Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism Essay Example

Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism Paper This essay is about two, romantic-suspense novels that I have been studying recently. The narrative, theme and characters of these novels are very similar but they were both written at different times. One of the novels Jane Eyre, is basically about a young girl Jane, who falls in love and marries her employer Edward Rochester who is older than her. In the other novel Rebecca, the narrator, whose name we do not know, also falls in love with an older man, Maxim De Winter who is a widower. As the story of both the novels develops, we find out that the husbands conceal a horrific secret from their wives. Also, the two main female characters in the novels come from similar backgrounds. They have both been brought up in hardships and have always had a lack of money. Whereas, the men they have married are very wealthy, this makes the women feel a bit out of place and minor to their husbands. Basically the theme of the novels is that a young woman falls in love with a man, who is much older to her and then discovers that the man she loves keeps some sinister secrets from her. The book Jane Eyre is about an orphan girl Jane who is deprived by her aunt and cousins. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer At the age of eleven she decides to go to a young orphans institution. She spends her time there for eight years and later becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, to an eight year old French girl, Adele. She falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester and is ecstatic when she finds out that he also loves her. Despite the age difference between them, they decide to get married. On their wedding day Jane discovers that her husband-to-be, Mr Rochester has a mentally disturbed wife who is locked up in the attic at Thornfield. After making this alarming discovery, she runs away and starts to live life with a family in a woodland cottage. Coincidently, she later discovers that the family she is living with are her long lost cousins. She inherits a fortune off her uncle, and decides to marry one of her cousins, in an attempt to forget her first love Mr Rochester. She is unable to do this, so she returns to Thornfield. When she arrives there she discovers that Thornfield was set alight by Edward Rochesters wife and that she also died during the incident. She also learns that Mr Rochester was injured in the fire, and is suffering from blindness and the loss of an arm. Despite his physical disabilities, Jane marries him and gives birth to two of his children. In Rebecca the narrator is the main character. She is also an orphan who is disadvantaged. One day she is introduced to a man named Maxim De Winter, after having a few secret meetings with him she falls in love. She doesnt know that Maxim feels the same way until he proposes to her, willingly she agrees. The newly wedded couple return to Maxims home Manderley. Maxims first wife Rebecca was adored by everyone. One of the house keepers, Mrs Danvers loathes the new Mrs De Winter and always emphasizes Rebeccas presence in the house. During her stay in Manderley she is constantly criticized, by Mrs Danvers. She is made to compete with the old Mrs De Winter. After suffering a lot of torment from Mrs Danvers she is finally faced with the horrific secret that her husband has kept from her. She finds out that Maxim De Winter murdered his provocative ex wife, as he didnt really love her and she was unfaithful to him. He shot her but he pretended that she had drowned. She is faced with the same options as Jane Eyre whether she should stay with her husband or leave him. She decides to stay with him but they dont return to Manderley as it was burnt down, another similarity between the two novels. The authors of both books use symbolism to a great effect. Like most books the symbolism is perceived only after the story has been read completely. The novels have very similar views to the houses they talk about. They both speak negatively of the houses. In Jane Eyre I focused analysed how Thornfield Hall was portrayed. The name Thornfield Hall, to start of with, is very symbolic, as the house was where all the lies and dark secrets were kept, therefore a field with many thorns in it. The author of Jane Eyre often uses a contrast between light and dark. An example of this is when Jane is walking through a corridor in Thornfield She took her candle, the staircase window was too high and latticed When people see the light it usually means that they realise something that they should have known. In this case Jane cannot see the light as the source for light is out of reach. This may be symbolic, of Jane not yet knowing about the dark secret about the existence of Bertha Mason inside the house. The dark landing is compared to that of a church rather than a house, where Jane feels uncomfortable, a vault like air pervaded the stairs . The vault is symbolic of a coffin that encases the emotions and feelings of Jane. The church is also where Jane finds out about Edwards secret. The feeling within the house is very