Identity - the influence between a person and crowd Dissertation

Identity - the influence between a person and crowd - Dissertation Example This proposal provides the exegesis to study the issue of individual and group behaviour in relation to an art or group activity. The point of reference is the film industry in general and marketing commercials in particular. Zimbardo (2010) argues that people often have a profound effect on others. This effect tends to make people on the wider scale tend to behave along lines that are similar to them (Ariely, 2009). In this wise, we can examine the role of directors and important stage managers who get others in a larger crowd to go in a given direction. Knippeberd and Baaren (2009) identify that one of the biggest ways that people tend to influence groups of people is though mimicry. They define mimicry as the process of consciously or unconsciously doing what other people do in a given society. Mimicking is one of the ways people learn and also gain social acceptance. Thus, for instance, we might want to check the impact of an important star in a film or TV commercial on the wider audience. Will the audiences mimic him or her? Or will their countenance and activities change to suit their presence. This provides a basis for studies of the relationship between individuals and the wider group. ... Secondly, what is the role of the crew and production authorities in creating herd behaviour amongst the group? How do the individuals blend into the bigger picture? Thirdly, does the presence of significant personalities in the group affect individuality amongst members of the group? The research questions above will be answered to provide a holistic picture of the main enquiry. To this end, we will want to test a single hypothesis. A hypothesis is a temporal statement made at the beginning of a research, which is tested for its truthfulness or falsity in the actual research (Kothari, 2005). The hypothesis is that â€Å"lesser known actors in groups lose their individuality in order to blend with the wider group†. Thus, the research will reconcile the primary research question with the sub-questions in order to identify whether less known actors and actresses keep their unique identity in films and commercials or they cede it to the group identity. The sub-questions will prov ide an exegesis of why the lesser known actors cede or retain their individuality in group scenes. Research Positioning This section of the proposal will examine the research report. The research approach will involve the application of significant and core concepts of individualism and group identity in the filming of movies and commercials. This heading will discuss important theories and a framework of cases that would be studied in the research. This will set the tone for the discussion of the three cases that would be examined to draw conclusions on the research questions and prove or disprove the hypothesis. The core concept that will be used in this research is the boiling point concept of Gladwell (2000). Gladwell sought to study the point off transition from individualism

