O'Briens intent

O'Brien in writing in The Things The Carried about his friends in the Vietnam War. He is creating a real person for the reader inner eye, they seem to be alive. Even though he doesn't write a full story, he creates little memories of the persons, and with every little short story he is adding a bit more information for the reader, to complete the image. He wants that the reader to "dream along [...] and [that] memory and imagination and language combine to make spirits in the head." (O'Brien 218) His intention is to keep memories alive.

Socratic Seminar Questions for 11-11-10

1. Do the stories in The Sorrow of War follow O'Brien's definition of true war stories? If not what is Bao Ninh's definition of a true war story?
2. Why does Kien tell war stories?
3. Why does Kien see writing the novel as his duty?
4. What are the similarities and differences between Phuong and Linda?
5. Why do soldiers disrespect corpses? What does this signify?
6. Why is it significant that Kien's nickname is "Sorrowful Spirit"?
7. Why is it significant that both Kien and O'Brien see their lives in rivers?
8. Why does Bao Ninh choose to switch between points of view in The Sorrow of War?
9. Do Foxholes represent safety or danger in The Things They Carried? Does this differ in The Sorrow of War?
10. What Motifs does Bao Ninh use?

Socratic Seminar Questions, Wednesday 11/10/10

1. What opinions are expressed of absolute occurrence compared to story-truth in The Sorrow of War?

2. What is the importance and effect of ghosts in The Sorrow of War?

3. Why do O’Brien and Ninh include women in their novels? How do women influence the novels?

4. Why do O’Brien and Ninh create settings or characters that give soldiers an excuse to behave a certain way? Why is this important?

5. What literary devices are used to represent the jungle as a character in The Sorrow of War and The Things They Carried?

6. How is the idea of aging or time passing shown and reflected in The Sorrow of War? What examples or literary techniques represent this? Why is time important to any war novel?

7. Both Bronte and O’Brien used authorial distance in their novels. How is this used in The Sorrow of War?

8. What is the form of The Sorrow of War? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the style for the reader and the writer?

9. Discuss the differences of the opinion of war between Americans and Vietnamese.

10. Discuss the similarities of characters between The Things They Carried and The Sorrow of War. Why are so many similarities found between the books?

O'Brien's Intent

O'Brien articulates his primary purpose in writing "The Things They Carried" in his final story "The Lives of the Dead". In the opening line of this reflection, the author declares that "stories can save us" (O'Brien 213). O'Brien condenses his essential intent in this statement and further maintains that his stories "can revive...that which is absolute and unchanging" (O'Brien 224) in the characters he depicts (including himself). O'Brien's purpose of "[keeping] the dead alive with stories" (O'Brien 226) is manifested throughout the novel in characters such as Ted Lavender and his propensity to resist the war with tranquilizers. O'Brien recounts Rat Kiley's story of Curt Lemon trick-or-treating, adding that "to listen to the story...you'd never know that Curt Lemon was dead" (O'Brien 227). Ultimately, O'Brien intends to animate important figures who were lost to Vietnam and preserve the crucial aspects of both himself and his comerades.

O'Brien's Purpose

O'Brien writes The Things They Carried to keep the characters alive. By telling these stories, he creates the image in our mind of a specific person. From that image, emotions grow inside us and we become attached to that character. When that happens, the person becomes alive. O'Brien writes that he "want[s] to save Linda's life. Not her body- her life." (O'Brien 223) When Linda is written about by O'Brien, she lives on.

The reason that the entire combination of short stories are put together is not to save just the characters in those specific stories, but in the end, it's to save O'Brien. "I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life." (O'Brien 233) The idea of infusing all the stories together is to keep everything that makes up Tim O'Brien, alive. By making this novel, O'Brien has become alive in all of us.

Response: "What is O'Brien's purpose in writing this novel?"

O’Brien tells stories in The Things They Carried to honor the dead by keeping them alive. The Linda in O’Brien’s head describes being dead as “being inside a book no one is reading…all you can do is just wait and hope that somebody’ll pick it up and start reading” (O’Brien 232). O’Brien states that writing is about remembering which will “leas to a story, which makes it forever… [writing joins] the past and the future” (O’Brien 36). Remembering keeps people alive even if they are no longer physically alive.

O'Brien's Purpose in Writing TTTC

O’Brien had many motivations to write The Things They Carried, but he states his most integral purpose in "The Lives of the dead”. O’Brien wrote this novel in order to keep the memory of loved ones lost. In "The Lives of the Dead" , he explains Linda, whom he loved, but who died of cancer at age nine. After Linda’s death, O’Brien would dream of talking to her, and she tells him that to be dead is like “being inside a book that nobody’s reading” (O’Brien 232). O’Brien writes The Things They Carried in order to create a book that will be read by everyone, and not only occasionally. Therefore, everyone can experience reading about Linda as she was before she died, as well as all the other characters in the novel who died in the war. O’Brien however has an additional motive to writing this novel, but one that he does not quite admit to. O’Brien does “not look on [his] work as therapy” (O’Brien 152), however he would not have had such an easy “shift from war to peace” (O’Brien 151) if he had not been able to release built up memories and remembered mistakes through writing stories. He states “the act of writing had led me through a swirl of memories that might otherwise have ended in paralysis or worse” (O’Brien 152). O’Brien writes not only to keep his memory strong of the dead, but also to not become overwhelmed with the grief of the death and slaughter he witnessed in his time in the Vietnam War.

Tim O'Brien , of course , had many different reasons to write "The Things They Carried ," but one of my opinions is that Tim O'Brien wrote the novel as a set of instructions for all future story tellers. He wrote the novel to tell people "how to tell a true war story ," (O'Brien 64). This title is deceiving because it could be perceived as how to determine the validity of a war story but in my opinion the title is suggesting how to physically tell a true war story. Instructions are given throughout the book , for example , O'Brien states that "you can tell a true war story if it embarrasses you," (O'Brien 66). Searching for the truth in a story cannot embarrass you but telling a story can. The truth behind the novel is irrelevant because the stories are merely there to direct the reader how to physically tell a war story.

Tim's Purpose for TTTC repost

Tim O'Briens purpose for writing "The Things They Carried" is to save himself. Tim's writing leads him through memories that "might otherwise have ended in paralysis or worse" (152). Norman Bowker hangs himself a short while after the war. The war traumatized Norman to the point of taking his own life. Through the stories Tim creates he is able to resolve his emotions. All the traumatic memory Tim experianced he turns into stories. Tim saves himself from death by writing "The Things They Carried". He relieves the burdon of all the emotions he carries from Vietnam by writing continuously.

