During Jane's lifetime, women were expected to follow orders, be polite, and keep most of their thoughts to themselves. Jane struggled during her time at the boarding school because it was restrictive and was meant to make unruly girls into obedient women. Women were intended to keep mostly to themselves and to not cause a nuisance. Women that acted out and spoke their minds were generally disliked and believed to have overstepped their boundaries. The laughing that Jane believes to come from Grace Poole is very unexpected because it's not typical female behavior. A woman that caused a bit of an uproar was very strange to Jane after her time at Lowood when all of the girls generally kept quiet. The act of "Grace's" loud laughing was a freedom that was unfamiliar to Jane.
Jane is disturbed by the way that women are restrained and discriminated against in society much in the same way that she is disturbed by Grace Poole's laugh. Both are driven by a lack of understanding. In the case of social status, Jane considers herself to be equal among the men that she interacts with in her daily life. As she is an intelligent, free-thinking individual, Jane doesn't understand the basis of male reasoning for discriminating against women. Furthermore, she doesn't understand how the women that she is surrounded with are ok with being subordinated. Similarly, Jane fears Grace Poole and her mysterious laugh because Grace is part of an eery secret that Jane does not know about. She senses something sinister, but doesn't understand or know exactly what Grace is hiding.
Grace, by acting the way she does, in a restrained formal manner is adhering to the social standards of the day, the very standards that Jane is speaking out against. Her odd behaviors, primarily her strange laugh, serve as a release valve. Keeping her true self bottled up inside is not easy, her odd laugh and eccentric murmuring are a coping mechanism, a way to let off some steam. Bronte juxtaposes this alongside Jane's philosophical musings to provide support for her position and show the effects that this repression can have.
Hearing Grace Poole’s laugh both disturbs and frightens Jane so much that she even goes as far as to wonder if Grace Poole is possessed by Satan. Bronte compares Grace Poole’s insane laugh and what seems like a mental breakdown to the societal restraints of women in the time period. The rights and freedoms of women of the period are so restricted to obedience and propriety that there is little room for any form of personality which can be exemplified by Grace Poole’s drinking problem and her seemingly possessed laugh. The societal pressures on women are so great that they will break them down because they are not allowed to be who they are.
During the time period, women were not allowed to speak their mind as men were allowed to. There was a certain standard that they were to fit in to; they were supposed to be very polite and proper, happily answer when asked a question, and not over speak. Jane has always been a very outspoken girl. She didn’t pay attention to society’s “rules,” she merely did and said what she wanted. She would soon find that she would be punished for this. Because of Jane’s way of speaking her mind and her Aunt not being very fond of her, she was to stay in the red-room where her Uncle had died to be punished for “hurting” her cousin. Later, while Jane was attending Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst would have her stand up on a chair in front of the whole school, calling her mischievous and a liar. Once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall, she notices Grace Poole. Jane attributes the laughter she hears, Mr. Rochester’s bed being set on fire, and Mr. Mason being bitten to Grace. She finds it extremely odd that, after having been punished her whole life for acting out, Grace is allowed to stay at Thornfield Hall and not punished for her misdoings in any way.
To Hayley: There’s a funny comparison between Jane and Grace Poole. Jane wonders if she might be possessed by Satan because of her laugh. When Jane was going to Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst almost went so far as to call her a devil child because she would not act as proper as other girls and did not necessarily like reading parts of her bible. He proclaimed that she had to be punished physically so that her soul would be saved. There is quite a parallel between the two situations.
In a society where women are supposed to be formal and proper all the time, Grace's laughter and lashing out at both Mr.Rochester and Mr.Mason is a way of showing a way a person copes with being restrained in that way. While Grace keeps of a minor facade by staying out of the way and quiet most of the time, the times when she laughs and lashes out show her way of rebelling against social conformities. Jane is so disturbed by this because she is so used to be punished when she acts out against societal expectations. An example being her stay in the red-room while she was living with her aunt.
Jane Eyre is widely considered a feminist novel because of Jane’s willingness to stand up against men in the book (such as Rochester and St. John). This feminist viewpoint is further represented by Grace Pool and her mysterious laugh. During the time which the novel takes place, women were expected to be men’s quiet subordinates. Women were also expected to be obedient and proper. Grace Pool’s uncontrolled and wild laugh contrasts this common societal expectation of how women were supposed to act. Her laugh could be said to be an outcry that expresses the internal feelings that women had about repression in society during this time period. -Brooke Hess
Jane is so fascinated by Grace Poole during her stay at Thornfield. The fact that Grace Poole first caught Jane's attention when she heard the strange laughing while touring Thornfield with Ms. Fairfax is significant because the laugh parallels Jane's personality, and I think this is why Bronte chooses Grace's laugh.
