Guy Fawkes

"...gave me credit for being a sort of infantile Guy Fawkes." (pg. 25)

"Guy Fawkes is the infamous English man who attempted to blow up Parliament in the 17th century with 12 other men. The group of men was lead by Robert Catesby, but it is Guy Fawkes who is remembered for the November 5th plan to blow up Parliament. Several of the men had second thoughts about the plan and betrayed the group to English officials. Fawkes was the only one found with the gunpowder that had been planted beneath Parliament. He was subsequently tortured, tried and hung. Jane finds humor in the fact that Abbot compares her to Guy Fawkes. Bronte's comparison between Jane and Fawkes helps to illustrates the foolishnes and close-minded attitude of Abbot's character."

http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/guy_fawkes_portrait.jpg

http://jayneroch.blogspot.com/2008/11/guy-fawkes.html

Song - Lonely Boy

The song I chose reflects Mr. Rochester and his relationship with Jane. The lyrics in particular that relate:

Well I’m so above you
And it’s plain to see
But I came to love you anyway
So you pulled my heart out
And I don’t mind bleeding
Any old time you keep me waiting
Waiting, waiting

Even though he is above her in social class, and she is his employee, he becomes infatuated with her, even when she up and leaves him after she discovers Bertha.

Nile Hardy
Mr. OBrien
British Literature
2/26/14





Often outrageous and funny the show Tom and Jerry, does share a few things in common with Jane Eyre.  It is actual pretty surprising, how well this particular Tom and Jerry scene depicts the whole marriage ordeal, that Jane goes through.  I view Jane as Jerry, small, cute, but cunning, and Mr. Rochester as Tom, because he tried to perform  bigamy, which has to mean he is schemer.  Also when Spike comes into the scene, I view him as Bertha Mason, and also the truth, that Mr. Rochester and Jane cannot be married.



Below is line to Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLP6QluMlrg

Jane Eyre vs. Phantom of the Opera

While reading the Love and Passion section in the Wikipedia article on Jane Eyre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Eyre#Love_and_passion), I began thinking about Victorian England and the love triangle presented in the novel. In analyzing the theme, I realized that it reminded me of one of my favorite musicals, the Phantom of the Opera. Yes, everything reminds me of plays, but this comparison stood out to me. Just read the plot of the popular musical: http://www.broadway.com/shows/the-phantom-of-the-opera/story/ .




In Jane Eyre, the biggest plot point so far is finding out that Rochester already has a wife. This creates a huge conflict for Jane because she loves him but she can't be with him. Similarly, in Phantom of the Opera, the main character, Christine, is in love with the Phantom but can't be with him because he is a psychopath. Mr. Rochester asks Jane to run away with him in the same manner that the Phantom asks Christine to stay with him. In the Wikipedia article it says, "Jane had been riding on a wave of emotion, forgetting all thoughts of reason and logic, replacing God with Mr. Rochester in her eyes, and allowing herself to be swept away in the moment." The same can be said of Christine. Christine, like Jane, is an orphan. When her father died, he promised that an "angel of music" would visit her. Because of this she believes that the Phantom is the ghost of her father and she loses all sense of reason and trusts him completely. The Phantom becomes God in Christine's eyes too. When Christine realizes what he has done to her she says, "I gave you my mind blindly," a quote that can also describe Jane Eyre's relationship with Rochester.


Both Phantom of the Opera and Jane Eyre are set in the late 1800's, but the Phantom of the Opera takes place in France rather than England. Despite the difference, there are similar themes of morals and religion. Mr. Rochester and the Phantom are both haunted by their turbulent pasts. The Phantom has been an outcast all of his life because of his face and the rejection has turned him into a murderer and a manipulative psychopath. Mr. Rochester's past has made him deceitful and defensive. Both seek for forgiveness and love despite their pasts. In the Phantom of the Opera, Christine never forgives the Phantom but says, "Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you you are not alone." She then kisses him and leaves him forever. This is different from the end of Jane Eyre, when Jane goes back to Rochester, but it has the same themes of forgiveness and moving on. Also, the Phantom's mask can be related to Jane Eyre. Rochester wears a metaphorical mask by hiding the fact of his marriage until it is "ripped off" when the truth is revealed.




