Feminism & Postcolonialism in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre Essay

As a representative work of a female author who was well ahead of her times, Jane Eyre can safely be regarded as the magnum opus of Charlotte Bronte. A literary career that spanned for a meager six years, it was really incredible as to how Charlotte Bronte could excel so much as a novelist so as to be able to pen down the account of a lonely and principled woman who has since been looked up as the very epitome of womanhood, let alone the politic of feminism. Moreover, elements of postcolonialism and their influence on individual behavior can also be traced in the polarized character sketching of Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason. In contemporary literature, gender and postcolonial discourses do not seem to rest solely on any stereotypical convention of characterization. Instead, such approaches tend to de-categorize women according to their individual identity. In other words, a female character in today’s literature would rather have patchy dispositions, as opposed to having lofty and focused ideals. What makes Jane Eyre a true critique of postcolonial and feminist literature is its assimilation of the contradictory traits of womanhood – good and bad, elegance and vileness, civility and impudence – within a single narrative framework. In the light of this observation, this paper attempts to justify Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre as a fictional illustration of feminism and postcolonialism. To substantiate the thesis, the paper will look into chapters 26 and 27 – a transitory phase in the storyline of Jane Eyre. Most of Charlotte Bronte’s novels, including Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853), deal with a vivid picture of colonial Europe and document how social conventions are shaped and redressed by colonial aggressions. At the end of chapter 26 of Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester asks Jane to accompany him to France – a place not colonized by Great Britain. This shows how the concepts of meta-colonization were imbued in the author’s mind while writing the novel. What it also brings out is how the male protagonists of Bronte, while most of whom have a sardonic and bipolar attitude to romantic relationships, invariably prefer women having a distinct colonial background in order to rule out the possibility of a foreign intrusion into their hardnosed Victorian veils. Meyer points out that there is a fusion of postcolonial societal doctrines and racial synthesis in the way Bronte treats her women characters in Emma (1853) and Jane Eyre. This hints at a dichotomy of social prejudices regarding how a common European would respond to the color of human skin on one hand, and how it would be treated as a benchmark for social permissibility. The paradigm of postcolonialism is embedded at the heart of the novel when Mrs. Reed grows an aversion to little Jane on the ground of her ethnic background, alien to the former’s own (249). Meyer further discusses the literary tropes Bronte uses in Jane Eyre to signify race relations prevalent in contemporary English societies. Bronte, according to Meyer, uses the concept of blackness in a figurative way to connect the actual history of British colonization with racial â€Å"otherness†. This psychological practice of attributing â€Å"otherness† to was a result of a colonizer’s preoccupation with Whiteness. There is a paradigmatic shift from literature to life, however, in the way Bronte pinpoints the presence of both class and race discrimination in the British society. She does this to unmask the patriarchal impositions that were central to the overall aura of dominance practiced by the British over their colonies. The politics of feminism in Jane Eyre is quite complex in nature, simply because a number of related factors are interwoven in the plot. Quoting Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Meyer argues that Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason represent two distinct leagues of feminism. While Jane is a sober and progressive woman capable of bettering her situation on her own accord, Bertha Mason is a compulsive character, almost an obstacle character, lying beyond the scope of self-improvement or redemption. Bertha Mason is a representative of the aboriginal race, precariously positioned between human and bestial instincts. In dealing with the development of a meaningful character, Bertha Mason is deliberately stripped of the very qualities that are bestowed to Jane Eyre. Consequently, Jane grows to be the epitome of womanhood with all her feminine virtues (250). But Meyer does not take Spivak’s argument at face value. She further questions the validity of the claim that Spivak makes about the correlation between feminism and imperialism in Jane Eyre. If imperialism can be cited as a tentative offshoot of postcolonialism, it would be easier to substantiate the thesis. From imperialistic perspectives, Bertha Mason qualifies as a colonial woman who is supposed to have an individualistic entity of her own. But then again she is also portrayed as a native woman, which seems to obfuscate the earlier attribution to imperialism. Going by Meyer’s argument, it is clear that traits of both imperialism and postcolonialism cannot coexist within a single character, and if it does, one must remain dormant for the other to thrive (250-1). Hence, it is logically better to link patriarchy with colonial dominance, as both have their origins rooted in the nineteenth century British high-bloodedness that had historically been proved to be discriminating on gender issues. Rositsa Kronast examines Bronte’s introduction of the â€Å"female colonial Other† in the context of a male dominated regime. Citing Jane Eyre as her principle reference, along with Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, Kronast shows how the tables can turn with changes in power and hierarchy. It may be noted, however, that this change may or may not come from internal agents. As is the case with Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason, the change is imposed by the Victorian norms that were outright puritanical. Consequently, Jane, despite being a woman of substance, is pitted against seemingly insolvable situations especially when her love affair with Mr. Rochester comes under serious threat from Bertha Mason. While Jane is drained of her power, Bertha Mason steps in as an empowered woman, capable of inflicting great damage at a public level. The reversal of fortune is only possible because the Victorian times in colonial England allowed for total submission of women before male whims. The Victorian concept of womanhood that Jane embodies is based on relative compatibility with men. Women were seen to be playing second fiddles to their gender counterparts in a number of roles – from mother to wife (3). What is interesting to note from Kronast’s argument is that if Jane is the Other woman, she is at once powerless and empowered. This brings us to the same logical fallacy that has been mentioned earlier in the paper – two contradictory traits cannot control a character’s life in any way. So to put matters in the right context, it is reasonable to infer that the Creole woman portrayed by Bertha Mason must give in to the author’s intention of representing the colonized face of womanhood, in order to accommodate for a lofty and ideal feminine role for the individualistic Jane (Staines 42). In essence, reading into the feministic and postcolonial components in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre brings out the difference between what is intrinsically feminine and what is not. It is basically a novel based on modern concepts of feminism. Jane’s personality exudes a rich ardor of feminine grace and beauty. Postcolonialism, on the other hand, is only introduced for putting the concept of feminism into perspective. Therefore, Jane and Bertha continue to hold their respective positions of significance, with the latter playing the role of a borderline character. Works Cited Kronast, Rositsa. The Creole Woman and the Problem of Agency in Charlotte Bronte’s â€Å"Jane Eyre† and Jean Rhys’s â€Å"Wide Sargasso Sea†. Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2010. Meyer, Susan L. â€Å"Colonialism and the Figurative Strategy of Jane Eyre. † Victorian Studies. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1990. Staines, David. Margaret Laurence: critical reflections. Ottawa, Ontario: University of Ottawa Press, 2001.