Response: "What is O'Brien's purpose in writing this novel?"

O'Brien wrote this novel in order to "remember" or rather show himself and the reader that which is worth remembering. According to O'Brien, "sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That's what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future" (O'Brien 36). By saying this, O'Brien is describing how he writes in order to remember how we got here. This suggests that he believes that how we got here matters. As he says later in the book, “if the answer matters, you’ve got your answer” (O’Brien 79). He is saying that if it matters whether a story is true or not, if one would feel cheated if it wasn’t, the story itself doesn’t actually matter. But if it’s meaningful whether it’s true or not, then it’s a true story even if it never happened. Thus, even though he reveals that the entire book may or may not be true, he is showing that it still matters, that people should still know and remember these things. Again, later in the book he says "by telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You pin down certain truths" (O'Brien 152), describing how the act of remembering and the act of writing can make one see them in a new light, and makes one see the "certain truths" that are in the story. In other words, storytelling is for looking back on what happened before, separating what matters from what doesn’t, and remembering that which is important.

Why Did O'Brien Write TTTC?

Tim O’Brien writes The Things They Carried to “make past things present” (O’Brien 172). He is writing his stories “as Tim trying to save Timmy’s life with a story” (O’Brien 233), meaning that O'Brien uses writing as a door to his happier, simpler childhood memories, and well as a coping device for the more complex, traumatic memories of the Vietnam War. He writes to preserve and express the memories of his lost loved ones, including his childhood self. Kiowa, Ted Lavender, Linda, Curt Lemon, as well as memories of other members of the platoon and young Timmy are preserved within Tim’s various stories in the novel. Tim believes that stories can bring people back from the dead. He says that being dead is like “being inside a book that nobody’s reading…up on a library shelf…safe and everything, but the book hasn’t been checked out for a long time” (O’Brien 232). The memories of his old friends are “checked out” and appreciated every time one of O’Brien’s stories are read or told. Through his writing, O'Brien makes sure that his friends are never forgotten.

Why Tim O'Brien wrote TTTC

O'Brien's novel is essentially a collection of war stories. In the beginning he tells us the purpose of writing stories, that "Stories are for eternity,when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the stories." (O'Brien, 36) However, we later discover in "Lives of the Dead," that there is a personal motive to this ideal on stories. In "Lives of the Dead" he writes "but this too is true: I'm forty-three years old, and a writer now, and even still here, I keep dreaming Linda alive...In a story, which is a kind of dreaming, the dead sometimes smile, and sit up and return to the world." He admits stories keep the dead alive; at least the memory of them. So yes, this novel is a collection of war stories, but they are Tim's war stories. By telling his stories, and his friends' stories, they will never die for stories are for "eternity." In his closing paragraph, Tim says " I'm young and happy. I'll never die. I'm skimming across the surface of my own history,... I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story." (O'Brien, 233) Tim's purpose in writing TTTC is to "save" his life, forever.

O'Brien's Intentions-Estrella

O’Brien states as a writer it is his job to save Linda and “Timmy’s life with stories” (O’Brien 233.) O'Brien writes to preserve himself. He writes to keep himself alive so he will never truly die. He is a writer because it is his duty to 'carry' on soldiers lives and his own. After he dies people will still be listening to his lectures and reading his stories. He will re-live through his stories after he is dead. He also re-lives through his stories now by writing them. He 'carries' on memories, truths and lies which will still be carried on after he dies. 'The Things They Carried' is a symbol for why he writes. The things the soldiers carries will be carried on from soldier to soldier, just like he wishes his life will be after he dies.

O'Brien's Purpose For Writing the Novel

O'Brien tells stories to attempt to bring the dead back to life, but he publishes these stories in a novel to immortalize himself. At the end of the novel O'Brien clearly reveals that he keeps "dreaming Linda alive [,] and Ted Lavender too, and Kiowa, and Curt Lemon, and a slim young man [he] killed", "but in a story, which is kind of dreaming, the dead sometimes smile and sit up and return to the world" (O'Brien 213) (O'Brien 213). For Linda, Ted, Kiowa, and Curt, he dreams them into stories so he can see and love them again; whereas for the man he killed, his dreaming is a coping mechanism to bring the man he killed back to life and show his regret for what he did. O'Brien has a separate more selfish motive for publishing the novel, to make himself immortal. Although O'Brien is not yet dead he will be some day, and by sharing these stories he can make the dead "sit up and return to the world" (O'Brien 213). The entire novel is in first person through the eyes of Tim O'Brien himself, and at this point millions of people are telling his story to themselves and others because of the novel. In the last paragraph O'Brien reveals that this is in-fact a motive, claiming that " [he's] young and happy, [he'll] never die" (O'Brien 233). O'Brien also specifically states that he is young, because The Things They Carried tells of Tim's life, but also Timmy's. O'Brien does "realize it is Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story", by bringing him back to life every time his story is told (O'Brien 233).

O'Brien's Purpose

O'Brien's purpose is controversial. However, there are two main reasons O'Brien wrote this story. The first reason is to immortalize people, not only victims of the war, but people whose lives have been unjustifiably taken from them like Linda. By telling their stories in his book, O'Brien makes the characters "come to life". In the "Lives of the Dead" short story, he says, "But this too it true: stories can save us. I'm forty-three years old, and a writer now, and even still, right here, I keep dreaming Linda alive. And Ted, Lavender too, and Kiowa, and Curt Lemon, and a slim young man I killed and an old man sprawled besides a pigpen, and several others whose bodies I lifted and umped into a truck. They're all dead. But in a story, which is kind of dreaming, the dead sometimes smile and sit up and return to the world." (O'Brien 213). By writing (dreaming) about the dead he brings them back to life and allows people to be aware of them, making their characters immortal. The second major reason is O'Brien uses it as a form of therapy, or in his words, "clarity and explanation". In the story "Notes", O'Brien says, "...the act of writing had led me through a swirl of of memories that might otherwise have ended in paralysis or worse. By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You start sometimes with an incident that truly happened, like the night in the shit field, and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain." (152). So, by writing, O'Brien and the reader can better understand the war and O'Brien can acquire the comfort in clarity.

Immortilization

Tim O'Brian composes TTTC mainly to immortalize both himself and his friends. He shows this in his last chapter, " The Lives of the Dead." " We kept the dead alive with stories ... It was a way of brining body and soul back together" (O'Brian 226) He had recorded these stories to "cope" with his experience in war, and to share the stories of the soldiers he had been with. In "The Lives of the Dead" he talks mainly about his first love, Linda. Linda "explains" to him in a dream is " 'like being in a book that nobody's reading... but the book hasn't been checked out in for a long, long time. All you can do is wait. Just hope somebody'll pick it up and start reading'" (232) O'Brian is telling the reader that these lives would be forgotten if he had not put them in this book, but now that he is written about them, their "books" are being checked out and he is making people remember of the fallen soldier and Linda.

