In Jane Eyre, there is a theme of poverty vs. intelligence and education. Although Jane is naturally very smart and works hard to educate herself, she is in a lowly class because she doesn't have money. Because she can't pay for fancy schooling and has no one to rely on, her intelligence doesn't do her any good. this domonstrates one of the many boundaries in England regarding social classes. Today, education is required for everyone, even those without money which allows everyone a chance to succeed. This wasn't true at all in the time of Jane.
-Karissa C.
Karissa,
ReplyDeleteAlthough public education is available, do you think poverty interferes with people having access to the same level of education? Some people feel that schools with high levels of poverty may not be providing the same level of education as schools not facing that issue. In fact, a recent news story revealed that a woman was convicted of a felony and served 9 days in jail for forging documents in order to have her children attend a school in a "better" area. How do you think poverty and education are linked today? And what is the impact on society as a whole?
I certainly agree that education was tough to provide if the family was poor, but i find that even today there are families that can't afford to give their children a full education because they need to spend their money on other things.
ReplyDelete-Danny D.
Although I did not read Jane, I understand the basic plot line and think that this seems like one of the more pertinent themes of the novel. I do think, however, that we still have the issue today of people not having access to the same kind of education. Even in the public education system there are huge gaps between specific schools. For example, kids at Los Osos are going to be receiving a different level of education than kids living in bad parts of LA. There is still a large number of people like Jane with great potential due to their natural intelligence, but who are looked down upon or cast aside because they are not educated "properly".
ReplyDelete-Audrey T.
I thought that intelligence vs. education was a major issue throughout Jane Eyre as well. I felt that because she had the intelligence of an aristocrat but the social status of someone poorer, she faced ambiguity of social classes. This, coupled with the fact that she was a woman during the Victorian era, created complications, especially when she falls in love with Rochester. She at first scolds herself for feeling affection towards him, because of the fact that she knows she does not belong in his same class. However she manages to break beyond these barriers, which demonstrates her will and strength.
ReplyDelete- Geena C.
Jane's education is limited not only be her social class, but also because she is a girl. Many girls in that time period didn't go to school because their role in society was to raise children and maintain the household. If they did go to school, they usually studied different topics than the boys like literature instead of math or science. Being a girl lead to an even lesser education for Jane than just being poor.
ReplyDeleteZach Y
I agree that education and poverty are issues in Jane Eyre, but they are still issues that we face today, as Mrs. Elliott said in her comment. Like Jane, many poor Americans attend failing schools where they learn little and eventually end up dropping out, or if they do graduate do not go on to earn a higher education. These schools keep the children in these areas down, and most of them will grow up to be just as poor and if we don't fix the situation then their children will face the same problem. Unless education can be reformed the poor will continue to be kept down by a vicious circle of failing education and poverty.
ReplyDelete-Elise P.
I agree with your statement that everyone today has an opportunity to earn an education, however I don't believe it is an equal opportunity. The rich are still easily able to pay their way to whatever college they want and the poor can struggle to even be able to go to a community college. I just skimmed the other comments and it seems people feel the same way as I do but i do not want to fully support one side. There are still amazing stories of an individuals growing up in a lower class and still working hard in school, getting as good an education as possible, and growing up to make millions or even billions of dollars. Just a little food for thought.
ReplyDelete-Brent
Although I believe being poor can still be a hindrance to the level of education a person receives, it is still required for people to complete high school now which is the point I was trying to make with my blog. Sure, it may be harder for those without money to get a good education in a bad part of town, but it is much easier for those without money to receive scholarships and financial aid in college. I believe if anyone works hard in today's society, they can get to any level they want to be in, like Brent said.
ReplyDelete-Karissa C.