Reflection on Impact of Emerging Markets Essay Example for Free

Reflection on Impact of Emerging Markets Essay The world of business has changed in recent years. Usually, the firms of developed countries dominated the globe and developed countries’ markets were the most attractive. However, new attractive markets and new players have emerged from areas outside the developed world. These new markets such as the BRICs and the MISTs have large populations, high economic growth and increasing demands for goods. Also, they are expected to surpass the developed economies by 2050 (Goldman Sachs, 2003). According to Jagdish N. Sheth, the emerging markets have impacted both the theory and the practice of marketing. The reason is very simple; marketing is a discipline that was developed in the concept of industrialized (developed) markets meaning that most of the marketing tools are designed to work specifically in industrialized markets (Sheth, 2011). Therefore, adapting most of what is known about marketing is necessary to succeed in new markets and new marketing research approaches need to be taken. The article Impact of Emerging Markets on Marketing: Rethinking Existing Perspectives and Practices covers some of the most important characteristics of these markets such as their growth, market heterogeneity, sociopolitical governance and comparative advantages. Also, the author suggests some changes that need to be made to the existing marketing theory, marketing strategy, marketing policy and marketing practice. Moreover, Sheth argues that companies (from developed countries as well as from the emerging countries) who succeed in the mentioned markets are becoming global competitors. The reason is that these firms have to innovate to overcome challenges such as shortages of resources, inadequate infrastructure and unbranded competition. As a result, innovation makes these firms more efficient as well as it creates a competitive advantage which allows them to compete globally. Having grown up in Mexico, one of the so called MISTs, I can relate many of Sheth’s marketing suggestions with some strategies used by Mexican companies. Some of these companies are already global players such as Grupo Bimbo, Cemex and America Movil (Inter-American Developing Bank, 2008). They are strong competitors in the bakery industry, building materials industry and telecom industry respectively. However, there is another rising player named Coppel S.A. de C.V. that already started to expand to other emerging markets outside Mexico, aiming to become a global competitor in the retail business. Coppel is family owned business with 1,000 stores and 80,000 employees in Mexico. Also, it has eight stores in Argentina and eight in Brazil. I will like to focus on Coppel, 2011’s biggest retailer in Mexico (El Economista, 2012), and how this company has already applied some of Sheth’s suggestions to marketing perspectives and practices. Even though the article mentioned many good points to succeed in emerging markets, the most important are purpose driven marketing, resource improvisation, and market development. Purpose driven marketing According to Sheth, purpose driven marketing is going beyond highlighting the benefits of a product or service, creating a lifetime value among the customers, employees and other stakeholders. Coppel wins its customers’ hearts with the slogan â€Å"Coppel Mejora tu vida† which translates to â€Å"Coppel improves your life†. Along with the slogan, Coppel offers a range of products such as clothes, furniture, electronic appliances and financial services to the 68 percent of the Mexican population whose monthly income is less than 2,743 pesos, close to 165 EUR (DigitalPersona, 2012). Most of the products sold by Coppel are products that fulfill the customers’ needs. At Coppel’s stores, it would be difficult to find expensive shoes or clothes. Also, Coppel guarantees all the furniture and any electronic product regardless of the brand sold at their stores up to 2 years; while most manufacturers only guarantee the first year. This warranty is very important to the customers since a washing machine or refrigerator can be equivalent to ten or eleven months of salary. In the financial services part, Coppel offers credit to buy goods in the store and cash loans up 1,000 EUR (loyal customers who have been Coppel’s clients for more than a year). Coppel is not as strict as many of the different financial institutions in Mexico which would never lend a single peso to any of Coppel’s customers. In other words, Coppel has a marketing policy of inclusive growth which means including in their policies those markets that marketers would have left out. In addition, Coppel extends its marketing to its stakeholders such as the community, employees, channel partners and suppliers. For the employees and their children, Coppel offers to pay half of their school tuition up to the master degree level as well as provide school supplies for them. Also, Coppel encourages its employees to get married by giving employees up to two months’ salary as a wedding present. Marriage is seen as a very important tradition in a conservative country such as Mexico. As a result, Coppel does improve the life of its customers as well as their stakeholders. It focuses on creating a lasting value to position itself as a company that offers more than just quality products and services. For this reason, Coppel has better financial performance than its competitors. Resource improvisation. â€Å"If necessity is the mother of invention, then resource shortage is the father of innovation† (Sheth 2011). For that reason, firms operating in emerging markets gain advantage by improvising with scarce resources, making them more innovative relative to their competitors. Coppel’s most innovative process is the use of a fingerprint biometrics in the point of sale (POS) and in all operating systems (DigitalPersona 2012). This system has helped to improve the verification process of purchases for 20.6 