts me because I feel sorry for them and I feel like I can understand them. Mr. Rochester is an ideal, perfect, true love and husband. I only wish men like him really existed. Now days you can find misunderstood, tormented men, but not ones like Mr. Rochester. What makes him different is the way he reacts to his situation and the time period he is in. I think Jane adores and loves him, but believes he could never love her back because she sees herself as ugly, unworthy, and too in superior to him. She also thinks he is in love with Miss Ingram. I do not think it is strange that Rochester keeps Grace Poole around for a couple of reasons. First of all I do happen to know what happens in the book, but before I found out I did think about the whole situation with Grace Poole. I also, know what I would be thinking if I didn’t know what happens and I have come to some conclusions, so for this blog I am going to assume I know nothing more than what I’ve read and I’m going to write in a voice that says I know only this much. So, I guess in a way it is strange to keep Grace around, but I get this feeling there must be a reason even if it’s a bad one. I have considered that maybe he doesn’t want his reputation ruined if people found out he had a crazy servant in his house and I have considered that maybe there is someone else he keeps up there, like an insane mother or something. (Well that might just be because I recently saw Psycho) These ideas have all crossed my mind, but the idea I think will turn out to be the most accurate has to do with something Mr. Mason said. (By the way even though I know what happens I didn’t know about Mr. Mason before I read about him and I only know the very basics of what happens, so I have absolutely no idea if this suspicion is true at all, so if it’s correct I’m not trying to give anything away because I seriously would not have known that I was right.) I have a feeling that Grace Poole or whoever is the one who has caused all these strange things and stabbed Mr. Mason is in fact Mr. Mason’s sister. The reason why I think this is when Rochester first heard his name he got very scared and I think that Rochester is supposed to be in charge of Mason’s sister and was afraid Mason had finally decided that he no longer wanted his sister a secret or wanted to take her away. Another reason I think this is because Mr. Mason knew where to find Grace Poole on the third floor suggesting he may have been there before. He also wasn’t freaking out after he was stabbed as though he knew about the danger and knew not to blame Rochester or freak out. The only thing he did do was scream and I don’t think that was in fright or surprise, but only because he couldn’t help screaming from the pain at being stabbed. He also seemed surprised that she stabbed him, as if he didn’t expect her to stab him because he was her brother and wanted to help her. Finally the last reason is instead of fighting back or threatening Rochester that he would sue (or whatever the equivalent to suing was back then) or telling Rochester to put her in an asylum or that she didn’t deserve/ shouldn’t be aloud to live, Mr. Mason acted the exact opposite way. What he said instead in a very calm voice was “Let her be taken care of: let her be treated as tenderly as may be; let her—“, where he then started to cry because he cared so much about the woman who just stabbed him and he just couldn’t bare it if anything were to happen to her. I knew at once that there must be some strong connection between them or that Mr. Mason was a very, very holy man because only one of these two would not only be willing to forgive someone who just tried to kill them, but also want the very best for that person. (I say a very holy man not because I am Catholic and believe only holy people could be that nice (which I don’t believe), but because the only person I have ever herd of that could do that was Pope John-Paul II, so I guess what I mean is not someone very holy, but someone with a very pure and good heart and soul, and you don’t need to be holy to have that, so I am sorry if I offended anyone who read this.)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Assignment 10 -- Chapters 21-24, Blog

Write a 250 word journal (with correct grammar, punctuation, etc.), considering the following questions:
  • Why do you think, in Chapter 21, it is so important for Jane to make amends with Mrs. Reed? And why do you think Mrs. Reed resists?
  • Why do you think Jane is so kind and helpful with Georgiana and Eliza after Mrs. Reed's death?
  • What do you think about the way Jane revealed her feelings to Mr. Rochester, and the way he proposed?
  • Tease out the symbolism behind the fact that the tree under which they were sitting when he proposed is, later that night, split in two by lightning.
  • Why does Jane write to her uncle, John Eyre, about her impending marriage?

Monday, November 24, 2008

#9

This particular chapter is one of my favorites. Charlotte Bronte builds up the tension in this portion of the reading by giving the reader the fact that Grace Pool is in fact insane, but still leads on with the mystery of why Mr. Rochester keeps her. Bronte also gives the reader more hints on how Mr. Rochester and Jane’s relationship will progress. In this section of the book, Mr. Rochester begins to show Jane his real self, and even begins to show a softer more affectionate side to her. He begins calling her his “little friend” and even tells her that he wishes that they could run away to a secluded island, just the two of them. He begins confiding more in her. One night, after everyone has gone to bed, Jane awakes to screams and to her horror, finds that Grace Pool has attacked Mr. Mason, and stabbed and bit him. Everyone is in a frenzy and she is instructed to care for Mr. Mason while Mr. Rochester goes to fetch the surgeon. He tells her that everything is under control but she knows that there is something really peculiar as to why Grace, being the insane person that she is, is still allowed to live at Thornfield. After Jane tends to Mr. Mason, Mr. Rochester tells Jane a story of a man who wishes to marry this great girl who is different than tradition entails her to be, and after ask Jane if she would be there to talk to him about his marriage to Miss. Ingram, she says yes, leaving us to wonder exactly where their relationship is going, and whether it be a friendly or romantic one.

Assignment 9

This chapter sort of served as a turning point in the book. It has been gradually building up to the mystery of Grace Poole and now Jane is suddenly thrown into this whirl of insanity. She is woken in the middle of the night by a blood-curdling scream, and is then taken to the frightful 3rd story where she encounters Mr. Mason, who is bleeding profusely. She is instructed to tend to his wounds while Rochester fetches a surgeon and in the meantime, she can hear Grace’s harrowing cackle in the next room. All this time she has been suspicious as to Grace’s sanity, but was always informed that everything was fine. She now has living proof that Grace is in fact totally insane and has even gone so far as to bite and stab a guest in the house. After the early morning drama subsided, Rochester told Jane a hypothetical story about a man wishing to marry a woman that tradition wards against, but wants to know that if he went through with it would his action be justifiable. This is yet another sign of a relationship forming between the two, yet Rochester is able to throw it back at her when he asks if she would be willing to advise him throughout his marriage to Blanche because she is the only one he can talk to about it. 

Assignment 8

I am somewhat disappointed in Rochester’s new love interest, although I don’t believe it will last. It is a superficial affair, with both Rochester and Blanche entering the relationship for petty reasons. Rochester is interested in only her beauty and social position while Blanche just cares about becoming wealthy.  Jane notices the connection between them and suspects they will get married. The guests attending Rochester’s party are all of high-class standards, and as a result they treat Jane with incredible disregard. When they learn of her occupation as a governess, they immediately start to complain about the governesses they have come across in the past and how none of them are good people. They also openly comment on her physical appearance being that of someone who is stupid and unremarkable, all the while she is in the room listening to what they are saying. Rochester lightly attempts to defend her, but stops when his guests start to get annoyed at him. After the party is underway, Rochester steps out for a while and while he is gone, a gypsy enters the house and demands to read the fortunes of all the young, single women there. Jane goes last, finding out that the gypsy was actually Mr. Rochester in disguise. It is hard to believe that he doesn’t have feelings for her because during her reading, the “gypsy” kept trying to make Jane admit that she had feelings for him. As for now, both Jane and Rochester are too shy to admit their feelings to each other openly, but hopefully sometime in the near future this will change.