Professional Development Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Professional Development Analysis - Assignment Example The researcher states that a professionally qualified engineer must possess all the necessary qualifications and the relevant experience in order to become a successful engineer. To assist in this, the government of U.K has allotted a separate body that deals with professional engineers. The levels of professional qualification differ from one university to another. The major reason for such changes is the current requirement of the industries and the changing trend in the field of engineering. All these factors contribute to the decrease in the number of students who opt for technical courses and courses related to science. Though the numbers of engineering courses are increasing, courses like mechanical and manufacturing engineering continue to draw a reasonable number of people. Since the level of qualification differs based on the field of engineering, the requirements also differ. The level of professional qualification certainly depend on the field of engineering and hence the students must make up their mind according to the current needs and make sure they select a field in which they can obtain the required level of qualification. The various levels of diploma, Pre University, vocational courses, graduate, and postgraduate courses help the students to obtain the highest level of qualification, so as to prepare themselves for a challenging career. Though the branches of engineering are similar to some extent, mechanical and manufacturing engineering are different in their technical aspects. Due to this reason, the students who prefer these streams must ensure that they get qualified and equally experienced to evolve into a professionally qualified engineer. Apart from these factors, the selection of courses depends on the university in which the student studies. As the numbers of colleges in the UK are increasing considerably, it is the responsibility of the students to select a university which best suits their needs. The field of mechanical and manufa cturing engineering offers a wide variety of choice to the students from which they can take up a course that specializes in this field. The levels of professional qualification include a diploma, a bachelor degree, and a post-graduate degree.

History Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

History Questions - Essay Example Cuneiform writing was practiced as an art. Ancient Greece was characterized by islands, Peloponnesus, and mainland. It was surrounded by Mediterranean Sea and had few rivers, rocky soil and a mountainous land with the lack of subsistence farming and no irrigation scheme. My analysis demonstrated that Ancient Greece had no central political system hence lacked unity and was characterized by policies of humanistic and secular. Ancient Greece only took part in art and trade as the primary social activities and this system led to no significant economic achievement characterized by less population and high poverty. The two societies that showed long stability history and imperial dynastic rule are Ancient Egypt and Ancient China. Ancient Egypt had a precious natural resource surrounded with regular controlled flooding surrounded by political borders and a governed centralized system that facilitated political stability and a high population with less foreign interference. Its culture was uniform with a religious perspective and a point of direction in their way of life that unified the whole community. Ancient China was characterized by mountains, deserts, and rivers. The community in Ancient China practiced comprehensive agriculture that led to unification and communal working. The practice of religion adjudicated Unity in Ancient China and emphasize on respect to elders. They also mined bronze and took part in the art as a culture. The axial age is a time between 900-200 BCE when people began laying spiritual foundations that guide the common religions today. Urban civilization under priestly ruling brought communities together and encouraged trade activities. The Urban way of life started to expand leading to social, political and economic conflicts that disrupted order leading to questioning of conventional beliefs. Interaction between different communities exposed individuals to realities like

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Assignments1-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Assignments1-3 - Essay Example The retirement benefit costs are set to increase in the state of Virginia. The pension plan in the state is underfunded and overburdened and the employee would have to pay for the pension benefits. Previously, the employees did not contribute to their pension scheme but now they will be forced to contribute towards the pension scheme. There will be no benefit for the taxpayer and savings are not expected from the shift in contribution back to the employee. Some say the shift to the employee contribution and the mandatory 3 percent raise will put more burdens on the Virginia Retirement Scheme; the effect is set to be long-term (Robertson, 2011). Poor investment in technology is one of the issues that many financial services companies face. The progress is little for these organizations in terms of service provision effectiveness and increased efficiency. The scenario has been creating an industry that is poorly automated or highly manual and use of processes that are time consuming; the processes are demeaning and insufficient to the skilled finance professionals (Worth, 2011). The cloud based systems are growing rapidly and the Intuitive technology wants to offer the clients and prospective clients with complete accounting system and cloud financial management. The company, Intuitive Technologies has noted the demand for cloud computing in the market and the need to replace the old on-premises financial management systems of Intacct with the modernized cloud based financial management application (PR-USA.NET, 2011). The political reforms in China have had an effect on the growth of China. The political system in China though unfavorable, it has created an economic growth spurt in the country. The political reforms aim at tackling the country’s social problems. The problems include the huge income inequality and the absence of a national pension scheme (Mitter,

Health and Safety Manager for WoooW company Essay

Health and Safety Manager for WoooW company - Essay Example Since the employee wanted to resume his work, it is my duty to explain to him the dangers that will be faced and to safeguard the health so as not to strain at work. Bradycardia is a condition whereby the heart tends to have a slower beating rate than normal. In a normal adult heart at rest, the beats are usually between 60 and 100 times per minute. However, if an individual suffers from bradycardia, his /her heartbeat is lesser than 60 times in a minute. The condition can be considered a fatal problem in instances where the heart does not propel sufficient oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. However, some individuals do not display any symptoms or complication when suffering from the condition. The condition can be caused by many reasons such as changes in the heart that are the effect of growing old. Besides, illnesses that harm the heart’s electrical system including, heart attacks, infections such as myocarditis and endocarditis as well as coronary artery disease. Another cause includes situations that have a potential in slowing the electrical impulses of the heart such as a low thyroid level also known as hypothyroidism, an electrolyte imbalance ("Equality Act 2010" n.d.). Lastly, a various medication used while treating high blood pressure or heart conditions such as antiarrhythmic, digoxin and beta-blockers can lead to a slowed heartbeat rate. Although some individuals are suffering from the condition exhibit mild to no symptoms at all, a few symptoms are associated with it. The patients usually feel lightheaded or dizzy and have short of breath, which makes them find it difficult to be involved in exercising. Besides, they tend to feel exhausted and experience chest pains or a feeling that their heart is throbbing or flapping. The condition’s treatments include depending on the causes, being given a pacemaker, which assist in correcting a slow

