Self Assessment (Final Portfolio) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self Assessment (Final Portfolio) - Essay Example To put it simply, I must say that I lacked a direct human relationship with the language. However, after joining this class, in the course of time I have developed a genuine love and appreciation for the English language. My approach towards learning English language is no more, dry, but is marked by lot of emotion, enthusiasm and interest. One other important thing that I learned in this class is the importance of making mistakes, as far as the task of learning a language is concerned. In the initial stages I mostly got disheartened by the number of mistakes I made. Sometimes I strongly felt that I will never be able to have a good grip over the English language. However, later on I realized that every time I made mistakes, I learned many new things, which improved my English a lot. So slowly I got over the fear of making mistakes. With the passage of time my writing skills began to improve. On the basis of the things I learned by making mistakes, I began correcting and improving my previous drafts. No wonder, these corrections made my drafts more grammatically correct and meaningful. I realized that I could express my views and emotions in a much better way than before. I know I still have a lot to learn. But, now I take this challenge with much enthusiasm and hope. The most important thing that this class did for me was to allow for a direct exposure to the concepts of culture and identity by making us read the stories written by famous writers. This class also allowed me a chance to watch three international films. Both these experiences of reading stories and watching films helped me improve my communication skills and made me better at expressing and conveying my views and feelings. Out of the three international films I watched, the film that impacted me most was the Iranian film The Color of Paradise. This film was about the story of a blind boy Mohammed, who is disliked and rejected by his father because of him being blind. His father felt that his bli nd son Mohammed would spoil his plans of getting a new wife and leading a happy and prosperous life. What particularly impressed me in this film was Muhammad’s ability to enjoy the beauties of nature, despite his being blind. I was touched by his sadness and his belief in himself and God. I believe that all of us have a little Muhammad inside us. All of us may be not be blind. Still, many a times many of us are unable to convey to others what we think and feel due to many problems like not knowing a language or not knowing how to phrase what we intend to say. In that sense I identified with Muhammad. Watching this film encouraged me to improve my communication skills and my ability to interact with others. Out of the stories that we read, the one that interested me most was Bloomington, Fall 1971. Though I found the story to be very interesting, the one thing that impressed me most was the mastery of the writer over the art of writing. This story showed to me how language can be used to communicate and convey the most deep seated emotions and feelings. This story made me respect the power of writing. It motivated me to work hard to improve my writing skills and to be able to communicate with others in a much better way. Overall, I must say that this class has led me on to a journey towards improvement and ambition. Whatever I have learned in this class will surely make a good foundation for further improving my writing and communication ski

Essay on Twelfth Night: A Gender-Bending Journey -- Twelfth Night essa

Twelfth Night: A Gender-Bending Journey      Ã‚   Shakespeare enjoyed writing passionate plays about young lovers, but, after a while, the formula became exhausted and the Bard was forced to dig deeper, creatively speaking. Twelfth Night is an example of a Shakespearean love tale with a slight twist to keep things interesting. This play was the â€Å"Tootsie† of its time. Twelfth Night takes the audience on a gender-bending journey, while maintaining all the elements of true love throughout. At one point, Olivia wears a disguise in order to take on the traditionally male role of wooing her romantic interest, Cesario, who is also disguised. Although Olivia flirts with Cesario and tells him that his â€Å"scorn† only reveals his hidden love, she is mistaken. Her misinterpretation of Cesario’s manner is one of many problems contained within the drama. Cesario’s true gender, Olivia’s active pursuit of him/her, and the ambiguity of words with double meanings in this passage threaten to turn who lesome, romantic conquest on its head, or as Olivia says â€Å"turn night to noon† (139).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps the bigge... ... Erasmus, Desiderius. In Praise of Folly. Trans. Hoyt Hopewell Hudson, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1970. Hotson, Leslie. Shakespeare's Motley. New York: Oxford University Press, 1952. Potter, Lois. Twelfth Night: Text & Performance. London: Macmillan, 1985. Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. Zijderveld, Anton J. Reality in a Looking-Glass: Rationality through an Analysis of Traditional Folly. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982.