Assignment 7

Jane is increasingly falling in love with Rochester, as she makes it evident in chapter 17.  Rochester left for a few weeks, staying with a group of people in a faraway town. Jane is deeply saddened that he left without saying anything to her and thinks of him constantly while he is away. He comes back soon though, and arrives at Thornfield with lavish guests who are incredibly disrespectful to Jane. Rochester is a mysterious man, although it is becoming more obvious that his feelings for Jane are growing. When saying goodnight to Jane, he almost says something somewhat romantic to her but stops himself. Jane is undoubtedly in love, but restrains from showing any true emotion towards Rochester. Grace Poole is growing more suspicious and full of mystery by the day. It is now quite obvious to Jane that there is something she is not being told about her after stumbling across two maids discussing the peculiarities of her salary and stopping their conversation once she arrives. I, like Jane, think it is very strange that Rochester continues to keep Grace around and am curious to find out why and I am intrigued to learn the mystery behind her.

Jane Eyre assignment 9

Bronte is adding suspense to the story because she makes Grace Poole this crazy woman that really serves no purpose in the mansion. Also she makes Grace Poole first burn down Mr Rochester's bed and now she stabs Mr Mason and also bite him on the shoulder. Grace Poole also stabbed Mr Mason while there were other visitors and i have a deep feeling that Grace has some kind of history with Mr Mason because people don't stab other people just randomly. Also something that shows that Bronte is making it more sort of exciting is that she makes it so that Mr Rochester basically tells Jane to keep Mr Mason alive by cleaning all the blood that comes out of his cut. Also this means that Mr Rochester is starting to trust Jane and that means that they are starting to get closer, and I can now see how this book is a buildungsroman, because of the way that Jane and Mr Rochester's relationship developed from Mr Rochester calling Jane a witch to Mr Rochester trusting Jane with the life of his best friend. I think that the story Mr Rochester told the guests staying at his house is a little bit funny because he said that they were only rehearsing a play called Much Ado About Nothing.

Assignment # 4

Jane Eyre is like Rapunzel because as Rapunzel is trapped in the tower, Jane is trapped in the red room. She is like Cinderellla because she is mistreated by her family. In the book Jane dosen't just sit there and take the crap that is thrown her way by her family. she actually talks back and speaks her mind unlike Cinderella. Mrs. Fairfax's description of Mr. Rochester makes you think of him as an evil man.

Assignment # 3

In chapters 5-7, Jane has just come to her boarding school after being sent away by her aunt and two evil cousins known as her family. The man Jane's aunt is talking with is a pharmasist and is very intimidating. He is he one who sugguests that she be sent to boarding school and therefore is the reason she is sent to a boarding school. At the borading school Jane meets a girl with curly RED hair named Helen who likes to keep to herself and just read. Mr.Brocklehurst, the man in charge, aka the head of the school, thinks it is a sin or something for a girl to have curly hair. In my opinion that was stupid and I agree with Ms. Temple. Ms. Temple is the new teacher who argues the point that girls can wear their hair however they want to. I agree because i have worn my hair several different ways.

Assignment # 2

In the first few chapters of the book, Jane gets treated really bad by the people who are supposed to be her family but instead act like she is their servant or something. In reality she is completely innocent and dosent really do anything bad but at every little thing she does her aunt and cousins act like she did something wrong. Even one of her Aunts workers, Ms. Abbit treats Jane as if she is a child of the devil. The only person who is on her side, in my opinion, is Bessie, the housemaid. I think the only reason why they treat her sa bad as they do is because they are jealous of her because she is smart and because they have to take care of her which really isnt her fault but they treat her as if it is. In my opinion Mrs. Reed should not allow her son to beat on Jane, and act as if he hardly touched her, because the fact of the matter is he should never put his hands on her. I feel bad for Jane in the situation that she is in. I am very glad that Bessie and Mr. Lloyd are there to help her and have a little bit of sympathy for her when really no one else does.

Jane Eyre #9

I was in Shock when I found out that Mr. Mason was stabbed! Out of all of the characters to be hurt I thought he would be the last one. I would except someone like Mr. Rochester to be stabbed because of his wealth and bitter personality and how he is with Celine and Adel. After Mr. Rochester tells the story to Jane about Mr. Mason it gets more intriguing why he would be killed. Charlotte Bronte is building up suspense because each chapter ends with a cliff hanger so the reader would like to continue on, and also how she is creating more mysterious events happening such as a stabbing, so far the book has been pretty mellow and just kind of dreary while adding in a stabbing ad's a whole new spin to the novel. The only deaths that have happened in the book so far have been because of health and illnesses. Also it shows how Mr. Rochester and Jane are becoming closer that he explains Mr. Mason's secrets to her.

Assignment 9 -- Chpt. 20

Write a 200 word entry reacting to this very exciting chapter. How is Bronte building suspense? And what do you think about the story Rochester tells Jane after Mr. Mason is stabbed? Please pay attention to basic grammar rules in your post -- that means punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc. If there are too many of those types of errors, or if your entry is too short, you will be asked to re-do it.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

#8

I greatly dislike Mr. Rochester, it seems like he only pays attention to Jane when it’s convenient for him. He doesn’t really care about her; he is just looking for a good time. I too, find it a little strange that he keeps Grace Pool in the house even though he obviously shows that he doesn’t like her, but then again, how many girls would actually want to work for this playboy? I also feel that his random remarks about Adele’s mother are a kind of a technique he uses, one of the oldest in the book to keep his prospects on their toes, this simple act of jealously does not only affect Jane but must boost his insufficient ego a tad as well. I used to think of Mr. Rochester as a normal, good intentional, guy, who was a bit scatter brained, but was for the most part a nice person. He seemed to be an typical knight in shining armor; rich with looks and a little bit of a superiority complex, but now, I don’t really know what is intentions in the long run will be. This whole class system makes me a little angry too, it exists now and it existed back then. It’s never going to change and it’s a really depressing thought. Ten years from now a guy or a girl will be questioning marriage to the person they love because of how much their monthly paycheck is or how much they are going to inherit. Not to say that Mr. Rochester wants to marry Jane, but he might like her and is just too reluctant to say anything straight up because he knows how that might affect his reputation of a “high class gentleman”. Personally I think the whole concept is ridiculous.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Jane Eyre assignment 8

My feelings about Mr Rochester are changing because of the way that he used to always want Jane around and now he's acting as if she doesn't even exist. This makes me frustrated because one it's just such a big change in such a short time it's kind of a shocking change and i don't think it's needed. Also this makes everything different for Jane because she was so used to being called down to be with Mr Rochester and now she gets the idea in her head that she's not good enough to be with him, which isn't true at all. I don't like the issues of social class here because Mr Rochester's friends act very rude to Jane just because she's a governess, and they talk about her very rudely. I think that the social issues in the reading is also very strong. For example when Jane bowed to tell the visitors that dinner was ready only one or two people acknowlaged that she did that and the rest of the people just looked at her like she was crazy. Another thing i noticed was that just because she's a governess, some of the people, when they were playing cherades thought that she was to dumb to play. I also feel that Mr Rochester should've corrected the way that the people were talking about Jane because just because she works for Mr Rochester doensn't mean that she's useless.