Sustainable Management Futures. Free Markets and Governments Essay

Sustainable Management Futures. Free Markets and Governments - Essay Example Some scholars go to the extent that the government shouldn’t even engage in public spending on health, education and other necessities. ( Reisman, J., 1998) With such a non-egalitarian orientation, the government’s role in a free market system is confined to the role of a spectator while the market ensures that the efficient businessmen are rewarded with profits. -THE SOCIAL COSTS OF THE INVISIBLE HAND Classical economists such as Adam Smith claim that a free market is bound to create growth, that the invisible hand in an unregulated market fosters growth of efficient market mechanisms. Even after almost three centuries having passed by after the evolution of this notion, the free market is still deemed as an ideal model, but its promised benefits to society are now being viewed as rather utopian in nature. The dynamics of an unregulated free market are seen as quite reminiscent of Social Darwinism. The market favors the efficient few who own the means of production. ( Stiglitz, J., 2011) The free market functions in such a way that formation of separate classes is inevitable. Much attention has been paid to the rise of the industrial bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The former owning the means of production and making profits, while the former providing labor and earning wages. While the free market is said to have provided opportunities for both, the sheer magnitude of the unequal share of rewards has raised skepticism to the social benefits of a free market. -FREE MARKETS IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD The recent global economic crisis is said to have been the result of unregulated free markets. The role of governments is now being brought into perspective again, as the government is the very entity that is assisting in stabilizing the markets with massive bailout packages. The enormous growth rates exhibited during the pre-recession period were phenomenal, but a retrospective analysis suggests that they were unsustainable. The major fuel for recent economic growth has been the availability of capital. Lenient credit policies have paved way for expanding markets but not much attention has been paid to the costs of such confidence based growth. The common man, encouraged by growth-driven corporations has increased consumption, with the assumption that incomes will rise simultaneously. This spiral might exist for a limited time, but when it stops, the market eventually collapses. Unregulated economic growth has led to the resurfacing of a plethora of subprime lending and major Ponzi schemes. (Stiglitz, J.,2011 ) Economic growth does in fact lead to improving social indicators. Ever since capitalism has become the popular form of economic governance around the world, per capita inflation-adjusted income has risen from $5,400 in 1980 to $8,500 in 2005. (Shleifer, A., 2009) While educational and health figures have improved, the north-south orientation of this growth has been noticed as well. While social indicators have improved i n some areas and strata of the population, other portions remain unaffected. For instance, the top 1% of the income earners in United States have 24% share in the overall incomes generated. (Timothy, N. 2010) -THE NEED OF A MEDIATOR- THE GOVERNMENT: The concept of a welfare state arises from the notion that the