Psyc 305 Exam #1 Study Guide

PSYC 305 Exam #1 Study Guide Defense Mechanisms: help ego deal with anxiety (Ego cannot handle the conflicts between ID and superego. ) * Rationalism: plausible, but false reason for action * â€Å"I needed to break up with my boyfriend for his own good. † * Sublimation: socially productive displacement * â€Å"I’ll just go to the gym. † * Projection: ascribing own impulses to others * â€Å"He hates me. † * Denial: refusal to acknowledge the impulse * â€Å"I don’t hate my ex. † * Intellectualization: clear, undistorted recognition of impulse over explained and with emotion removed * â€Å"I always have trouble with relationships† Repression: impulses or experiences kept unconscious * â€Å"I feel nothing towards him. † * Isolation: cutting off thoughts related to occurrence * â€Å"I never think about him. † * Identification: merging ones identity with someone else * â€Å"I want to be just like that bully. † * R eaction Formation: transform impulse to the opposite * â€Å"I love my father so much. † (LOVE/HATE) * Displacement: impulses toward another activity * â€Å"What a bad day, I hate my boss and my job, punch hole in wall. † Freud’s Psychosexual Stages (oral – anal – phallic – latency – Genital) * Oral * Birth to age 1 Focus on mouth and feeding * All ID, all the time * From passive > active * Oral fixation * Passive, overly optimistic, dependent * â€Å"Experiencing through the mouth† * Traits: passive dependent, oral aggressive, oral erotic * Anal * Sphincter muscle * Age 1 – 3 * Experiencing through elimination and retention * Excreting – toilet training, ego development * Anal fixation – orderliness, parsimony and simplicity, obstinacy and stubbornness * Traits: passive aggressive, paranoid, compulsive, messy/disorganized, stubborn/stingy * Phallic * Age 3 – 5 * Focus on genitals and masturbation S uccessful passage leads to development of the superego * Solid understanding of the opposite sex * Fixation – immature super ego, pore sex-role typing, sexuality issues * Genitals * Seen in noticing genitals and sex differences, special attention to opposite sex-parent * Narcissistic, arrogant, vane * Oedipus conflict * Boys develop sexual feelings for their mothers and want to replace their dad * Castration anxiety: fear that dad will cut off son’s penis as revenge * Resolved when boy decides to follow in dads footsteps * Electra Conflict * Penis envy: girls feel inferior when they realize they do not have a enis, blame mom * Decides to seduce dad for revenge * Seduction hypothesis: real incest between father-daughter. Revised: fantasy only * Conflict resolved when girl learns to indentify with mother * Latency * Age 5 – puberty * Nothing much going on –ID, ego, superego already developed * Genital * Starts at puberty * Sexual satisfaction from opposite sex * Development of adult sexuality * Proper resolution if no past fixations Freud’s Topographic Model (iceberg) 3 components 1. Conscious mind: aware, accept, identify 2. Unconscious mind: can be brought to awareness readily 3. Preconscious mind: repressed. * ID Unconscious * Preverbal * Source of our instincts and passions * Infant * Driven by pleasure principle * â€Å"Innocent child that doesn’t know any better† * Primary process * First to develop * Libido: sexual energy * Eros: life instinct * Thanatos: death instinct * Balances sex and aggression * Satisfy urges, reduces tension * Seeks pleasure * Ego * The mostly conscious part of the mind * Balances or goes between id, superego and reality * Grows out of the id (ego is shown first even though id exists first) * Face the real world * Understands reality * Decision maker between id and superego * Secondary process/future Second to develop * Brings unity to personality * Reality principle * Superego * Int ernalization of parental images and rules * Includes â€Å"thou shalts† (ego ideal) and â€Å"thou shalt nots† (conscience) * Rules and restrictions of parents/society * Third to develop * Rules and morals of society * Guilty * Phrenology: theory that personality characteristics could be determined by reading the bumps on the skull. (Franz gall) * Localized thinking, feeling and personality in the brain * Attempted to be scientific in explaining characteristic behavior * Fostered scientific debate about the nature and causes of personality Person Metaphors (as a†¦) * Animal: * Respond to reward, punishment * Can be prisoner of its biology * Scientist: * Seek the truth * Try to understand the world by making/testing theories * Actor: * Idea of life as drama (roles) * Writing/acting out scripts * Backstage/onstage * Pathology as role confusion * Computer: * Hardware & software * Data * Programs needing to be debugged * Input > output * Machine: * Causes & effects * Snake biting then developing a fear of snakes * System (ecosystem) * Interconnecting living parts * Self-regulation toward homeostasis * Little changes can have big effects Homeostatic level * Avoid anxiety/fear * Pilot * The self * Being in the drivers seat, steering towards goals * Personality: 1. The stylistic aspects of how we think, feel and act and motives implied by these that make us agreeable or to live with (Dollinger). 