Jane Eyre assignment 7

I think that Mr Rochester is a little bit dark and mysterious. I feel this way about him because he doesn't even mind that Grace Poole burnt his bed down. Also he's very sneaky and sort of on the low with what he does. Also i think that he's very interested in Jane, because of the way she responds to all of the questions he can throw at her. I think that Jane is either fed up or irritated by the way that he always talks to her and the way he absolutely loves to argue with her. One thing is that i think that the way that Jane likes him is that i feel that she loves arguing with him, though every time they argue she makes up an excuse to leave, deep down i think that arguing with Mr Rochester makes her a little bit happy inside. I think that Grace Poole is a strange woman. She always is by herself in her room just dancing around, and no one seems to complain that she doesn't do any work. That brings many suspicions to me, and i think that everyone is hiding a secret about her. I think that Jane is curious that Mr Rochester believes that Grace burnt his bed down but still keeps her around.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Jane Eyre blog #8

Mr. Rochester is such a confusing man, one minute he acts like he could be very interested in Jane than the next he is talking about how much he still cares for Adels mother, I think Mr. Rochester doesn't know what he wants and he is messing around with Jane's emotions with how he is acting. One day he will treat her like she is one of them and not just a worker, than the next day, all she is a their someone who works for them. Social classes should not be a problem, if he likes Jane than he should admit it, their is nothing wrong with that social classes shouldn't be a problem. When they met she did not know who he was, but she still approached him. I would feel miserable if a guy did that to me just because of social classes. If Mr. Rochester doesn't know what he wants than he needs to figure that out for himself and not mess with other people and act interested in them until he is actually sure he is. One thing that is good about him is that he did clear everything up about his past, it was going to come up eventually so at least he was the one to clear the air and not have people find out in other ways because that is always a lot worse.

Jane Eyre Blog #7

I think Mr. Rochester is a rather awkward and haggard man. Mr. Rochester seems extremely intrigued by Jane. I think Jane thinks he is unattractive, moody, arrogant, and awkward. Grace Poole is the Seamstress that lives on the third floor, she is extremely eccentric too put it kindly. She seems Rather loony to me. I think it's not weird that Mr. Rochester keeps Jane around he knows he can do this because she is employed by him. I think he does it because she is very understanding, she probably is just understanding so she doesn't loose her job, she is probably uninterested but just a good person.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

assignment 8.

in the beginning of these chapters Jane is waiting anxiously for the return of Rochester. and Jane kept talking to miss Fairfax and everyone else about it and kept carrying on with her duties. and then there is a dinner and so many things happen. Rochester comes back, then Jane left the dinner party and went away when she saw Rochester not being interested in her and so Jane is brought a dish of chicken and tarts in bed. and then ROchester was playing some games with his geust and by the end of the chapter he almost my love to Jane but stopped himself and went to bed.

assignment 7.

i think mr. rochester is a very cool dude. he is respectable and he deserves repsect. he is very intelligent and he is just a strong willed person who will probably if the times come to that fight or something. and i think that Jane really thinks highly of him and probably loves him even now. Grace Poole is kind of funny and a little dumb getting drunk like that all the time. and as for Rochester keeping Jane around him so much i don't think it's weird but awfully sweet and romantic becuase t's obvious he likes her.

assignment 6.

i really like Jane Eyre. it is very enthrolling and interesting. it is one of the few books that i have read where a woman is the man hero. like the only books i have read like that are twilight, inkspell, inkheart and inkdeath. all of which a girl is one of the strongest main characters. and i think Jane has come a long way in her life. she started out as this little rebellious girl ho would disobey people and lie and stuff and attack when she was threatened, and now look at her. she is now a much stronger and independent person and is beginning to fall in love and has her first real job.

Assignment 8

I thought these chapters were a very interesting part of the book. I think that as the story continues to progress, I can continue to see Jane's feelings for Mr. Rochester, as well as Mr. Rochester’s. I thought that chapter 17 was a clear depiction of it. I was curious to see if she would go off at Blanche and her mother, and even more surprised that she didn’t and just walked out. In chapter 18, I think you see her emotions really developing because of the amount of jealousy that she has in the first chapter. Just her assumptions on him and Blanche getting married, just showed some sense of fear for what would happen to their relationship, somewhat similar to Heathcliff's relationship with Cathy. I think that it was funny how the lady was giving fortunes to everyone and when she told Blanche her fortune, she was upset when she returned, and I was able to guess why. I thought the only thing that social class had an effect on was Jane. I think that it affected her in maybe voicing how she felt to Mr. Rochester, if she was so worried. I think that what may have been stopping her was how she badly she was treated when all the guests came in the chapter before, and she may not have wanted to be subject to that same treatment. I’m also curious to see how Mr. Rochester living in the West Indies will have an impact on the next chapters, or maybe later on in the story.

assignment 5.

i am really liking the book so far. it has kind of cpatured my imiagination but i think that it could use a little more action in it. thats all i think.

in the beginning of these chapters Jane has dinner with Rochester and they begin a long talk. and Rochester kind of rips on Jane after she says something or asks something. it turns into a long battle of wit's which kind of says that Rochester is a very smart. and Jane keeps trying to kind of counter that. Rochester says alot of things about Jane and she is very shy and Rochester loves to compliment himself. their conversation takes many twists and turns into the night and all the time just sitting thier eating their dinner. the next day Rochester and Jane walk along a beach and talk about themselves and thier lives, then Jane steps into the water and says she is cold. she then goes inside to rest.

assignment 4.

I THINK JANE EYRE IS REALLY DIFFERENT FROM CLASSIC HERIONS OF LITERATURE. WHILE WE READ OF HEROES WHO FIGHT EVIL OR PEOPLE WHO ARENT NICE.

in this part of Jane Eyre, she is let out of class and the whole school goes to have tea. when Jane sees that Helen is not there she starts to freak. her greif is staggering but doesnt show it. and jane has reached the head of her class and she is praised by many teachers and given art instruction along with friench language teaching. and after Helen returns Jane asks her how can she be friends with somebody whome everybody thinks to be a liar. Helen tries to reassure her but Jane won't listen very well and she talks about what Borcklehurst keeps saying, but Helen says that he is not a god and is not even liked. then after she is calmed Jane talks to Ms. Temple. Jane tells Temple her story and Temple feels pity. then Temple tells Jane that she can speak in her own defense. then Helen dies of a disease and Jane eventually becomes a teacher at the same school she lived at for years. Jane then starts getting letters from a place called Thornefield where a man named Rochester lived. Now Jane has started to work there and live there, but doesnt really get to see rochester alot.

assignment 3.

in chapters 5-7, Jane has just come to her boarding school after being sent away by her "Family" and after her aunt keeps calling her a liar. the man Jane's aunt is talking with is very intimidating it seems and she is sent to a boarding school. There Jane meets a girl with curly hair named Helen who likes to keep to herself and just reads while Mr.Brocklehurst, the head of the school thinks it is a sin or something for a girl to have curly hair. While a new teacher named Ms. Temple argues this point saying girls can wear their hair however they want to. and then it is a cold morning where there is no breakfast and in the middle of class bread and cheese and tea and then they resumed their classes.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Assignment 8 -- Chapters 18-19

Write a 250 word blog on chapters 18-19. How, if at all, are your feelings/thoughts about Rochester changing? What do you think about the social class issues that come up in these chapters?

Assignment 7 -- Chapter 17

Write a 200 word blog about Chapter 17. What do you think of Mr. Rochester? And what do you think Jane thinks of him? And what about Grace Poole? Do you, like Jane, think it's strange that Rochester keeps her around?

