Charlotte Bronte’s Aspects Of The Gothic

Charlotte Brontes Aspects Of The Gothic In †Jane Eyre†, Charlotte Bronte places her narrator and central character in the middle of dramatic events. One of these is at the start of the novel when Jane is trapped in the Red Room and the next is when she attends Thornfield Hall to work as a governess. Charlotte Bronte uses certain features of gothic literature to create a tense atmosphere for the reader. Jane Eyre is sent to live with her unfeeling aunt and abusive cousins, after her parents sadly passed away. Jane Eyre leads a very unhappy life as the people whom she grows up with do not treat her like family and blame her for any trouble. Now, Jane Eyre is locked in the Red-Room after an incident with her cousin, for which she takes the blame. As the years pass and Jane grows into a young woman, she is sent to Thornfield to work as a governess and, in the passage, is being shown around the estate. In the Red Room and at Thornfield hall, Bronte establishes a typical gloomy, gothic setting to create suspense and terror. Charlotte Bronte uses powerfully gothic descriptions of objects especially in the Red -Room. The name seems more important because of the alliteration and the fact that the room is identified as ‘red’ makes the reader feel that it is perhaps dangerous. The colour is often associated with blood and death, both of which create fear for the reader. We are told by the narrator that â€Å"The red-room was a square chamber, very seldom slept in, I might say never†. The use of the word †chamber† makes it sound much larger and grander and perhaps more uninviting than a regular room. The fact that the room is hardly ever slept in suggests that it is abandoned by all human company and creates a tense mood for the reader raising several questions about its safety. Bronte, therefore, uses colour to reflect the turmoil of emotions such as rage, fear and frustration which Jane is now experiencing. The objects which Charlotte Bronte describes in the Red Roo m create a typical gothic environment. We are told that the room is decorated very darkly. ‘The chairs were of darkly polished old mahogany’, which suggests that the furniture in the room is sombre, old and heavy. Colours associated with the gothic are generally darker shades, and the Red Room purposely creates images in the reader’s mind of gloomy objects to create a depressing atmosphere. When the writer describes the bed as â€Å"glar(ing) white† and the â€Å"snowy Marseilles counterpane†, this creates a contrast to the surrounding redness of the rest of the room. â€Å"Glared white† uses personification to describe the bedding as antagonistic to Jane as if it is watching her. This creates more torment for the reader. Even though the colour white might seem a much more optimistic colour than red, here it is used to create negative thoughts. The â€Å"snowy white counterpane† presents the bed as being icy cold, like death. When Jane looks in this mirror she sees a â€Å"half imp, half fairy† staring back at her. This introduces an element of the supernatural and suggests that Jane believes evil forces within the room may have possessed her and are reflected in the glass. Charlotte Bronte plays here on the superstitious fears of the reader. The fact that Jane Eyre is trapped in the red-room where her uncle died is terrifying enough but the idea that the room might have the power to drive Jane mad plays on our deepest anxieties. Death is a prominent feature of the gothic and Bronte uses the dead uncle and the possibility that he haunts the room to intensify the atmosphere. When Jane looks in this mirror is the most disturbing moment in the description of the red-room. Horror and fascination are created for Jane at this moment. The description of her †white face† and †glittering eyes of fear† show that Jane appears like a ghost to herself, the word †glittering† hinting a t madness.

Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Motivation - Research Paper Example While the growth needs include, needs to know and understand, self-actualization and aesthetic needs. These are the most fundamental and important needs, and they must be met first before one is motivated for other aspirations. These needs comprise the basic needs, which include food, shelter, and clothing. Individuals cannot perform well if they have not taken food. For example, a student who has not taken break first or supper has difficulties in concentrating in class. This is because his mind is thinking of how he will get food to satisfy his need for hunger. Owing to this, various schools have started programs where food is given to students or offered at an affordable price for them to meet this need. It is appropriate for individuals or students to be provided with shelter or a home. This is a relaxation place relax after their days work. Schools have ensured that they provide the students with hostels where students go to unwind after their study. Finally, clothing is necessitated to meet physiological requirements. It is due to this reason students are provided with uniform s because learning cannot take place when people are naked (Griffin and Moorehead, Pg 92). This is the second category of needs that individuals are motivated to meet after the realization of physiological needs. Safety needs are those that make a person feel free from physical, mental, and emotional harm. Security needs are the needs met when people feel that their fears and anxieties are suppressed. The school ensures physical needs are meet by provision of tight security around the school, typically in form of guards who will ensure that strangers cannot harm the students. Discipline committee ensures that the freshmen do not experience bullying; this ensures the realization of their physical needs. Mental harm is reduced by ensuring that the timetable is not clashing

Exploring the Psychological and Emotional Issues as Relates to a Known Essay

Exploring the Psychological and Emotional Issues as Relates to a Known Stillbirth - Essay Example Pregnancies that reach 38 weeks of gestation normally don't result in the fetus being still born but occasionally this does take place. When it does the midwife and other medical professionals have to be prepared and willing to help the mother cope and seek professional help to get through the devastating tragedy she has to deal with (Geller & Neugebauer 2001, p. 432). The problematic situations that take place are of high concern and the grieving process in itself is just as complicated as attempting to understand the stillbirth of the baby. What makes the grieving process so difficult is the fact that the mother has not had the opportunity to bond with her baby so there are no memories there to comfort the parent at all. This is medically termed, 'the token of remembrance' and leads to high anxiety levels for many of these mothers due to the facts that they never had the opportunity to dress, caress, hold, or even speak with their babies (Radestad et al 1996, pg. 1505). Often the m other falls into a deep depression and goes through a series of psychological phases, some having been briefly mentioned. The traumatization is one very important factor that presents itself in cases such as this one. Some of these are self-blame, and guilt even though there might not exist a medical explanation for the loss whatsoever (Frost 1996, p. 54). As the research will show, psychoanalytical theory, although utilized in the past for assessments following stillbirths was popular in decades past it is now considered unreliable and does not provide relevant information that correlates with the emotional state of women who suffer from such a loss. Stillbirth is now considered to be an event that creates intense feelings of sorrow and depression which can turn to more serious psychological problems, far exceeding the regular baby blue syndrome that women have following a normal delivery of a live baby. Ultimately from having had personal experience with this young woman I can strongly say that I believe the psychosocial factors are what are of the highest concern in ensuring her well-being following this loss. The support that she needs from her spouse, a woman's support network, and her own relatives will definitely affect how she will appraise her loss and cope with it. These also will have a part in how well she manages the various emotional stages that she will indeed have to endure and how her level of distress will have to be managed as well. As was mentioned, depression and high levels of anxiety are the two most common psychological influences following such a tragic occurrence for women. The Case Study The case study shows a woman that was physically fit and took care of herself following the full 38 weeks of her pregnancy. There is no mention of cigarette smoking or alcohol abuse that could be tied in with the untimely death of her fetus in utero. Often these concurrent problems are what medical experts have found that can cause still-births and other related problems with a fetus while still in utero (Lester et al 2004, pg. 1477). However, as was stated, in this case there was no known