O'Brian's purpose: Maddy's

Tim O'Brien's intentions for writing this book are clearly stated in the last chapter "the Lives of the Dead." Tim O'Brien believes that through his writing he can keep those important in his life "Alive" "What a story does [is] keeps the dead talking" (O'Brian 218). Another reason for his writing is a release. by allowing these people, memories, emotions and thoughts live through his writing he is preserving that of which is important to him. In many ways writing is a persons validations that their life exists and they have a part in the world that can be so isolating. The book is as much for our understanding at it is for O'Brian's.

Purpose for Writing TTTC - Elliot

O'Brien has multiple purposes for writing the things they carry. One of the purposes that O'Brien has for writing the book, is that he wants to inform people that war is not just blood shed and senseless violence, but also that "war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love" (O'Brien 76). He tries to inform people that war is also beautiful and that one "can't help but gape at the majesty of combat" (O'Brien 77). Besides persuading people into believing that war isn't just hell, O'Brien's motives for writing The Things They Carried are personal reasons. O'Brien believes that "stories are for joining the past and the future," that "stories are for eternity" (O'Brien 36). Therefore by writing about himself, he is forcing people to remember him. Also by writing, he not only makes himself ageless, but brings back people who have already died. He does this, not because the readers need to know about all of these people, but also because he misses them and feels guilty that they died. O'Brien writes and utilizes the full extent of "the magic of stories" by communicating to the reader, making himself immortal, and using writing for easing emotional pains like guilt and loneliness.

O'Brien's intentions in TTTC

Tim O'Brien's intent is to convince his audience, the reader, that nothing is one sided, black or white, good or bad. In his novel's cultural context, his idea is extremely relevant due to the widespread controversy regarding the War in Vietnam. The war was debated and regarded by its protesters as a terrible thing, yet seen by its advocates as necessary. From the perspective of a soldier, specifically Tim O'Brien, "war is grotesque, but in truth war is also beauty," due to the "astonishing" visual appeal of things such as "the purply orange glow of napalm, [and] the rocket's red glare," despite their negative connotations (O'Brien 77). Tim O'Brien applies his general idea to war in order to alienate his readers from their ability to question and/or disagree with his opinion, because the majority of them have never been to war. He uses his war experienced perspective as well as the second person narrative to do so. Placed in a war situation by O'Brien, "you must cross the river and go into the mountains and do terrible things and maybe die," and therefore you, the reader, must take O'Brien's opinions as truth and assent to his idea.

Tobias Burger 3 Nov 2010

Tim's Purpose for TTTC

Tim O'Briens purpose for writing "The Things They Carried" is to save himself. Tim's writing leads him through memories that "might otherwise have ended in paralysis or worse" (152). Norman Bowker hangs himself a short while after the war. The war traumatized Norman to the point of taking his own life. Through the stories Tim creates he is able to resolve his emotions. All the traumatic memory Tim experianced he turns into stories. Tim saves himself from death by writing "The Things They Carried". He relieves the burdon of all the emotions he carries from Vietnam by writing continuously.

Obriens Motives :GABRIELLA

Obriens purpose in writing this novel was to keep the soldiers alive. This story is fiction but in end ressults obriens purpose was too teach the readers how to keep dear memories alive. In "lives of the dead" obriens character Linda was dead but in his dreams she would say amazing things like "well right now, im not dead. but when i am its like... i dont know, i guess its like being inside a book that nobodys reading."(TTTC 232) this relation that obrien made with the book is that heis telling a story and that having himself in it has made him eternal. At the end of lives of the dead he says he realized he was trying to keep timmy alive by telling these stories well now by creating a story with timmy in it he know made the life of timmy and therefor tim everlasting. Obriens purpose is to teach the reader how to make their dreams, deepest wishes, and non existing ideas real and alive "im young and happy. I'll never die"(TTTC 233).

Annie: O' Brien's Intentions in Writing this Novel

O' Brien's intention in writing "The Things They Carry" is to make the reader know and understand what he and the soldiers felt emotionally through language and imagery. He wrote about how the individual soldiers were mentally and emotionally affected by the burden of war, who's minds were still at home, unfit to fight loyaly and readily, and prematurely gave themselves to the war no matter how intelligent or appropriate. O' Brien believes "if you support the war, if you think it's worth the price, that's fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line" (O' Brien 40). He also makes a political statement with the difficult position he is forced into by the draft in "On The Rainy River". Another statement he's making is the emotional trauma and desensitization of the once stable and socially fit soldiers, who, after the war, can only remember uninteresting and seemingly pointless stories and clean an M-60. This point is made every time he states his age: 43, and writing stories that remind him of time passage, and guarantee immortality. He gives war stories (and slice-of-life stories) validity in saying that they needn't have a moral, an explanation, or make logical sense in order to make perfect sense in their emotional truth. In addition, O' Brien tries to connect with the reader in an effort to redeem himself and the "faceless responsibility and faceless grief" (O' Brien 172).

O'Brien's Motive's Ariana

O’Brien’s reasons for writing the novel are most evident in “The Lives of The Dead””. In the “The Lives of The Dead” O’Brien tells us that during the war “[they] kept the dead alive with stories. “ O’Brien’s novel, even though it is fiction, is a part of history. The Vietnam war did not happen long ago, and the soldier’s who experienced the war are still alive. However some day the people who experienced the war first hand will not be around, and their children will forget their stories. O’Brien’s reason for writing the novel is to keep the memory of the war alive. O’Brien makes people more real even by the way he makes the truth more true. It is easy to feel empathetic to the soldier’s and the Vietnamese people after reading the novel. O’Brien wrote the novel to prevent other wars and conflicts, and to make people understand and relate to the way the war effected people involved in it.