Monday, November 17, 2008

Assignment 7

I think that I am really starting to like the more than when I started out reading it. Even though it was not what I thought it would be about, I like that there was a setup for a much deeper plot in the story, plus I have questions about the book. I think that the mystery of Grace Poole will continue to be a question throughout the book. I like how it kind of keeps the whole thing so vague, but at the same time there could be more detail about it. I think that this is a good period to give more detail (not too much), and it is not given. In addition, the more Mr. Rochester seems to leave, Jane seems to be developing more feelings for him, because always seems to get sad when he leaves. I was really curious to see how she would react when he returns. When he does, what happens from that point really surprises me. It seems to me like their feelings for each other seems to keep them away from each other. Jane seems to like him, but she seems so reserved it's hard for her to let him know how she feels. On the other hand, it seems a lot like Mr. Rochester is trying to restrain himself from letting her know how he feels. I am very curious to know how their love eventually gets brought out later on in the story.

Jane Eyre Assignment 2

In the first few chapters of the book, Jane gets treated really bad by who are supposed to be her relatives but instead act like her slave masters or something terrible like that. Overall, she is completely innocent at every little thing she does, yet her Aunt and cousins treat as if she does something wrong. Even one of her Aunts workers, Ms. Abbot treats Jane as if she is the devil child. The only person who I personally think that is on her side is Bessie, the housemaid. To me I think the only reason why they treat her so bad is because they have to be somewhat jealous of her and I guess because they have to take care of her. But still that doesn’t mean that Mrs. Reed should allow her son to beat on her and act as if he hardly touched her. I feel bad for Jane in the situation that she is in. in a way I’m glad that Bessie and Mr. Lloyd are there to help her out and has a little sympathy for her.

jane eyre #6

I feel like Jane has grown immensley, she is now a mature woman and not the little ten year old girl that none of the reed relatives liked. She struggled to fit in, more than the rest, but that never brought her down. She has a job now, everything she has accomplished it was done 100% because of herself, since the book began she never had someone pushing her. It was always her own actions and decions that got her to where she is now. She never had a mother or a father that told her what to do or to advice her on life. She is who is because of her own actions, no one helped her with anything, she truly raised herself. She had diffcult past but she stayed focoused on the future.

Jane Eyre assignment 6

My feelings about this book are that it's very sad, and really like real life. This book has a lot of people that feel discouraged and have low self esteem. For example, Mr Rochester feels that he's not good enough for god and that he should be better, but he feels that he can't be better. Also Jane feels that she isn't good enough to marry Mr Rochester and that she doesn't look good enough to be with him. For example, when Mrs Fairfax described a woman that would be worthy to marry Mr Rochester, Jan drew a picture of it and she told herself that if she ever felt any feelings for Mr Rochester, that she would look at the picture and realize that only beautiful women deserve to be with Mr Rochester. Since we categorize this book as a buildungsroman an example of growth that has affected Jane is that she has moved from place to place and in the beginning of the book, she's a rebellious girl that doesn't really like to be told what to do by any one and now she lives in a great environment and she doesn't rebel and her views on people has changed. For example she used to really hate any one, because she would get beat, but now that she doesn't really get beat she has more sympathy and kindness for people. She has grown from a little girl trying to survive in a terrible living environment to a peaceful happy girl.

Jane Eyre assignment 5

I am enjoying the book so far because it's very interesting. I feel that it's definitely a book about watching this girl named Jane Eyre slowly develop and slowly watching her change. Also i think that Bronte has done a very good job with the descriptions, even though they might be a little long. The battle of wits with Mr Brochester and Jane shows that Mr Rochester feels very bad about himself. He always says that he wishes he could be better then what he is, and when Jane says that she doesn't think he's attractive, he starts getting very mad and he wants her to criticize him, and when she doesn't want to he gets even angrier. Also it shows that he feels he shouldn't make people feel inferior just because of their position in life, and it tells me at least that Mr Rochester is slowly falling in love with Jane. I feel this way because he would say that he is grateful for her responses like her opinion meant a lot to him. Jane becomes more affectionate to Adele because Mr Rochester basically treated her like she meant nothing to him and he said that he doesn't want to be bothered by her questions and that she should be silent, then he just dismissed her to the couch as if she were just a dog. Also Jane feels bad because Adele has to listen to Mr Rochester and Jane's argument, when it's passed her bed time.

Jane Eyre assignment 4

Jane Eyre compared to other mistreated heroines, is sort of normal. I feel this way because all of the mistreated heroines always have a type of family problem whether it's having no parents, and having to live with cruel aunts, step sisters and so on. Also the mistreated heroines are usually very nice girls that are just heavily misunderstood and they usually just grow to develop a sense of hopelessness because they're basically all alone trying to suck up all the pain they feel. One thing that's different is that Jane sort of rebels against all the adults and the family she lives with and isn't afraid to express how she feels about anything that gets talked about. Mrs Fairfax's description of Mr. Rochester makes him seem sort of godly. She makes him seem so nice and so forgiving, and i feel that she Mrs Fairfax feels great respect for Mr. Rochester. One way that Bronte made this feeling come on me is because she made it so that Mrs Fairfax said " 'it is a pretty place; but i fear it will be getting out of order, unless Mr Rochester should take it to his head to come and reside here permanently." That quote for me said it all. Mrs Fairfax sounded like it would be a real blessing if Mr Rochester lived in Lowood, because he would be able to keep everything under control. Mr Rochester's appearance met up with other heroic men pretty well, except for that fact that he was injured the first time you hear about him. Other then that Bronte made it so that he was a very handsome man and she made him look about 35 years old, meaning he wasn't young yet he also wasn't old.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Caitlin Doherty Assignment 6 Chap. 16

I love “Jane Eyre” so far. This story absolutely fascinates me. I’m used to all of the dark and gothic elements and settings, and I have read countless books containing them. Yet, even though “Jane Eyre” is similar to many of these books, I have never read anything quite like “Jane Eyre”. I think what makes this book so unique is the way Charlotte (I say Charlotte not Bronte because her sisters had the same last name and published books too) never quite tells you exactly what’s going on. She just gives the reader enough information to understand the story, but she never gives enough for the reader to say “Oh, I know what’s going to happen next!” She has the reader constantly searching for more clues to solve the puzzle, and when you finally get another clue she throws a whole other element into the plot.
Jane has grown and changed a lot since the beginning of the book. She still has the same stubbornness as she did when she was just a child. The difference, though, is not in her opinions and attitude, but rather in the way she betrays them. At the beginning she was impulsive and acted quickly on her feelings and opinions, but now she keeps them more to herself and when she does act it is thought through and clever. When before she would fight or yell when she was upset, she now uses her words to betray her feelings. Although, I did see a glimpse of her clever use of words when she was a child once or twice, for example when she told off Mrs. Reed and used Mrs. Reed’s own promises to her late husband against her. I have only mentioned her control of her feelings in reference to her anger, but she also shows an example of this control at the end of Chapter 16 when she realizes her feelings for Mr. Rochester. She forces herself to forget her feelings for him because she told herself he would never love her back and then she drew a picture of herself and then of a beautiful woman Mrs. Fairfax described. Then she told herself that whenever she had feelings for Mr. Rochester she would look at the two pictures and compare herself to the other woman and then remind herself that Mr. Rochester could marry this woman if he wanted to and that he would never pick Jane over her.

Jane eyre #5

I am personally not enjoying this book so far. I know it is a classic, and I do really like some classic novels such as Animal Farm, The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and I want to read more classics such as Catch 22 and As I lay dying. I like to read book's that I can personally relate to when I am reading them or that are in the same time period as me. I can not relate to this book at all, so I think if I took place in the 21st century I might be a little bit more intrigued but this book is not. I am not a fan of this "Gothic" literature. I think it is good to be exposed to all kinds of culture and not just stick to what you know because you might find something you know could like even more. Not just with books but with anything; clothes, locations, music, foods, people, hair colors etc. it never hurts to try something out, so I guess reading this book is another way of doing that. I have learned that this is not the kind of genre I would like to read about. 

