1. Jane Eyre Presentation
By: Thurika Ganesh, Savannah Hammond, Amanda Ludtke, and Daniel Farner

2. The Topic
The prompt literally means write about a character who has two conflicting ideas in them then to identify what each idea is and how those ideas demonstrate the works as a whole.

3. Relation to the Novel
Throughout Jane Eyre, Jane gains and sticks with her morals, but when she is faced with the choice to stick with her morals or the one she loves. This causes her to become majorly conflicted, because the love she has for Mr. Rochester is something she has wanted all her life and is just as important to her as her morals. In the moment of this internal crisis, Jane chooses to stick with her morals. However, in the long run, despite her morals she chooses to go back to Mr. Rochester.

4. Textual Examples
“When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard.” (57) “I had given in allegiance to duty and order; I was quiet… I appeared a disciplined and subdued character.” (86) During her time at Lowood Institution, Jane changes from a brash and disrespectful young girl into a more obedient and mellow young woman for better or for worse. Still impassioned, but with a developed a calm nature of servitude rather than rebellion, traits that cause her to remain silent during her main conflict with Rochester later in the novel. During this time, her morality and sense of right over passion wins and she begins to take after Helen.

5. Textual Examples
“I shook my head: it required a degree of courage, excited as he was becoming, even to risk that mute sign of dissent.” (326) “I do love you," I said, "more than ever: but I must not show or indulge the feeling: and this is the last time I must express it." (327) Jane faces internal conflict of whether to express her continual love for Rochester or remain morally aligned and resign herself from the relationship to respect his current marriage. She wants to love him but he ethics pull her a different way. It is a battle between her heart and mind.

6. Literary Devices
One important literary device used throughout Jane Eyre is internal struggle. This is clearly illustrated whenever Jane is struggling to want and be with the man she loves, Rochester, but she also wants to be loyal to her morals and marry Rochester legitimately rather thank running away and becoming his mistress. “There you shall live a happy, and guarded, and most innocent life. Never fear that I wish to lure you into error—to make you my mistress… Sir, your wife is living: that is a fact acknowledged this morning by yourself. If I lived with you as you desire, I should then be your mistress: to say otherwise is sophistical—is false” (Bronte 328). This device relates back to the prompt because these two different ideas are both conflicting within Jane.

7. Literary Devices
In Jane Eyre, the author uses theme throughout the novel. One theme that is used heavily in the novel is that marriage is extremely sacred and should only be done when the conditions are right as demonstrated by Jane’s refusal to marry St. John because she does not believe that they love each other. “I did consider; and still my sense, such as it was, directed me only to the fact that we did not love each other as man and wife should: and therefore it inferred we ought not to marry” (Bronte 440). This theme relates back to the prompt because it emphasizes Jane’s struggle with wanting to marry Rochester because she loves him, but only for the right reasons.

8. Literary Devices
Bronte also manipulates foreshadowing throughout Jane Eyre. An example of this device is clearly seen when the chestnut tree cracks during the lightning storm to foreshadow the problems Rochester and Jane will have in the future. “Before I left my bed in the morning, little Adele came running in to tell me that the great horse-chestnut at the bottom of the orchard had been struck by lightning in the night, and half of it split away” (276). This relates back to the prompt because it illustrates that Jane will have many struggles in the future and that most of them will be internal ones deciding whether to marry Rochester or uphold her morals.

9. Gateshead
Moment: When Jane stood up for herself after John Reed threw a book at her Why: This moment shows Jane’s immaturity and intolerance to injustice. Jane knew that the “proper” thing to do would be to stand there and take the punishment in silence, but her instincts told her to defend herself. Her upbringing in the Reed home, put her through cruel treatment as a young girl and caused her to feel the need to rebel against the family. She fought back with passion rather than being passive. Jane had not yet grown into her future understanding of forgiveness. This moment shows the very beginning of Jane’s development and what her original conflicts were. Quotes: “Wicked and cruel boy.” -Jane “You are like a murderer - you are like a slave driver - you are like the roman emperors” -Jane “Did anybody see such a picture of passion!” -Bessie (page 5)

