Setting the Mood with Weather

     The morning was cool as the sun rose. Merlin the serving boy arrived to wake Prince Arthur up. "Rise and shine" Merlin said as he tried to rouse the Prince. As the Prince woke up he asked "Merlin, what are my morning activities for today?" "Sire, today is your anniversary" Merlin said. Arthur slithered back under the covers, "What's wrong? It's your birthday? You've got dancers,jugglers, and acrobats to entertain you! As well as a feast being held in your honor! " Merlin exclaimed. "I'm not as easily impressed as you are Merlin, and I don't have the mind of a child unlike you" Arthur retorted. Then swiftly got up to go to his dressing quarters. "Merlin muttered, yet I'm still more intelligent than you." "I heard that!" Arthur shouted. Merlin smiled to himself as he walked out of Arthur's chamber. After the princes morning activities came to a halt, he decided to go visit his father in his chambers. As Arthur proceeded to tell his father about matters of the court, his father cut in. "Today we will not be discussing matters of the court, today is the anniversary of your birth." King Uthur, Arthur's father had a smile plastered on his face.

     As the day went on clouds started to stir in the sky. The anniversary festivities continued into night fall. Everyone, knights, servants, and of course the Prince and King gathered around a large feast. They were being entertained by the acrobats, until one man called on Prince Arthur to participate in knife throwing. Eurig tied Arthur to a circle board that spun around. Right before they spun Arthur, the man put an apple in Arthur's mouth. What Arthur didn't know was that there was a sedative in the apple that would knock him out later in the night. That's when Eurig would go in to kill the Prince. After the glorious feast, Merlin walked the Prince back to his chambers. Arthur was stumbling all around, the sedative has taken its effect on him. "Looks like the ale has gotten to you tonight Sire" Merlin smirked. "Oh would you shut up Merlin" Arthur said as he tripped. Merlin caught him right before he fell. Merlin then set Arthur down on his bed and left the Prince. After Merlin had left, Arthur tried to make his way to his fathers chambers. As Arthur was sitting in a chair by his fathers bed side, he noticed in the a man holding a dagger in the reflection of the bed side mirror.Arthur drew his sword as he stood up, he was a bit shaking and unstable as he fought off Eurig. The sedative was too strong for Arthur, he toppled over. Arthur thought his life was going to be over soon, but to his surprise his Father had woken up and come to his rescue. King Uthur and Eurig were engaged in a battle, Uthur had gotten the dagger away from Eurig. He was going to kill him, but then Eurig pulled out another dagger and stabbed Uthur in the chest just as Uthur had killed Eurig. Arthur witnessed it all, he was screaming and shouting for the guards to come. He knew his Father was severely injured. The next day was a dark and stormy day, Prince Arthur had not left his fathers bed side. "My Lord, there is bleeding on the inside. You're Father will last but a few more days." said the royal physician. Tears poured down his face, as he whispered "Why father, I'm not ready to be King. I still need your guidance.  

Mind over Heart?

"I would not say he had betrayed me: but the attribute of stainless truth was gone from his idea; and from his presence I must go: that I perceived well" (Pg 331)

                        



         My drawing is Jane's brain outweighing her heart. When she finds out that Mr. Rodchester still has a wife she sits in her room with a heavy heart. After Rodchester comes into her room and they talk it through I think that Jane had already made up her mind about leaving. I truly admire her for making a decision like this. Jane is thinking about her own well being, and what's best for herself. I know that I said that Jane's brain outweighs her heart, but I did notice that she thinks with both of them. One does not over power the other when she is thinking. 

New Beginnings

I didn’t really enjoy these last few chapters. Which i just found to be so odd because i adore this book so much. Jane had finally left Thornfield and gotten away from Rodchester (thank goodness!), but a part of me just feels upset that she left. As much as i despise Rodchester and all the abusive threats he made towards Jane, I think that she made him a better person. I also just feel like she should have taken Adele with her. It just doesn't settle right with me that she left Adele alone with Rodchester. Anyways on to the really frustrating stuff, I was really scared when she decided she’d be sleeping outside and kind of living off the land. Anything could have happened to her, she eventually had to beg for food which broke my heart.

I don’t even understand how all those people could turn Jane down. All she needed was some bread to keep herself going. But then she comes across Moor House, she sees Diana and Mary on the front porch laughing and talking in German. I fell in love with them as soon as I read that page, strong sister bonds make me feel so warm and happy on the inside. There is no real way for me to explain in, but when you see sisters interacting together it’s something amazing. They bring out the best in each other, and I was so happy when Jane went to knock on their door. But when Hannah the housemaid answered the door she immediately wanted to send Jane away. That made feel so upset, how could anyone shut the door on jane and leave her in the cold rain to die!