It was a bitter winters night Essay Example for Free

It was a bitter winters night Essay It was a bitter winters night and George was sitting in his big white house. Georges lapdog, Tony, was lying at his owners feet. His big pointy ears were jiggling and his huge forehead was creasing up as he breathed in and out. George was watching television. Although he was not really mentally capable of understanding some of the intellectual humour he was watching, he happily sat there giggling away at the Tweenies with Tony. George and Tony deserved to relax after the hard day they had had at school. George was head boy at his school, the United School of Akronica, and he was having a spot of trouble with one of the other boys. Sammy Whosayne was bullying other children in his class and George thought that he should do something about it. George also believed that Sammy had some stink-bombs of mass poignancy but he could not prove anything. Although George was head boy, it did not mean he could do what he wanted; he had to speak to one of the teachers first. The teacher that he had to speak to on this occasion was called Mrs. U.Benn. She was in charge of the committee against bullying, Necessitarians Against The Oppressors. Usually, U. Benn and NATO sorted out problems between different groups within the school but this time she said no because George could not prove that Sammy had stink-bombs of mass poignancy. George was furious; he couldnt believe that they had said no to him. He soon got over it though when he saw something shiny on the floor. George realised that if he want to do anything about Sammy Whosayne, he was going to have to do it himself. He realised that he could not do it by himself. He asked help from his friend Pierre Le-Grenouille. Unfortunately for George, Pierre was a bit of a wimp and said that he did not want to go to fight anyone. What a coward. Anyway, although slightly disheartened, George continued to plan his fight against Sammy after hed finished his warm milk and colouring in. George had gathered up his friends and they looked quite impressive, his dog Tony and he made quite a team. The two of them burst into Sammy Whosaynes classroom. They were much more heavily armed than him. George was equipped with the latest advances in paper aeroplanes. The planes flew into the class room taking out everything in their path (providing it was also made out of paper). This was lucky because Sammy had built his defences entirely out of paper. George attack completely wiped out the bullys fortresses. He fled with his friends for fear of getting a paper cut. George was so happy that he couldnt stop himself from giggling like a little girl. After Georges crushing victory, he embarked on a search of the classroom for the stink-bombs of mass poignancy. He started this colossal task by checking in Whosaynes locker. Obviously not realising that the locker was open, George set about trying to push the door open. He pushed as hard as he could for a good forty-nine minutes. Eventually Tony the dog, who had watched the whole pathetic affair, decided he couldnt take it anymore and decided to show George that the door was unlocked and all he had to do was pull it. Tired out after pushing a solid piece of metal for forty-nine minutes, George languidly routed through the deviants locker for any signs of the stink bombs of mass-poignancy. The locker was covered in dust, much like a certain middle-eastern country whose name escapes me. He searched every nook and cranny of the cupboard. He went bravely into the cracks and caverns without knowing what he would find. After what seemed like months of searching (it was actually about twenty minutes), George was fruitless. As NATO had guessed, Sammy did not have any stink bombs of mass poignancy. George did not even catch Sammy. He was very embarrassed. He was also quite worried as there was an election coming up for head boy. He realised that he had to find Sammy and then possibly his reputation would be saved although, if were being perfectly honest, his reputation wasnt really one worth saving. He searched the playground for the rest of break and just as things were looking bad, he saw someone hidden in the climbing frame that looked very much like the fugitive bully. He went up to him but he realised that hed gotten the wrong person because the person hed found had a beard. He apologised and walked off. As he was walking off, Tony kicked him which provoked thought. He thought that a boy having a beard was rather unusual at a school. He went back and the boy looked a little worried at the sight of a jolly giggling little man rushing towards him. George went up to him with a stern look of concentration on his face. He opened his mouth and, to the horror of Tony, he asked the bearded boy what life was like in the sixth form. As we all will have guessed by now, the bearded boy was actually Sammy Whosayne in what was frankly a pretty pathetic disguise (although it did fool George). Sammy opened his mouth and thats when George finally realised who it was. He grabbed him and took him out to show the rest of the play ground. Ive caught him he shouted. Not realising that nobody cared and that they werent listening he carried on his speech. I have capturidafied this hooligan and hopefully he will not continue to tormentify us any more. Thank me very much for giving me your attention. It was a good job that no one was listening because he would have made a complete ass out of himself. Not only had his speech included words that didnt exist but where he believed he was holding a master criminal, he was actually clutching a piece of tarpaulin with some loose bits of hair stuck to it. By this point Tony the dog had given up trying to help him. This is the end of my tale about a stupid man with power and his pet. As of yet, we do not know if George will be elected as head of the United School of Akronica but lets hope, for all our sakes, that someone with more common sense gets the job.