2. The underlying causes within the person of individual behavior and experience (Cloninger). * 3 D’s 1. Description: how do we describe people? a. Traits > measures characteristics on continuous scales factors > measures an individuals characteristics based on a group of related traits types > putting people into categories 2.Dynamics: How do our personalities influence our behaviors and motivation? 3. Development: what determines our personality? * Idiographic: looks at the characteristics of a single individual * Individual, one person, different traits * Nomothetic: comparing one person to another * Group of people, one trait in different people * Assessment 1. Interviews (value interactive and subjective approach) a. Unstructured i. Clinical Judgment b. Structured ii. Training, reliability/consistency c. Both should involve empathy, warmth and concern 2. Questionnaires (large sample, need good norms, value efficiency and objectivity) d.General or specific e. Obvious or subtly f. Logically keyed (theory) g. Empirically keyed (what items correlate with) 3. Objectivity: Keeps things standardized and eliminate interviewer bias 4. Subjectivity: Assess your â€Å"feel† for who the person is and the informers reliability in answering. * Reliability: the consistency of response to a psychological assessment (standardization) * Consistency/stability * Questionnaire producing consistent results from time one to time two * Validity: the extent to which an assessment device measures what it is intended to measure * Really measu res what it claims to measure Predictive Validity: how well a test score predicts future behavior * Does a test predict a behavior that the researcher accept as a criterion for the construct being measured * Content Validity: How well the individual items relate to measured construct (face validity) * Test – retest reliability, alternate forms * Correlation * An observational method * Looks for associations between two psychological constructs * Social support and depression * Yields a number representing the degree that two constructs are associated with each other * Coefficient Pearson’s r statistic * Range -1 to +1 * -1 = perfect inverse relationship * 0 = no mathematical relationship * +1 = perfect positive relationship * Limitations * Can’t determine cause and effect relationships * Can only conclude that one or more variable are associated with each other * Good enough if goal is prediction only * Independent Variables: the variables that are manipulated. * Dependent Variable: not manipulated but measured for possible change effects.

What Is Earth Day - Why We Have It

Animal behavior - 1887 Words

Informational Interview Donna K. Lane Animal Behaviorist Psych3210 Summer, 2014 HYPERLINK mailtoDlane21@capellauniversity.edu Dlane21@capellauniversity.edu Dr. Celeste Hill Introduction When I started my courses in the field of Psychology, I had no idea how much it went side by side with the field of employment I hope to obtain in the future. Animals and Psychology have always been my two favorite studies. I didnt realize until after doing research and an informational interview, just how much Psychology is intertwined with the position of an Animal Behaviorist. After conducting an informational interview with Dr. Katherine Leighty, Science Operations Manager over Walt Disneys Animal Kingdom, and doing further research, I found that†¦show more content†¦She then realized that she was more interested in how and why animals act the way they do and just started concentrating on the Animal Behavior part through Psychology (Dr. K. Leighty, informational interview, September 2, 2014). Dr. Leighty also told me that when she was doing an internship working with Chimps, learning how to collect behavioral data, to have a comparative model she also worked with human children collecting the same types of data (Dr. K. Leighty, informational interview, September 2, 2014). Dr. Leightys interview gave me so much more to go on in my pursuit of becoming an Animal Behaviorist. She enlightened me on the courses I should be thinking about taking in college. She also told me I was on the right path with taking Psychology and continuing with the different Psychology courses in relation to Animal Behavior. I have always thought Psychology was needed in the study of animals. I just didnt realize just how much until this paper and interview. Psychology is the study of the mind..be it in humans or animals. Throughout my research I found many ways Animal Behaviorists and Psychologists use the same research methods and observational studies. One of the ways the two study /and or research is through Naturalistic Observation. As Charles Darwin used Naturalistic Observation on his journey aboard the HMSShow MoreRelatedAnimal Behavior : Animals And Animals1617 Words   |  7 PagesPeople have always been considered the epitome of sociality, among other behaviors, that separate them from animals. However, with recent research, these set of characteristics have now been widened to