In conclusion, listen to this song from Phantom of the Opera. It is a love song between Christine and her other love, Raul. This is after the Phantom has killed a man on stage and threatened the audience and cast. In the song, Raul assures Christine that he will protect her. However, if you think of it as a conversation between Jane and Rochester, the lyrics take on a different meaning entirely.

Phrenology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JFApIRAl6Y

This video of the lyrics and song "Daydreamer" by Adele, depict a woman looking or envisioning a man (possible lover). She accounts in great detail his visage, what he could possibly be thinking and his habits (ie: you will find him sitting on your doorstep, waiting for the surprise...And you can tell that he'll be there for life) Although this is not completely phrenology it showcases how by observing you can see into a person's motives, desires and dreams, not just their mental capacity or intelligence.

Independent Research on Jane Eyre - Typhus

Typhus

What is it?

-Disease that inflicts humans with the Rickettsia prowazekii bacteria originating from lice and other small bugs-Symptoms include:severe headache, high fever(first and most common symptom), cough, rash, severe muscle pain, chills, falling blood pressure, stupor, sensitivity to light, delirium, and death-Can notice these symptoms as soon as one to two weeks after exposure-Found mostly in times of war and deprivation-Treated with antibiotics-Mortality rate:10 to 60 percent(vastly lower if antibiotics are used before first 8 days)-It can be used as a biological weapon-Accounts of the disease date as way back as ancient Greek times
     

How does it relate to Jane Eyre?
-Cause of death for both her parents and why she is living with her cruel aunt and cousins(the Reeds) at Gateshead
-There was an outbreak at Lowood, the Christian charity school, in which many of the students came down with it except for Jane
           
 Interesting link to "Public Health in Jane Eyre and Victorian Era"                    http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/jane1.html
Industrialization and Urbanization caused Typhus?
-Poor sanitation in households and bad working conditions(for all people of any status)
Deprivation/Poor conditions at Lowood?


Contemporary Jane Eyre Song:
http://youtu.be/s8LIRtPnuA8

I was interested in studying what women's lives were like in the 1800s so I researched a bit about that from http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/overview.htm

- "They had to obey men, because in most cases men held all the resources and women had no independent means of subsistence."
- Girls received less education than boys, were barred from universities, and could obtain only low-paid jobs
-Women's sole purpose was to marry and reproduce
-If a woman was unhappy with her situation there was, almost without exception, nothing she could do about it
- Anything she earned belonged to him.

why did this change??
- Civil War and the fourteenth amendment led to women advocating for their rights as well
- Declaration of the Rights of Women during the French Revolution



my song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg-kY_-4we0

Jane Eyre Independent Study

Jane is in love with a married man and is still struggling to come to grips with that.  I suggest she reads this article.

http://love.allwomenstalk.com/love-tips-for-a-woman-in-love-with-a-married-man

She feels stuck, lost in her own ways a little bit.  Caught up in her new life but conflicted.  Each way she turns, she can't really find a better solution.


This song applies to Jane on the inside.  Although she has moved from town to town, she still feels lost.  Her "town" is on the inside and feels like there is no way out.  Even if there is some good that comes out of it, she is still surrounded by "vampires. Turns out I'm a vampire myself in the devil town."

Love Versus Autonomy

The video we watched in class talked about Autonomy, but in a difference sense.  The video talked about Autonomy from incentives.  But if Jane frees herself from love, she might feel less of the stresses.

Victorian Jamaica

In the Victorian Era, where Jane Eyre is set, Jamaica was a British colony. England had obtained Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655 through force, and then through the Treaty of Madrid in 1670. Then known as the Colony of Jamaica, its capitol was called Spanish Town, due to it having been the capitol of Spanish Jamaica previously. It was here that Bertha Mason lived before Mr. Rochester took her back to England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Mason

The Colony of Jamaica became a huge source of both sugar and slaves for England. Jamaica would remain England's top sugar supplier throughout the 18th century. Many Englishmen moved to Jamaica in order to profit from the sugar crops and associated slave labor, which would explain why Rochester's father would want to get in on such a huge inheritance.

