Dear Mr. Kunkle,
What a great book you have chosen. For the first 400ish pages. However, I do understand why one would teach it. It's an important skill to learn how to read such a lengthy book within a short time, especially one with such different language. I learned a lot from this book-- from analyzing motifs to coping with a horrible ending, actually I might not have learned the latter yet. What really worked with the unit was teaching motifs and archetypes. I really learned a lot about that, and now anxiously await motifs in many books. So in the end, I can't say that I hated "Jane Eyre" because I learned a lot, but at the same time...I can say that I hated Jane Eyre because she's stupid in the ending and not a role model that I will ever have my child look up to.
What didn't work with the book was the ending. Go figure huh? I also wasn't a huge fan of the power points we had to do, besides seeing what the guys think of modern women, it wasn't all too helpful, and simply seemed to take up time. I thought that the reading schedule wasn't too difficult either. It's something we'll have to get used to. My last thoughts on Jane Eyre are not nice ones. I will never read this book again. Jane is an idiot, and I had respect for her and I have now thrown it all away. Rochester should've turned her down. St. John just might be the best character in the book besides Pilot. And finally, Charlotte Bronte should rot.
Wow-- that ending really got your goat (and I do believe that's the first time I ever used that expression...). I think you're being too hard on Jane: just because she opted for love doesn't make her weak as a woman. She married Rochester on her terms, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry. When I wrote this, I was very angry and in sudden shock. I do agree that it doesn't make her weak as a woman, but I would've rather seen her prevail over the simple suggestion of living for a woman of settling down and marrying a husband. I think it's great that she really loved and cared about him, and he felt the same, but Jane's character is proven independent and smart, and she seems to have the motive it may take to travel and change others' lives. I would've loved to see her excell past social norms.
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