include animals as well. Animals are no longer considered totally mindless beings that act the way they do because they have been made that way and will continue to live within those defined behaviors. For instance, dogs were considered mindless as they seemed to have no will except to follow whatRead MoreLife of Pi Animal Behavior Essay2748 Words   |  11 Pagesmakes multiple references to animal behavior. Through this project we have researched each of the four animals: the zebra, Orangutan, Hyena, and the Tiger on their lifestyles and behavior. In order to write this book Yann Martel explained that he had to do a lot of research on zoo biology and animal psychology. In addition he spent 6 months doing research in India, where he visited every single zoo he could find in southern India. We will analyze the description of the animals in the book, to show youRead MoreAnimal Behavior2140 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿ Animal Behavior Table of Contents Animal Behavior 3 Introduction 3 Stress in Animal 3 Consequences of Stress 5 Fear and Measurement of Fear of Humans 6 Effects of human handling on animals 7 References 10 Introduction Animal behavior and welfare is very complex and not easy to measure. There are many contingencies that make measuring animal welfare difficult. First, the animals cannot verbally explain to humans what they would like. 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Even when some animal researchers, such as primatologists, seem convinced that some primates (such as chimpanzees, elephants) share empathic capacity (that is, manifest understanding of others’ pain and joy), research evidences are neither generalizable to the whole of animalRead MoreApplication of Animal Behavior in Human Psychology549 Words   |  2 PagesApplication of animal behavior to human psychology The study of psychology requires an understanding the nature and dynamics of human behavior and how it interacts with its external environment. One might think that because psychology is the study of human behavior and thought, it would then be not surprising that study of animal behavior (other than human) would entail a different field of study a field of study mutually exclusive from human psychology. However, developments in the study of humanRead MoreExamples Of Determining Animal Behavior And Abundance In The Wild1002 Words   |  5 PagesDetermining animal behavior and abundance in the wild can be difficult and methods between researchers will vary. In many cases, different causes for preferences are found for similar groups due to the variety of methods. This is important because most models of animal abundance are based on previous findings on abundance and factors affecting area preference. With vulnerable animals these models are used to determine how to protect certain species by protecting particular areas. Therefore, trulyRead MoreEssay on Animal Behavior: Mimicry Lab Report2083 Words   |  9 Pages Dana Dipinto April 11,2012 Animal Behavior Mimicry Lab Report Taste Aversion Learning by Birds in Colchester, Vermont on the Saint Michael’s College Campus: A Study of Batesian Mimicry Abstract This study’s purpose was to learn and investigate the different aspects of Batesian mimicry, learn bird species common to the area, their different foraging behaviors, and investigate if a modification to their foraging behaviors can be implemented through learning. We will alsoRead MoreAnimal Behavior And Ethics : City College Of New York Essay728 Words   |  3 Pages Gerard Chan Canis Lupus Familiaris April 28, 2015 Professor Crain Animal Behavior and Ethics City College of New York Canis lupus familiaris, also known as man’s best friend. Man’s best friend has been around for many years. The dog, Canis familiaris, is a direct descendent of the gray wolf, Canis lupus: In other words, dogs as we know them are domesticated wolves. Not only their behavior changed; domestic dogs are different in form from wolves, mainly smaller and with shorter muzzlesRead MoreThe Relationship Between Animals And Their Behavior Fits With Labeling Theory2087 Words   |  9 Pagesrelations of the theory to the main character Nick and how his behavior fits with labeling theory. In addressing the movie Zootopia, something of great importance in relation to the movie to take into consideration is the relationship between animals. Something which used to be a problem between all animals until they all found a way to coexist peacefully. To illuminate to what, exactly, is the predator and prey relationship between the animals. However, it is made obvious throughout the movie that there

God, Religion, and Me Essay - 853 Words

