03/4/17

Jane Eyre And Hope

After reading all of the poems by Emily Dickinson, in my opinion, the poem Hope best compare to Jane Eyre. The poem talks about Hope as a bird who is beautiful in its own ways. It goes through so many difficulties in order to survive. Just like Jane Eyre, she is a smart and beautiful in her own ways. She goes through situations that are difficult and caused by others which she cannot control. But what she can do is depend on herself and her morals she lives by in order to keep going and find her happiness. Jane had finally found herself a man she could truly love but he was already married to someone else. Jane found herself going away from this situation because she thought if she stayed she would lose herself and the things she stands for being Mrs. Rochester.

03/4/17

Emily Dickinson & Jane Eyre

Emily Dickinson’s “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” delivers a message of choosing one significant other or friend and excluding others.
She states,
“Unmoved – an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Matt”.
To me this means this “Emperor” that Dickinson views as some sort of “change” came into her life; and now is trying to dictate and change her. She mention, that she is “Unmoved”. Dickinson isn’t excited about the Emperor asking for her hand of marriage. This relates to Jane and Rochester’s relationship.
Jane realized that she was beginning to have feelings for Rochester when he announced he’ll be away from Thornfield for a while. Although, Rochester is Jane employer and she believes that he would never fall in love with her; her feelings for Rochester continued to grow. Subsequently, Jane confessed her love for him and to her surprise Rochester proposal to her.
Jane is ecstatic about the marriage but whenever Rochester calls her by “Jane Rochester” she began to feel unease; as if
this is impossible.

Emily Dickinson’s, “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” then states,
I’ve known her — from an ample nation —
Choose One —”
The poet is basically saying she has to make a decision. Whether, she wants to marry this man or not. This is also relevant to “Jane Eyre”. After founding out that Rochester is already married, Jane founds herself if a rough situation. She then has to decide if she’ll continue to be his mistress or for the two to go their separate ways. But Jane began to wonder if she’ll ever find someone like Rochester. Someone who’s going to love for her like he does. Jane came to the decision to leave Thornfield and Rochester. She realized as a long as Rochester’s wife is alive, she will only be Rochester’s mistress. She clear that being his mistress only means her losing her freedom and control of her life.

03/4/17

The Soul Select Her Own Society

I think this Emily Dickens poem is most suited for Jane Eyre for the reason that there is always this conflict between the truth of her being and the way society perceives her to be. Without any societal influence, if Jane Eyre came out of the womb and was never once labeled with any kind of negativity or exiled from the societal world by her previous “family” of Gateshead, I personally think that Jane would be a very well rounded, confident, intelligent, and rather normal sociable girl. Even with society always somehow working against her natural flow, she always climbs out in the end making whatever situation work out. Some people believe in a God but I believe in an energy that flows in a certain direction in this world, and although I wholly understand this is a book, I feel like in Jane Eyre’s world, as much as society continues to incidentally beat her down, she always eventually holds true to herself. For instance, just as all was about to go well for her and Mr. Rochester, she finds her world crashing down because he is actually married. So then she takes it upon herself to leave the house and become homeless instead even though that was the last thing she wanted. And then she takes it upon herself to begs her way into Marsh End which eventually leads her to another job. Although at first Diana and Hannah had judged her for being a begger on the street, Jane proves herself otherwise, and even tells off the girls for doing so.

03/4/17

I Dwell in Possibility in Jane Eyre

According to Emily Dickinson archive website, “I Dwell in Possibility” was written in 1862, the romantic era, the time when women were unequal to men, when the society was led by patriarchally manners. Similarly, Charlotte Brontë’s work “Jane Eyre” was written in 1847 where Brontë’ was affected by the same family and society structures.

