Jane Eyre vs Harry Potter

In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, we are taken through the life of the young protagonist, as well as narrator, Jane Eyre. To help my classmates gain a better understand as well as make this blog post more interesting, I will compare Jane Eyre to Harry Potter; a character I am sure many of you are quite familiar with. Since the beginning of the novel, I have found both these two characters share many of the same struggles during their childhoods. Jane Eyre lost both her parents to typhus and was sent to live with her uncle. Harry Potter also lost his parents and was sent to live with his aunt, however, I wouldn't consider his parents deaths as...natural. Yet, only a few years later did Jane's uncle pass away and her aunt, Sarah Reed, was bound to a promise to treat Jane as one of her own children. However, Ms. Reed only kept half of her promise. She continued to care for Jane, although she greatly despised her and kept her mainly in isolation. Harry Potter had the same dilemma because he was also treated quite poorly and was shunned from his aunt's family, who was also obligated to be his guardian. Their own cousins, Dudley from Harry Potter and John from Jane Eyre, take advantage of the fact they are outsiders to the family, and often cause trouble knowing they will always be taken as innocent. Both Harry and Jane display a strong sense of right and wrong; clearly knowing they're being treated unfairly. Efforts have been made to protest their treatments, however it always leads to punishment. Jane was locked up in the very much avoided "red room", because it was basically the death bed of her uncle, while Harry was locked up in a cupboard under the stairs. Leading very quiet and contained lives, they both bury themselves in books. Both protagonists are faced with a man vs. man conflict; their own family being the opposing force which stops them from achieving the escape and acceptance they both silently earn for. That is until one day a character appears in both novels and pulls the protagonists out from their suffering. In Harry Potter, Hagrid reveals to Harry that he is a wizard and he belongs at Hogwarts. Meanwhile, in Jane Eyre, Mr. Brocklehurst appears and suggests that Jane goes to boarding school. In Jane Eyre however, Ms. Reed makes it clear to Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane is a delinquent (in her eyes). Harry Potter in that sense is the opposite due to the fact Hagrid used his magic to turn Dudley into a pig, which was shocking enough to leave his parent's speechless. Both initially hesitant, eventually they see it as their chance at a better life away from their unloving homes. Personally, I believe Jane is a hard character to relate to. Her life is filled with misfortune and struggles, while on the other hand my life, as well as many others, is the opposite. I understand not everybody comes from a loving home, however, Jane Eyre's situation is an example of an extreme case. Thus, I believe she is not a very plausible character in this day and age and in the society I live in.

A Valentine's Day Haiku

This is a multi stanza haiku about my Valentine.
I know it is extremely random, but haikus never make sense anyways.
Enjoy!


It's Valentine's Day
Yet, I doubt you remembered
But I forgive you.


No bouquet I bet
Not even one lone flower
But I forgive you.


I don't expect much
Stay with me for an hour?
Let's walk; you like that


Can you stay by me?
Please don't run ahead today
Since it's Valentine's


After you may nap
On my bed? You're typical
But I forgive you.


Can I watch you sleep
And twirl your blonde, curly hair?
I hope you don't care


As you slowly wake
Your round eyes will look at me
Lovely expression.


Wet kisses. Yucky
I know you really love me
But face I still wipe


You are awake now
Recharged and ready to go
Now you will leave me


That is expected
That is what you always do
Stop stealing my shoes


No goodbye from you
Hey, my shoes are still missing
Out the door you go


Sad. Wait, not really.
That is what you always do
But I forgive you.


You come running back
Hooray, you bring in my shoes
Leaping in my arms


Though my shoes are wrecked
Thirty seconds we embrace
I guess it is true...


When the people say
A dog is a man's best friend
I love you Clifford...


But please stop stealing my shoes.

Mean Girls ©

High school; a place where it matters who your friends are. A place where the bigger your group of friends, the more accepted you feel amongst your peers. I used to think this way, and falsely believed being a part of a large group gave me confidence. Nothing could possibly go wrong because I had my "true friends" by my side. Occasionally, warning signs would appear telling me to step back and think about whether or not my relationship with the girls was healthy and worth keeping, but those thoughts were always brushed aside. We had fun and I needed them, that was until I realized I needed to learn to let go. Sometimes in life, the greatest challenge we face are with ourselves.


The beginning. Everything in life always seems so simple and carefree in the beginning. Forming friendships between the girls seemed effortless. My phone inbox always buzzed with a new text message and my weekends were successively booked; I felt accepted. There was never a worry during the breaks or lunchtime, because I knew exactly where to go. I had my spot and upon arrival, there would always be gossip flying across the table and warm, welcoming greetings from the girls. This was an usual day for me, actually, more like a good day. Times were not always so ideal. Other times, cold stares would flash from their lacquered eyelashes as I unsurely shuffled over. Whispers softly circled as I slowly and cautiously tried to squeeze myself a spot onto to the already crowded bench. No one smiled and nobody dared to make eye contact. The thought of rejection filled my head more than the curiosity of knowing what I had done to make them react so insolently. Yet, things were always better by the end of the day and I brushed off their actions. It's normal; I knew petty fights between girls were inevitable. Frankly, I wasn't exactly innocent myself when it came to the past "victims". After all, they were my true friends... right?


I woke up to my phone buzzing by my bedside. "Time to party birthday girl!" my friend squealed. It was finally the day of my sweet sixteenth and all the girls were invited. After weeks of preparations, everything was ready and set to go. The party was held at my father's new condominium downtown and all the girls assured me I picked a worthy location. However, there was only one problem; My friends were party girls. My father was quick to set the ground rules, but my friends thought of it as more of a gentle suggestion. Originally, the plan was to swim but the girls all whined and groaned about the dilemma of wet hair. One by one they slowly tip toed into the hot tub, making sure absolutely no water were to touch any area above their shoulders. They hastily secured their hair into neat buns on the tops of their heads as they grimaced at the boys who proceeded to cannonball into the pool. "Chicken fight!" the boys exclaimed as they yanked on my arm, throwing my body in with a splash. Looking back over at the girls, it was evident they were not very amused. "We'll start preparing some food upstairs" suggested one of the girls, and with that they disappeared.


I thought little of it until my best friend went upstairs for a towel, only to come back down confused. "Where did everybody go; the room was empty" she said with a questioning look. Hopping out of the pool, I went to go investigate. She was right. The room was left in a state of disaster, filthy and reeking of a pungent odour. Food was missing from the fridge, half empty drinks sat opened on the counter, and my friend's were clearly nowhere in sight. Did my "true friends" really just leave my birthday party only after an hour? Feeling hurt and lost, the emotions I felt started to overwhelm me as I barely held in the tears. Warm, reassuring hugs came from the remaining guests which consisted of four boys and my best friend. I started to blame myself. Maybe my party wasn't cool enough? Why didn't I follow them upstairs? In a failed attempt to isolate myself, I rudely left my guests. They however, continued to follow me and stayed by my side. "You don't need friends like that when you have us!" They said as I was sucked into a suffocating bear hug.


Though it took time, I slowly realized who my true friends really were. They were not the girls I originally thought, but instead the ones who stuck by me, and even still do today. They were the ones who helped me realize I needed to learn to be happy without them. Even though it was extremely painful losing them, I believe my birthday was an eye opening life lesson. Without this conflict, I would most likely still be a part of the clique of girls who, sadly, would pick a good time over their friends. Although I have since cut all ties between the girls, hearing about all that is said behind my back is never an easy thing to accept. Yet, I have learned and overcame one of the biggest obstacles of all; not with the girls but with myself.