The continued profit from the sugar meant that elitism remained prevalent longer than slave labor did. The slave trade was abolished in 1808, and slavery followed in 1834. Despite these progressive movements, as well as laws put into place to promote equal rights for all races, white British control for the profit of sugar lasted until the sugar trade suffered two huge blows: first, the Sugar Duties Act of 1846, and the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Jamaica

Bertha was known as a "Creole," which, in terms of Jamaica and other Caribbean areas, meant she and her family were descendants of former slaves who formed their own independent culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_peoples#Former_Spanish_Colonies

An independent group of escaped slaves, known as Maroons, lived in a truce with the British until 1795, once British rulership over Jamaica changed. In what was referred to as the Second Maroon War, the Maroons surrendered to the British under the agreement they would not be deported. This promise would later be gone back upon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Maroons

Jane Eyre- The little Guy Fawkes

"Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605." -Wikipedia (Guy Fawkes)

• Abbot refers to Jane as "miniature Guy Fawkes" after she fights John Reed
• the only accuracy in this statement Fawkes fought as well but not in the same context or in the same matter as Jane

"Guy Fawkes is the infamous English man who attempted to blow up Parliament in the 17th century with 12 other men. The group of men was lead by Robert Catesby, but it is Guy Fawkes who is remembered for the November 5th plan to blow up Parliament. Several of the men had second thoughts about the plan and betrayed the group to English officials. Fawkes was the only one found with the gunpowder that had been planted beneath Parliament. He was subsequently tortured, tried and hung. Jane finds humor in the fact that Abbot compares her to Guy Fawkes. Bronte's comparison between Jane and Fawkes helps to illustrates the foolishness and close-minded attitude of Abbot's character." -Kat Zachary, link to blog: http://jayneroch.blogspot.com/2008/11/guy-fawkes.html

• Once again shows how Abbot is incorrect in comparing Jane to Guy Fawkes

The song Amsterdam by Imagine Dragons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKtPXO5iEnA) touches on Jane's feeling of everything being her fault. It is also similar to Jane Eyre in that it talks about being alone and having to wait for your turn for things to go right. Jane is a very lonely person and Mr. Rochester even points this out, she also has had a life of waiting for it to be her "turn" for a good life.

Jane Eyre Soundtrack

This would play as Rotchester sits alone after his wedding is ruined.  He realizes that he could not escape his past, because "the weight of lies will bring you down."

A Little About Charlotte Bronte/Typhus in Jane Eyre

Biography

Charlotte Bronte:born in 1816, the third daughter of the Rev. Patrick Brontë and his wife Maria. In 1825 the two eldest daughters, became ill, left the Clery Daughter's school and died: Charlotte was brought home. After playing with a box of wooden soldiers her father brought home Charlotte became fascinated with an imaginary world, Angria .In 1839 she accepted a position as governess in the Sidgewick family, but left after three months and returned to Haworth. In 1841 she became governess in the White family, but left, once again, after nine months. Bronte did not learn to truly love her husband. A reverend object a proposal to Bronte. Pretty similar life, huh.

Typhus

During the spring at Lowood an outbreak of typhus fever ravages the school.Helen dies from the disease in Jane’s arms. The deaths by typhus alert the benefactors that the school is in unsuitable conditions. Mr. Brocklehurst is revealed to have been using the funds to fund his luxurious lifestyle.

Typhus: A series of acute infectious diseases that appear with a sudden onset of headache, chills, fever, and general pains, proceed on the third to fifth day with a rash and toxemia (toxic substances in the blood), and terminate after two to three weeks.

"While disease had thus become an inhabitant of Lowood, and death its frequent visitor; while there was gloom and fear within its walls; while its rooms and passages steamed with hospital smells, the drugs and the pastille striving vainly to overcome the effluvia or mortality, that bright May shone unclouded over the bold hills and beautiful woodland out of doors."-Page 65

No wonder the girls are sick. "Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the sever cold: we had no botts, the snow got into our shoes and melted there; our ungloved hands became numbed and covered with chilblains, as were our feet. Then the scanty supply of food was distressing." (Jane Eyre, 50)


Typhus is not as common today and occurs in the southeastern and southern United States, often during the summer and fall. 