In Emily Dickinson’s poem “I Dwell in Possibility” it talks about freedom and liberation. When she mentions in the first stanza “More numerous of Windows- Superior – of Doors-.” Dickinson mentions these things because she feels that through poetry she will be able to express her necessity of equality and freedom. Likewise, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is also written with a motif about liberty and how to get out of the squared and locking society. Jane Eyre was reminding how locked and chained she felt when she lived with her aunt. In addition, Jane was also mentioning her sense of gender equality where she said, “women feel just as men feel…”(P. 130) In the second stanza Dickinson continues mentioning the nature in her poem, how the sky is the roof over our head. “And for an everlasting Roof The Gambrels of the Sky –” One of the motifs of the romantic era is the sense of sublime. Likewise, Brontë’s repetition of the sublime, is by describing the terrifying beauty of the nature and endless spaces.”…represented clouds low and livid, rolling over a swollen sea: all the distance was in eclipse.” Lastly both Dickinson and Jane Eyre have the ability to create. While Dickinson mentions in the last stanza how she has the ability to create, “…spreading wide my narrow Hands- To gather Paradise-”, Eyre is also a creator, she is a painter. Furthermore, while Dickinson feels that she is sent by God, by writing these poems, Mr Rochester describes himself as the sinner and Eyre as the pure and clean. “…your clean conscience, your unpolluted memory…without blot or contamination… exquisite treasure – inexhaustible source of pure refreshment” (P. 158-159)

To summarize we can see Dickinson writes about freedom and liberation, the nature and its endless terrifying beauty, and her ability to create as God’s messenger, almost an angel. Similarly we see that Jane Eyre is always striving for freedom and liberation, but ends up getting married to Mr. Rochester, she is also describing the untouchable beauty of the nature, yet turns to be a housewife, and lastly, while she was a sinless person, she becomes contaminated because she marries Mr. Rochester.

03/4/17

“I Dwell In Possibility”

 I found the first poem relevant, “I dwell in Possibility” it reminded me about the tranquility Jean Eyre face in Thornfield. This poem can be seen as about Dickinson’s personal life. For most of her life, she was as a shut-in. the poem is about possibility of visitors, more windows, more doors. In this poem, Emily contrast her rich dream life with a very dull quality of her real life. I think in this poem she is describing “Doors” in the house provide security from the outside world, they provide privacy. Have you ever felt like you live your life in a cage, every day you wake up, go to school, go to work and then you repeat the same thing over and over again?

 

Throughout the book Jane Eyre was maltreated, lock in a room by itself, tormented. She is punished by being locked in the red room. At the tender age of ten, Jane rises up against this treatment and tell them exactly what she thinks of them. After reading the poem by Emily, I leaned that for the most of her life she has this very moment of self-empowering speech. The live of Dickinson and Jane are typically similar. “I dwell in Possibility” is a poem that shows us how any life cage can be broken.  

 

 

Festus

 

 

 

 

 

03/4/17

Jane X Emily

“Hope” is the thing with feathers this poem apt metaphor for Jane Eyre’s life. Emily Dickinson write hope is the thing with feathers, perches in the soul, sweetest, and sore in storm. This is how Jane Eyre’s life look like. When she was little based on her aunt’s jealousy and not keep her promise, so she got the unfair treatment. Finally leave her aunt’s house to the school and got her first friend. But Helen die when they get along well. I think this also is a turning point for her life. Just like Emily mentioned in her poem sweetest, and sore in storm. Jane Eyre has gradually become a strong, knowledge, and hope women. In chapter 25 to 26 when Jane Eyre are going to get her happiness storm coming. She know Mr. Rochester has a wife and still a life. However, it never stop Jane Eyre she standing up for herself. She is like “the bird” in Emily’s poem full with hopeful no matter how hard and strong the storm was happen in her life. All of then clearly expressed hope has always been there.

