Religion vs. Jane

Religion:
There are two extremes regarding religion in Jane Eyre.

-Mr. Brocklehurst: religious hypocrite. He preaches Christianity but is tainted with hypocrisy. An example is the passage we read in class about his lecture on the girls' hair and materialism. He elevates himself as a connection to God and lectures the girls on their sins while his own wife and daughters are covered in extravagant, materialistic luxuries.

-Helen Burns: true Christian. She does not preach the religion but rather, embraces it and acts accordingly.

Jane:
Jane is against both extremes; she does not fall in either category.

She hates the hypocrisy of Mr. Brocklehurst, but does not agree with Helen's tendency to stay subjective and passive. Because of her experiences with the Reed family, Jane does not feel that it is right to simply accept cruelty and to conform to religion.
Jane in a sense rejects religion of both extremes.

-Susan Y.

Inequitable Treatment By Mariah N

            Discrimination is just as alive and thriving today as it was in the 19^th Century when Jane Eyre was written. A few weeks ago our cheer squad was informed that there would no traveling during basketball season due to a multitude of reasons. The first reason in which traveling cheerleaders in no longer allowed is because of budget cuts. This is understandable because our state has been on a declining deficit for sometime. The second is because our school board does not think that our cheer squad is being equitable to all sports. Determined to prove them wrong, our squad wrote a letter to the school board explaining what our squad does to give back to our school, our sports teams and our community. Not only do we go to all football games and basketball games, we make it a priority to attend as many sporting events as possible, we make cards and goodie bags for the team members. We understand that being treated equally is important, but where is the equality for us?

            Much like Jane, our cheer squad is overlooked. Our feelings are not taken in for consideration; it was not until we stood up for our selves fighting for the same equality that our superintendent was viciously preaching at us to practice did we see a change. Unlike Jane, we were not abandoned; our cheer coach stood by us fighting along side us. What Jane Eyre has taught me is that people may try to steal your voice, say that you aren’t significant, and say that you can’t make a difference, but you can.

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) We as humans are quick to judge and say someone is at fault. I blamed our state government for the budget cuts, but then I realized I was participating in the same ludicrous acts that my school board had done with our cheer squad. Reading Jane Eyre I learned that sometimes unjust, unfair, inequitable things happen in our lives, and when they do they need to be handled in a way that is respectful towards everyone, otherwise I become an enemy to others place unfair judgment upon others. 

OLW Pain- Derek B.

My one little word to focus on in my life and in literature is pain. I do not mean this to be a negative or depressing idea rather a study on a primitive and strong human emotion that has a large impact on our lives. My focus is on the different types of pain and their effects on our lives. From emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical anguish, people have been subject to pain, often at the hand of another human, and have had to deal with it in different ways. People can accept the pain, avoid it, or try to advert or stop it. A major factor of the person's reaction is if the pain is sharp and short or dull and drawn out, or even growing over time to consume their life and their will. Although too often people succum to pain and break down, indulge in stimulants, or even take their lives, people can also triumph over pain to accomplish great things. Pain is interesting because although it is caused by outside sources, it is entirely in the subjects control of what to do. The strength of the will is just and important as the strength of the person when it comes to dealing with pain. In literature I hope to find how pain is introduced into the lives of people and how the cope with it. Then I can introduce those ideas into my life and the lives of the people around me.