Tim O'Brien's Purposes in Writing "The Things They Carried"

Even though Tim O'Brien's stories may have been fiction and copies of other stories, there is still a purpose to him writing a book about war. One of his purposes in this book is to teach the reader about war, not specifically just the Vietnam War, but war in general. With his striking skills of imagery, he brings war to life; he creates an image of war, disgusting, but beautiful. As Entertainment Weekly says "his Vietnam stories are really about the yearning of peace—aimed at human understanding rather than some 'definitive' understanding of the war . . . He can bring the dead back to life. And bring back the dreaming, too." Tim's purpose isn't to make war this huge complicated story. The concept of war may be complicated, but actual war isn't. Another purpose of his is to help the reader to ultimately understand war itself. His stories may all be made up, but he experienced war; he lived it. He knows what war is like. It is believed that Tim O'Brien may have never even gone to war, but not going to war can't stop him from honoring those who served in the war. This brings another purpose to reality. In his last story of the book, "The Lives of the Dead", he brings up this little girl he knew when he was a child. She died at the age of nine from a brain tumor. Tim could have made Linda up, but it was, as I said before, to help us understand and feel what he felt; mourning, sorrow and honor. At the end of the story he talks about how he "still [dreams] Linda alive in exactly the same way . . . [he] can still see her as if through ice . . . [he] can see Kiowa, too, and Ted Lavender and Curt Lemon..." (232-233). The main purpose of this book is to remember and honor those who served in the war, those including his own friends.

O'Brien's Motives

O'Brien writes to promote an anti-war sentiment and to demonize America for it's messy war in Vietnam. Or maybe he wants the reader to feel certain emotions that can only be evoked through the telling of 'true' war stories. We'll never know exactly why he writes. He could just like to write fiction or make the money he makes from his work. I personally think that this guy has found a good front for writing a bunch of weird fiction that takes cheap shots at the part of American culture that was trying to achieve victory. That's why this guy gets his ass kissed by the San Francisco Examiner, L.A. Times, Boston Globe, and other left wing outlets. But, I can always be wrong. It's possible that this guy has the best intentions, completely unbiased by politics.It's possible that O'Brien just tries to entertain. Anyway, even if we could ask him about it, the only thing we'd get is the 'truth'.

Tim O'Brien's motive in writing The Things They Carried

O'Brien discusses in "The Things They Carried" many reasons for writing the novel through stories.O'Brien gives great examples of what story telling is all about. "If a story seems moral, do not believe it" (O'Brien 65). O'Brien does this so he can have the reader feel and relate to the stories. His purpose to is to give the reader a sense of imagination of what can or cannot happen in the war. It's easy to forget a loved one who has passed away through the years, therefore O'Brien wants the dead to be alive through stories."She was dead. I understood that. After all, I'd seen her body. And yet even as a nine year old I had begun to practice the magic of stories" (O'Brien 231). O'Brien's purpose in writing "The Things They Carried" is to be as close to the dead as possible, through thick memories of the loved ones.

O'Briens Purpose in Writing The Things They Carried

Through discussing the workings of stories, O'Brien admits to the reader his purpose behind writing "The Things They Carried". O'Brien states that "the thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and in this way memory and imagination and language combine to make spirits in the head" (O'Brien 218). Through writing "The Things They Carried," he is creating a story which will make the spirits of those who are no longer in his life (such as Kiowa, Lavender, Linda) come alive in his head. O'Brien writes so that the readers of the novel will experience the people he knew through his eyes, the way he has permanently recorded them and intends them to be remembered and seen. For example, the beautiful innocence of Linda which he paints in "The Lives of the Dead" is the memory O'Brien intends to keep of her and immortalize through a story, "hoping that others might then dream [about her] along with [him]" (O'Brien 218).

What is O'Brien's purpose in writing this novel?

Be definitive as possible; justify your answer with specific references to the novel.

DUE: November 3rd

TTTC Seminar (thursday)

#1. Discuss the various things the men carried. (material, emotional, symbolic)

#2. O'Brian says "sometimes [the war] could almost get sweet." What does he mean by this? Give examples.

#3. Discuss the role of adolescence in war portrayed in the novel.

#4. What are O'Brian's rules for writing a true war story? Is he consistent with following them?

#5. TTTC is classified as fiction. If O'Brian's stories are said to be true, and from memory, how can this be?

#6. How do the men cope with war? how do they change?.

#7. In "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", discuss Mary Ann's transition.

#8. What does Tim say is the purpose of stories? Why is he obsessed with writing war stories?

#9. Discuss Tim's obsession with the man he killed. How is this event psychologically significant?

#10. Discuss the role of animal cruelty in the novel. What is O'Brain's intention?

Questions for Socratic Seminar C Period (10/6/10)

How are theme, motif, diction, imagery and other literary techniques used in "Spin" "Enemies" "Friends" "Church" "Ambush" "The Man I Killed" "Style" "Sweetheart ... Bog".

How is Irony expressed in the titles of “Enemies” and in “Friends”?

Why did O’Brien write these stories as two separate stories?

In” Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” what does Mary Anne represent? What does her change show about her? What does the change in her represent?

Why is “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bon” important to the collection of short stories? Why did O’Brien choose to put it in the book?

How are women portrayed throughout the different short stories? What attitude do you think O’Brien has towards women?

How does Henry Dobbins feel about people? What does Henry Dobbins show about his character in church and in style?

What is significant about Henry Dobbins?

Why was the girl dancing in Style, even though there was so much destruction around her?

How are the Vietnamese people portrayed by O’Brien?

How does O’Briens perspective change between “Ambush” and “The Man I killed”?

How does O’Brien know the details of the life of the man he killed? What key phrases indicate this?

Which story is most like a true war story?

SOCRATIC SEMINAR QUESTIONS FOR MON-TUES

Below are the questions we will take up during your graded Socratic Seminar Monday and Tuesday:

- Write your answers in notes.
- Have books marked in order to reference pages/passages that support your viewpoint.
- Review Socratic Seminar evaluation sheet to see how you're being assessed.

1. How does Rhys's narrative fit into the post-colonial mode? Think of specific examples.
2. Is there a purpose to Rhys's narrative or is it merely character assassination and fan-fiction? What is her intention in the writing of her novel?
3. How does each author's portrayal of the feminine condition differ? In which particular way?
4. In how many different ways can Antoinette be considered a tragic protagonist?
5. How are gender and empire paralleled in Wide Sargasso Sea?
6. In how many different ways does Rhys shift perspective? Whose perspective?
7. Does Religion play into the narratives of both novels? What about the respective authors' view of religion or morality?
8. What is 'Englishness'? How is it represented in each narrative? Is there a contrast?
9. What are the tensions present in Wide Sargasso Sea if read as a post-colonial text?
10. Is Antoinette actually insane? How could you argue either side?
11. What role does victimization play in both novels?
12. How do conceptions of class and status affect the fate of characters in both novels?

Summer Reading Thesis

Because both novels are based on history, setting is crucial to understanding the character's struggles against society.

Thesis Statement-Estrella

Charlotte Bronte uses imagery, motif,diction, and setting throughout the novel Jane Eyre to reflect her life in Jane's.

thesis

jane's life is autobiography of Charlotte Bronte with a more ideal ending.