Song Related To Jane Eyre

Lonely-Akon

"ya know got that one good girl who's always been there like ya Know took all the bull**** then one day she can't take it no more and decides to leave." This describes Jane journey this far in the book. She cannot take Lowood anymore and decides to find a job as a governess. Also, jane decides she cannot handle Thornfield anymore because of Mr. Rochester's wife and decides to run away. "Ever since my girl left me, my whole life came crashing." Mr. Rochester feels this way, he wants Jane to stay with him and not leave.

The novel "Pamela" relating to "Jane Eyre"

Overview of Pamela-the novel Jane references in Ch.1

Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, first published in 1740. It tells the story of a beautiful 15-year old maidservant named Pamela Andrews, whose nobleman master, Mr. B, makes unwanted advances towards her after the death of his mother, whose maid she was since age 12. Mr. B is infatuated with her, first by her looks and then her innocence and intelligence, but his high rank hinders him from proposing marriage. He abducts her, locks her up in one of his estates, and attempts to seduce and rape her. She rejects him continually, but starts to realise that she is falling in love with him. He intercepts her letters to her parents; reading them, he becomes even more enamored by her innocence, intelligence, and continuous escape attempts. Her virtue is eventually rewarded when he sincerely proposes an equitable marriage to her. In the novel's second part, Pamela attempts to build a successful relationship with him and to acclimatise to upperclass society. The story, a best-seller of its time, was very widely read but criticised for its perceived licentiousness

Relating to Bronte's Jane Eyre:

• Jane and Pamela are in similar positions, governesses and employed by powerful and power hungry men who have only known to seek and use the tool of dominance over women 
• Jane and Pamela, both young, are viewed as innocent 
• It is interesting to note that Jane references the novel because Pamela is portrayed to be beautiful and that is why her master Mr. B is first infatuated by her; in contrast, Jane's beauty is rarely noted or complimented 
• Despite their differences in physiognomy, both Jane and Pamela share an impressive level of intellect, making them attractive in the eyes of their employers 
• Both Mr. B and Mr. Rochester voice their feelings and make advances throughout the novels. And in the beginning, both Pamela and Jane reject them, fearing the men do not love them for the right reasons 
• However, after both men propose a marriage where both partners are treated equal, both relationships blossom

Song related to the novel Jane Eyre-after reading the recent chapters 26-28, I thought the latest itune hit,  "Let Her Go" by Passenger was appropriate because although he appears to be unwilling to the idea of Jane leaving, he does not (as we know) run after her. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26SDD60m_kY

Mental Illness in 19th century

 

Until the mid-19^th century, mental illness was believed to be a result of a demonic and evil presence in the soul. As result, they were treated as if they were animals; they were locked in cages, often wore little clothing, and were only given small amounts of food. Around 1850, people began to believe that the mentally ill were actually suffering from a disease that could be researched and cured, and not evil possession. Patients began to be treated with much more attention and care, and doctors would visit them. During this era, women were deemed more susceptible than men to mental illness because they did not have as much mental capacity as men. As a result women often hid their feelings, because one breakdown could be considered a mental illness.

The Jane Eyre character Bertha has a mental illness. Because this book was written in 1847, the mentally ill were still being treated as animals. This is evident in the way Bertha is locked up in the attic under the close supervision of Grace Poole. A few quotes that emphasize her animal-like depiction are:

“The lunatic sprang and grappled his throat viciously, and laid her teeth to his cheek: they struggled.” (293) This quote gives Bertha the attitude of a wild animal. The fact that she physically attacks her husband and bites him portrays her as some vicious wild animal.

“What it was, whether a beast or human being, one could not, at first sight, tell: it groveled seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered with clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a mane, hid its head and face.” (292) When Jane refers to Bertha as “it,” it is a perfect example of the comparison of mentally ill humans to animals in the Victorian era. This entire quote, Jane’s first experience with Bertha, is an in depth description that relates perfectly to the perception of the mentally ill in the 1800s.



