Social Class in Jane Eyre

When Rochester invites his guests to his estate forces the reader to consider social class the most in the novel Jane Eyre. Previously, class had been a concern of Jane's while Rochester seemed to be unperturbed by the concept. When he hosts families of his own class his guests much more conscientious of the difference in their and Jane's social class. Particularly his female guests are aware of the fact that they have a superior social status to Jane's and assume that she is less intelligent because of her station. However, this passage reveals their own ignorance to basic social standards, which are to be polite to others, as they discuss Jane's flaws while she is still in the room. Of course Rochester is still aware that he is the master and Jane is the servant, but when they have their discussions he usually treats her as his intellectual equal. He also takes her into his confidence by revealing the parentage of Adele and his relationship with her mother, as well as his worry over the presence of Mason. This whole section also reveals a flaw of Mr Rochester's as he invites his guests so Miss Ingram can excite the jealousy of Jane. Most contradictory is that Jane doesn't have a very strong reaction to this revelation, even though she is depicted as somewhat rebellious and outspoken in earlier chapters. This can be explained by the simultaneous revelation that Mr Rochester cares for her in return, but affection should not excuse such behavior.

-Jasmine M

The Invisible Man

"I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me."
- The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison


On February 2, we wrote our own version of the opening, and I wanted to share it with you guys.


I am a sleepyhead. No, I am not tired like those who work eight hours everyday; nor am I one of your lazy friends. I am a student of diligence, of dedication and honesty, endurance and patience--and I might even be said hardworking. I am sleepy, understand, simply because my brain forces me to be so. Like the puppets manipulated by men, it is as though I have a wire attached to invisible, nimble hands of no one. When my brain functions it only tells me to close my eyes, ears, or mouth--indeed, everything and anything except nose.


Chloe K.

"Dusting"

Julia Alvarez's poem, "Dusting," reflects the desires that many children have to grow up and become their own person, rather than to follow in their parents' footsteps.  This poem tells the story of a mother, who cleans houses on a daily basis for a living, and her daughter, who watches her mother and hopes to grow up and make herself known to the world.  In the poem, the word "dusting" has dual meanings.  The word has a literal meaning when used to explain the activities of the mother; it informs the reader that she cleans for a living.  However, concerning the daughter, the word has a more figurative meaning, as it underscores her desire to create a new, exciting life for herself, and to "dust" away the habits of her family.  She informs the reader that she practices her signature in the dusty furniture everyday before her mother cleans it off.  This reflects her desire to become famous, unlike her mother, who remains "anonymous."

Tess of the D'Ubervilles

The ending that Thomas Hardy paints in Tess of the d'Urbervilles in very intriguing. Throughout the novel, Hardy repeatedly shows the dominance of males over females, with the prime example coming from when Alec rapes Tess. Hardy makes it his point to clearly show his audience the roles of men and women during the 19th century in Great Britain, with the former being much more controlling and predominant than the latter. At no point in time or instance does Hardy choose to let a female speak up for herself and take action against the will of another man other than near the end of the novel, when Tess surprisingly murders Alec. Ironically, this is the most heroic part of the novel, an event where Tess stands up against a man and breaks the expected pattern of a woman submitting to a man. Yet Hardy chooses, following his tragic genre, for Tess to get captured while running away and to subsequently be executed as a direct result of her heroic moment. Hardy vividly shows the injustice as to how woman are treated in Great Britain  through the tragic character that is Tess. One has to wonder how different Tess's life would be if she were born into a society that gave women just a little more power and voice in society. This harsh critism against the cultural and social values that England has against the roles of the sexes plays an important part in the novel, as Hardy is able to effectively criticize the traditions of his time in order to do his part to advance English society.