In Chapter 14 Jane becomes pretty much talking journal to Rochester. He always spills his guts to her, even when he is extremely moody. Rochester decides what's in the past will stay their, similar to me in a way that I live without regrets, or dwell on the past. He has become less moody after his big confession. He tells her about everything from his past and who Adele's mother is. I think Jane has stronger feelings now for Adele because she now can relate to Adele on being left. 

#4

"the problem with fairy tales is that they set a girl up for disappointment"

Jane Eyre is a lot like lots of different heroines. Jane Eyre is Similar to Rapunzel in the way she was trapped in the red room, and how Rapunzel was stuck at the top of the castle, but besides that they have nothing in common. Jane Eyre is most like Cinderella. Cinderella, is mistreated by her step-mom/ step-siblings, in Jane's case that would be her Aunt/ cousins  and her teachers/ classes. In Cinderella, the step-sisters are ugly, and Cinderella is pretty, in Jane Eyre's case at school they make everyone have very short hair that isn't related to the headmaster. So they are attempting to ugly down Jane and all the other students looks. Mrs. Fairfax would be considered the fairy godmother in the story, because she is so caring. Rochester is described as not very attractive, violent, but he is good to his workers. in fairy tales all of the guys are marvelous looking, violence doesn't exsist and Cinderella dates a prince.  I personally am creeped out by the description of Rochester. 

# 3

Miss Temple is a very caring woman, she is the exact opposite of Brocklehurst and pretty much all of the other adults in the book so far, except Bessie. I feel bad for Jane that she always has to deal with such difficult people, it reminds me of this show that used to be on television called, "The Best Years." The main Character Samantha Best became an foster child at the age of seven and was toss from foster home to foster home until she was 18, which at that age the government kicks you out of foster care. She learned to fend for herself. The girl on television focused on her education and got out of her struggles and into and ivy league college.  Jane is a younger is like an outdated younger version of her. In Chapter Six Helen tells Jane she and everyone should do what God does and forgive and love everyone, even people who are not very kind to them. Helen likes how Jane can maintain such an ability to work hard on everything while Helen is more of a day dreamer. I kind with Helen's philosophy, I personally am a very forgiving person and let people walk all over me. My personal philosophy is now I will forgive everyone, but because I forgave them does not mean I need to continue to maintain a steady friendship and help them with everything, because in the end I will end up getting used. I think Brocklehurst is the worst educator ever, putting a student on display for humiliation is not going to make them want to learn more, if anything it is going to make them want to not do anything. Labeling Jane as a careless liar was not right because he didn't know her well enough to do so, first impressions are not everything. 

#6

As the book progresses, I feel that Jane’s story gets more and more intriguing. I actually enjoy reading it now and her growth throughout this section of the book is impressive. She’s gone threw so many different scenes and stages so early on in her life which totally characterizes this story as a bildungsroman. I think this particular story is a really good example of this gothic form of writing because Jane has gotten so far and matured without anyone’s help, which kind of makes her growth more her own. I personally think the story got lot more interesting now that Jane has a thing for her boss Mr. Rochester. Its cute, she has her first crush and its natural for her to feel sad that he’ll be away at a party with lots of more mature beautiful girls. I find this normal since she is young, and looks up to him, all girls have a crush on an older, mature guy at some point. However, I do find it rather strange that Mr. Rochester might have feelings for Jane too, he’s older, and her boss, and I cant help but feel like that might even be a little perverse, this brought up by the fact that he asked her if he was handsome. I feel like this might indicate the beginning of a whole darker side of the novel and I’m excited to see if Jane acts on her feeling towards her boss and how it all turns out in the end.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Assignment 6

Jane Eyre continues to become more and more interesting as we continue to read it. Chapter 16 was very interesting in that the mystery of Rochester’s bed fire remains unknown and the growing feelings Jane has for him. Jane is certain that it was Grace Pool who lit his bed on fire, yet is shocked when the next morning, no one seems to be alarmed and Grace acts like nothing happened. All the servants assumed his story was true and that he just fell asleep with the candle lit. Jane’s growing feelings for Rochester become obvious, as she talks about him frequently in the book. She is very disappointed to find out he will be gone for a week, attending a party with women much more beautiful than herself. As a bildungsroman novel, Jane has achieved much growth throughout the first third of the novel. She has lived in many places, from Gateshead and Lowood, now at Thornfield. She has grown from a small child living in a terrible environment, subject to physical and psychological violence. From there she lived in a harsh boarding school in squalor conditions where she slowly began to blossom and create an identity for herself. She is now a young woman, withholding a substantial job and becoming more independent. Although Jane has grown significantly in a positive way, there is still that air of mystery that keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. Her increasing infatuation with Rochester hints at a possible obsession that may develop, especially since this is her first experience with love.

Assignment 6

I think that Jane Eyre is very different from what I am used to reading, but think now I am starting to become interested in the story. I thought that chapter 16 was crazy because it finally seemed to bring in some of the gothic elements that we talked about in class. I liked chapter 16 because it was kind of mysterious. It kind of reminded me of when she first saw that strange entity in the beginning. I liked it because I had no idea what was really going to happen due to the events prior to chapter 16. I think that this story has been a clear depiction of Jane's growth into a stronger, independent woman. I think that even though she has not fully grown older, she seems to be getting a better mindset. I think a good example is when she saved Brocklehurst. I thought it was really cool for her to know what to do and just do it. I thought it also showed her growing feelings for him. Based on this last chapter, I am looking forward to see what happens from this point on in the story.

Assignment 5

I liked these chapters because it was both humorous and weird. I think that Mr. Rochester for me is a big question at a romantic hero. It seems like is very difficult character to describe because of his actions throughout various chapters. He does not seem very romantic in them to me, just a little compassionate, but he also seems aggressive. I think that he does appear to like Jane, but at the same time their relationship is very awkward. For example, when he was drunk and telling her that their relationship to him is not as a servant. Plus I think that it is even more difficult to call romantic because when he asked her if she thought he was handsome. She said no on the spot and that seemed to me as though she had her mind already made up. Their relationship seems a lot to me like Pertruchio and Katherine's. However, I think that although she may fear for his safety, I can't seem to understand why she would start to have feelings for him. I think I like the book now more so when I first started reading it. I think I have gotten used to the numerous use of detail in her writing. I thought it was interesting because she didn't seem to use a lot of detail in the chapters, except for when she is talking about Rochester's time away. I think that Jane may have grown more affectionate towards Adele because of what Rochester told her about her mother Celine. I think that she feels as though she could be somewhat like a mother figure to her.