Song: Mr. Rochester dealing with Jane leaving him and Thornfield

The 1847 View of Insanity

While the description of Bertha Mason's insanity is now considered " both a racist and insensitive portrayal of insanity," the portrayal of her insanity is accurate to the understanding and sensitivity to mental illness at the time in which Jane Eyre takes place. 

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/iwama8.html

"Bertha Mason's Madness in a Contemporary Context." Bertha Mason's Madness in a Contemporary Context. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

The song I would pick to narrate this movie would be Ghost inside by Broken Bells because the song is about hollowness and emptiness within a loving exterior which seems to perfectly fit this story and the characters. 

Jane's Evolution

gov·ern·ess /ˈgʌvɚnəs/ noun

plural gov·ern·ess·es

[count] : a woman who is paid to care for and teach a child in the child's house

Governess Role

“The governess occupied a uniquely awkward position in the Victorian household, because she was neither a servant nor yet a member of the host family. A governess had a middle-class background and education, yet was paid for her services. As a sign of this social limbo she frequently ate on her own, away from the rest of the family and servants. By definition, a governess was an unmarried woman who lived in someone else's home, which meant that she was subject to their rules.”

“The governess occupied a uniquely awkward position in the Victorian household, because she was neither a servant nor yet a member of the host family. A governess had a middle-class background and education, yet was paid for her services. As a sign of this social limbo she frequently ate on her own, away from the rest of the family and servants. By definition, a governess was an unmarried woman who lived in someone else's home, which meant that she was subject to their rules.”

My Evolution- Emily King

Despite social normality of a governess position Jane finds what she thought was love by her employer, Mr. Rochester. Finally in this story Jane believes that she has almost found love and happiness. She has evolved From Mrs. Reed to Meeting a nice girl like Helen, to living in a nicer more respected household with Mrs. Fairfax, to almost finding love with Mr. Rochester. Jane has evolved in her situations throughout the readings.  Unfortunately there is a setback with each event. Helen dies and Mr. Rochester is betrayed  her trust by already being married

Jane thought she was getting somewhere meaningful to find out it was a lie. But it was all apart of her evolution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxIYqyQTOl4

Typhus also known as gaol disease or jail fever caused many deaths in both Europe and the Americas. Some historians estimated that more of Napolean's troops were killed by typhus than by Russian soldiers in the retreat in Moscow of 1812. the cause of this disease is thought to be from rats and fleas which were seen in European jails which is why it is called jail fever.

Phrenology in Jane Eyre

"Most true is it that 'beauty is in the eye of the gazer.' My master's colorless, olive face, square, massive brow, broad and jetty eyebrows, deep eyes, strong features, firm, grim mouth,--all energy, decision, will,--were not beautiful, according to rule..." (153).

Many characters in Jane Eyre use this pseudoscience to figure out what they can about the person at fist glance. It is literally judging a book from its cover, and people like Mr. Rochester tends to do that to a lot of people, since he has had a couple bad relationships. This was popular in the 19th century, especially from 1810-1840 in England.

So speaking of motivation, how does every child in a family group up to be a famous writer or poet?

The Bronte sisters: Anne, Emily, and Charlotte all became famous writers separately. Charlotte of course wrote Jane Eyre, while Anne is famous for The Tenant of Widfeld Hall, and Emily for Wuthering Heights. Their brother Branwell was also a respected writer and even painted the above painting.

Back to how they became great writers: During their childhood they would all work together and write stories together with collaborative imagination. Furthermore, the deaths of other sisters and their mother brought the four siblings even closer together and influenced their writing.

But in the end it all started with their father, Patrick Bronte, a respected theologian and writer in his own right

Patrick personally took care of the children's education and encouraged them to read as much as possible, he also almost exclusively brought the girls up after their mother died.

As for a song:

I would use this song from The Coen Brother's great movie O Brother Where Art Thou in a contemporary Jane Eyre set in old world Mississippi or Lousiana in a truly dark portrayal of Childhood and love. This song represent Jane's desire to escape to nature.

Childhood Abuse Effect's on Adulthood

Link 1 Link 2 How to Save a Life childhood abuse very much affect's people later on in life. It changes a lot of their emotions, changes the way that they act, etc. PTSD also comes along with it, making a person unstable and unpredictable. It may also make people much more clingy later on in life being impulsive as well.

