Rationale

My written task consisted in a diary entry from Jane Eyre after she was falsely accused by Mr. Brocklehurst of being a liar. I chose to do a diary entry cause it's the best way to express the characters personal feelings and explore them in the different situations that happen during the novel. I took some quotes from the book and I used them in the entry.

"If I had anywhere else to go, I should be glad to leave it; but I can never get away from Gateshead till I am a woman."(Chapter III)
I used this quote to show the feelings that Gateshead leaved in Jane's childhood.

"a tin oaten cake shared into fragments", "it's a nauseous mess; burnt porridge is almost as bad as rotten potatoes; famine itself soon sickens over it." (Chapter V)
Both of this quote helped me described the lack of food in Lowood's School

"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from de heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones." (Chapter XXIX)
This quote let me explain what where Jane's thoughts about Mr. Brocklehurst prejudices towards poor people. It also helped me show the equality thoughts that Jane had about society.

Written Task

Dear Diary,

             I thought I was going to be fine here at Lowood, but my high expectations went down as I started to know better this school. Going to study seemed to be the best escape from Gateshead. I hated John. He is the worst from the Reeds. Even though, if I had anywhere else to go, I should be glad to leave it; but I can never get away from Gateshead till I am a woman. It is a relief that, Miss Reed, as much as she dislikes me, for a reason I don't know, she thinks that I must be educated, so she sent me to Lowood School, far away from Gateshead. Maybe she hates me because how much Uncle Reed cared about me, compared with his own children.

             I didn't had to be one week, or even one day at Lowood to realize the conditions that it had. To start, the school is managed by Mr. Brocklehurst, who believes that low class girls in the school don't deserve good treatment. He is very cruel and hypocritical man. He steals from the school to pay his own luxurious lifestyle. Also, there isn't enough food at Lowood, they only give us a tin oaten cake shared into fragments, and if they give us something more abundant, it's a nauseous mess; burnt porridge is almost as bad as rotten potatoes; famine itself soon sickens over it. At Lowood, the only nice teacher, is my superintendent, Miss Temple. She gives me and all the other girls bread and cheese after all the horrors that Mr. Brocklehurst makes us pass. I have a good friend in Lowood too, her name is Helen, she is the one close person that helps me confront my emotional problems, the only problem is that there is a teacher named Miss Scatcherd who is very cruel with her.

             Mr. Brocklehurst did something terrible today, and as I said before, I can't escape Gateshead till I am a woman, because Miss Reed is the responsible of what happened today. Mr. Brocklehurst entered  the classroom where we were having classes. He was being very unpleasant, as always, with a girl with curly hair. I started getting worried because of Miss Reed false warnings, about me being a liar, that she gave to Mr. Brocklehurst. He did spend his time away from school since that day, so I did not had the chance to see him after he talked with Miss Reed. In that exact moment, when he came in the room, I accidently dropped my slate. Mr. Brocklehurst looked at me furious and then he said that I was careless, so he sent me in front of the whole school. I was scared and worried. He made me stand still in top of a chair for hours and he also made me tell everyone that I was a "LIAR". It was the biggest of the punishment that I've ever received for nothing, because I am not a liar.

             Here is when Helen appeared. She has always impressed me with her expansive knowledge and her ability to patiently endure even the meanest of Miss Scatcherd punishments. Just when I was feeling friendless and alone, she was the only person that joined me in my punishment giving me a piece of bread and talking to me for a while. After everyone gave me their back, Helen was there showing me why Mr. Brocklehurst was wrong. She said that it was because he is not well thought of by very many. Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from de heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.

              Miss Temple was the only teacher by my side. She was the only one trying to find out if I was really a liar. She has totally gain my loyalty and trust as she is took the time to care about the truth.

              A few days ago, Helen told me that she practices a doctrine of Christian endurance, which mean loving her enemies and accepting her privation. When she told me that, I strongly disagreed with that tolerance of injustice, but Helen didn't seem to care about my arguments. Maybe I should react like her when I see something unfair, but I can't resist to fight, because that's just who I am. 

             I have been thinking how challenging my stay at Lowood School is going to continue, because of the different individuals that threat my own believes of autonomy and equality. But I should be grateful of my close ones who helps me in my struggle,like Helen, or Miss Temple too. They have been by my side when everyone didn't and when I am forced to contend oppression and injustice. It is true that I won't be able to leave the emotions that Gateshead leaved me with till I am fully grown, cause my situation in this school is non different.

