Mustafa, the "man"

What I found interesting in the reading so far is that of how women respond to Mustafa. I’m sure we’ve all met a guy who comes off the same as Mustafa, but have that many women committed suicide in today’s world? I can definitely understand women going  into a depression, but three women having the same consequences…not that just doesn’t make sense. Are women that self conscious that they can’t accept themselves for who they are unless their significant other approves of them? Although I don’t understand this concept, I can still see it relate in today’s society. There are women out there who will always strive to be someone who they really are not just to try impress some man. How did society get to the point where women have become completely dissatisfied with themselves that they will go to certain extremes to try and make it different? If Mustafa would have reacted differently, or would have at least tired to care about the women he was with, I think that he might have been able to save some lives and even want to stay in Europe. On the other hand, I think that Mustafa should feel guilty about the deaths of the women and that because of that, it shaped him into the man that he is today. Because the reader doesn’t know how Mustafa died, it could be possible that he did kill himself has a result of everything that he done in past years.

Response to Christine's Post

Here's a response to Christine; I don't know how to post because her blog is different!


I completely agree with you! I think that Irie is a more relateable narrator because of many things. I think that one large aspect of our relatabilty is because she is a female who is struggling with issues that still exist today. She has to battle hidden truths from her parents, which I'm sure many children have to deal with still today. For example, some children aren't told that their parents aren't getting a divorce until after it occurs. I know this may seem like a huge leap of difference, but in reality, it's the same concept. Also, there is the issue of Irie not being comfortable in her own skin. She doesn't feel pretty enough, or thin enough, or even smart enough. Everyone around her seems to be more superior to her, and she sometimes doesn't know how to deal with it. She commonly expresses signs of teens today; she leaves her family to try out new ones, as a crush, and also has to grow up quickly because she ends up getting pregnant out of wedlock. Not to mention, Irie is a woman, and so are we!

The Battle of the Two "M's"

In class today, Jeff initiated a discussion about whether or not we the class thought that if Millat and Magid were to switch places, if the same result would occur. In my opinion, I believe that if Samad would have sent Millat to Bangladesh and would have made Magid stay, I think that the same outcome would occur for Magid, but could go either way for Millat. I say this because it seems as though no matter where he is, Magid would want to do something dealing with law, or have a career that he could use his intellect in. I think that by Samad sending him back to his home only enforced more what Magid had internally wanted to do. On the other hand, I think that if Mallat would have been sent away, that he could have turned out to have either the same outcome as he has by staying in his birth town, or could have a different. I say that he could be the same, by slowly turning more into a real “Muslim” by being sent away because he would be with his native people, and he might be able to conform to their ways. Opposing this idea, I think that Millat could also have a different fate because due to his rebellious ways, he could have chosen to rebel against the natives and have taken a totally different route. I think that Samad’s intentions were good in sending his “good” son to his home, but I think he would have ultimately gotten what he wanted if he would have sent Millat instead.

Response to Sophia and Jill

Because blogger won't let me post on Sophia's here it is, so I don't lose it!

To both of you, I agree. Sophia, I think that Saleem definitely comes off as arrogant. To go along with "the baby that got mentioned in the newspaper" part of your argument Sophia, it wasn't even him that was supposed to be mentioned! I mean he was switched at birth, and this idea completely confuses me with how Saleem thinks of himself because if he was with his birth parents, or should I say birth father because his mother died during the birth of her son, would he still see himself this way? Would he still see himself as basically the best "thing" that's ever happened to India. I personally don't think so because I think a lot of who he is is influenced by his parents.
Jill, I don't know how I feel about Saleem thinking he needs validation. I only say this because he seem so confident and that he just wants to essentially brag about what he can do and it seems to me that he just wants all of India to know that he is the best and that all attention should be focused on him.