God, Religion, and Me Christians believe that Jesus is both God and man, incarnation of God, and man -gives man two natures, physical and divined that they are united in one person. Thus the mystery of God becoming a human being, Jesus, and suffered and died, and Mary (Jesuss mother) was the mother of God. God resolved himself to mankind in 3 ways, as God the father, God the sun and the Holy Spirit. From this we can see that Christianity is based on the mystery of the doctrine of the trinity, which cannot be proven and requires Christians to have faith that this the root of Christianity is in fact true. In following a structured religion it seems that many people need to believe in a power greater than themselves, in order†¦show more content†¦As from here on ones life follows the Christian path to the sacraments of marriage, Holy orders, Reconciliation and extreme unction ( the sacrament of dying). These rituals form an important part of Christianity for the person who is attracted to a structured religion, his or her life is structured from birth to death, through, the sacraments weekly worship, daily prayer and the promise of eternal life. Ethical In any structured religion, particularly Christianity there is a price to pay for salvation and eternal life. One has a strict moral/ethical code to follow-which probably predates Christianity and has its roots in the Jewish religion, the Sudducees and Essenes. Based mainly on the Ten Commandments which are the ten laws handed down to Moses from God on Mount Sinai. Over the past two thousand years every possible atrocity has been committed in the name of Christianity from the crusades through the Spanish inquisition to the haulacast. Yet Christianity has survived, mainly due to the fact that human beings need a belief system and need to believe in eternal life. Today in the twenty and early twenty first century many people are arguing against a structured religion with all its restrictions and ethical dilemmas, eg; euthanasia, abortion, pre marital sex, contraception etc... Hence the interest in new age Christianity, Charismatic Christianity and the Christian cults, which are less structured. Will the main streamShow MoreRelatedReligion : What Is It?902 Words   |  4 PagesReligion: What is it? There are many different religions that people believe in today. When I think of religion I think of a group of people who believe in a god or gods that created the world and determine your faith. There are different forms of theist religions, some of these religions believe in many gods and some only believe in one. That to me was the main part about being religious, is that you had to believe in a god. I never believed or knew that religions could be non-theistic, so I alwaysRead MoreChristianity : The Best Way For Me1366 Words   |  6 PagesChristianity I didn’t really know a valid definition for Christianity. The best way for me to understand Christianity is that it is a religion based on the miracles and teachings of Jesus. People say that Christianity is a relationship with the true and living God through the person of Jesus Christ, which who has forgiven us for our sins and escape the righteous judgment of God. To help me better understand and comprehend how glorious Christianity is, I had the enjoyment of interviewing my goodRead MoreGod s Existence Of God936 Words   |  4 PagesDo Not Be Afraid to Explore More Than One Religion God’s existence sometimes does not exist to certain people. When it comes to the teaching and knowledge about God many people are not aware because they have never been taught about how God appeared on the earth. I choose this topic because I was one of those people who has never really been raised around certain religion nor about the teaching how God came to be. However, I have been taught that God does exist and that his son Jesus are the reasonRead MoreReligion And Its Impact On Society951 Words   |  4 Pages Religion to me is a set of beliefs and practices that can determine actions in everyday life by determining morals and deciding what is right and wrong in each society. This is a general idea that I believe has guided societies for centuries and has shaped today’s cultures. As we study cultures around the world, we can find significant influential factors dating back to a prominent religion that shaped the ideals of culture telling the people what is deemed acceptable practice and behavior and whatRead MoreThe Role and Function of Religion636 Words   |  3 PagesAccording to Henslin, religion is an element of faith (2012). My religion is Romanian Pentecostalism. I am the first generation born in America and my parents are from Romania. My religion is based on Pentecostal beliefs as well as Romanian culture. The book Essentials of Sociology talks about the functions and dysfunctions a religion, the symbols and categories of a religion, and the social class and tolerance of my religion. Henslin explains the different functions of religion and what they mean:Read MoreReflection Paper On Religion1363 Words   |  6 Pageshas allowed me to be more open to exploring different religions. Growing up in a conservative and Christian household, studying other religions was unthinkable. My parents believed that there was only one true theology which was the Christian theology, so understanding other religions was therefore pointless and sacrilegious. Each book I read this semester allowed me to rethink about religions in a new way. The two books that influenced me the most in this class was Malcolm X and When God