Jane's Strength

Desert Academy 2010 Jane's Survival

''Most true is it that 'beauty is in the eye of the gazer'.'' (pg.203, Bronte)

        Jane goes through many hard ships throughout the novel.  From her aunt and her cousins miss treating her to the betrayal at the alter from Mr.Rochester.  Jane does not always find happiness but finds a way to put the humiliation in the past.  In the quote above it refers that "beauty is in the eye of the gazer', as happiness as well.  Jane survives throughout the novel because she is the gazer of beauty, happiness, and love.  By being her own "gazer", Jane controls what and how she feels.  Even though certain characters and events spark her, she ultimately controls the way she feels.  In the novel as well in real life, the only person you can control is yourself.   Jane also controls her feeling by simply moving on, leaving her regrets in the past. Everyone makes mistakes but it's not the mistakes that are recognized, it's what you do in response to them.    Jane is a strong and happy woman when she wants to be and controls how she feels.

Thesis- Toby

Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys utilize secondary male characters to establish fear in the lives of the female protagonists of their novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea.

Onima's Thesis

There are many similarities between Jane Eyre,and the author Charlotte Bronte's life; supporting the idea that Jane Eyre is in part autobiographical.

Stuart's Thesis

Wide Sargasso Sea shows Rochester as a more careless man, where as Jane Eyre represents Rochester as a victim.

Emily's Thesis Statement

In the novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea , Charlotte Bropnte and Jean Rhys express the downfall of femininity through character development.

Thesis statement

By: Maddy-E

Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhyes use differing perceptions of Mr. Rochester in order to reveal the complexity of his character.

Thesis Statement

It is evident from the many parallels between the lives of Charlotte Bronte and Jane that Bronte drew heavily from her experiences as a girl and a young woman when writing her now infamous novel, Jane Eyre.

Annie's Thesis Statement

Early secondary characters create adversity which helps character development and to form Jane's sense of self worth and disconnect from conventional ideals.

luca's theses

The main character Jane Eyre in Bronte's book "Jane Eyre", is representing Charlotte's life, the only difference is that Jane Eyre has a "happy ending" and Bronte doesn't.

Ariana's Thesis.

Jane Eyre is effectivally an autobiography of the author Charlotte Bronte's life.

Ariana's Thesis.

Jane Eyre is effectivally an autobiography of the author Charlotte Bronte's life.

Thesis Statement

Rochester has two side to himself in both Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea. Mr. Rochester's good and bad sides will be compared.

Thesis

The represented types of feminism shows two aspects of women trying to escape confinement, jane succeeds through passive perseverance.

Summer Reading Thesis

Jean Rhys and Charlotte Bronte represent the character Rochester in a negative manner in both of their novels, but Bronte redeems him and offers him redemption, while Rhys makes him out to be the villain of her novel.

Jane, from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, is able to better succeed in her relationships with the people she loves than Antoinette, from Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, because of her strong morals.

Thesis

Jane Eyre from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre reflects Bronte's life because Jane was a strong independent woman, in need of love, had a similar careers and lost a lot of family members early in life.

Jane Eyre Thesis Sophie

The setting in the novel "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jane Rhys causes the downfall of Mr. Rochester's relationship with Bertha, because of its role as a third player in their love affair.

Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys use the maids and servants in Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea to reveal the true moods of each house and their masters.

Elliot's Thesis

In the novel's Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys depict the aid of men as women's main role in society.

Thesis

The life of the character, Jane Eyre, in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Erye, typifies many aspects of life that Bronte herself encountered, although portrayed in a more idealized way.

Thesis

In the novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sarasso Sea, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys portray setting as a character, affecting and reflecting both tone and character mood as well as foreshadowing plot development.

it's muh Thesis

The aspect of feminine condition in both books is a second class existence. The societal choices available for women are more limited compared to those available for men.

Summer Reading Thesis Statement

Bronte and Rhys create their heroines in different ways to comment on the repression of women in a patriarchal society - Jane represents an independent, assertive feminist who breaks free from Victorian expectations, and Antoinette represents a victim who is literally caged by her husband.

Summer Reading Essay: Thesis

In the books Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, secondary characters such as Helen Burns and Tia serve to establish a feeling of loneliness surrounding the respective main characters.

Thesis

Perspective shifts between novels in order to reveal what each character represents.
-gabriella medina

Jane Eyre Outlook

In Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre the main character, Jane, seems to have always kept a positive and happy outlook on everything. I think that Helen had altered Jane's look on life, for example on page 42, Helen tells her: " 'Love your enemies; bless them that they curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.' " (Bronte, 42) By saying that I think Jane took it to heart and lived by it, for example, she went and visited her dying Aunt Mrs. Reed, even though Mrs. Reed had treated her terribly when Jane was a child. By doing this she had a clear mind and by being so forgiving she didn't allow the trouble other people gave her bring her down.

Summer Reading Essay: Post and Comment

All,

Post your approved thesis for the Summer Reading essay and comment on a minimum of two other theses (from your class or the other).

Jane Eyre's Happiness

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte main character Jane has two happy and sad side's. From [her] terrible childhood to her interesting love towards Rochester [she] has [her] hand's full. Almost marring St. John [she] is afraid to leave him due the the fact [she] would lose her emotional life. So [she] is careful of not wasting certain feelings that [she] has. Jane cannot leave Mr. Rochester for work reason's and the confusing love towards him." I thought: " then I should not have to make the effort of cracking my heart strings in rending them from among Mr. Rochester. I must leave him, it appears. I do not want to leave him I cannot leave him" (284). Jane encounters Happiness towards the end when Bertha Mr. Rochester's wife burns down the house and kills herself and Mr. Rochester is faced head on with blindness, burns, and loss of a hand from the fire. Jane returns to him, and has the role now of being the boss in a way. [She] then marries him and everything starts to go well Mr. Rochester starts to regain his eye sight around two years later, and they have a boy. So even though [she] is faced with a hard life, in the end god begins to favor her. " I thought anger would be better than greaf. But if you wish me to love you, could you but see how much I do love you, you would be proud and content."(425)

Jane Eyre's Survival

Throughout Jane Eyre's life she has been in constant pain and suffering. The only breaks to Jane's misfortunes is when for a short time she is friends with Helen Burns and when she is about to marry Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester demands that Jane "make [him] happiness , [he] will make [hers] ," (pg. 21). Jane is seduced by the idea of happiness that she never had and ignores the "pang," in her side. Jane does not marry Mr. Rochester because he betrays her at the alter and Helen Burns dies leaving Jane with no sense of what real happiness is. Because Jane goes through so much turmoil and because Jane has an abusive upbringing her standards of happiness are much lower than the others in the book. So in the end when Jane is taking care of her 50 year old blind, crippled and hideous husband she still finds happiness .