creepy, the eerie impression wide hall and spacious staircase the long cold gallery. These descriptions seem like a perfect setting for a ghostly appearance within the house. The doors inside the house are always closed, this is symbolic to the danger and the secrets that are being kept and disclosed from Jane. This gives us an idea of the theme of the novel as later on we discover that behind those close doors many dark secrets have been kept. Jane describes the steps in Thornfield to be quite slippery, this is also quite symbolic as Janes life on the whole is slippery and insecure. She also mentions a clock that is curiously carved, this is particularly symbolizing the plot of the story which is constructed in a twisted and complex way. The continuous reference to the house resembling a church gives a hint that there could be a wedding later on in the story. Charlotte Bronte uses the setting to reflect the lives of the characters. An example of this is when she emphasizes the opening of doors. This symbolizes the starting of Janes new life and the secret revelations that Jane will face later on. Charlotte Bronte uses the settings of the house to describe the plot, theme, and characters of the novel. The author of Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier also uses very similar techniques to Charlotte Bronte. In Rebecca I focused on the journey of Mr and Mrs De Winter, when entering Manderley for the first time, as a wedded couple. Mrs De Winter, like Jane also speaks negatively of Manderley and its surroundings. She describes the path entering Manderley to be twisted and turned as a serpent, this is symbolic to the life that she leads later on as it is all over the place and quite unstable. Another symbolic meaning of it could be that it is referring to how Maxim viewed Rebecca to be, like a serpent; evil and resented. The phrase serpent is often used when talking of evil and deceit, and serpents are creatures that cannot be trusted on their appearance. This is exactly what Rebecca was like, her outer appearance made her look very innocent but in reality she was an unfaithful wife who deceived her husband. She describes the branches above them to be intermingled like a roof of a church; this could be symbolic to Rebecca and Maxims marriage as they wedded inside a church whereas the new Mrs De Winter wedded Maxim inside a registry office. She recounts the leaves to be thickly entwined with very less sunlight coming through. This can be interpreted in two different ways. One interpretation could be that the love between the newly wedded couple is so strong that nothing can get between them; however another interpretation could be that the new Mrs De Winter felt her life was so thickly closed up that there was very little chance of any happiness coming through, as light is usually always associated with happiness. She describes the air surrounding Manderley to contain no wind again creating the image of a coffin like in Jane Eyre where she feels encased and suffocated. She recalls the lodge gates were a memory these were the gates that led them in to Manderley. This could be symbolizing that Mrs De Winters previous life was now a distant memory, now that she is entering a new wedded life. She observes the wildlife around Manderley and says other trees, trees I could not name, coming close, so close I could touch them this could imply that Mrs De Winter knew there was something going on which was secretive but she couldnt quite get her finger on it. Mrs De Winter goes on to describe the rhododendrons blood red shocked me with their crimson faces, massed one upon the other in incredible profusion nothing but the slaughterous red.. . The red is like blood, this could symbolize that Rebecca was murdered in cold blood. The flowers are so vibrant and bright that you cant miss them; this is exactly what Rebecca was when she was alive. Later in the story the rhododendrons are mentioned again, There they were blood red and luscious, massed beneath the open window Even though Rebecca is no longer alive, there are still signs of Rebeccas existence within the house. There was a drawing too and in the centre of this, the tiny statue of a naked fawn, his pipes to his lips where he would dance and play his part The little fawn is the new Mrs De Winter, she feels inferior to Rebecca and that she has to try and compete against Rebecca as she feels they are being compared. She has to pretend to be someone that she isnt and play a part in the Manderley household. The rhododendrons are always there as an audience. nd I noticed then that the rhododendrons, not content with forming their theatre on the lawn outside had been permitted to the room itself. She is standing in the room which used to belong to Rebecca when she observes the rhododendrons in there, their great warm faces looked upon me from the mantelpiece, they floated in a bowl upon the table. The rhododendrons represent Rebecca, who is looking down on Mrs De Winter. This is like a flashback of Rebeccas death, as when she died she was left floating in water. In Jane Eyre I looked at a passage where Jane walks across to the local town to post a letter, the ground