Assignment 6 -- Jane Eyre, Chapter 16

Write 250 words reflecting on what you're thinking/feeling of "Jane Eyre" now that we're about a third of the way through it. If we categorize this as a bildungsroman, what sort of growth/development have you seen in Jane so far?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

pg 177 -211

I think the deeper I get into this book the more “tolerant” I become of Jane. I used to think that reading all about her sad, pathetic, life was going to be boring but I now find it interesting to see how she is growing and the people she meets along the way. Its like life lessons in a nut shell. I’m actually starting to like it. Mr. Rochester is quite a character himself and they’re conversation reveals that he’s not as bad as I thought he was, he’s actually quite a nice, witty, guy who considers himself above the rest but also gives out masked compliments like the ones he gives to Jane when they are arguing. He seems to be pretty slick and charming actually, enough so that even little Miss. Grudge, Jane, is okay with the guy. I think Jane realizes in this section that not all adults are just good and bad. There are some grey areas, in which adults can be a little bit argumentative and hard to get along with, but not flat out cruel, which is where I think Mr. Rochester stands. Jane also develops a sense of sympathy for poor little Adele when she finds out her mother abandoned her in Paris, and starts being nicer to her and might feel like they have a sort of connection because of their missing parents. I feel Jane grows a little in this sense too, she’s learning that the world isn’t out to get her, but that there are other people out there who are suffering as well.

pg 177 -211

I think the deeper I get into this book the more “tolerant” I become of Jane. I used to think that reading all about her sad, pathetic, life was going to be boring but I now find it interesting to see how she is growing and the people she meets along the way. Its like life lessons in a nut shell. I’m actually starting to like it. Mr. Rochester is quite a character himself and they’re conversation reveals that he’s not as bad as I thought he was, he’s actually quite a nice, witty, guy who considers himself above the rest but also gives out masked compliments like the ones he gives to Jane when they are arguing. He seems to be pretty slick and charming actually, enough so that even little Miss. Grudge, Jane, is okay with the guy. I think Jane realizes in this section that not all adults are just good and bad. There are some grey areas, in which adults can be a little bit argumentative and hard to get along with, but not flat out cruel, which is where I think Mr. Rochester stands. Jane also develops a sense of sympathy for poor little Adele when she finds out her mother abandoned her in Paris, and starts being nicer to her and might feel like they have a sort of connection because of their missing parents. I feel Jane grows a little in this sense too, she’s learning that the world isn’t out to get her, but that there are other people out there who are suffering as well.

Assignment 5

So far I am enjoying the book much more than I thought I would.  Jane Eyre is a dark novel with many mysteries woven through it.  As soon as it starts to get a little tedious, something big happens and the book catches your attention once again. When I first read this book, I was a few years younger at the time and didn’t understand the language as much, which led to me not enjoying it. In chapters 14 and 15, the conversation between Rochester and Jane gave the reader more information on Rochester. He revealed to Jane that Adele’s mother was a French singer and dancer with whom he loved. He indulged her with all the money, clothes, and jewellery she wanted, and she ended up cheating on him with another man. He told Jane how he got revenge and, months later when Adele’s mother abandoned her and claimed she was his, denied the truth but still took her in anyway. During the course of their conversation, Jane immediately noticed he was drunk and he continually made her uncomfortable and eager to leave. Jane becomes closer to Adele after their conversation, understanding that the situation between her parents was not her fault and becoming more accepting of her faults because they reflect those of her selfish mother. I believe Jane feels a connection between her and Adele because they both know what it is like to feel abandoned and parentless. 

Assignment 4

I like the beginning of this chapter because it was a nice shift in the story. I thought we really saw her break down as a character because she had been so strong and independent for such a period of time in the last couple of chapters. I did not like to see that she was broken up, but I just thought it was weird because of what we said in class about that notion of being without parents as a main character. Not knowing what to do because she does not have anyone for support, and being in this new environment at Lowood feels almost like a trap. However I liked how everything seemed to change for her because of how Helen treated her. Unfortunately, Jane Eyre being the gothic novel it is, had to crush the good moment faster than it took to come into the picture, with Helens death. I think that Jane Eyre's situation is fairly similar to fairy tale princesses due to similar situations in their stories. I think that the only difference is that Jane has found more adversity more often than anything, despite her somewhat feminist attitude. I thought that the use of Mrs. Fairfax's descriptions of Rochester seem to affect my thoughts of the story. I think that because of that it creates a fear for Jane because you don't exactly know what could potentially happen to her, and because you do not know Mr. Brocklehurst. I think that Charlotte Bronte establishes this affect with all of her description, as well as her build up in the story. I think it was interesting how she saw a spirit, which led her to meet Mr. Rochester who was somewhat the same as what Mrs. Fairfax had said about him. But somehow despite that he and Jane are similar in some ways as a result of family history. I'm somewhat intrigued by Rochester and Jane's relationship because it appears really shaky at the moment and almost a mystery.

Assignment 4

Jane continues to endure a hard life at Lowood, although her blossoming relationship with Ms. Temple helps her to tolerate being there. Soon, Helen dies from the consumption and Jane makes a new friend, Mary Ann. After telling Ms. Temple the truth about her life growing up, Jane is excused from all things accused of her by Mr. Brocklehurst and begins to excel in school. After completing six years as a student and two years as a teacher, Jane decides to leave school in search of a new life after Ms. Temple leaves. She receives a letter from a Mrs. Fairfax inviting her to teach a young French girl named Adele at Thornfield Manor. A while after being there, Jane unknowingly meets Mr. Rochester, the owner of Thornfield, while out mailing a letter. She later comes back to Thornfield to find him there and discovers who he is.  Jane has a very similar story compared to other mistreated heroines such as Cinderella or Snow White. As a child, her life is very grim, living under the control of negligent family members and has very few friends. She is taught that she is always the one at fault and deserves her punishments. Mrs. Fairfax’s description of Rochester leads the reader to believe he is a respectable, warm and responsible man who is respected throughout the community and household. He is however, a somewhat mysterious character in the way that he is rarely at Thornfield and takes care of business from afar. Rochester’s appearance in the book states that he has a dark face with stern features and a heavy brow and is somewhat younger looking. He’s not quite handsome nor charming, but there is something about him that makes you think twice. He is somewhat abrupt and upfront in his manner, so comparing him with the more classic romantic hero makes him seem a bit odd.

Please remember to read comments!

I will be continuing to post comments to many of your posts. Please be sure to read those in order to get a sense of how you're doing --I will often make suggestions for improvement, which will impact your grade. And feel free to read and comment on your classmates' posts!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Assignment 3

Well, I said I would have like to see the story pick-up more, in the sense of more fear since it is a gothic novel. It picked up, but not in the way I was hoping, it was somewhat better though. At first I thought that it was starting to show some of the detail in the setting again. I thought that although it was the generic " dark and stormy" day it still started to set the mood for wht was about to happen, as well as the (in my assumption, almost medievil looking) school that she is going to. I understand that you have to establish the character to an extent, but I just could not deal with all the detail. I thought that, there were more aspects of terror, both in psychological and physical ways. I think that the way Mr. Brocklehurst tries to force religion on her by scaring her into thinking that she will go to hell for doing anything that the Bible sees as unjust and not repent for in essence. The physical is more so with Helen because of how Miss Scatcherd treats her. I think that Helen's philosophy is good to an extent. I think that it is good to be forgiving, but at some point you do have to stand up for yourself, as Jane said. I think that also continues to show Jane's strength as a character.

Assignment 2

I thought the first four chapters of Jane Eyre were very interesting. I felt like the beginning of the book dragged to a certain extent. I thought that all of the description put into talking about certain characters was unnecessary. Maybe it’s just me, but I just did not like all of the descriptiveness of it. I understand that because it follows the whole gothic genre, it paints pictures of terror with descriptive details of settings and characters.

However, despite the obvious dislike from her semi-evil aunt and bratty cousin John, I don’t think that it is necessary to describe them in such a large amount of detail. I think the way she described the Uncle was necessary, because he passed away and seems like he a bigger impact on her.