Jane is so use to being around such conformed, well mannered women that when she heard Grace Pooles' laugh it kind of caught her off guard because young women weren't suppose to act like that. I think Grace reminded Jane of herself and I think Bronte added Grace's laugh for that very realization of how women were suppose to act but at the same time, many women spoke their own minds, like Jane.
Bronte chooses to juxtapose Jane's internal musings on the supression of women with Grace Poole's unsettling laugh in order to create a connection between restraint and expression. Grace Poole's laughter appears to be very improper, and her frequent outbursts are not only strange, but also disturbing and contrast sharply with the stifling tranquility Jane had previously described.
Jane is caught off guard when Grace Poole's laughter arises. She is so used to women being so subdued in society that she is slighty provoked when Graces laughs, Jane sees that she is not the only woman that is dealing with not wanting to conform to the ideal expectation of how women should act.
During this time in history, women were subdued and often times disregarded, particularly women whom obtained the same social standing as Grace Poole. She is simply thought of as a lowly servant who's only job is to mind to her own business. However, her laugh is a comical yet strange reminder to the household that she is there. This laugh could possibly have been juxtaposed with Jane's musings about social restraints simply because of the fact that it is a subtle reminder that although women are believed to be inferior to men, they do have emotions that can be shown.
The social standard of the time was for a woman to be subservient. Woman were not worthy of the same merit as men and the women actually believed this. All the women through out the novel are perfectly content being considered second class citizens because it's just the way things are. This is something Jane simply cannot understand. She considers herself, though poor and plain, to be on the same intellectual level as the men around her. She doesn't understand why other women don't see themselves the same way. Grace Pool and her sinister laugh are there as a reminder of what can happen when you are restrained your whole life. Grace Pool is the perfect example of a woman who has been broken by society's rules. She has been forced to stifle her personality and be as restrained and proper at all times. Her drinking problem and her laugh are the eerie reminders of what happens when you break someone. -Cydney M
Bronte makes a point, through Jane's opinions, that the societal expectations for women to be kept and submissive is ridiculous. She seems to use Grace's character as an example of someone who has suffered from such expectations--a seemingly unique, vivacious character, as seen by her laugh, that has been subdued all her life and reduced to monosyllabic communication and "no point to which interest could attach."
Tia Keene In Jane's time, women were expected to follow the orders of the men. They needed to be super proper and formal, especially when out in public. The laugh that Bronte gave to Grace Poole goes totally against how women were to be seen in society and seen by the opposite sex. Women were to be trustworthy and they were meant to keep theor personal thoughts to themselves. They kept quite in public and they were supposed to know when to be quite. Jane knew when to speak up for herself and express her beliefs and thoughts. Jane was not afraid to stand up for herself and others when needed. Grace's laugh showed that women are not always what they are supposed to be. Sometimes you just have to laugh outrageously outloud no matter what others think. The laugh is very symbolic to the book because it goes against everything women were supposed to be in public. I admire the fact that Grace has this obnoxiuos laugh anf that jane knows hoe to stand up for herself. It is hard to go against the ways of society when you know it has been that way for so long. This is an admirable quality in both Jane Eyre and Grace Poole.
Hearing Grace’s laugh surprises Jane and causes her to become somewhat disturbed. She is not used to seeing someone that acts in such a way, without the normal level of restraint. This is parallel to women’s restraints because women don’t normally go out of line, especially in Lowood, where Jane has lived for quite some time. To see a woman expressing such a great deal of freedom is unusual in both situations. This is an interesting addition to the book, because it seems to show that the idea of more freedom for women almost scares Jane, and even with her opinionated, equality supporting personality, seeing it actually happen is a foreign sight to her.
Women in the society of Jane's time did not act the way Jane acts. Because Jane came close to being shunned as a child at Lowood for her behavior, she learned to be more reserved, but still managed to keep her opinions and boldness. This is somewhat mirrored in the laugh which is believed to be Grace Poole's because it shows how the two women manage to remain themselves in a suppressing society.