Reflections and Chapters 5-6-7-8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGSmilO-ah4&feature=player_embedded

This video shows us in a funny way how terrible was to be a student in Victorian Times. This punishments aren't accepted now, and they shouldn't be because it's dangerous to do that to children.

Questions:

1.-Imagine that you are falsely accused of stealing someone’s wallet at school. Your accuser is a credible witness, believed by your peers. Do you insist on your innocence and try to prove it? Do you confront your accuser? How do you live with the disapproval of your peers? Is the knowledge of your innocence enough to sustain you? Write a reflection statement referring to these questions.

2.-What is your opinion of Mr Brocklehurst’s philosophy of education?

3.-Compare Jane Eyre to other mistreated heroines from children’s stories (Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White). Knowing that Jane Eyre is the novel that broke many rules about how a mistreated heroine should act, compare and contrast them to Jane.

Answers:

1.-I will try to prove my innocence to my close friends first, to regain their trust, and then, they will help me gain everyone's trust. 

2.-I think that Mr Brocklehurst's philosophy of education is dangerous for children so it should have never been accepted.

3.-Jane Eyre is alone against life, but characters like Cinderella have someone else.

Film adaptation and Questions Chapters 3-4-5

Questions:

1.-What liberties do you think the director took in adapting the novel into a film?

2.-What criticisms can you offer to the portrayal of Victorian Times presented in the film?

3.-In a contemporary context, how would society manage the constant abuse and bullying against a child within the heart of his/her family?

Answers:

1.-The director has no limits for changing the story. The changes may for good or for bad but is the directors call. Also the director cast the actors for the characters according to his interpretation.

2.-The classicism (Reeds), also the huge social diferences according to the economic scale.

3.-Nowadays, laws against bullying and domestc violence are very clear, so it's much more controled.

Chapter 3-4-5 : Jane Eyre

1. How would you describe the relationship between Jane and Mr Lloyd? How do you think this affects her?

Jane's life in Gateshead is very difficult because of the Reed's discrimination to her. Mr. Lloyd made her stay easier.

2. How did Jane’s character changed in her confrontation with both Mr Brocklehurst and Mrs Reed?

It was her opportunity to reveal her self, and she did, right after she got angry because of what Mrs. Reed said.

3. What is your first perception of Lowood School? What do you predict for Jane’s future at Lowood?

I realized at first that she was a little ancious about going to Lowood, but then, Jane's expectations changed, and for what I think, she is going to have a bad time at Lowood.

In search of the Bröntes

1. Who is said to have influenced the sister’s lives and WHY?

Mostly the father. He believed that the best for his daughters future was to make them become writters, this involve shapping their way of life.

2. What tragedy struck the Brönte family?

Both of Charlotte's older sisters died, also the mother died living the father in constant sadness

3. What’s the Brönte father’s background?

He was a very wealthy, generous man. He studied in Cambridge's Trinity College. He was a very lonely man because of his wife and daughters death.

4. How is it said that Emily Brönte coped with homesickness?

Because she didn't openly express her emotions, she was very cold. She wrote poems to show her feelings (Jane Eyre did the same with drawings).

5. What is Haworth described like in the times the Bröntes lived there?

Because of the Industrial Revolution, Haworth had a lot of gothic styled buildings. 

6. What is a recurrent theme in Charlotte’s writing (based on her experience as a child)?

Her mother's death, and her difficulty to fit in society because of her hard childhood.

7. How did the Brönte father try to salvage the situation with his family after his wife’s death?

He needed a role model for his three daughters, cause a father figure wasn't enough, so he tried to find another wife marrying three times. 

Image Analysis: Charlotte Brönte's Landscape

These photos are the landscapes that where arround Charlotte Brönte's family, wich are ubicated in Yorkshire The two images show us some dark and sad characteristics. In Jane Eyre you may see that the style and atmosphere is very similar to what the images reflect, wich is lonelyness, darkness, and a gothic style.
You may realize that Brönte wrote the novel combining it with the world she lived in. I think that's much better for a writer cause it let's the author identify more with his characters.