Charlotte Bronte's life and Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte drew many instances from her own life to be the basis of her novel. For example her idea for the Lowood School and Jane's terrible time there was stimulated by Bronte's own experience at a terrible boarding school at which two of her sisters died. Bronte also worked as a governess, and used her own experiences with an unruly child to create the unfortunate character John Reed. Bronte's experience as a governess gives her novel a realistic advantage as opposed to an author writing about children who had no experience with them at all.

When Jane is stumbling around the English countryside after being abandoned by her carriage, it's as if living at Thornfield were only a distant dream, so Apres un Reve by Faure (After a Dream) would be the perfect song to accompany her pitiful wanderings
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MJZIDgHJHQc

Gulliver's Travels

4.              In Chapter 3 (page 20), Jane mentions reading Gulliver’s Travels.  What is that story about, and what are Jane’s thoughts about it?  (It’s mentioned again on page 231.)

Also known as Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.
It was written in 1726 by Jonathan Swift.
It discusses, or makes fun of, human nature and the "travelers' tales".
Plot: Lemuel Gulliver is an avid traveler, even though traveling hinders him. He becomes shipwrecked in Lilliput and becomes loved there and becomes a Court member. He is eventually considered a criminal and he leaves and goes to Blefuscu to sail home (his original home).
On his way home he loses his way and takes refuge with a family for awhile until he can travel again.
This happens multiple times- he tries to head home, something bad occurs and he must stay in different countries and towns with different people for different amounts of time. He finally makes it back to his original hometown but decides to go back out at sea. His crew ditches him on land and he makes stay there with Houyhnhnms until he is forced to leave there. He gets saved by another ship, finally returns to his original home and goes insane there.

This relates to Jane Eyre because Jane, although she has no where to go and no original home to go back to like Lemuel Gulliver, is traveling from place to place with no one to turn to and she is all alone with no allies. She becomes a part of one community, only to be forced to leave or feels as though she must leave. She and Lemuel Gulliver are both interlopers, and do best on their own.

Mentioned in the Jane Eyre:
"Bessie asked if I would have a book: the word BOOK acted as a transient stimulus, and I begged her to fetch Gulliver's Travels from the library. This book I had again and again perused with delight. I considered it a narrative of facts, and discovered in it a vein of interest deeper than what I found in fairy tales: for as to the elves, having sought them in vain among foxglove leaves and bells, under mushrooms and beneath the ground-ivy mantling old wall-nooks, I had at length made up my mind to the sad truth, that they were all gone out of England to some savage country where the woods were wilder and thicker, and the population more scant; whereas, Lilliput and Brobdignag being, in my creed, solid parts of the earth's surface, I doubted not that I might one day, by taking a long voyage, see with my own eyes the little fields, houses, and trees, the diminutive people, the tiny cows, sheep, and birds of the one realm; and the corn-fields forest-high, the mighty mastiffs, the monster cats, the tower-like men and women, of the other. Yet, when this cherished volume was now placed in my hand--when I turned over its leaves, and sought in its marvellous pictures the charm I had, till now, never failed to find--all was eerie and dreary; the giants were gaunt goblins, the pigmies malevolent and fearful imps, Gulliver a most desolate wanderer in most dread and dangerous regions. I closed the book, which I dared no longer peruse, and put it on the table, beside the untasted tart" (17 Ch. 3).

SONG CHOICE: When Jane must leave Thornfield and be on her own

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhus The Typhus epidemic occurred during the Great Irish Famine between 1846 and 1849 that then spread to England. "It killed people of all social classes, as lice were endemic and inescapable, but it hit particularly hard in the lower or "unwashed" social strata." This relates to Jane Eyre because Lowood was infected with Typhus. The song that could be in a contemporary remake of Jane Eyre s Love the Way you Lie because Mr. Rochester Lies to Jane about everything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U

ch. 17 "The curtain was swept back from the arch; through it appeared the dining-room, with its lit lustre pouring down light on the silver and glass on a magnificent dessert-service covering a long table; a band of ladies stood in the opening; they entered, and the curtain fell behind them." Why did Charlotte Bronte use curtains as a motif in this story? What do they represent?