After the door has been shut on Jane, St. John comes across her weeping on the porch. He brings her into his home (finally someone coming to their senses!!!), the two sisters nurse her back to health along with Hannah. Eventually Jane feels much better, the two sisters and Jane bond which really warmed my heart. Diana and Mary taught Jane some German, and Jane taught the girls how to draw. I honestly was very upset when I found out that that the girls were going to go Governess and not stay with Jane at the school. I absolutely adored them being all together, so much girl power. I was also really pleased when St. John gave Jane a job at the new school he was opening up. To finish things off, I really do enjoy that Jane has Rosemond to visit her often. She’s like a ray of sunshine, but I feel like Jane also needs to have someone who can keep an intellectual conversation with. Jane and Rosamond are pretty affectionate towards each other which I think they both need, because Rosamond needs someone because St. John is like a typical high school being a doof with his emotions. Jane also needs someone who will adore her and be her companion, she doesn't deserve to be lonely. One thought I keep on having is Jane, Diana, Mary, and Rosamond all being in a girl gang. Don’t deny that it crossed your mind at some point.

Me thinking about that girl gang

Gothic Elements

Charlotte Bronte uses elements from Gothic novels in Jane Eyre. These novels were popular in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. The novels are characterized by medieval settings, supernatural events, mysterious characters, and an atmosphere of impending danger.

Jane lived in three homes so far in the novel, Gateshead, Lowood, and Thornfield Hall. Gateshead did not have much of a medieval feeling to it. After Jane arrived to Lowood I think that setting compared to Gateshead gave off more of a medieval feeling. It was very dreary when Jane first came to Lowood, it was cold and rainy. The Lowood school is a charity school for orphan girls, the girls would have to all wearing drab rough uniforms. On her first day, Jane witnesses the strict routine,teachers order the girls around in formation, students share beds in long dormitories. As for Thornfield when Jane arrived she described it as “She ushered me into a room whose double illumination of fire and candle at first dazzled me. Contrasting as it did with the darkness to which my eyes had been for two hours inured”. Jane found Thornfield to be very cosy when she first went in.

So far in this novel Jane has come across many strange happenings in Thornfield Hall. Mr. Rodchester has always seemed a bit mysterious in my eyes, from when Jane first met him up until their marriage ceremony. He has definitely been keeping a secret from Jane. Other than Mr. Rodchester there is Grace Poole. Jane has always seen Grace as a bit odd, with her strange laugh and how she lives up on the mysterious third floor all alone. As for supernatural events, the first time Jane encountered a supernatural and mysterious event was when in the dead of night she had heard “this..demoniac laugh- low, suppressed, and deep - uttered, as it seemed, at the very key-hole of my chamber-door”(pg 168). Jane was frightened to say the least, she thought the laugh sounded familiar and thought “ ‘Was that Grace Poole? and is she possessed with the devil?’ “(pg 168). Jane left her room to find that Mr. Rodchester’s room was engulfed in flames. “Tongues of flame darted round the bed: the curtains were on fire. In the midst of the blaze and vapour, Mr. Rodchester lay stretched motionless, in deep sleep” (168) after Jane doused the flames with water Rodchester went to go find Grace. After the fortune telling in the middle of the night there was yelling,Jane listened “ And overhead - yes, in the room just above my chamber-ceiling - I now heard a struggle: a deadly one it seemed from the noise; and a half-smothered voice shouted -- ‘Help! help! help!’ three times rapidly. ‘Will no one come’ it cried; and then, while the staggering and the stamping went on wildly….”(pg 232 ch 20). After that fit of screaming out in pain Mr. Rodchester got Jane and brought her up to where the yellining was coming from. “Mr. Rodchester held the candle over him; I recognized in his pale and seemingly lifeless face - the stranger, Mason. I saw too that his linen on one side , and one arm, was almost soaked in blood”(235-236). Jane was left with this mysterious man Mason and he was bleeding from his arm, Mr. Rodchester went to retrieve a Doctor to sew up Mason’s wounds. Then it was revealed that Grace Poole was the one who had injured Mason, she came after him with a knife and bit him and tried to suck his blood;  ‘She bit me,’ he murmured. ‘ She worried, me like a tigress, when Rodchester got the knife from her’”(239).

The only type of impending danger Jane was ever in was the night before her wedding. She was all alone in her room, at first she thought she was dreaming when she saw a figure with thick black hair enter her room. Thinking it was Sophie she called out her name only to find red eyes looking back at her and awful purple lips. This figure was observing her wedding attire, particularly the veil. The woman ripped Jane’s veil down the middle and threw it to the ground. The figure did nothing more than that, it did not hurt Jane. But, Jane compared the mysterious women to a vampire.