-Conrad

Last Week's Class Discussion

Living in Sin
        In class last week we were confronted with the poem, "Living in Sin"  by Adrienne Rich. Though the contemporary idea of living in sin is associated with "shacking up" or living with a person that is not your spouse the inner meaning of Rich's poem does not serve to discourage or ostracize those that live out of wedlock. Instead the words strive to expose a far larger problem that each of us have undoubtedly dealt with. The narrator in the poem describes a life of dichotomy, one in which she finds happiness in the nighttime but slowly sinks into depression as the day progresses. In this description, we found, with Mrs. Elliott's assistance of course, that the sin in which the narrator was living was not the fact that she was with a man that was not her husband but that she had yet to do anything to save herself from the emotional rollercoaster that she was experiencing. Personally, it reminded me of this quote;

            "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

      Indeed this woman that Rich described was, in Einstein's definition, insane because she did nothing to change the situation she was in even though she knew that change was needed to alter her sad life. So let us all take a lesson from Adrienne Rich's literary figure and choose our own hapiness and our own sanity.

                                                          - Jake

Short College Essay :)

In 250 words or less, please tell us about your chosen field of study for college/university. Why have you chosen this field? If you are undecided, please discuss a few of the fields of study are you are considering and why.

          As a child, I was very indecisive concerning what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I considered a myriad of careers, from being a teacher to entering the fashion industry.  Of the many professions that I had contemplated, I knew that I did not want to go into the medical field.  A girl who spent most of her childhood playing dress up and fantasizing about becoming a Disney princess, I knew that I wanted my future occupation to be something glamorous.  Nonetheless, this all changed on September 14, 2005, when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease.  Forced to spend the majority of my seventh grade year in the hospital, my life was anything but enchanting.  Despite cancer being the most challenging thing I’ve ever dealt with, much good came out of my struggle with it.  I learned to take any negative situation that I am placed in and make it into something positive.  I therefore discovered that just as my doctor had helped me to be cured of cancer, I want to spend my life helping others.  I am now positive that I want to study medicine and become a neonatologist in the future.  The main reason that I had once considered becoming a teacher was that I love children.  As a neonatologist, I will be able to care for young lives.  I can give them a second chance at life, just as I received.

~Kellie

UC Application :D

This is my UC essay for the second prompt. I was procrastinating till the last day to write it, so it probably doesn't sound great, but hope you guys enjoy it!

             Crying is an embarrassment, and it is worse when it happens in public. As a teenager with the habit of tearing up in difficult situations, I hated challenging myself or facing anything that people would consider abnormal. One of the problems was my English accent, which was a natural result of being an immigrant. Even though it was nothing to be ashamed of, it made me very self-conscious. As a result, my greatest fear became public speaking.

             Throughout four years of high school, I attempted to overcome this fear. Joining a Speech-and-Debate team was one of the choices, but the motivation eventually wore away and brought me back to the usual routine, avoiding challenges and ignoring chances of self-improvement. However, last summer, I impulsively chose to attend Mastering Leadership program sponsored by National Student Leadership Conference. Main reason, unfortunately, was because it was a one-week program; I did not expect more than tedious lectures and activities that would somehow make me feel accomplished.

                           Such assumption proved to be false, for it was far more demanding. Out of all the activities, self-assessment called “FEAR” made me feel uneasy the most. It was a time for attendees to share their fears within assigned groups. Clearly, the first word came into my mind was public speaking. The group advisor asked me to stand in front of the group members to demonstrate that it is really irrational to be afraid of talking in front of a crowd. Even though his idea was logical, I could not stand the pressure and broke into tears.

                           The experience was horrifying. It was extremely embarrassing to cry in front of people, especially when they were almost strangers. Even the advisor was confused and apologized for pushing me too hard; but I knew it was me who was too weak to bear the challenge. On the last day of the conference, the guest speaker Mr. Martin told us to discuss the changes brought upon us as a result of attending this event. People stood up and talked about themselves, sometimes crying, as well as the fears they have overcame. I was one of them, casually presenting myself to 83 conference attendees.

             After the program, I was not fearful of people anymore. I promised myself that I will not forget the challenges that I faced during the leadership camp, and that I will always attempt to stride out of the comfort zone. The program taught me that I could become a powerful leader as long as I remember how to welcome and face obstacles. Today, I still struggle, but I can proudly announce myself as an ambitious, but prudent, risk-taker.

-Chloe