Jane's survival

Jane throughout her life is a strong willed person. In the beginning of the novel we see Jane in conflict with her cousin John. John, who had antagonized her pushed over the edge whereabouts she speaks her mind comparing him to a "slave-driver", (brote 5). This is one of the first times we see Jane speak her mind. Jane also eurpts towards her aunt Reed before she leaves to go to Lowood girls school. Here she speaks of her aunts cruelty to her. Being the strong willed person she is she is able to speak her mind to one of the more terrifying characters of her childhood. Jane also shows to be very strong willed when she discovers of Bertha being Mr. Rochester's wife. Rochesters wife "whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight tell" (Bronte 300) is the reason Jane at first leaves. Her strong willingness is apparent after she leaves Thorn field hall with little money and ends up almost starving. Jane not returning to rochester when she is in need of help shows how strong her will is. Having stong will has helped Jane survive.

What Led Jane to be Happy in the End?

Jane's childhood was dysfunctional and emotionally abusive, with her aunt Sara Reed continually degrading her, and dying with no repentance of her mistreating Jane. Jane had to cope with her nasty and spoiled cousins, one of whom gave his life to gambling and drinking, and then killed himself. John Reed didn't give himself any worth, and I feel that Jane took something from that and made a point of treating herself the way she felt she deserved, and finding someone who would do the same for her. Also because of her loveless childhood, and 8 years of school, every hint of empathy or sincerity she saw in others was amplified and very appreciated.
Jane distinguishes herself at Lowood because of her intellectual abilities and hard work. She develops a strong sense of self, and trusts her capabilities. When Rochester admits to her that she is indeed his mistress, she is torn and distraught, yet "forgave him immediately". Her wish to be loved was broken, and it became her intolerable duty to ask of his departure. Out of self worth and strong principles, she knew she must leave him immediately, and shouldn't be expected to remain his wife.
"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself... I will hold to the principles recieved by me when I was sane, and not mad - as I am now." [pg. 365]
Jane had finally found an inner power in leaving him that supported her, and gave her absolute independence and the ability to be self-sustaining. This victory is what allowed her to return to Rochester, and "be happy in the end".

Response to "How Does Jane Survive?" Tobias Burger

Jane Eyre handles the problems that are presented to her throughout her life with a tenacious, stubborn pursuit of equality. Throughout her childhood and adulthood, she is striving for equality with others, despite her social and physical status. As a child, Jane is "humbled by the consciousness of [her] physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed" (Bronte, 9), the children of her adopted mother. She suffers due to the unequal treatment she receives from Mrs. Reed. Her tenacity for equality ultimately convinces Mrs. Reed to send her off to school, sparing her of one of the major problems presented to her in her life. Later on in her life, she justifies her love for Mr. Rochester, a rich man easily double her age, by insisting that the two were intellectual equals. In addition, after inheriting her family fortune, Jane insists on splitting the money with her three newly discovered cousins: "Were we not four?" she explains to St. John, "Twenty thousand pounds shared equally, would be five thousand each - enough and to spare: justice would be done - mutual happiness secured" (Bronte, 445). This clearly connects Jane's idea of happiness with equality. Jane ultimately ends up happy because she achieves her life long goal of equality, living a humble life with the man she loves, neither of them being better or worse than the other in a major way. -Tobias Burger

Jane's Exceptional....duh....

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a story of an exceptional character. Jane's rise to happiness was not a pleasant journey. The reason Jane eventually found success is because of her ability to negotiate her circumstances and find comfort within her own mind. At Lowood she learns the joys in education, "even for [her], life had its gleams of sunshine" pg 37. Her aptitude to critical think played a critical part as well. If its wasn't for her questioning manner she would not of had the courage to leave Lowood and explore the outer world, but more importantly Mr Rochester would not of found her so appealing, "[he] found her full of strange contrasts, [her] garb and manner came refined with nature" pg 241. Conclusively, Jane's ability to find her happiness was due to her naturally inquisitive nature and trying nurture.

why does jane survive?

In the novel Jane starts of as a young naive girl who longs for some form of love and compassion. From a young age Jane realizes she does not have the looks, money or love her cousins have. She was left an orphan the closest form of love she ever saw was from Bessie, who also saw the grief in Jane's situation . Bessie sang her a song that represented Jane and her current life at that period in her life:" my feet they are sore, and my limbs they are weary; long is the way, and the mountains are wild; soon will the twilight close moonless and dreary over the path of the poor orphan child"(Bronte pg18) and that is exactly what Jane was a "poor orphan child". This is what brought Jane upon creating a strong sense of character she became tough,independent, and created her "voice" through her life's difficulties she learned to cope and this in turn made her strong. After her extended absence for some form of compassion she then meets Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester at this point was making Jane feel differently about love "its as if he where my relation rather than my master"(Bronte 168). Her new found love was what made Jane realize that love existed in her life and that her life troubles made her stronger. Because of all that she had been through she learned to survive on her own.- Gabriella Medina

How Jane Survives

In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane acts as one of the narrators. She is remembering and commenting on her own life. She is able to look back upon her life with positive thinking despite all of her hardships, because these struggles are what make her who she is. Growing up Jane was forced to fend for herself against her abusive cousin, John Reed, who "bullied and punished [her]" (Bronte, p.8) constantly and also having to live with an aunt who held no compassion for her. After growing up and 8 years in a school, Jane experienced very little love or nurturing and as a result saw every little act of kindness as a paramount occasion. This allowed her to go into life being able to cope with very difficult situations and appreciate the little things. The culmination of these two attributes are the underlying reasons for Jane's happiness at the end of the novel. Because of these characteristics, Jane sees her job as a governess in Thornfield as a blessing, but is also strong enough to run away from her love of Mr. Rochester with a "cry of [her] heart as [she] left him" (Bronte, p.320). Although Jane has many things in her life to be sorrowful about, she ends up happy because in order to reach happiness one must work to obtain it, which is unique in Jane's character compared to the others. -Elliot Palestine

Response to 'Jane Survival'

Jane was able to survive due to her agressive nature and an unshakable faith in God. At Gateshead Hall, she was persecuted but resisted the tyranny of its occupants:"John thrust his tongue in his cheek whenever he saw me, and once attemted chastisement; but as I instantly turned against him...he thought it better to desist, and ran from me." (pg 23). At Lowood, she was accused of being a liar. After some encouragement from a friend, she challenged the claim and proved her own innocence. Later, at Thornfield, Jane fell in love with E. Rochester, her master, and agreed to marry him. At the wedding she found out that Rochester was already a married man. Afterwards, she was left with a choice, either enter into a false union with the man she loved, or leave him and be at peace with herself. When she was most vulnerable, Jane looked to Providence to guide her. And so she chose: "I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man."(pg 342)
TimD.