talks backRead MoreBeliefs of the Nature of the Universe Change with Cultural Diversity607 Words   |  3 Pagesquestions. Thus, many of us want to have a religion because it gives us the impression that we are secure in the universe. It also provides guidance in our life. I presume it’s easier to live with some sort of explanation, even if it’s inco rrect. When asked, â€Å"What religion do you practice†? I reply, â€Å"I’m atheist†. I simply lack belief in deities. However, many people have preconceived ideas about what I am and what I am not. For instance, I don’t believe in God, I loathe Christians; I concur with theRead MoreReflection Paper On Religion And Religion861 Words   |  4 PagesWhen asked the question on my definition of religion, I decided to look at it in a way that goes beyond just my religion. Religion goes much deeper than being something that we just believe in, it is a relationship or a part of a person’s culture. My purpose of religion is something for me to try and understand what my goal in life is, as well as building a relationship with a higher being. Religion gives people that higher being that they can look to for guidance and comfort. I feel that you canRead MoreChanges in Religion1606 Words   |  7 PagesI believe that religion, as we know it has changed. I am unsure if we as a society have abandoned God or if he in turn have abandoned us. In a research conducted by â€Å"Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam on religion in American it was noted that between 30 to 40 percent of Americans within their 20s declares lack of religious affiliation†. (While faith and trust may still be present our younger generation is growing up away from the church. 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Feminism in Jane Eyre Free Essays

Jane Eyre was written in a time where the Bildungsroman was a common form of literature. The importance was that the mid-nineteenth century was, â€Å"the age in which women were, for the first time, ranked equally with men as writers within a major genre† (Sussman 1). In many of these novels, the themes were the same; the protagonist dealt with the same issues, â€Å"search for autonomy and selfhood in opposition to the social constraints placed upon the female, including the demand for marriage† (Sussman). We will write a custom essay sample on Feminism in Jane Eyre or any similar topic only for you Order Now Jane Eyre fits this mould perfectly. Throughout the novel, the reader follows Jane Eyre on a journey of development from adolescence to maturity to show that a desire for freedom and change motivates people to search for their own identity. Jane begins to form her identity with the aid of many characters she encounters at Lowood, Thornfield, and Marsh End. Miss Maria Temple, who was Jane’s first significant female encounter at Lowood, functions as a role model and an influence for Jane. Miss Temple’s character displays the breakdown of the Great Chain of Being, but in a more gentle way than Rochester or Jane herself. She defies Mr. Brocklehurst and his hypocritical ways only as far as she will still retain shelter and her place as a teacher. To Jane, Miss Temple embodies all of the qualities that a woman should. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar write, â€Å"Miss Temple, for instance, with her marble pallor, is a shrine of ladylike virtues: magnanimity, cultivation, courtesy – and repression† (Gilbert 344). While Miss Temple seems to show Jane what she should become, she also introduces her to control over her emotions. Unlike Jane, whose self-assertiveness permits her to give in to passionate confrontations, Miss Temple would â€Å"never allow `something’ to speak through her, no wings will rush in her head, no fantasies of fiery heath disturb her equanimity, but she will feel sympathetic anger† (Gilbert 345). Her influence in Jane’s adolescence and early adulthood teach her to have harmonious thoughts, and to give â€Å"allegiance to duty and order† (Gilbert 347). Here, Miss Temple teaches Jane to suppress her wild emotions and become compliant under the â€Å"superior† male, but still maintain an inward anger that can never be expressed. Jane, however, cannot conform to the lesson being taught to her; through Miss Temple, she learns that her journey into maturity and freedom requires her to be more independent and passionate than Miss Temple instructs. Miss Temple is not only like a mother figure to Jane, but she is also â€Å"encouraging of intellectual growth† (Rich 466). Temple’s impact on Jane’s education allows her to become stronger in character, which will eventually bring her to complete independence. Kathleen Tillotson finds in Miss Temple a sign of hope for Jane: â€Å"the warm fire and the cake from the cupboard in Miss Temple’s room are assertions of individual loving-kindness, though also of it’s limited power† (Tillotson 60) In spite of this, Tillotson writes that Jane at Thornfield is â€Å"submitting to virtue in lovable form, as she had once submitted to Miss Temple† (Tillotson 60). In other words, Tillotson argues that although Miss Temple