--Henry Ward Beecher

Naturally, for my own class presentation in English 150, I had to have some fun. Especially as I didn't expect anybody else to turn it into a song for me. :-)

So I wrote it in verse.

Two caveats:

1. As with the last entry, if you haven't read Jane Eyre, this probably won't do much for you. Sorry about that.

2. I wrote and delivered this while under the delusion that "St. John" was pronounced "Saint John," a delusion nobody bothered correcting during the course of the semester. I found out afterward that the correct pronunciation is, in fact, "SIN-jin." This wouldn't particularly bother me, except that it completely screws up the meter of the following. So please feel free to pronounce it the wrong way as you read this. :-)

The first view was quite common at the time of Bronte's writing,
It's rigid, and dogmatic, though it's spiritually exciting.
The focal point of this approach is doing what you should;
It's dutifully following the laws for being good.
It's following religion's rules, in valley, hill, or dell,
And if you do it properly, you'll be excused from Hell.

St. John, it should be no surprise, is one who thinks this way.
He puts aside his passion to serve the Lord and pray.
He studies Hindustani when he could be playing Scrabble
And travels down to India to proselytize the rabble.
He wants Jane for "the cause of God," to keep her far from sin,
And in his mind, to manage that, Jane should obey just him.
And to make the point complete, and prove I haven't fanned out,
Let's see the quotes I've labled "1" in this, my printed handout.

1: DUTY

"God and nature intended you for a missionary's wife. It is not personal, but mental endowments they have given you: you are formed for labour, not for love. A missionary's life you must - shall be. You shall be mine: I claim you - not for my pleasure, but for my Sovereign's service." (St. John to Jane: Page 394)

"It is the cause of God I advocate: it is under his standard I enlist you. I cannot accept on His behalf a divided allegiance: it must be entire." (St. John to Jane: Page 397)

"Do not let us forget that this is a solemn matter... one of which we may neither think nor talk lightly without sin. [1] I trust, Jane, you are in earnest when you say you will give your heart to God: it is all I want. Once wrench your heart from man, and fix it on your Maker, the advancement of that Maker's spiritual kingdom on earth will be your chief delight and endeavour: you will be ready to do at once whatever furthers that end... you will hasten to enter into [our] union at once." (St. John to Jane: Page 397)

One effect of this is that it tends to be fragmented
And passion, love, and other drives can make one feel demented.
For duty should be everything; and when that isn't so,
There is no room for compromise, and something has to go.
(That's why, for wedding Rosamond, St. John gives up his will;
Love may be a high ideal, but duty's higher still.)

There is another viewpoint here, which sees things diff'rently.
A Romantic view, which says that love, not duty, sets you free.
A person looks within his heart and follows God with love,
A natural way to interact with One who is Above.
So who's our model in the book? It's Rochester, you know;
Let's take a look at what he says; it's labled "2" below.

2: LOVE

"...my heart swells with gratitude to the beneficent God of this earth just now. He sees not as man sees, but far clearer; judges not as man judges, but far more wisely.... I began to see and acknowledge the hand of God in my doom. I began to experience remorse, repentance; the wish for reconcilement to my Maker. I began sometimes to pray: very brief prayers they were, but very sincere." (Rochester to Jane: Page 435)

"...last night, I had difficulty in believing you any other than a mere voice and vision.... Now, I thank God! I know it to be otherwise. Yes, I thank God!" He put me off his knee, rose, and reverently lifting his hat from his brow, and bending his sightless eyes to the earth, he stood in mute devotion. Only the last words of the worship were audible.
"I thank my Maker, that in the midst of judgment he has remembered mercy. I humbly entreat my Redeemer to give me strength to lead henceforth a purer life than I have done hitherto!" (Rochester, with Jane narrating in the middle: Page 436-7)

When his first-born was put into his arms, he could see that the boy had inherited his own eyes, as they once were.... he again, with a full heart, acknowledged that God had tempered judgment with mercy. (Page 440)

[At this point, I held up a sign saying, in large, bold letters: "This is to certify that Shmuel has received a POETIC LICENSE, and, as such, is permitted to butcher rhymes at will."]

(This path, of finding God with love, with warmth instead of cold;
Of doing what you feel is right, not just what you are told,
Was one Romantic notion Samuel Coleridge brought upon,
And expanded by the Transcendental movement later on.)

So now that we have settled that, it's time to turn to Jane
But, as it stands, she toes the line, not making her choice plain.
She's tempted by St. John's approach, for duty has appeal;
A burning splendor only found in those who act with zeal.
Indeed, she would have gone with him -- there's no more use in quibbling
If only he'd agreed to let her go there as a sibling.
And when his end is near, as his crusade exacts its price,
She proudly notes the glory of his noble sacrifice.
And yet, she goes with Rochester, her feelings at the fore;
She goes with love to serve her God, who fills her dreams and more.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The train of thought that brought me here, through many winding tracks,
Departed from the presentation Nancy gave in class.
Then, one of the more useful works, which I was glad to find,
Was Walter Houghton's book on The Victorian Frame of Mind.
Elliott-Binns was also good, and one aid to my research
Was the helpful Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
And good advice and pointers, worth a lot more than zirconium,
Were provided by our teacher, Professor M. Haronian.