9-1-10 Jane's Survival

Jane's survival throughout the novel was completely due to her charm and the care she received from

others. Jane does have an extremely independent voice and manner to her; however Jane herself is not

independent. She can read and wright but she cannot live on her own. It can also be said that Jane's one

attempt at being independent ended with her "trembling, sickening; conscious of an aspect in the last degree

ghastly, wild, and weather-beaten." (Bronte, 342) .She was only taken in because of St. John's kindness, and

then only let live at the moor house because of her charm.The only reason that Jane survives is due to men

who are hypnotized by her charm. Jane's charm comes from the fact that she, unlike most women of the time,

is not afraid to speak her mind. Jane does not believe that "[superiors] have a right to command [her]".

(Bronte, 136). Rochester falls in love with her partially because she can keep his attention during

conversion. It is Jane's charm that saves her from from a death on a doorstep and lands her a place in

Mr. Rochester's heart, not her independence.

How does Jane survive?

Jane Eyre is a character of considerable strength, but I think that the force that causes her the most misery is the same one that gives her that strength and, in turn, great happiness. It is primarily Jane's strong desire to do what is right that helps her to survive and eventually end up happy. She is guided by morals and hugely infuenced by religion. The need to see "responsiblity fufilled," (Bronte, 351) causes Jane to leave Mr. Rochester, yet it is also the reason for Jane declining St. John's offer of marriage and returning to Rochester. Jane feels that she is "right when I adhere(d) to principle and law," (Bronte, 390), and that "God directed me to a correct choice," (Bronte, 390). This belief brings her a peace that she would never have experienced had she chosen not to "flee temptation," (Bronte, 345), and the fact that she clung so tightly to what she believed in only adds to her bliss at the end of the novel.

why does jane survive?

i think jane survives because from a very early age she has to learn how to endure mrs. reed and john. john being cruel to her and and mrs. reed having no compassion for her . i think this discipline is important for the rest of her life, the boarding school has the extremely unfair dean but she can survive it because she has learned how to cope with unfair people like john reed

“he bullied and punished me not two or three times in a week nor once or twice in the day but continually”

Jane from an early age developed a strong sense of identity and independence. With this true knowledge of self, Jane was able to face all turmoils in her life. No matter how new, and confusing the situation, she did what she, and only she believed was best. "I am no bird, and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will." (Bronte ch.23) This attitude however causes her to run away from Mr. Rochester after she learns of bertha, for she realized how ready she was to be completely devoted to him in marriage, which scared her. She had spent so much of her life fending for herself, and not accustomed to happiness, that she couldn't believe Mr. Rochester's love was to good to be true. There had to be something wrong. This thought is over turned however in the end for Jane realizes true happiness can be possible. That love is possible. She follows her heart, but still remains independent, and therefore finds true happiness in the end.

"why is jane happy in the end"

jane eyre never experienced love in her life till she gets mr. rochester to know better; neither as a jung child in as a part of her aunts family, nor in the school for the girls, nor as a teacher at lowood. She never learned what it means to be happy, she never saw happienes, so she says: " i was then happy: at least in my way " (Brontë , pg #3), but when she falls in love with mr. rochester, she suddenly doesn't feel compeltly alone anylonger. she realizes as he says: "it would not be wicked to love me." (Brontë, pg#341),that she will never be alone, there is always somebody she can trust, which she never had experienced befor.

Reply to post- Forrest

Jane’s Survival

Jane is a very intricate young woman who from the very start of her life wasn’t blessed with good looks or charm, but something even better, strong will and fiery passion. She faces many problems throughout her childhood that would drive many crazy and yet seems to come out of it better than anyone else. When she was a child she was disliked by her caregiver Mrs. Reed, but Jane still strove to make Mrs. Reed happy. Jane watched with a bitter envy while Eliza, John, and Georgiana “clustered round their mother in the drawing room... and with her darlings about her looked perfectly happy” (Bronte, 1) this was where her fire was born, that need for love. As she grows older she starts to lose that need and becomes more and more independent. Jane becomes a person that is not reliant upon anyone, but herself which allows her to fend for herself in the world she knows nothing about. When Rochester wants to give her material objects of love she rejects them, she “never can bear being dressed like a doll by Mr. Rochester” (Bronte, 289) because she doesn’t want those objects that would make her who she is not. The reader becomes attached to Jane due to her turmoil and when Mr. Rochester and her are getting married the heart lifts and drops again, but even yet, jane keeps strong and in the end the reader is contented to find she gets her love, the only thing she wished for.

-Sancho

"How Does Jane Survive?"

Jane Eyre's happiness at the end of her saga is a direct result of her hard work and knowledge of self. Unlike others, such as Blanch Ingram or Alele, she does not put on fake heirs in order to impress. In fact, she knows herself and her limits very well. As Jane clearly states to the reader, "It is my way - it always was my way, by instinct - ever to meet the brief with brevity, the direct with plainness (Bronte, 374)." She is aware of how she works.
To say no factor of luck was involved in her fate would be unwise. However, of more help to her than fate was Jane's determination to DO: to be productive and constantly busy. She is an avid learner at school, and later in life when she lives with the sisters she continues to study German and read. If she is not learning she is teaching, drawing, cleaning, or any number of things to keep busy. To each day she "shares it into sections; to each section apportions a task: leaveing no stray unemployed quarter of an hour (Bronte, 253)." Not only is she productive, but she does what she deems necessary to do. Though she has limited knowledge of the world Jane applies for a job away from the life she is accustomed to, because she knows she must. She is willed that she "must struggle on: strive to live and bend to toil like the rest (Bronte, 352)."