may have positively influenced Jane in certain ways, ultimately her call for repression and submission instigates Jane’s realization that she must discover her own place in life, and no one can dictate it for her. While Jane attends Lowood, she encounters another character that will help her to shape her identity. When Helen Burns is introduced to the novel, she brings with her a kind of warmth and spiritual light that touches Jane and Helen aids her in developing into the woman that she will soon become. She has a devout faith in Christ, and using this, Helen is able to function as Jane’s main guide in building a strong character who is filled with forgiveness, hope and a strong sense of self. Helen allows Jane to peer into a world where â€Å"the values of endurance and obedience† (Singleton, 70) are visible. Jane often relies on Helen because she â€Å"is strong of will, awkward and blundering in the practical world yet intellectually and spiritually mature beyond her years . . . ithout pettiness, hysteria, or self-repudiation† (Rich 466). These qualities will help Helen in leading Jane down a path that will indefinitely make her shine amongst those who surround her. A sympathetic Helen Burns is seen lavishing emotions upon Jane that she has never felt before, let alone imagined. Helen assists Jane by being a mentor and a friend, a companion that Jane can confide in. â€Å"Helen and Miss Temple together represent two key facets of the feminist community: the need for companionship and mentors. These necessities are what the Reeds denied Jane† (Singleton 66). By showing Jane love and encouragement she teaches Jane that â€Å"primary importance is taming her rage and learning to forgive . . . that this is the model that Christ has set forth in the New Testament — to love one’s enemies† (Singleton 73). As Helen encourages Jane to strive to be her best, she acts a â€Å"moral and ethical force† (Rich 467), she provides Jane with â€Å"a sense of her own worth and of ethical choice† (Rich 467). Bronte introduces Helen Buns into the novel to aid Jane and to be a guiding light in the ethical and moral world by showing Helen to be a character who is strong and true to herself, even until the end of her life; by using Helen as an example, when Jane leaves Lowood, she finds herself and she is ready to face to world with her head held high, face shining in the light. Another representation of religion, and also a strong male influence in Jane’s life is that of St. John Rivers. The character of St. John is one of the final obstacles to Jane’s maturation and understanding of her role as an independent and free woman. St. John represents, like the character of Brocklehurst before him, the hypocrisy and unwavering patriarchy of organized religion and its many hypocritical keepers, but unlike Brocklehurst, St. John’s piety is more real and his misogyny somewhat more subtle, and, following his proposal, Jane comes to a better understanding of who she is and where her life is headed. St. John asks for Jane’s hand in marriage, but not out of love; rather, he intends Jane to be a missionary wife, someone who will be of use to him in the service of God. According to Adrienne Rich, there is a certain virtue in this kind of offer, especially for Jane: â€Å"What St. John offers Jane is perhaps the deepest lure for a spiritual woman, that of adopting a man’s cause or career and making it her own† (Rich 473). In this proposed marriage, there is the attraction of some of the things she has been searching for, namely a life of service and principle, and a way of overcoming the obstacles of patriarchy she has struggled with her entire life, by adopting a life in service to â€Å"male† cause. Therein lies a part of the problem, however, as service and principle are only part of what she desires in life, and, as she ultimately discovers, even beyond the attraction of taking on a more male role, that this will not fulfill her need for a life that is more complete. In the essay by Gilbert and Gubar, they explain, â€Å"In fact, as St. John’s wife †¦ she will be entering into a union even more unequal than that proposed by Rochester, a marriage reflecting, once again, her absolute exclusion from the life of wholeness toward which her pilgrimage has been directed† (Gilbert 366). With St. John’s proposal of marriage, Jane begins to comprehend more about herself and where her life is headed. She discovers that she cannot devote her energy and ambition towards fulfilling just a part of her life, such as the desire for service, but rather, she discovers that her life needs to be a life of â€Å"wholeness,† something that a marriage to St. John could never provide, because St. John, like Brocklehurst, is a â€Å"pillar of patriarchy† (Gilbert 366), a misogynist who is bent, consciously or unconsciously, on restraining Jane spiritually and emotionally. Rich points out in her essay that St.  