Jane Eyre reflections

 As for the novel as a whole, there were ups and downs. I believe that as for America's perception of teenagers, they had it spot on. Jane believed her life was miserable, and in the end her prince charming came and saved her from it. Also, I like how many motifs there were. It made the book very interesting, and it especially made it much easier to analyze and annotate. This is a skill I didn't have much practice with, and I know I will be having to use it more once I get to college. As well as motifs, there was a lot that just generally happened. Her life as a young woman was very interesting, and there wasn't really a time when I was bored. As for what didn't work, I didn't like how dramatic everything was. I understand that teenagers are usually over dramatic, but I think Bronte took it a little too far. I would say that they should be less descriptive, but that was definitely an important motif. I don't necessarily think there needs to be any changes, I just think I didn't like some parts as much as others. I believe this book should be taught. It does teach some very good values, like pursuing your dreams and being independent, and it's also good to read a novel from a very different time period. As for last thoughts, I believe the St. John thing went wayyy too far. Also, way too many coincidences!

Too many coinicidences??

Alright, after finishing the Jane Eyre novel this weekend, I was a little upset with some things. It seemed to me, after Jane had been having such a rough life, there were just too many coincidences. What are the odds, that after almost "starving to death" (dramatic, by the way), she happens to come across such nice strangers? And, even after that was a little strange, they end up being her relatives? Jane had gone her whole life thinking she had no family at all, and she just happens to run into three cousins? Seems a little strange if you as me.

Also, her uncle dies. This is pretty sad, since it was another family member she never got to meet. Even though they never met, her uncle leaves his remaining fortunes to only Jane. What? Are you serious Bronte?? That is just too good to be true! It seems like while writing this novel there were some things thrown in their just for a dramatic affect, more than a realistic one. Anyone else agree? Or am I being over analytic? 

Banned Books

After reading Catcher in the Rye, which was an excellent novel, we talked a little in class about banned books. I knew that this one was high up on the list, so I decided to check it out. Astonishing things have happend to teachers just for trying to teach the book to their classes. According to TIME magazine, a teacher in Tulsa, Okla. got fired just for simply trying to analyze the text to her students. Another school in Ohio claimed the novel was "anti-white" (you've got to be kidding me..). After numerous bans around the globe, a quote of Salinger's was thought about. He once said "

Some of my best friends are children. In fact, all my best friends are children. It's almost unbearable for me to realize that my book will be kept on a shelf out of their reach." The climax of hate for the book was when John Lennon's assassin's only explanation for murdering him was that book. I don't know about you, but I think that this book was just an outlet for blame. Just because it's different and vulgar doesn't mean it's the only book out there like that. What do you think? Do you think anyone was justified for banning this piece of literature? 

Sherman Alexie

I don't know about everyone else in the class, but I loved "Every Little Hurricane". The comparisons with hurricanes and the boy's troubles, and also the air of mystery about it, really caught my attention the whole time. Was he talking about a real hurricane? Or was he simply referring that his pain is as violent as one? If you want to know, read it yourself! Anyways, since I enjoyed the story so much, I thought I'd read a little bit more about the author. I found out that Alexie was born with water on the brain, which meant he went through numerous brain surgeries at very young ages. If he even survived, he was predicted to live with severe mental retardation. He beat the odds though, and only suffered from seizures through out his childhood. Once he reached middle school on the indian reservation he lived on, he promised himself he would attend high school at the town over. He arrived there to find he was the only Indian, which just pushed him harder to succeed. He then excelled academically and physically, becoming a star basketball player. When Alexie reached college, he immediately wanted to be a doctor. Who doesnt, right? He quickly discovered after losing consciousness in Anatomy classes that this was the wrong choice for him.

This is just a small excerpt of Alexie's life. If you want to know more, there is a awesome biography on his website. Super interesting! I hope to read more of his short stories or novels when I have the time.

Mirrors!

The Collected Poems1961I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.

Whatever I see I swallow immediately

Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.

I am not cruel, only truthful --

The eye of a little god, four-cornered.

Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.

It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long

I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.

Faces and darkness separate us over and over.Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.

She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.

I am important to her. She comes and goes.

Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.

In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman

Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.


This is a poem called "Mirror Analysis" by Sylvia Path. I chose to blog about this poem because in Jane Eyre mirrors are an important motif. Since we havent really discussed what this motif could be representing, I think this poem does a good job to get my opinion across. In the poem, the author itself is a mirror. She talks about accepting people for who they are, and ignoring faults. I think that one of the reasons mirrors are so important in Jane Eyre is the face that Jane can't do that. She can't just accept who she is and be happy about it, seeing past her faults. I may be wrong, but does anyone else have any thoughts on the mirrors motif?

Visions of Teen hood

I found this post to be a little easier to relate to since I'm currently a teenager myself. One of the best movies to compare to Teen hood (and also one of my all time favorites) is called Sixteen Candles. This movie is about a young girl, and it is her sixteenth birthday. Unfortunately, her older sister's wedding is also on the same day. She wakes up in the morning, and couldn't be more thrilled to be one year older. It's her Sweet Sixteen!! Instead of walking downstairs and getting greeted by a chorus of "Happy Birthday", or maybe even a birthday pancake, she is completely ignored. Everyone is so absorbed into the chaos of the wedding they completely forget the date. She's traumatized. It's actually a few days before anyone besides her close friends remember it was her birthday at all. I think this is a great representation (in a comedy) of how tragic something can be in a teenager's eyes. Through the rest of the film she partakes in many other teen like events, such as prom, finding a boyfriend, and being dramatic as hell. The movie does a great job showing the drama in teenager's lives, and is also incredibly easy to relate to. I recommend it to everyone!

Visions of Childhood

Pick a TV show or movie that depicts childhood. What does it seem to be saying about the nature of being a kid? What "story" does it tell about childhood?

The movie I thought of when asked this question was "Hook" with Robin Williams. This is a story about a man who grows up, has children, and is married. While it seems he has a fine life, he has forgotten what it's like to be a child, and has also started forgetting about how important his family is. When he was a child, he used to pretend he was Peter Pan, and his fairy Tinkerbell comes to get him as an adult and takes him back to Never Never Land. It's here that Peter is reintroduced into childhood, and gains his imagination back again. I think this movie is trying to say that being a kid is precious, even though you always want to grow up. 

In the four stories we’ve read, how is childhood depicted? What similarities or differences are there? What are the authors saying about childhood? Do they get it “right?”

In the four stories that we've read so far about childhood, it seems as they are trying to depict childhood as a rough time. It's confusing, being in that state where you're young, but you know something is going wrong around you. In "Every Little Hurricane", the boy isn't naive. He knows exactly how hard it is living on a reservation, and he knows exactly how his entire family deals with it. He's surrounded by alcohol, depression, and poverty. In "With Love, For Esme", the little girl acts like an adult in dealing with her parent's deaths. I believe that the authors all presented childhood correctly. I agree completely with what they were trying to get across. 

Growing Up

One distinct memory I have of stepping out of childhood and into adulthood is when I was fairly old. It wasn't until sixth grade that I went through this traumatizing experience. I can remember clearly how the day was going. My parents and I were on our way out to dinner when I brought up the myth of Santa Clause. I jokingly said "It's not like Santa really puts the gifts under the tree, I know it's you guys." Even though I knew Santa was not real, I enjoyed the fact that my parents still played along. My dad replied laughing, "Alright, you caught us. We eat the cookies!". I was shocked that this fact had come out in the open. I was not laughing, and a little part of my heart was crushed. It was this day that the little part of me that was holding on to this family tradition grew up.

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

Herrrohhhh. I'll start this off by saying I hate talking about myself. It either comes out incredibly boring, or sounds like I'm trying too hard to make it clever. So here it goes, whether dry and tasteless or dripping with entertainment.

Alyse Weber is sitting next to me. Jealous?

I love Dave Matthews. Anything else?

But for real, I love music. I'm not sure what I would do without it, as cliche as that sounds. I also love reading, and I'm a dedicated and proud fan of LOTR (if you don't know what that is, you should be ashamed) and Harry Potter. I'm graduating in January and I couldn't be more excited, and College Lit should be a coolio class! Boom.