was hard, the air was still, my road was bendy; I walked fast until I got warm and then walked slowly to enjoy and analyse the species of pleasure. This quote sums up Janes relationship with Mr Rochester. First she is unknowing of his feelings for her and she feels alone but then she rushes through with everything when he claims he loves her as she doesnt want it to end. Then in the end she takes things slowly as she knows he loves her. If a breath of air stirred, it made no sound here Even though Bertha Mason was in the house, Jane was unaware of her living inside the house. Far and wide, on each side there were only fields, she and Edward were now able to lead a life with no more problems everything was in the open; wide and clear. The characters in both stories are very similar. Mr Rochester and Mr De Winter have great similarities. They are both previously married before they fall in love with younger women and they both have deadly secrets that they keep from their wives. They both have a similar financial status as they are quite rich and well off. The characters Jane and Mrs De Winter also have many similarities. Firstly, both of them came from similar backgrounds where they were not respected and made to feel inferior. They then fall in love with men that are much older than them and they also face similar situations, as both of their husbands confront them about a sinister secret. When they discover their husbands secrets they both decide to stick by their husbands as they love them too much. Both authors use similar techniques in their writing. Not only does the plot of their stories resemble each other, their characters and themes of the story are quite the same. The symbolism techniques that they use have a great resemblance; the two writers literacy skills are very alike. The two novels are very interesting but out of the two I found Rebecca to be most exciting. This is because it was a well written, romantic thriller with lots of unexpected twists and turns, whereas the plot of Jane Eyre was quite predictable. The use of symbolism is very effective in both novels, in Rebecca there is a great concentration on nature, but the flowers that are mentioned are spoken about from a negative perspective. Other authors tend to use flowers in a more positive way to portray beauty but Daphne Du Maurier does the total opposite, this is one of the things that I enjoyed when reading her novel as it was quite different compared to other novels.

Biography of Sid Collins

Biography of Sid Collins Free Online Research Papers â€Å"The greatest spectacle in racing†. This is a famous saying started by a well known man in the broadcasting/racing industry named Sid Collins. Sid was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1923. His parents were both Hoosiers. He attended (IPS) Indianapolis Public School 66 and Shortridge High School. He was too small to play sports so he chose to participate in the school newspaper. Sid is a historic figure who lead a very active, entertaining life in journalism and eventually radio broadcasting. Sid attended IU (Indiana University) in Bloomington, IN. He was a business major with an advertising focus. He earned money for school bye coming up with â€Å"trick slogans† for matchbook covers. It was his personality that allowed him to make it big even while in college. He signed up for a broadcasting class which motivated him to became the moderator of IU‘s Sunday morning broadcast program. This was his steppingstone to a lot of great achievements. He won several awards for his journalism and contributions while at IU and during his time in Indiana. After college he started training in the Army and traveled several different places. He ended up back in Indiana as a recruit officer until 1946 when he was discharged. He then went to work for WKMO in Kokomo, IN. After only a year in Kokomo Sid was offered a position with WIBC which was Indy’s best broadcast station. He had an evening show with different series such as â€Å"Speedway Gossip†, â€Å"Captain Sid’s Treasure Hunt†, and â€Å"Stairway to Stardom†. Within one year of working for WIBC Sid got his foot into the door of the Indianapolis Motor speedway. He received an assignment at the track as track reporter working in the south shoot. Wilbur Shaw, the President at the time, and Tony Hulman agreed to â€Å"give the kid a chance† and within two years he became the radio announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. No one would have guessed he would have turned into an industry icon. Prior to Sid, the race had only been broadcast at the start of the race, updates were given every hour during the race in 5 minute increments, and the announcement of the finish of the race. Sid didn’t like this style and wanted commentary throughout the entire race. It was called the â€Å"full coverage concept† which was another first in the business. In 1952 his concept was put to test. The first year 26 stations participated in full coverage of the race. 110 stations the second year and now there are 1200 participating stations. Needless to say, he will always be known as the â€Å"Voice of The 500† Sid’s coverage made him a legend in broadcasting. He would tell the world about the crashes, the deaths, the stories of the drivers, the thrilling part of the industry and sometimes the worst of it as well. Sid is remembered for his coverage in 1964 when Eddie Sachs was fatally injured on the first turn of the race. Everyone heard Sid Collins giving his eulogy and more than 30,000 requests were received for copies of it. It is said that Sid â€Å"did things with compassion, grace, and class†. There was no television coverage at this time. It was the voice of Sid Collins that calmed the crowd and excited them all at once. Sid announced 29 races of the Indianapolis 500 but on May 2, 1977 he took his own life. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease for which there was no cure. He couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to function in life so he took his at the age of 54. The disease is terminal and he decided it was better to be remembered for who he was and not what the illness would do to him. He was always in motion, an innovator ahead of his time. Sid is a beloved â€Å"Hoosier† who has a special place at 16th and Georgetown. I’m going to close by quoting an inspirational passage or saying as Sid always did to end each broadcast. He would dedicate it to the winner of the race. â€Å"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet a success unexpected†, by Henry David Thoreau. Research Papers on Biography of Sid CollinsTrailblazing by Eric AndersonMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfStandardized TestingHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHonest Iagos Truth through Deception

Equity Premium Puzzle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Equity Premium Puzzle - Essay Example Equity premium is meant to cushion stock investors against the risk of losing their investment portfolios (Siegel and Thaler, 1997, p. 195). However, variations in gain between government bonds and stocks are quite vast and yet government bonds also bear some risk especially the risk associated with inflation (Ben-Haim, 2006). People invest their money to benefit from the gain in the value of their assets. However, many people continue to invest in government bonds where there is such small gain than in stock. This has resulted to a dilemma to the economists who have been unable to understand why many people still prefer government bonds despite the huge returns in stocks as compared to bonds (Siegel and Thaler, 1997, p. 192). The investment decision is influenced b perceived risk, investors’ ability to bear risk, investment period, investor satisfaction and utility behaviour. As stated earlier equity premium is the difference in gains between stocks and risk-free assets such as governments’ bond or security bills. The government bonds are believed to bear no risk while ordinary stocks are rated as the most risky venture (Glyn, 2006, p.153). Due to this perception of risk, many people opt to invest their money in government securities where they have guarantee for small gains rather than investing in stocks with prospect for enormous gains but bearing vast risk. Equity premiums are meant to shield investors against enormous threat associated with the perceived loss on investment in the stocks (Siegel and Thaler, 1997, p. 195). This variation is too huge hence economists have never come into consensus as to why people continue to invest in government bonds which normally have low yields compared the stocks. The economists have assumed that investors must have immense risk evading attitude (Ben-Haim, 2006). This is because in the real sense people would invest in stocks which have higher probability for gigantic returns than gains in bonds value. Ho wever, since people would want to keep away from risk of any form, they opt to invest in bonds where they have a better chance to gain than in stocks. The economists have also doubted whether stocks truly bear any equity premium, and whether the real gain from the investment reveal value equivalent to the equity premium (Siegel and Thaler, 1997, p. 193). If this is true then what makes investors fail to invest in stocks which bear gigantic equity risk premiums? The investors’ decisions on what type portfolio they should purchase are either influenced by personal factors or market factors (Ben-Haim, 2006). This has also raised concern over the existence of equity premium puzzle. In Siegel and Thaler (1997, p. 193), the dilemma regarding the investor’s decisions could only be a matter of individual taste and preference which cannot be influenced by the market conditions. This difference in gains between risk-free bonds and stocks investments is explained by economists us ing economic yardstick replica (Siegel and Thaler, 1997, p. 192). To determine this variation economists use â€Å"standard equilibrium model† in which the individual’s willingness to utilize resources vary from one period to another, when the risk deterrence attitude remains unaffected The gauge used in this approach is the comparative risk deterrence factor named A. Therefore, the hypothesis was that a decline in utility by 1% should result to an increase in marginal value of the income of the