million customers since a customer can buy on credit (in the store) using just his or her fingerprint without using any type of identification. As mentioned, Coppel has close to 20 million registered customers’ fingerprints in their database. That represents almost 20 percent of the entire Mexican population, which allows Coppel to generate a reliable source of information about its customers. Reliable information about customers is not easy to have in emerging markets. For that reason, Coppel has an advantage over its competitors since it can use that information to create new marketing strategies to target a specific customer behavior. Also, the fingerprint system has reduced the possibility of fraud since every single customers information is linked to his or her fingerprint. This system has proved very useful in Argentina and Brazil where most customers (low income class) hardly carry an ID with them. Another innovating process is Coppel’s distribution system. The reason is that Coppel has 19 warehouses with 127 distribution centers to supply all its stores in 337 different cities in Mexico (DigitalPersona 2012). The distribution system is in-house designed which means that Coppel can modify it whenever is needed without having aid from an external provider. This decreases the response time when a challenge is raised. Also, Coppel’s system updates in real time. This means that the company knows exactly what products are being sold at any given time and what products are on the delivery trucks. In addition, Coppel daily supplies all the stores just with the right amount of goods that were sold the day before using small trucks with low gasoline consumption or pressured gas to keep down the cost. It also offers free delivery to its customers. This is a competitive advantage since other competitors do not offer it free of charge and almost half of the Mexican population does not have cars. Moreover, the distribution system is very efficient that some other retailers like Wal-Mart Mexico have tried to replicate it. In Mexico, Coppel is known as an innovative firm due to its distribution and fingerprint systems. Market development. While developed markets’ firms target customers’ needs using market intelligence, firms in emerging markets such as Coppel create customers’ needs by shaping customer expectations. In other words, create a â€Å"Field of Dreams† and customers will come. â€Å"Coppel mejora tu vida† is a statement that brings the customers to that â€Å"Field of Dreams†. Since customers in emerging markets are seeking to improve their life condition within their limited economic capacity, Coppel offers accessible and affordable products and services. Coppel has created and developed its own market over the last 70 years. The firm took care of the expectations of the poorest segment in Mexico and that segment has become Coppel’s most loyal customers. Therefore, developing a market brings more financial benefits than market orientation since the firm that develops a market gets the advantage and creates barriers for new entrants. Huawei in China and Avon in Brazil used marketing development to shape the customers’ expectations to positioning themselves in those markets. Nowadays, both of them are strong global competitors. Conclusion Coppel has the widest profit margin of any major Latin American retailer (Bloomberg 2012) because its strategies are based on purpose driven marketing, resource improvisation, and market development. Also, Coppel has developed a market as a result of a lifetime value that is attractive to all the stakeholders while innovating to overcome the challenges generated by the characteristics of operating in an emerging market. As mentioned by Sheth, new ideas from the emerging markets are impacting what we know about marketing. In the 1980s there was the belief that â€Å"The products and methods of the industrialized world play a single tune for all the world, and the world eagerly dances to it† which was written in the 1983’s article The Globalization of Markets by Theodore Levitt. This statement suggests that no adaptation was needed to Marketing practice and theory. On the other hand, Sheth says â€Å"the rise of emerging market is inevitable and it will have a disruptive impact on the marketing practice and theory† in 2011. Sheth’s article creates the bases of what is going to be new approaches for marketing research. The emerging markets will become the focus of the next generations of marketers and firms such as Coppel will be an example of how the emerging firms are shaped by their surroundings. References Sheth, J.N. (2011). Impact of emerging markets on marketing: Rethinking existing perspectives and practices. Journal of Marketing, 75 (July), 166-1 Levitt, T. (1983). The globalization of markets. Harvard Business Review, 61 (May/June), 92-102 Goldman Sachs (2003). Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050. Goldman Sachs. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/topics/brics/brics-reports-pdfs/brics-dream.pdf Inter-American Development Bank (2008). From Multilatinas to Global Latinas The New Latin American Multinationals. Http://www.iadb.org. N.p., 2008. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. http://www.iadb.org/intal/intalcdi/pe/2009/03415.pdf El Economista (2011). â€Å"En El 2011, Coppel â€Å"abaratà ³Ã¢â‚¬  a Liverpool†. En El 2011, Coppel abaratà ³ a Liverpool. N.p., 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. . Coppel. Coppel. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. . DigitalPersona (2012). Coppel Corporation Uses DigitalPersona Fingerprint Biometrics for Customer and Employee Security and Convenience. Coppel Corporation Uses DigitalPersona Fingerprint Biometrics for Customer and Employee Security and Convenience. N.p., 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Bloomberg News (2012). â€Å"Mexico’s Coppel Brothers Emerge With $16 Billion Fortune.† BusinessWeek. N.p., 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