John’s offer of marriage is a means in which â€Å"he will use her† (Rich 473), and fortunately, Jane sees through the superficial benefits of a union with the patriarchal St. John, and that her for her to be content, she needs a life of wholeness. Armed with these realizations, Jane is now able to return to her true love, Rochester, on her own terms. The character of Mr. Edward Rochester influences the spiritual and personal growth of Jane through his relationship with her as the master at Thornfield and later, as her husband. His self-proclamation as being equal to Jane shows the breakdown of the Great Chain of Being. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar write that while in â€Å"one sense Jane and Rochester begin their relationship as master and servant, prince and Cinderella, Mr. B and Pamela, in another they begin as spiritual equals† (Gilbert 352). In his allowance of Jane to be his equal, he encourages her progression to a strong sense of her own identity and independence. In a more sexual light, Rochester is the one who will eventually awaken Jane to her own sexuality. This occasion exhibits Jane’s journey into adult maturation: â€Å"it is he who will initiate her into the mysteries of the flesh† (Gilbert 355). Adrienne Rich states that the episodes at Thornfield encompass three defining aspects: the house, Rochester, and Bertha. Rich writes, â€Å"Jane comes to womanhood and to certain definitive choices about what it means to be a woman† (Rich 468). In other words, during her stay at Thornfield and due to her interactions with its inhabitants, namely Rochester, Jane realizes what being a woman suggests. The break down of the Great Chain of Being is shown through Rochester even further, when Jane finds that he is married to another woman. As she leaves him because of her strength and of her own free will, Jane’s independence is reinforced. Critic Elaine Baruch contrasts this action to Romanticism, and states, â€Å"Unlike the lady of the chivalric romance who had merely to sit still in order to find a destiny in the form of some passing knight, modern woman must seek her own hero† (Baruch 157). Here, Baruch is commenting on how Rochester’s dark and haunting past results in a positive outcome for Jane, in that it strengthens her independence and desire for freedom and identity. Instead of deliberately wasting time waiting for destiny to find her, Jane seeks out the right destiny for herself. The various characters in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre provide the heroine with both role models and obstacles to her maturation into adulthood, and more importantly, womanhood. Jane’s experiences with these characters, and what she takes from each, show the importance of determining for oneself his or her own morals, ethics, goals, and by not allowing others to dictate how one lives his or her life, love, wealth, and ultimately happiness can be achieved. All people have their own unique set of traits, from their morality to their spirituality, their speech, and their faults. To be a person who is happy and truly successful on spiritual, emotional, and physical levels, one must draw from the good and decent people he or she meets that which will be ultimately beneficent; for example, emulating and learning from the spirituality of a person who is truly and passionately spiritual. Unfortunately, not all the people a person meets in his or her life will have qualities which a person will want to emulate; in a way, these people become obstacles to a person’s pilgrimage towards self-understanding and happiness. These people, the barriers to a person’s self-development, are just as important as the people who function as positive role models. Those who are consciously or unconsciously determined to stop those on the path to happiness and self-discovery can be destructive, but they can also be unintentionally helpful. All too often, these figures are successful in breaking other another person’s will and forcing their principles upon him, but when people like this, the hypocrites, the self-righteous, the misogynists, the arrogant aristocrats, and the like, fail, that previously oppressed person becomes significantly stronger by overcoming these barriers. Ultimately, nearly everyone has a life-long struggle with self-identity, and nearly everyone has encountered these influential people in his life, the role models and the obstacles. Unfortunately many become victims to the authority of those people who would force their will upon others, and ultimately, most people never complete their journey to independence; all too often they give up, and allow themselves to bent to the will of others. It is evident that this pilgrimage is a long and arduous one, a journey that few complete, and the author suggests that on top of the inherent difficulty of this journey, women have an even greater challenge before them. Because of the insidious and ubiquitous influence of patriarchy in the author’s society, the journey towards independence and self-understanding becomes significantly more difficult for women; it is a truly joyous occasion when a woman does succeed in breaking free from the chains of male dominated society, becoming independent, self-aware, and, hopefully, happy. How to cite Feminism in Jane Eyre, Essay examples