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Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte depicts the life of a girl who is at odds with her place in the world. Her life of indignation is one of hardship, which is clearly portrayed by Jane Eyre’s thoughts as she sits alone in the Red Room. After being abandoned in the room where her uncle died Jane recognizes her emotions about all her conflicts at Gateshead. The Red Room is an important scene in Jane Eyre as it will haunt her for the rest of her days. Bronte uses the room to give insight into Jane’s feelings of abuse and being an outcast in the Reed family.

The Red Room is conveyed as a huge expanse, housing furniture that is made to feel robust, describing the, “massive pillars” (Bronte 10) of the bed frame, “the two large windows” (Bronte 10) and “the piled-up mattresses” (Bronte 11). The mighty description of the furniture creates an idea of Jane being but a speck in the room. You can imagine her standing, looking all around, in awe at items in the room, absorbing every detail. The description of the Red Room is very visual in the colors that Bronte uses. Everything in the room is described either as a dark or pale hue. The dark hues are reserved for the furniture, drapes, and bed coverings; while the paler hues describe the walls and the easy-chair.

The colors in the room foreshadow Jane’s character and her feelings of anger, rage and fury in relation to her treatment at Gateshead. Being locked in the room gives her time to ponder, “Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for ever condemned? Why could I never please?” (Bronte 11-12). Jane’s repetition of the universal term “always” shows her character as feeling down trodden, unable to be accepted. Jane feels that no matter what, she would never be accepted at Gateshead; there were too many people up against her. Jane is constantly in a, “mood of humiliation, self doubt, forlorn depression” (Bronte 13) which prevents her from aspiring for greater things. Her depression leads her to thoughts of suicide and death. Bronte portrays Jane, in this scene, as weak and overcome by the grief of her situation. She is alone with herself to reflect upon her issues.

The Red Room is a powerful scene which has a lot of significance to Jane’s character in the novel.

Free Othello Essays: The Character of Emilia

The Character of Emilia in Othello

Emilia is one of the few straightforward people in the Shakespeare’s Othello. Emilia is taciturn. When we first meet her in Cyprus, after his throwaway condescending remark about suffering her tongue, and Desdemona’s rejoinder that “she has no speech”, Iago has to admit that “she puts her tongue a little in her heart and chides with thinking”. In the scene of light hearted banter that follows Emilia manages to utter two words. She really only finds her voice when fired by indignation as when Iago confirms that Desdemona has been called a whore, and even then much of her utterances or short phrases. Even when she really gets going, lambasting Othello after discovering the murder, most of what she says consists of phrases that are half a line in length or less.

We also know that she is happy to give good news but has the misfortune of not being listened to (Cassandra?). After Cassio’s ignominious dismissal by Othello, Iago orders Emilia to get Cassio together with Desdemona for the ostensible purpose of getting her to plead his case. Instead, Emilia lets Cassio know that Desdemona and Othello have discussed the matter, and that Othello explained why he had to demote him, that he has not lost his faith in him, “but protests he loves you and needs *no other suitor but his likings* to take the safest occasion by the front to bring you in again.” Clear enough: Don’t push it Cassio. Let nature take its course. But does he listen? Rather than rejoicing at this good news and going home to get some sleep he proceeds to enmesh himself in Iago’s net.

When Othello questions Emilia about Desdemona she gives forthright answers. I presume she expects to be believed. Her outburst when Othello justifies the murder on the basis of Desdemona’s supposed adultery with Cassio is surely an expression of her indignation that Othello didn’t believe her simple factual answers.

She understands male psychology. She was able to handle her husband’s suspicions regarding her own fidelity well enough that their marriage remained stable. She could therefore be forgiven if she thought that Othello’s jealousy was par for the course, and that he would get over it has her husband did.

I can’t see how any one could take the remarks during the unpinning scene other than as banter designed to cheer up her despondent friend, with a little moralizing against excesses of speech (“.

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