Didi Hu

03/4/17

Jane relation to Dickinson

The lives of Jane Eyre and Emily Dickinson relate in many ways even though the eras they belong to we’re ten years apart. Dickinson and Eyre share a life of isolation and suppression.  In the poem “ The Soul selects her own Society” by Emily Dickinson she speaks of acceptance and privilege. Longing to belong and feel free and not oppressed by groups of class. Jane was worthy of changing her world of class and did not care that she was the governess of Thornfield. She fell in love with Mr Rochester and always wanted more out of her life as a women. In chapter seventeen, Jane is drawing a portrait of the known concubine to Mr. Rochester, Blanche, who is talked about often due to her arrival at Thornfield that’s   coming up. As she picks up chalk the thoughts of this woman Blanche could be a considered the opposite of how Jane sees herself. At the end of the second paragraph Jane states “ Blanche, an accomplished lady of the rank” giving the reader the feeling of discouragement according to appearance and social class. “The soul selects her own society, then , shuts the door” Dickinson’s words and poetry speak volumes when compared to Jane and the way she feels about her life. What’s she urges for which she never let go of her whole existence, even  through torment and extreme depression which started as a child. The poem that Dickinson wrote is duplication of the way Jane feels about her life socially.

03/4/17

Hope is a Thing with Feathers & Jane Eyre

In the poem “Hope is a Thing with Feathers”, Emily Dickinson compares hope to a bird. She states that hope exist in our soul and never stops. Moreover, she compares hardship to storm. However, “And sweetest-in the gale-is heard-And sore must be the storm”, bird’s singing is sweetest in the storm, in other words, storm can never destroy hope. This directly connect to Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre went through so many hardship such as parents’ death, John Reed and Mrs.Reeds’ abuse, Mr.Brocklehurst’s unfair treatment, and best friend Helen’s death. Even though every tragedy happened in Jane Eyre’s life like storm, they can never destroy Jane Eyre’s hope of being accepted, being loved, and being treated fairly. In chapter 23, Jane Eyre said to Mr.Rochester: “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much as you, and full as much heart!” Due to the difference of Jane Eyre and Mr.Rochesters’ class position, Jane Eyre felt shamed when she fell in love with Mr.Rochester, but indeed, Jane Eyre is still holding hope of being loved by Mr.Rochester. Finally, even if there are too many obstacles in Jane Eyre’s life, hope still exists in her soul and never stops.

03/4/17

Emily Dickinson & Jane Eyre

The poem by Emily Dickinson entitled “Hope” is a thing with feathers relates to Jane Eyre in a variety of ways. The poem, although brief, describes how their is hope within all of us and it never seems to flail. There seems to be no obstacle that will stand in the way of hope according to this poem. Jane has hope throughout the entire book that she will be able to make a better life for herself and find people who she can truly call family. One specific instance where Jane’s desires of finally having a family to rely on come true is when St. John informs her that not only has she been entrusted a large inheritance by her uncle who had since passed, but that she is cousins with St. John and his sisters.  Jane becomes ecstatic with joy when she realizes that she finally has family that she can call her own who are loving and caring people who she admires.  She withstood all the suffering and hardship throughout her life and her hope to find a better life for herself never wavered, to now finally have people who will be there for her always. It makes me truly happy as a reader of this book to see Jane find her family and realize her legacy. Jane is not even concerned with the fact that she is now an heiress, and all she cares about is her newfound family, and Jane even divvies up her inheritance evenly between herself, St. John, and his sisters. This shows that Jane’s main desire was to have a true family and not to have a huge inheritance and useless vanities.

03/4/17

The Soul selects her own Society

The poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson, is similar to Jane’s life.

Hope has always been the only thing that helps Jane to survive and to break all the obstacles she faces in her live. This helps her move forward in her life. Jane has been disappointed and underestimated several times in her life. Nevertheless, Jane accepted all the souffrances from her aunty, her friends and teachers at school and also from Mr. Rochester because she has an expectation that one day she will have a brillant future. Hope makes her strong and courageous to the point that she even talks about her feelings “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? you think wrong! I have as much as you, and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for you to leave me.” In this passage, Jane is expressing her emotions about the way she was treated. She is saying that she has feelings and heart too.

In conclusion, hope is very important in anything we doing. Because without hope a person can easily give up and can not fulfill his desires and expectations.

Aminata Toure