Sunday, October 26, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Jane Eyre Chapter 7
2. How would you describe the central idea of this chapter? Which phrase from the chapter best helps develops?
While reading this passage, I quickly noticed the extreme living conditions of the students. This is immediately understood by the student's scarcity of food, lack of clothing in harsh winter temperatures and forced to conform to a specific look. We later see the source of these harsh conditions coming from a man named Mr. Brocklehurst and a very conservative Christian based institution. Mr. Brocklehurst ridicules students for having curly hair, braided hair and being "spoiled" with excess food. In my opinion the central idea of this chapter is these children are oppressed and treated poorly. This is shown through a quote by Mr. Brocklehurst, "You are aware that my plan in bringing up these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying. Should any little accidental disappointment of the appetite occur, such as the spoiling of a meal, the under or the over dressing of a dish, the incident ought not to be neutralised by replacing with something more delicate the comfort lost, thus pampering the body and obviating the aim of this institution; it ought to be improved to the spiritual edification of the pupils, by encouraging them to evince fortitude under temporary privation." Mr. Brocklehurst claims that he is only looking out for the children's best interest and that he is doing God's work but we see this is not the case. He isolates the children, starves them, and verbally abuses them. These are all qualities we do not associated with being a Christian man that he claims he is.
While reading this passage, I quickly noticed the extreme living conditions of the students. This is immediately understood by the student's scarcity of food, lack of clothing in harsh winter temperatures and forced to conform to a specific look. We later see the source of these harsh conditions coming from a man named Mr. Brocklehurst and a very conservative Christian based institution. Mr. Brocklehurst ridicules students for having curly hair, braided hair and being "spoiled" with excess food. In my opinion the central idea of this chapter is these children are oppressed and treated poorly. This is shown through a quote by Mr. Brocklehurst, "You are aware that my plan in bringing up these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying. Should any little accidental disappointment of the appetite occur, such as the spoiling of a meal, the under or the over dressing of a dish, the incident ought not to be neutralised by replacing with something more delicate the comfort lost, thus pampering the body and obviating the aim of this institution; it ought to be improved to the spiritual edification of the pupils, by encouraging them to evince fortitude under temporary privation." Mr. Brocklehurst claims that he is only looking out for the children's best interest and that he is doing God's work but we see this is not the case. He isolates the children, starves them, and verbally abuses them. These are all qualities we do not associated with being a Christian man that he claims he is.
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