Anyone want to help with a couple essay ideas?

One essay which is due on Wednesday I think I have covered but just need to figure out *how* to write it. However, if you want to throw out ideas, then my topic is classism in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I'm not sure if I'm bsing that or not, most likely am but oh well.

Second essay is basically going to be using a couple of different feminist writers to critique the movie Aliens. That one is due in a few weeks. Ideas? Spam? Flame? Whatever, post it here.

sorry haven't read Jane Eyre.


for your aliens essay, good things to discuss could be
-are aliens real?
-are they portrayed in this movie as they should be?
-relationship between woman and the girl (googled it and girl came up)
-metaphors or themes represented by girl, aliens, or the planet

also what exactly do you mean by

AquaAscension wrote:

Second essay is basically going to be using a couple of different feminist writers to critique the movie Aliens

?

Is classism defendable or justified in any regards? How does classism affect (effect?) the characters in the novel?

I don't know, that's what I came up with the top of my head. Didn't even bother to google the book.

In Jane Eyre, the idea is that Jane talks several times of "not wanting to be poor" when she's under the care of her Aunt Reed. In fact, her aunt holds power over her in that regard by letting her know, often as it were, that she would be poor if not for her (the aunt's) kindness. I found some other things in that she describes herself as a "rebel slave" in one instance and seems to draw power from that, but is utterly powerless when she imagines herself as poor. I thought it odd to be empowered as a slave but powerless as a free poor person.

@Kuro, thanks for your thoughts. I can't answer the first 2 questions... no one knows. Also, that's not the aim of the essay.

Long explanation made short: Feminist critique: I'll be using a couple of feminist authors (Judith Butler and Annette Kolodney (sp?)) to take a look at the character of Ellen Ripley in the movie. Butler's argument is that everything from gender to even sexual characteristics are *not* hardwired and are, to some extent, socially conditioned. This can be exemplified by both Ripley and the marine Vasquez (who is a woman). And maybe "game over" Hudson (because he acts scared and "stereotypically" female in some situations). The premise is that Ellen's gender/sex does not determine her actions, but the situation she's in do help to define her actions/character. I don't remember what Annette's theory was... something about using all different (intersectionality or something like that) literary criticisms (Marxism, Formalism, New Historicism, New Criticism, etc.) to look at media but to pay attention to the female figures rather than just the males. I.e., to look at Hamlet through Ophelia's eyes rather than just at Hamlet's tragedy.

Sorry that is kind of dense, but it helps me to understand WTF I'm trying to do by writing it out. Any questions? Explaining stuff will help me to understand it better.

1st essay: what is the question you are trying to answer? "define classism through this novel"?

2nd essay: so what i'm getting is that you read the book, get the opinions of different female authors and debate/discuss it? if it's possible, post their views on things and i'll come up with things... also if its a 'deeper' thing, posting something like "joe went to the park, author jane thinks he's X while author nancy thinks its just Y, while i think Z," (and kuro thinks something else or agrees)

i'll try to be as helpful as i possibly can

Quote :

Long explanation made short: Feminist critique: I'll be using a couple of feminist authors (Judith Butler and Annette Kolodney (sp?)) to take a look at the character of Ellen Ripley in the movie. Butler's argument is that everything from gender to even sexual characteristics are *not* hardwired and are, to some extent, socially conditioned. This can be exemplified by both Ripley and the marine Vasquez (who is a woman). And maybe "game over" Hudson (because he acts scared and "stereotypically" female in some situations). The premise is that Ellen's gender/sex does not determine her actions, but the situation she's in do help to define her actions/character. I don't remember what Annette's theory was... something about using all different (intersectionality or something like that) literary criticisms (Marxism, Formalism, New Historicism, New Criticism, etc.) to look at media but to pay attention to the female figures rather than just the males. I.e., to look at Hamlet through Ophelia's eyes rather than just at Hamlet's tragedy.

For the viewpoint that gender has no role biologically seems a bit ridiculous. There's biological evidence for some of those things...environment plays a role but not the whole role. Would you be able to argue against this viewpoint?

Side note: Ophelia got messed around with too much. Poor girl.

Quote :

In Jane Eyre, the idea is that Jane talks several times of "not wanting to be poor" when she's under the care of her Aunt Reed. In fact, her aunt holds power over her in that regard by letting her know, often as it were, that she would be poor if not for her (the aunt's) kindness. I found some other things in that she describes herself as a "rebel slave" in one instance and seems to draw power from that, but is utterly powerless when she imagines herself as poor. I thought it odd to be empowered as a slave but powerless as a free poor person.

So talk about the concept of empowerment or happiness? My fortune cookie yesterday had a Chinese proverb saying something like "It's better to have bacon and beans in happiness than cake and ale in fear". I take it as, it's better to be happy with less, than to be afraid with more. In the same way, the girl in the book seems to be happier as a slave than as a fearful free person. But, this might be more because she's taken care of as a slave food, water and shelter wise, while she might take some abuse it's a trade off she's willing to do, unlike as a free person where she might not have those things...However, I wouldn't know her actual motives and reasons for thinking what she does.
So you could talk about how ones idea of ones position creates a certain emotion which might not be as expected...Is this an argumentative essay? Comparison? Factual?

Literary analysis. Basically BS. Pull out quotes and interpret them. Make sure that your interpretation has evidence within the text to support it.

Yes, the idea that sex has no role in defining gender is a bit ridiculous. But that is her argument, not mine. I don't have to support or deny her argument, I just have to try to apply it. It's basically a chicken and the egg argument at the end of the day. What came first, the gender expectations from society or the gender? She's saying that the things associated with a gender are not naturally occurring but that they are socially conditioned. She then takes it to an extreme and says that even sexual things don't result naturally but are also socially conditioned.

Ok...so why would those social conditions come about, unless there was some original biological reason to put them into play. They may have gotten exaggerated over the years...but it started somewhere

I realize it's not your argument though. Soo, literary analysis eh? Just need a thesis then and go quote hunting...

Pretty much. English majors are quote hunters