During Jane's lifetime, women were expected to follow orders, be polite, and keep most of their thoughts to themselves. Jane struggled during her time at the boarding school because it was restrictive and was meant to make unruly girls into obedient women. Women were intended to keep mostly to themselves and to not cause a nuisance. Women that acted out and spoke their minds were generally disliked and believed to have overstepped their boundaries. The laughing that Jane believes to come from Grace Poole is very unexpected because it's not typical female behavior. A woman that caused a bit of an uproar was very strange to Jane after her time at Lowood when all of the girls generally kept quiet. The act of "Grace's" loud laughing was a freedom that was unfamiliar to Jane.
ReplyDeleteJane is disturbed by the way that women are restrained and discriminated against in society much in the same way that she is disturbed by Grace Poole's laugh. Both are driven by a lack of understanding. In the case of social status, Jane considers herself to be equal among the men that she interacts with in her daily life. As she is an intelligent, free-thinking individual, Jane doesn't understand the basis of male reasoning for discriminating against women. Furthermore, she doesn't understand how the women that she is surrounded with are ok with being subordinated. Similarly, Jane fears Grace Poole and her mysterious laugh because Grace is part of an eery secret that Jane does not know about. She senses something sinister, but doesn't understand or know exactly what Grace is hiding.
ReplyDeleteGrace, by acting the way she does, in a restrained formal manner is adhering to the social standards of the day, the very standards that Jane is speaking out against. Her odd behaviors, primarily her strange laugh, serve as a release valve. Keeping her true self bottled up inside is not easy, her odd laugh and eccentric murmuring are a coping mechanism, a way to let off some steam. Bronte juxtaposes this alongside Jane's philosophical musings to provide support for her position and show the effects that this repression can have.
ReplyDeleteHearing Grace Poole’s laugh both disturbs and frightens Jane so much that she even goes as far as to wonder if Grace Poole is possessed by Satan. Bronte compares Grace Poole’s insane laugh and what seems like a mental breakdown to the societal restraints of women in the time period. The rights and freedoms of women of the period are so restricted to obedience and propriety that there is little room for any form of personality which can be exemplified by Grace Poole’s drinking problem and her seemingly possessed laugh. The societal pressures on women are so great that they will break them down because they are not allowed to be who they are.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time period, women were not allowed to speak their mind as men were allowed to. There was a certain standard that they were to fit in to; they were supposed to be very polite and proper, happily answer when asked a question, and not over speak. Jane has always been a very outspoken girl. She didn’t pay attention to society’s “rules,” she merely did and said what she wanted. She would soon find that she would be punished for this. Because of Jane’s way of speaking her mind and her Aunt not being very fond of her, she was to stay in the red-room where her Uncle had died to be punished for “hurting” her cousin. Later, while Jane was attending Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst would have her stand up on a chair in front of the whole school, calling her mischievous and a liar. Once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall, she notices Grace Poole. Jane attributes the laughter she hears, Mr. Rochester’s bed being set on fire, and Mr. Mason being bitten to Grace. She finds it extremely odd that, after having been punished her whole life for acting out, Grace is allowed to stay at Thornfield Hall and not punished for her misdoings in any way.
ReplyDelete~Heather Almvig
To Hayley: There’s a funny comparison between Jane and Grace Poole. Jane wonders if she might be possessed by Satan because of her laugh. When Jane was going to Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst almost went so far as to call her a devil child because she would not act as proper as other girls and did not necessarily like reading parts of her bible. He proclaimed that she had to be punished physically so that her soul would be saved. There is quite a parallel between the two situations.
ReplyDelete~Heather Almvig
In a society where women are supposed to be formal and proper all the time, Grace's laughter and lashing out at both Mr.Rochester and Mr.Mason is a way of showing a way a person copes with being restrained in that way. While Grace keeps of a minor facade by staying out of the way and quiet most of the time, the times when she laughs and lashes out show her way of rebelling against social conformities. Jane is so disturbed by this because she is so used to be punished when she acts out against societal expectations. An example being her stay in the red-room while she was living with her aunt.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre is widely considered a feminist novel because of Jane’s willingness to stand up against men in the book (such as Rochester and St. John). This feminist viewpoint is further represented by Grace Pool and her mysterious laugh. During the time which the novel takes place, women were expected to be men’s quiet subordinates. Women were also expected to be obedient and proper. Grace Pool’s uncontrolled and wild laugh contrasts this common societal expectation of how women were supposed to act. Her laugh could be said to be an outcry that expresses the internal feelings that women had about repression in society during this time period. -Brooke Hess
ReplyDeleteJane is so fascinated by Grace Poole during her stay at Thornfield. The fact that Grace Poole first caught Jane's attention when she heard the strange laughing while touring Thornfield with Ms. Fairfax is significant because the laugh parallels Jane's personality, and I think this is why Bronte chooses Grace's laugh.