I thought that some darkness of the story finally comes out when she sees the ghost in the red-room. I thought that is when details became very important. I felt like this painted a picture of the setting of the book because of the setting in the red-room and those descriptions. When she says, “the glittering eyes of fear moving where all else was still, had the effect of a real spirit: I thought it one of the tiny phantoms, half fairy, half imp,” it creates a mystery because you have no idea what she is really seeing. I think that my favorite part was when Jane stood up for herself when her aunt was trying to make things even more difficult her by throwing all these accusations about her lying, because I think showed her strength as a main character. I like the book somewhat; I just would like to see it pick up some more.

Assignment 5 -- Jane Eyre pgs 177-211

Read the assigned chapters, then write a 250 word (well-edited! thoughtful!) blog/reaction. Consider the following questions as your write.

Are you enjoying the book so far? Why/why not?

Chapter 14 gives more insight on the nature of Rochester through his battle of wits with Jane. What is revealed about Rochester here? What is the outcome of their conversation?

Why does Jane become more affectionate and tolerant of Adèle, both literally and figuratively?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Jane eyre #2

Jane Eyre is an Orphan who lives with her Aunt and her cousins in a big old house. Jane is not very well liked by any of them. Her cousins pick on her and her Aunt makes her seem like she is a burden. Jane Eyre is treated like one of the slaves. Jane does not have many friends, mostly fiends. Their is one nanny that takes better care of them than the rest of them her name is bessie. I feel like Jane is a lot like Charlotte, in living a lonely cold life. 

Jane Eyre assignment 3

I think that Miss Temple is the complete opposite of all other characters in the book because she's actually sort of nice to Jane Eyre. She at least acknowledges that she exists unlike her very cruel aunt. I feel this way because the other teachers are definitely not very nice and understanding and they always punish the children for the most idiotic reasons and the other adults always treat Jane Eyre like a piece of garbage and they don't even give her a chance and just hit and beat her for the smallest little things. I completely disagree with Mr. Brocklehurst's view of education. I feel this way because just because his view of everything is that if you don't bathe then you get beat and that everyone should live in harsh, bad living environments, and he thinks that all little girls should get their hair cut off so they won't be self centered and conceited. I heavily disagree with that because just because a girl has long hair that doesn't automatically mean that a girl is going to be conceited. Also living in harsh living environments would be terrible because that could mess with the minds of little children and make their attitude even worse. I also don't believe that getting small amounts of food would help the discipline of any little growing children because children that are growing need more food anyways.

Jane Eyre assignment 2

I think that this book is a very sad and depressing book. I feel this way because Jane Eyre is a little orphan child with really no one that loves her and the only person that ever loved her was her uncle. Also she works as a servant for her very mean aunt. The aunt tells Jane Eyre that if she doesn't learn how to talk and act right she can't come back into her house. Also even though Jane Eyre is a part of their family and treated Jane as if she was a good for nothing dog. I think that Charlotte Bronte make Jane Eyre's life like that because it might resemble how Charlotte fell while she was living her life. I think that this book also shows how lonely and afraid Charlotte Bronte was living as a child and living with three sisters and a brother. Jane Eyre's allies was really only her uncle because he was the only person that would ever have been there for Jane Eyre and now that he's dead she really has no friends and her enemies are pretty much her entire family becuase they don't treat her fairly or with respect and they always just give her a terrible time. I noticed that when i looked up Charlotte Bronte's life it said that she really put a lot of effort into this book and really brought her soul into the subject that she was talking about.

jane eyre 4

In chapters eight through fourteen, Jane endures very harsh conditions at the school she attends, she is starved, mistreated and shun away by her fellow classmates when she has done nothing wrong, and even loses her best friend Helen Burns to typhoid fever. Like other mistreated, unfortunate, heroines from fairytales and children’s stories, Jane is treated very badly but she herself is just an innocent child caught up in the wrong setting, she has no guidance and no parental figure to help her grow. This story reminds me of Annie and Oliver Twist because she is poor, alone in the world, and has no one there for her, but it also seems to have a hint of Cinderella and Snowwhite because she does have some distant relatives who really don’t care much for her and don’t really want to take responsibility for her. Her friends in the story are: Helen(whom she sadly loses along the way), Miss Temple, and Mrs. Fairfax, whom she goes to live with in a place called Thornfield. She moves here with Mrs. Fairfax to be a sort of nanny to a little, French speaking, girl who Mr. Rochester is in charge of. Mrs. Fairfax describes the owner of the estate as a great stately man who is not around for a lot of the time but has good intentions and is well respected. Charlotte Bronte achieves the effect of making him out to look like the flawless romantic hero’s we all know and love by having Mrs. Fairfax tell us about him as sort of an introduction rather than having him just appear in the story and blend in like everyone else. He’s the typical knight in shining armor, the wealthy owner of a big beautiful estate who is all about helping the less fortunate.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Assignment 4 -- Jane Eyre, pgs 89-177 (Chpts 8-14)

Write a 300 word blog/journal. Consider the following questions in your entry. Also, as a reminder, feel free to read and respond to your classmates blogs!

Compare Jane Eyre to other mistreated heroines from children's stories (Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White). Given that Jane Eyre is the novel that broke many rules about how a mistreated heroine should act, compare and contrast them to Jane.

What affect does Mrs. Fairfax's description of Rochester have on the reader? How does Brontë achieve this affect?

Comment on the character and appearance of Rochester. How does he measure up to other romantic heroes?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

jane eyre 3

Jane Eyre 3
This section of the book was so very pessimistic and even more morbid than the last section. It seem like no matter where Jane goes, misfortune will follow her. Its hopeless…Chapter five starts with Jane’s journey to her new school, there she quickly makes friends with a girl named Helen Burns and is interviewed by one of her new teachers, Miss Temple. This one teacher differs from all the other adult characters in this book so far because she is actually nice to the students and goes easy on them, while the others hit and punish for the smallest little things. She was also responsible for their extra bit off food that they received because of her consideration that the breakfast was inedible and too small in portion. In chapter six, Jane sees her only friend Helen get punished and beaten for not having clean nails, this was an unfair punishment, as the water in the pitchers was frozen and it was not really her fault that she couldn’t bathe. Helen justifies this as a way of being corrected and in the big holy book it says to love your enemies. I still, however, have to agree with Jane, if someone hurts you, your instinct is naturally to dislike them, not accept their criticism and punishments. This also seems to be Mr. Brocklehurst’s view on education, that and harsher terms of living, such as ridiculously small rations of food and cutting off all the girls hair so that they wont be vain. I really don’t like him and if there is a ghost of monster of some sort in this story, I hope he is the first to go, followed by Jane’s aunt.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Assignment 3

Chapter five begins with Jane leaving Gateshead Hall early in the morning, embarking on a long carriage ride to her new school. She arrives there late at night but doesn’t notice much as she is tired and falls asleep soon after she arrives. The next day, she is woken up before dawn and is immediately subject to long hours of sitting still through classes, overworked and underfed. Most of the teachers are cruel and unforgiving, regularly beating the children for trivial things. When Jane was still living with the Reeds, Mr. Brocklehurst, the owner of the school, came to visit and interview Jane. He was a harsh, cold man and when he spoke of the other teachers, you presumed they would be of the same demeanor. However, when Jane got to school one of the teachers stood out from the others. Miss Temple was probably the kindest teacher there. She rarely punished the students and felt terrible when doing so, even to the worst behaved students. Miss Temple is one of the first adult characters in the novel that displays any sort of affection, besides Bessie. Helen Burns, a fellow pupil at the school, is cruelly mistreated by one of the teachers on a daily basis. Jane is surprised to learn that she puts up with it without a fight. Helen tells her that she lives by a philosophy of loving her enemies and accepting her hardships. I think this is a bold belief for a child to live by and shows that she is wise beyond her years. Mr. Brocklehurst’s philosophy of education is incredibly harsh and biased, treating the children as if they were slaves. He believes in denying the body and soul of indulgences, forcing hard labor and self-deniance upon them. 