Influences on Achievement of Funding Goals

Influences on Achievement of Funding Goals Donna R. Lowe The purpose of the following dissertation, A content analysis of Kickstarter: The influence of framing and rewarding motivations on campaign success (Sauro) was to examine the implications of message framing in determining the success or failure of Kickstarter campaigns. The study also explored to what extent conditional cooperation influences the achievement of funding goals. The study applied framing theory on the decision-making process, which has significant prior research but not in regards to crowdfunding. Sauro (2014) uses a definition used in a previous study by Dr. Inge Sorenson. Crowdfunding is defined as â€Å"the micro-financing of individual projects, and is catered for online by sites like indiegogo.com, sponsume.com, crowdfunder.co.uk, pledgie.com, and kickstarter.com (Sorenson, 2012). Sauro (2014) also uses the term project-based communities â€Å"meaning a unique community of early adopters and investors of a new product or service that hone and gather funding ple dges. One hundred and twenty Kickstarter campaigns were randomly selected and sampled. The key findings were broken down by research questions. The first research question sought to uncover to what extent did the choice of framing methods affect success or failure of the crowdfunding campaigns. The finding was campaigns that used framing had a significantly higher rate of success as opposed to campaigns that used no framing. â€Å"Out of all campaigns that were successful, 83.3% utilized a prescribed framing method, opposed to 40.8% of unsuccessful campaigns that did not† (Sauro, 2014, p. 24). The finding of research question two suggests a strong correlation between successful campaigns and conditional cooperation measures. The study identified a relationship between conditional cooperation and donation levels at the end of set funding periods across all categorical tiers (low, medium, and high). Supplemental data was also provided. Additional factors that had an impact on t he probability of a successful crowdfunding campaign were identified. The findings were factors such as including a self-narrative, stating personal qualifications, and having a lower funding goal had a strong influence on the outcome. Sauro (2014) found â€Å"of the campaigns that were successful, a self-narrative was present 82.0% of the time, as opposed to 62.2% when campaigns were unsuccessful† (p. 29). Suggestions for further research included the need to use a larger sample size from all project categories and continued investigation of personal narratives influence. There was also a suggestion to include research on whether text-based, video-based, or combination-framing messages could be efficiently used to achieve objectives. Sauro (2014) used prospect theory and message framing as drivers for the crowdfunding donor decision-making process. Prospect theory attempts to explain the decision-making process based on the way the material is presented (Sauro, 2014, p. 8). In involves a decision problem, decision maker, and a decision frame. Rational decision-makers â€Å"will opt for the prospect that offers the highest expected utility† (Tversky Kahneman, 1981, p. 453). Prospect theory expresses outcomes as positive or negative deviations (gains and losses) with regards to an S-curve. Message framing is an important concept for crowdfunding and the study by Chun-Tuan Chang and Yu-Kang Lee (2010) was used to support Sauro’s dissertation. Framing is â€Å"the presentation of one of two different but equivalent value outcomes to decision-makers, where one outcome is presented in positive and the other in negative terms† (Chang Lee, 2010, p 197). Compliance is encouraged using framing demon strating gains and losses. Bruno S. Frey and Stephan Meier conducted a field experiment about charitable giving and conditional cooperation in 2004. The experiment supported the theory on conditional cooperation and found that if people know others are making charitable contributions, the likelihood of them making contributions increases but is still linked to previous charitable behaviors (Frey Meier, 2004, p. 1717). People tend to compare themselves socially to others and are inclined to make charitable donations based on those they identify with. These works are extremely important and the foundation for understanding donor behavior while researching crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a relatively new concept. It involves communications, fundraising, technology, and a social media platform. Sauros (2014) used prospect theory, framing, and conditional cooperation as factors of influence for successful crowdfunding campaigns. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky (1979) developed the prospect theory. Kahneman and Tversky’s study â€Å"Prospect Theory: An analysis of decision under risk† introduces one of the most quoted theories in economic psychology. Developed in the 1980s, the theory has had considerable impact on understanding how decisions are derived using gains and losses. The theory of framing was introduced by Erving Goffman (1974). Goffman was considered â€Å"the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century† (Fine Smith, 2000). Goffman wrote several books and fundamentally changed the way we think of social interactions. His work is considered unparalleled and he is extensively cited in behavioral studie s. His greatest contribution to social theory is his study of symbolic interaction, which began in 1959. He studied social order, interactions, stigmas, routine transactions, human behavior, etc. He was not a traditional sociologist and his work was influenced by Durkheim, Freud, Mead, Simmel, and Radcliffe-Brown (Yakkaldevi, 2013, p. 74). Albert Bandura is associated with social learning theory. According to Bandura (1977), Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.† Bandura is well known for his famous Bobo doll experiment where children were demonstrated to learn aggression through observations and interactions (Bandura, Ross, Ross, 1961). His work is considered to be part of the cognitive revolution in psychology. References Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press. Bandura, A., Ross, D. Ross, S.A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-82. Chang, C., Lee, Y. (2010). Effects of message framing, vividness congruency and statistical framing on responses to charity advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 29(2), 195-220. Fine, G. A. Smith, G. W. (2000). SAGE Masters of Modern Social Thought: Erving Goffman (Vols. 1-4). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446261545 Frey, B. S., Meier, S. (2004). Social comparisons and pro-social behavior: Testing conditional cooperation in a field experiment. The American Economic Review, 94(5),1717-1722. Sauro, J. J. (2014). A content analysis of Kickstarter: The influence of framing and rewarding motivations on campaign success (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and These Database. (UMI No. 1556435) Sorenson, I. E. (2012). Crowdsourcing and outsourcing: The impact of online funding and distribution on the documentary film industry in the UK. Media Culture and Society, 34, 726-743. doi:10.1177/0163443712449499 Tversky, A., Kahneman, D. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263-291. doi: 10.2307/1914185 Tversky, A. Kahneman, D. (1992). Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative representation of uncertainty. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 5(4), 297–323. Yakkaldevi, A. S. (2013). Phenomenology and Enthomethodology. India: Laxmi Book Publication.