ReplyDelete-Heather Lopes
Kelli Said...
ReplyDeleteJane is so use to being around such conformed, well mannered women that when she heard Grace Pooles' laugh it kind of caught her off guard because young women weren't suppose to act like that. I think Grace reminded Jane of herself and I think Bronte added Grace's laugh for that very realization of how women were suppose to act but at the same time, many women spoke their own minds, like Jane.
Kelli Smith
Bronte chooses to juxtapose Jane's internal musings on the supression of women with Grace Poole's unsettling laugh in order to create a connection between restraint and expression. Grace Poole's laughter appears to be very improper, and her frequent outbursts are not only strange, but also disturbing and contrast sharply with the stifling tranquility Jane had previously described.
ReplyDeleteMcKenzie Templeton
Jane is caught off guard when Grace Poole's laughter arises. She is so used to women being so subdued in society that she is slighty provoked when Graces laughs, Jane sees that she is not the only woman that is dealing with not wanting to conform to the ideal expectation of how women should act.
ReplyDelete-Sierra Peterson
During this time in history, women were subdued and often times disregarded, particularly women whom obtained the same social standing as Grace Poole. She is simply thought of as a lowly servant who's only job is to mind to her own business. However, her laugh is a comical yet strange reminder to the household that she is there. This laugh could possibly have been juxtaposed with Jane's musings about social restraints simply because of the fact that it is a subtle reminder that although women are believed to be inferior to men, they do have emotions that can be shown.
ReplyDelete-Annette Summers
The social standard of the time was for a woman to be subservient. Woman were not worthy of the same merit as men and the women actually believed this. All the women through out the novel are perfectly content being considered second class citizens because it's just the way things are. This is something Jane simply cannot understand. She considers herself, though poor and plain, to be on the same intellectual level as the men around her. She doesn't understand why other women don't see themselves the same way. Grace Pool and her sinister laugh are there as a reminder of what can happen when you are restrained your whole life. Grace Pool is the perfect example of a woman who has been broken by society's rules. She has been forced to stifle her personality and be as restrained and proper at all times. Her drinking problem and her laugh are the eerie reminders of what happens when you break someone.
ReplyDelete-Cydney M
Bronte makes a point, through Jane's opinions, that the societal expectations for women to be kept and submissive is ridiculous. She seems to use Grace's character as an example of someone who has suffered from such expectations--a seemingly unique, vivacious character, as seen by her laugh, that has been subdued all her life and reduced to monosyllabic communication and "no point to which interest could attach."
ReplyDeleteTia Keene
ReplyDeleteIn Jane's time, women were expected to follow the orders of the men. They needed to be super proper and formal, especially when out in public. The laugh that Bronte gave to Grace Poole goes totally against how women were to be seen in society and seen by the opposite sex. Women were to be trustworthy and they were meant to keep theor personal thoughts to themselves. They kept quite in public and they were supposed to know when to be quite. Jane knew when to speak up for herself and express her beliefs and thoughts. Jane was not afraid to stand up for herself and others when needed. Grace's laugh showed that women are not always what they are supposed to be. Sometimes you just have to laugh outrageously outloud no matter what others think. The laugh is very symbolic to the book because it goes against everything women were supposed to be in public. I admire the fact that Grace has this obnoxiuos laugh anf that jane knows hoe to stand up for herself. It is hard to go against the ways of society when you know it has been that way for so long. This is an admirable quality in both Jane Eyre and Grace Poole.
Hearing Grace’s laugh surprises Jane and causes her to become somewhat disturbed. She is not used to seeing someone that acts in such a way, without the normal level of restraint. This is parallel to women’s restraints because women don’t normally go out of line, especially in Lowood, where Jane has lived for quite some time. To see a woman expressing such a great deal of freedom is unusual in both situations. This is an interesting addition to the book, because it seems to show that the idea of more freedom for women almost scares Jane, and even with her opinionated, equality supporting personality, seeing it actually happen is a foreign sight to her.
ReplyDeleteWomen in the society of Jane's time did not act the way Jane acts. Because Jane came close to being shunned as a child at Lowood for her behavior, she learned to be more reserved, but still managed to keep her opinions and boldness. This is somewhat mirrored in the laugh which is believed to be Grace Poole's because it shows how the two women manage to remain themselves in a suppressing society.
ReplyDelete-Kelsey Young