Assignment 3 -- Pages 49-89 Blog

Write a 250 word blog in response to pages 49-89 (chapters 5-7). Consider the following questions as you read and write:
  • How does Miss Temple fit in with your expectations of her from Brocklehurst's interview with Jane? In fact, how does her character compare to most of the other adult characters encountered in the text so far?
  • In Chapter 6, Jane receives another lesson in strength, this time from Helen Burns. What do you think of her philosophy?
  • What do you think of Mr. Brocklehurst's philosophy of education in Chapter 7?

Sunday, November 2, 2008

jane eyre 2

Jane Eyre 2
The first 45 pages of the book “Jane Erye” give the reader a good look into Jane’s bleak life. She lives with her abusive aunt and three cousins who beat her and works as a sort of servant for them, her uncle who loved her and took her in when she didn’t have anyone has died and there is no one to protect her and make sure she is treated fairly. Charlotte Bronte makes Jane’s life seem so lonely and alienated from others even though she is related to the family she lives with, they treat her like a slave and don’t let her associate with them. They don’t let her sit with them and tell her to refer to them as her masters. Bronte probably gives Jane this job and puts her in this particular position because of how she felt in her lifetime and uses Jane’s sad life and situation to project her own life tragedies. Jane’s own cousins, aunt, one of the servants are all her enemies. Her one allie consists of one of the servants named Bessie who comforts her and helps her to the best of her abilities without Jane‘s aunt knowing. In this section of the book, Jane is locked up in the red room when she fights back at her cousin who injures her and thinks she sees a ghost appear in the room were her uncle died. She screams but the servants and her aunt think that she’s just trying to trick them into letting her out and keep her in there. Jane then wakes up in her room with Bessie and a plant doctor who tell her that she’s fallen ill. She tells the doctor of how unhappy she is in that place and all he can tell her is that she’s fortunate to have such a kind aunt and cousins and that she should be happy and grateful to live in such a splendid house. She just nods and her life as a Cinderella figure continues.

Assignment 2

Jane Eyre is an orphaned girl, living with her unforgiving aunt and cousins. She is usually kept by herself in a room for most of the day. When she isn’t locked up, she usually is kept busy cleaning. Later on in the novel, Jane works as a governess at Thornfield Manor. Charlotte Bronte most likely gave Jane Eyre this job because she was once a governess herself.  Jane has one ally, Bessie, the maid at Gateshead Hall. She is the only one there who treats her with any kindness, telling her stories and singing songs to her. Jane has absolutely no friends. The only children she has interacted with are cruel and beat her on a regular basis. At first I thought reading this book would be boring because I read it for school a few years ago, but I don’t really remember much of it so it will be interesting to be able to form a new opinion of it.  The novel so far is very dark and dreary, but I am interested in reading further and finding out about the school Jane is being sent to and how the book will digress. 

Jane Eyre 2

Caitlin Doherty
Jane Eyre 2


In the first four chapters I found out a lot about Jane Eyre. She is ten years old and an orphan living with her cruel aunt and cousins. The story starts with Jane coming in from a walk on a winter day and seeing her aunt and cousins sitting around the fire together. Then her aunt tells her to leave until she can speak and act right. Jane not knowing what she has done to be punished leaves and hides behind a curtain and reads. Then later her least favorite cousin John comes to look for her, but doesn’t see her behind the curtain and calls for his sisters. One looks in and gives away Jane’s hiding place. Then John, who likes to harass Jane, uses her hiding as an excuse to taunt and then hurt her. He pulls Jane’s hair so hard her head bleeds and then she hits John. He cries for his mother and she sees Jane hit him and calls Bessie and Abbot, servants, to pull her away and lock her in the red-room. The red-room is were Jane’s uncle, who was nice to her for the short time she knew him, died and when Jane is locked in there she starts getting scared. Then Jane sees a light on the wall coming from nothing and runs to the door to try to open it and finds it locked so she screams. Bessie and Abbot come running and ask her what’s wrong and if she’s ill she says no, but is crying and tells them what happened. Then her aunt comes up and scolds the servants for opening the door when she said not to until she came for Jane. They explain what happened and Jane begs her aunt to have mercy and punish somewhere else her aunt ignores her and walks away telling the servants to keep Jane where she is and then Jane faints. When Jane wakes up Bessie and the apothecary Mr. Lloyd are in the nursery looking at Jane who is now in her own bed. Jane recovers and a few months pass. Then one day her aunt calls Jane to come downstairs and she enters the drawing room where she is never allowed and a tall man is there. He asks Jane’s name then tells her he is Mr. Brocklehurst from Lowood School. The three talk and her aunt tells him Jane is a horrible child who lies and never follows orders. They finish talking and he hands Jane a book about a bad girl who suddenly died and then tells her aunt that Jane can come to the school. He leaves and Jane gets up her courage and tells off her aunt and tells her how her aunt and cousins are the bad ones. She scares her aunt and wins a feeling of vengeance then later she feels bad so she goes out for a walk. Bessie calls for her and then comes to get her when she doesn’t come and scolds her. Jane hugs Bessie and tells her she’s leaving and they talk then they go spend the afternoon together and Jane experiences happiness, a very rare feeling for her.
I don’t understand the question what is Jane’s job because she’s just a child and doesn’t have one so I can’t answer the first two questions. Jane’s allies are Mr. Lloyd and Bessie. Her enemies are her aunt, her cousins, Abbot, and Mr. Brocklehurst.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Jane Eyre Blog.

Jane Eyre starts off with Jane taking a walk during a chilly afternoon and coming back and seeing a few little children cuddling with their mother next to a fire, and the mother has a look of perfect peace on her face. and a little girl accuses Jane of something and Jane is put in a kind of time-out for a while until she can speak respectfully. and then a school boy named John catches Jane behind a curtain and ask what she was doing and Jane answers "Reading". and John scolds her for that. Jane then insuls him and he cries and whines about it and says he'll snitch to "Mamma". Jane is taken away and she ressits that whole time and it takes two people to stop her. all this stuff happens, but Jane then see's something and a girl named Bessie asks her what she saw and Jane answers "A Ghost". Jane is left in the red-room and she eventually falls asleep and wakes up hours later. And John is there. a song is sang and Jane falls down and Bessie comes and then an Apothocary comes and asks what happened. and Jane says she was pushed. and Jane is feeling ill. the apathocary asks why and says that she is ill from being in the same room as a ghost until after dark.

Then Jane meet's Mrs Reed and she scolds Jane a little bit and says what would Uncle Reed say is he could hear you now. and in a flash christmas, the new year and november, december, and january passed. and Jane keeps defying people over the months. and then Jane is sent so some room where she meets a man who asks her all these questions about her. the man keeps interrogating her for a while, asking all these weird questions. after the questiong Jane went back to the nursery so they could treat her illness. and then Mrs Reed scolds her calling a liar and Jane argues back. and Jane talks to Bessie and they have a long talk. Bessei calls Jane all these names, but says that she doesn't dislike Jane, but holds her in the highest regard. and then Bessie tells Jane all of these enchanting stories. and that's the end.