ch. 18 "I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out." Jane about Mr. Rochester. Might Jane be falling for Mr. Rochester just because she is naive and this is the first man in her life that has been kind to her?

ch. 19 "You are silly, because, suffer as you may, you will not beckon it to approach, nor will you stir one step to meet it where it waits you." Is Mr. Rochester's speech disguised as a gypsy am accurate explanation of Jane?

ch. 20 "Bitter and base associations have become the sole food of your memory: you wander here and there, seeking rest in exile: happiness in pleasure- I mean in heartless, sensual pleasure- such as dulls intellect and blights felling." What does Mr. Rochester's hypothetical unveiling of his past tell us about his character?

ch. 21 "When I was a little girl, only six years old, I one night heard Bessie Leaven say to Martha Abbot that she had been dreaming about a little child; and that to dream of children was a sure sign of trouble, either to one's self or one's kin." How does the theme of superstition add to the story or conflict with the theme of religion and Christianity?

ch. 22 "I felt glad as the road shortened before me: so glad that I stopped once to ask myself what that joy meant: and to remind reason that it was not to my home I was going, or to a permanent resting-place, or to a place where fond friends looked out for me and waited my arrival." Why is Jane so insistent upon being sad and uncomfortable even after she finds a place as welcoming as Thornfield?

ch. 23 "The thought of Mrs. O'Gall and Bitternutt Lodge struck cold to my heart; and colder the thought of all the brine and foam, destined, as it seemed, to rush between me and the master at whose side I now walked, and coldest the remembrance of the wider ocean- wealth, caste, custom intervened between me and what I naturally and inevitably loved." Will Jane ever overcome her past and learn to see Mr. Rochester as an equal?

ch. 24 "While arranging my hair, I looked at my face in the glass, and felt it was no longer plain: there was hope in its aspect and life in its colour; and my eyes seemed as if they had beheld the fount of fruition, and borrowed beams from the lustrous ripple." Is beauty a theme or motif in this story? If so, why?

Sea of Gold

In a lively sea

of gold and green,

stands a home.

Amidst these colors, alone.

Yellow and gold,

green and blue.

These delicate flowers

turnover anew.

Facing the sky,

reflecting the hidden sun;

they stand tall and together-

their petals, light as a feather.

Long green stems

give way to bright heads,

as they cover the field-

serving for the ground as a shield.

Protecting this soil

from something unseen.

The sky is still,

leaving it gray at will.

The life up above seems dreary and sad

compared to the color 

of  the flowers in the bed

below that are shed.

The sky gave its breath-

asking nothing in return.

Except to its creation below,

to shine with His golden glow.

Choices

Choices, can lead to awe-inspiring things, but can also lead to awful conditions.

Choice, isn’t this obvious.

Decisions can lead to green pastures and bright blue skies,

And decisions can lead to a dreary path.

Then the question arises, what choice to make?

If there is no clear choice,

go with what is in your heart,

what you feel is right.

In the picture, we see an obvious good and bad.

This is not as clear to others though

There is also harsh truth that comes with choice,

The choice of one or the other, you can’t choose both.

The picture can also show destiny.

Destiny, is uncontrolled

Do everything you can to shape your own destiny.

This picture does not show everything

Choice is not an easy decision

Between one or the other

It is usually with various options

The girl is stuck

Pondering on the right choice

But she has to make a choice,

Or she will be stuck in the same spot

The summary of it all is a harsh reality

You are cursed to make choices,

This is life’s biggest challenge

Kindred Spirits

Kindred Spirits

I venture to the edge of the rock

“What stream is this I dare say, Lewis?”

The sound of the rushing water crashes

against the rocks and hills of the valley

“That of the great unknown” he dallies

The unknown hides beneath the river’s water

and springs forth from the trunks of trees

Plants and flowers sprout before us

As well as new birds and new bees

The sky is mighty bright today

The rock, however, cold

The mountains stand tall like proud Americans

For what the gleaming future holds

For months I have observed new rocks and hills

For days I have explored the great Purchase

“Clark, look yonder at the sight good Lord!”

Indeed, the beauty of this surface!