10. Lowood
Moment: When Jane told Miss Temple that the claim made against her honesty by Mr. Brocklehurst was false. Why: In this moment Jane’s mind was conflicted with two philosophies on how to handle the situation: when Helen told her “It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you, besides, the bible bids us return good for evil,” versus what she has always believed ,”If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way; they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter.” (page 48). The two conflicting views being, one of a more mature mindset (used religion to back it up) and the other of an angry, younger mindset. She chose to stand up against Mr. Brocklehurst, following her own view and ignoring and not understanding what Helen Burns told her. This choice characterized a passionate, young Jane Eyre who would grow into a more mature understanding in the future.

11. Thornfield (Significant Moment)
Moment: When Jane decides to leave Thornfield instead of remaining there with Mr. Rochester as his mistress Why: Jane is conflicted between her passionate feelings of love for Mr. Rochester and what she knows is morally correct. She knows that it would be wrong to stay with Rochester as his mistress because she would be disrespecting the sanctity of his marriage with Bertha. He may not love his (insane) wife, but they are still married. Jane respects his marriage and decides that she has to leave Thornfield; she cannot go against her own moral principles. She believes it would be weak of her to forget her values for passion and love. This is where Jane shows the development of her character to maturity. She has developed her own moral principles and is staying true to them, which shows all of her character growth. Quotes: “I see the necessity of departure; and it is like looking on the necessity of death.” - Jane (page 239)

12. Moor House
Moment: When Jane stays true to herself and rejects St. John’s marriage proposal
Why: As Jane and St. John become closer, he begins to have more influence over her and her decisions. He is a strong demanding character, and his power over Jane causes her to follow him even if its against her own internal opinions. St. John then asks her to marry him. After almost saying yes to his offer, she hears Rochester calling her. This causes her to finally decline his offer of marriage and leave moor house to find Mr. Rochester. Jane knows that marriage is supposed to be for love, and they did not love each other, so she could not marry St. John. This decision shows the strength of Jane to stick with her own moral integrity. Her conflict between passion and principle made her realize that she was strong enough to resist passion, so returning to Rochester would not mean she was weak. This moment of clarity is where Jane realizes she should listen to both her heart and her moral compass. This moment sums up Jane’s character development, she has stayed true to herself and knows who she is.
Quotes: “God and nature intended you for a missionary’s wife.” -St. John (page 384). “I will never undergo it. As his sister I might accompany him - not as his wife: I will tell him so.” -Jane (page 385)

13. Ferndean (Significant Moment)
Moment: When Jane thinks she hears Mr. Rochester calling to her, so she decides to leave moor house and go to him in ferndean.
Why: Jane decides to choose her love for Rochester over her moral principles; for once she decides to follow her heart even though he might still be married. She has no idea whether he is still married, yet she still goes to him. She compromised her moral values for her passion. She knows her decision was not made out of weakness, she had the strength to leave, but she chose love over a marriage to St. John and the service to God. This shows the strength of Jane and Rochesters connection and confirms what was foretold about their future from the roots of the chestnut tree. This decision also shows that, even though Jane has matured, she still retained her passionate personality from when she was younger.
Quotes: “And it was the voice of a human being - a known, loved, well-remembered voice - that of Edward Fairfax Rochester.” -Jane (page 401).

14. Alternative Topic Choose a character who must contend with some aspect of the past and how the character’s relationship to the past contributes to the work.
Jane’s past at Gateshead has made her become dependent on the morals that she has established over her youth. It also has caused Jane to have the expectation that she won’t be ever be loved again, not since her uncle’s passing. Although, as Jane spends time at Lowood her morals on the religious side develop, she starts to learn that she can be loved, and that she wants to be. Due to all of this, Jane later struggles with the decision on what to do about the relationship between her and Mr. Rochester, starting at Thornfeild all the way to Ferndean where when they end up, happily ever after.

16. Works Cited
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, Print. “Posts about Jane Eyre on Priscilla Cornwell.” Priscilla Cornwell, priscillacornwell.wordpress.com/category/jane- eyre/.