The Perfect Idea :: Free Essays Online

The Perfect Idea It was a true Alaskan night. The air was crisp and the road was covered with sand and pebbles embedded in the ice. Frost was beginning to form on the frozen green branches of the spruce trees and there wasn‘t a soul in sight. It was an early Sunday morning two days before Christmas and my best friend David and I had thought of a brilliant idea. I was spending the night at David’s house which was only about a block away from where I lived. As naive eighth grade students, we hadn’t counted on getting in as much trouble as we did for a nights worth of fun. It all started when David said, â€Å"Bobby, lets go pick up my girlfriend, Justine. My mom should be sleeping now. We can sneak out the garage door, put the car in neutral and quietly roll it down the driveway. After that, we can push it down the street and start it so my mom won’t hear.† â€Å"All right. Can I drive?† I asked. â€Å" Sure,† he said. â€Å"Yeahhhhhh! This is so awesome,† I shouted as we cruised down the highway thirty minutes later towards Justine‘s house. â€Å"Who is as cool as us, David?† I asked with a huge grin on my face. â€Å"Nobody,† he said laughingly as we both smiled without a worry in the world, listening to the bass vibrations pound on the back seats to the rap music. â€Å"Where are we going?† I asked ten minutes later after we had picked up Justine. â€Å"Lets go to the point,† said David, which was about fifteen minutes away located on a cliff near Cook Inlet. â€Å"Okay,† I said in excitement. Driving down the road, we spotted a police car on the side of the street with his lights off waiting for someone to ticket. We casually drove past him following all the laws as we headed towards the point. The point was located on a dead end road, and with our luck, it was already closed for that night. â€Å"Shoot! It’s closed!† said Justine, who was scared because we had just passed a cop. â€Å"What should we do, David?† I said nervously â€Å"Let’s just be calm and go out the same way,† David replied. â€Å"Are you sure?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, he’s not going to do anything. Trust me,† he said with confidence. â€Å"Okay,† I said, although I knew deep down inside something bad was going to happen.