Weary of the Wild

Just as a forewarning, this blog might be a little chopping in a writing sense because I have many ideas and I don’t feel like posting separate blogs! J

In my opinion, I believe that Jean Rhys foreshadows instances of Antoinette’s insanity. For example, on pages 44 and 64 in Wild Sargasso Sea, she hints to Rochester  that something might be wrong with Antoinette because her door is able to be bolted shut. Now if I were Rochester, that would be a sign of abnormality. I would be questioning why my wife’s room is able to be bolted shut when everyone else’s doesn’t. In addition, it’s ironic how her rooms in Jamaica are bolted shut and also the one at Thornfield is bolted, is it not. Regressing back a couple of pages, to page 42, Antoinette mocks Rochester by repeating, “England, England,” and Rochester states that “the sound went on and on like a warning I did not choose to hear.” Here is a prime example where something seems off, but Rochester chooses not to follow his instinct about his wife. Here is where what happens to Bertha and Rochester later in their married life that Rochester sort of assumed his own fate. He chose to ignore multiple signs of his wife’s insanity and was therefore subject to what was to become of his relationship with Antoinette. On a different note, on page 49, Rochester sings a song to Antoinette that reads, “Hail to the queen of the silent night/Shine bright, shine bright Robin as you die.” Also, earlier on this page, Antoinette tells Rochester that there was a full moon on the night of her dream experience with the rats. This immediately sends red flags going off in my head. First, the full moon and the queen of the silent night indicate to be of Antoinette of being a lunatic. Lunatic coming from the Latin word Luna, meaning moon. Also, it seems like when Rochester is signing that song to Bertha, that he is foreshadowing her fate because he’s singing of death, and that is ultimately what happens to Bertha. One last idea that I would like to point out is that of the symbolism of fire. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette’s child home is burnt down like a fire. It seems like her soul had caught like a fire and was never actually put out because of how she was never able to let go. Finally, in Jane Erye, before Bertha commits suicide, she lights the house on fire, symbolizing to be her being free because she is finally able to put out the fire inside her.

So, during class today, I started thinking about two separate subjects; one on Bertha Mason and one on Mr. Smith. I’ll start with Bertha. In class we talked about how much of an animal Bertha is and how it’s acceptable for her to be locked up inside her husband’s home. What I was thinking, and I’m probably way far off, but that maybe Bertha finds her husband’s locking her up as ridiculous, so when he brings people up to come see her, she acts more wild. So basically it would be like if she said, “Okay, if he thinks I’m an animal, I’ll give him and animal.” That is just something I could picture coming up in our next book. Although she may be truly sick, I do think she could be playing it up a bit to give her life some fun. I don’t think she gives Grace such a hard time because maybe she lets Grace see a “real” side of her. Now to Mr. Smith. Maybe it’s the romantic in me, or the fact that I just love a good love story, but I feel like Mr. Smith and Jane could have some sort of a romantic relationship as the story progresses. The only thing holding be back from this is that Jane doesn’t seem to like that. I think that they would be good together because he isn’t rich, accepts her for who she is, and has a similar passage as she does. Let me know what you think J

Blog #1

Hey guys! So I’m kind of nervous about writing a blog. I have never done it before and I don’t really feel comfortable about my writing. Also, I don’t like other people reading what I write because I feel like I don’t have the same thoughts or as intellectual of thoughts as some of you might have. Well…here we go! Okay, so I would love to start off with the fact that I absolutely love Jane Erye. My two favorite books are Great Expectations and The Grapes of Wrath, so the style of this novel is something that I feel comfortable with. I think that the author of this book has done very with how she phrases her sentences and how she chooses her vocabulary. So far, I think the part that has really hit me is when Jane sticks up to Mrs. Reed early on in the book. I think that this shows how she is starting to become assertive, not aggressive in her “wicked” ways. I also like this part because I have a hard time being assertive and I could picture myself as Jane while reading. Moreover, I think that this is where Jane finally starts to see her self as a subject, not an object, which is what we mentioned I in class. Just a side note, I’m pretty shy about speaking in class, but I love to read and I do listen to what everyone says, even though I don’t speak. J Also, I immediately could tell that when Jane saw Mr. Rochester for the first time that she was in love. Did any body else get that feeling? What do you guys think?