Response to "How does Jane Survive"

Jane ends up happier than the other characters in the book due to the stark contrast of her life prior to marrying Rochester. Throughout her childhood, she was fraught with misery surrounding her stay with the Reeds and later, the death of Helen due to consumption. Because of this depressing upbringing, when the school switches hands to the kinder gentlemen, she is thrilled. She ends up with a "desire to excel in all, together with a great delight in pleasing my teachers." (Bronte, 63)Even a small upturn in her life causes her to be much happier, especially after the introduction of Rochester. She still receives affection from him even after she returns from her leave after learning about Bertha. Rochester states that even though she left him for a while, he "felt like she loved me, and truster that she would not leave me."(Bronte, 334) She, once again, fell for Rochester, and happily so, concluding the book on a positive note in Jane's life.

response to "How does Jane survive" -Danielle

Jane ends up happy because she never got to experience genuine happiness. Even from the beginning of life, Jane was not treated with love respect or even as Mrs. Reed's own child. Lowood did not offer happiness either, in her first week, Jane was introduced as a girl who "the evil one had already found a servant and agent in her." (Bronte, 64) After her name was cleared, Jane eventually because a teacher at Lowood, but was not happy nor unhappy, but needed a change of stetting. Jane took up a job as a governess, was paid, treated well, and eventually fell in love with Mr. Rochester, her boss. Through out her life, Jane had never reached true and constant happiness. At the end of the novel Jane was happy because she had never really been able to achieve the amount of happiness that she could reach when married to Mr. Rochester.

Response to "How Does Jane Survive?"

Jane Eyre's character portrays a determined young woman, who yearns for an education and fair treatment. She had been abandoned by all parent figures since birth: her parents died when she was born, her aunt rejected her, and at her school, she is shunned by teachers and the head master. At the age of nineteen she escapes from her past to start a new life as a governess with Mrs. Fairfax, who Jane believes to be "..a model of elderly English respectability.", (Bronte. 91). Jane strove for respect her whole life and she believed she would have the rights any woman in the 1800's could have, at Thornfield. Similiar to Jane, most characters in Jane Eyre have balanced lives, containing hardships and triumphs throughout. For example, Rochester describes his marriage to Jane "I found her[Antoinette] nature wholly alien to me ... I tried to devour my repentance and disgust in secret.." (Bronte, 330). This marriage is his downfall, but Rochester's love for Jane is his victory. Jane Eyre survives because the present happiness she feels with Rochester compensates for her doomed childhood and adolescent years.

Response: "How Does Jane Survive?"

Jane Eyre is a women who is willing to excel at everything that is thrown at her, even when knowing the hardships that are to come. "I was conscious that a moment's mutiny had already rendered me liable to strange penalties, and, like any other rebel slave, I felt resolved, in my desperation, to go all lengths." (Bronte, 6) Jane continues to move on with her life and do the best she can to go as far as she can with her life, while other characters in the novel tend to give up the hope the need for a happy ending. Jane also is a good natured and kind character throughout the book. Most of the characters, such as the ones who tortured Jane in her earlier life, ended up having a bad end in the novel. One of these characters is John Reed, who commits suicide halfway through the book. "Why, you see, Miss Eyre, it is not a common mishap: his life has been very wild: these last three years he gave himself up to strange ways, and his death was shocking." (Bronte, 237)

Why Is Jane About To Survive?

Jane is able to survive simply because she has a desire to challenge herself and to be happy with what she does. When at Lowood, Jane soon excels and grows tiresome of the mundane routine. "I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer." (Bronte 86) She then frees herself from Lowood and thrusts herself into the world and ends up at the Thronfield. There she is put to work as a governess which is a highly regarded profession for a woman. When a love affair develops between Jane and her master, Mr. Rochester, Jane never compromises herself. Only upon a rare occasions does Jane give into the power Mr. Rochester has on her. "He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun. I could not, in those days, see God for his creature of whom I had made an idol." (Bronte 279) Even when she transitions into life with St. John Rivers, she keeps herself strong. Rivers says "But I apprised you that I was a hard mean, difficult to persuade." In response, Jane says "And I am a hard woman- impossible to put off." (Bronte 390)

Reply to "How Does Jane Survive?" - Megan

Jane Eyre is able to remain happy because she knows what she wants and is willing to go after it. Even from a young age, she knows that she "should indeed like to go to school" (Bronte 27) and when she gets there she wants and tries "to make so many friends, to earn respect, and win affection" (Bronte 89). When she tires of school and decides she wants "a new place, in a new house, amongst new faces, under new circumstances" (Bronte 116), she quickly pursues that by advertising as a governess. And when she receives a small fortune from her uncle, she is adamant that she will share it and forces St. John to "write to [his] sisters and tell them of the fortune that has accrued to them" (Bronte 547). In contrast, other characters in the book are either unaware of what they want or unwilling to pursue it. For example, St. John refuses to acknowledge that he loves Miss Oliver, even though Jane knows he "suffer[s] in the conflict" and is "wasting away" (Bronte 530) because of it.

8/30/10-Reply to "How Does Jane Survive?"

Jane is able to overcome difficulties in her life because she possesses a strong sense of self. Her sense of self is accompanied by her strong principles, which influence her choices, such as her decision not to be Rochester’s mistress when Bertha was discovered to be his wife. Jane knows that she has more self-worth than to be just Rochester’s mistress. Not only does she want to be Rochester’s “one-and-only”, she also believes that while Bertha is alive, loving Mr. Rochester would be considered adultery, and therefore, morally wrong. This balance of sense of self and moral fiber allows Jane to be assertive and speak her mind. As Rochester was trying to win her back, she “felt an inward power; a sense of influence which supported [her]” (Bronte 326). This inward power allowed her to declare her independence and successfully leave Rochester. This assertiveness is what makes Jane move forward in the novel. -Katie W.

Blog one: How Does Jane survive? -Ariana

"Jane Eyre" By Charlotte Bronte is a cinderella story. Jane explains to Mr Lloyd " John Reed knocked me down, and my aunt locked me in the red room." (Chapter 3, Page 32, The Illustrated Jane Eyre, Bronte Charlotte) Jane believes that If Mr. Reed have been alive he would have treated" her " kindly." (Chapter 2, Page 23, The Illustrated Jane Eyre, Bronte Charlotte) The reason Jane is victorious in the end is because it is pleasing for the reader to see the abused underdog come out on top. While Jane's abusive cousin John Reed ends up being spoiled and gambling away all his money. Jane is able to succesfully negotiate the turmoils in her life by running away, and later coming on to face them. As a child Jane tells Mrs. Reed she "will never come to see you when she is grown up." (Chapter 4, Page 47, Bronte Charlotte). When Jane is older and discovers Mr. Rochesters wife Bertha. Jane flees and later comes back to Thornfield. Jane feels regret for not telling him of her "intention" (Volume 3, Chapter ii, Page 534, Bronte Charlotte). Jane is noble for coming back, however her absence at thornfield annoyed me.

-Ariana

How Does Jane Survive?

How is Jane Eyre able to successfully negotiate the turmoils of her life? Why does she end up "happy" while so many others in the novel do not?*

* - You must incorporate quotes from the novel in order to support your response.