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Q. What is your first impression of Mr. Rochester?

When Mr. Rochester arrived at Thornfield Hall I felt he was quite unnecessarily abrupt towards his staff. His attitude towards Jane Eyre was bordering on rude when he dismissed her paintings. "You had not enough of the artist's skill and science to give it full being..." He acted as he was the higher authority and nothing could compare. To me he doesn't seem as a very social person whom you could talk to on a personal level. I think we have a lot to discover about Mr. Rochester's personality in chapters to come.

 

1. My first impressions of Jane Eyre is that she lacks confidence in herself and gives the impression that she feels quite intimidated. This is seen as early as the first chapter when John Reed interupts her while reading. As John enters the room Jane states " I trembled at the idea of being dragged forth by the said Jack." Jane sees John as a bully and is too afraid to stand up for herself. I think as a result of being bullied by John, Jane lacks the confidence to stand up for herself and voice her own opinion. " Accustomed to John Reed's abuse, I never had an idea of replying to it." She is strong-minded and has these opinions but again lacks to voice them. I think its therefore that she accepts the situations that she been put into and also the mis-treatment she receives.

At the end of the first chapter, beginning of the second chapter, we begin to see a different side to Jane's character. After her quarrel with John Reed, Jane is punished and is locked in the redroom. Here I think we really see how miserable Jane is at Gateshead. At this point Jane realises this herself and asks the question "Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, forever condemned?" She is quite cleaver and realises the differneces between right and wrong.

2. From what I have read so far, I can safely say I would not like to live in the world that Jane Eyre inhabits. Since she was a child, she has been discriminated against beyond anything that she deserved or was her fault. As a result of the death of her mother and father, Jane was adopted by her aunt, Mrs.Reed. Mrs. Reed had no affection for her and was quite cruel towards her. While she was living at Gateshead, Jane even refered to herself as a 'thing' stating " They were not bound to regard affection a thing that could not sympathize with one amongst them..." I can't even try to imagine growing up knowing that no-one cared for you except for the nurse, Bessie, which was only there because she was being payed. As young and vunerable as you are as a child you don't need a predator like Mrs. Reed around. I don't envy her childhood in the slightest.

However, when Jane is granted an education at Lowood her life does become a little brighter. An education was all Jane ever wanted. The living conditions at Lowood though were dreadful. Not once was there an adequate meal " many a time I have shared between two claimants the precious morsel of brown bread distributed at teatime, and after relinquishing to a third half the contents of my mug of coffee, I have swallowed the remainder with an accompaniment of secret tears, forced from me by the exigency of hunger."

Between the loss of affection and constant hunger, Jane had a tough childhood. Treatment such as this would most certainly not be tolerated in society today. There is help and options out there now but sadly for Jane there were no options.

Date: 18th March 2009

Rating: 10/10

The play we went to see on Wednesday was one of the most funniest shows I have ever been at! It wasn't so much a play but more like a stand up comedy. I loved the way the context of the show involved teenegers so that everyone there could relate to the jokes.  The show was very well written, engaging the audience's full attention. The props were very cleaverly thought of and enhanced the laughter of the show at every opportunity. I also liked the detailing of the lighting, for example, the images of the haunted castle while the host talked about a camping scene in the forest.

The only fault I have with the show is that it could have a been a little bit shorter with more jokes in the middle like the beginning and the end. Overall it was really enjoyable!!!

Author: Adeline Yen Mah

My Rating: 10/10

 Chinese Cinderella is an autobiography and tells the story of Adeline Yen Mah's childhood. She tells us about her past and all the gruelling experiences she went through.

Since she was born, Adeline was considered bad luck because her mother died while giving birth to her. Throughout her life, Adeline was discriminated against and mistreated just because of this Chinese myth.

Since she was a baby, Adeline's aunt Baba was ordered to take care of her because she did'nt work and lived off her parents. Her Aunt Baba showed great emotion towards her and cared for her deeply. Adeline's grand-father Ye Ye also took pride in caring for his grand-daughter. Adeline always knew growing up that these were the only two people who believed in her.

Adeline's father remarried so she had a new step-mother, Niang. Niang dispised her and treated her with no regard or respect. Even her father didnt seem to care.

Even though Adeline had two people who cared for her, she still craved the acceptance of her father. She persisted with her school work to try and prove to her father that she was worth something. But did she finally receive his satisfaction and earn a proper life for herself?

I thought this was a very compelling story and also one I will never forget. I never read a book or watched a television programme that made me cry as much. It was a very moving story which I enjoyed greatly. I can safely say that it is my favourite book of all time.

Title: A Streetcar Named Desire.

Playwright: Tennessee Williams

Rating: 8/10

Summary:

 When the curtains first pulled back on stage, I was stunned by the quality and effort that went into putting the stage and props together. The detail to the stage definately had the "wow factor" and made a great first impression. The props were well thought through, for example, the old classic phone. The layout of the stage was also cleaverly thought through as when an actor had to leave the scene, they could exit through the bathroom and didnt have to cross the stage. The decor of the stage reminded me of a classic 50's style, like when the play was set. Overall I thought the stage and props matched the setting in the play.

The main roles, Blanche, Stella and Stanley were acted brillantly. Blanche I thought had the hardest role and an awful lot more lines to learn. Her character was more challenging to act out and I thought she did extremely well. Stanley had a very similar image to what I imagined. He had his rough and filthy look. I thought he also carried out his accent very well and sounded just like Stanley that was on the tape we listened to in class. Throughout the play, I changed my mind about whether or not I liked Stella. I thought she was a good actress but she didnt really look like the Stella I had imagined.

I loved the music in the play and thought it set an atmosphere from the beginning. The attention to detail was excellent. For example, the sound of the streetcar passing in the background and the soft tune that came in when Blanche was re-encountering her past.

Overall, I thought the play was excellent. From the performance of the actors to the quality of the set, it was clear that alot of hard work and preparation was put into this play. The only negative aspect I have was that it was a bit long and dragged out. I felt it could have been edited a bit better. From attending the play, I could view more clearly the personalities of each character. I have now decided that I officially hate Stanley and felt that Stella could have done more to help her sister. The play was very worthwile going to see.