Justice look

When you look up synonyms for the word Justice, or ask someone what they think the word meaner, they will spew out nouns such as: neutrality, fairness, impartiality's, etc. I believe Justice in terms of the criminal system is the collaboration of three different entities, police, court, and corrections. That have to work together to form an illusion of one single entity; and in doing this, they have to still maintain a check and balance system amongst themselves. So, no one system should be able to have full authority.For only by this can it strive for the ability to bring about a system that can observe eternally, Judge fairly, and the ability to weigh each investigation and case with a sense of impartiality. The main components of the criminal system are the police, court, and correction unit. They have to interact with one another by a collective meaner. You have the law enforcement in the forefront; they are the ones that have to enter the â€Å"crime scene,† take into con sideration all the evidence, collects the evidence, and they have to arrest the suspect.Once they have apprehended the suspect perceived to be the doer of the crime. The suspect at this time is taken to the rout; the evidence collected by the police is then presented at the court. Case is made by both prosecution and defense team. You have the unbiased Jury and Judge that view the case, evidence, and testimony; they deliberate and come back with a sentence. Once the suspect is sentenced, if found guilty, they are sent to a correctional institute. The correctional unit officers have to supervise the convicted felons.They have to ensure that their facility is well situated and capable of holding the convicted felons, so that both the inmates and the public can co-exist in a safe environment. The two models of the criminal Justice system are: The crime control model and the due process model. The two models differ from each other through which part of the Justice system they put their emphasis on. The Crime control model put their importance on reducing crime and criminal activities in society through implication of the Law enforcement officers, I. E. Alice/detective, taking control and in theory get to the solution and conviction as soon as possible. The Crime control model Judges the person for what they did, their role in the crime. It is more cut and dry. They believe the severity of the punishment should correlate with the crime. This theory allows for capital punishment, they don't believe one can change, or give too much importance for mental status, ethnicity, age, race, etc. The Due process model is quite the contrary, it stress the importance of taking into consideration ones race, age, demographics, etc.The Due process model put importance on respecting ones rights and following all the responsibilities of the law. While still protecting ones freedom. I think the fact that the main components of the Justice system sometimes inflict with each other are the reason why some cases get thrown out. A case, that I remember, is the clear epitome of when the Justice system failed; it took place in the 1993 â€Å"West Memphis Murders. † Three boys were killed in a horrific manner. Why were the murders not solved?Lack of poor evidence collected, rash decisions making, jumping to conclusion, media hype, and the police not following up on hints that were called in. They arrested three boys because they portrayed eccentric behaviors. They went on hearsay; they let the pressure of the media and public convict three caked proper detective tactics, and they pressured one of the suspects into admitting guilt. The Jury wasn't unbiased, everyone felt these boys were guilty and thus found them guilty.Had the law enforcement officers done their Jobs properly they would have followed up on the clue where there was a man completely bloody and delusional, in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant. The cops never showed up there to talk to him, the y went the next day to the restaurant took samples a sample of DNA, blood smear from the wall, and they lost that only sample of evidence. That case went unsolved, a case of three eight or nine year old boys. That shouldn't have happened. The system will fail if the three different entities of the Justice system don't act as one.Technically, I believe the crime control model is more useful because you get a verdict, action is taken, a suspect guilty of a crime pays for that crime accordingly to the severity of the crime; without technicality changing the sentence, or race, demographics, age playing a rule in how severe or lack of severity of the punishment. More criminal activities would be accounted for; people would fear law enforcement officers more. The due process model is more efficient and accurate. They enforce the rules and regulations of the law; they make sure any suspect is treated with the respect they deserve in accordance with the law.I believe both systems need to in teract with one another for it to be fair and Just. One system may come to a conclusion too quickly, while the other may allow someone guilty to get out of crime do solely to a technicality, so no one system is perfect on its own. However, I do believe the crime control model should be more prevalent in the Justice system. I think too much consideration is given to suspects, and why call someone suspect when their guilt is so evident, that really it's a point one percent chance for them not to have committed the crime.I think the severity of the crime should matter; a pedophilia serial killer should not be turned to life in prison where our tax money pays for their living. I don't think capital punishment should be banned; there are some out there that honestly don't deserve the â€Å"luxury' of a prison. An example of this would be, the Jodi Arias case, she stabbed her ex-boyfriend twenty-nine times, shot him, slit his throat, and left him to rot. Is it fair to say that it was an act of assign, when she stole the gun, made sure she had enough gas so that she didn't have to stop anywhere, and took pictures.

Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters Essay Example

Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters Essay Example Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters Essay Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters Essay Essay Topic: Jane Eyre Literature In 1847, Charlotte Bronte published a Victorian novel called Jane Eyre under a male pen name, Currer Bell. The reason for that was that in Victorian times women were criticised for being emotional, and that reflected in their writing work. It is interesting to explore how Charlotte Bronte makes the reader emphasise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters of the novel. Bronte does that by reflecting the settings on Janes emotional and mental state and by demonstrating that Janes values contrast favourably with those of a patriarchal household. The novels opening sets out a cold miserable scene, which reflects on Janes mental and emotional state. The narrator says: We had been wandering indeed in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question. Bronte uses adjectives such as leafless, cold, winter, sombre and penetrating to set the setting of coldness and loneliness. Bronte uses nouns such as; shrubbery, wind, clouds and rain to emphasise how cold and lonely it was. The particular focus on loneliness is leafless shrubbery; it reflects a lonely shrub, which is left without its leaves. The book Bewicks History of British Birds, which Jane is reading shows great resemblance to Janes character. They were does which treat of the haunts of sea-fowl. Jane can be seen as the sea-fowl, because when she is at Gateshead Halls she shows a lot of fear towards John Reed. Jane resembles to the sea-fowl because she is a lonely, isolated girl, just like a sea-fowl is at sea. When Jane says, every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh on my bones shrank when he came near she again resembles to the sea-fowl. The dialogues in the novel influence the readers opinion about Jane. The way John Reed talks to her makes the reader emphasise with Jane. The first time the reader meets John he treats Jane like his servant. John says to Jane; Say, What do you want, Master Reed? was the answer. I wasnt you to come here and seating himself in an arm-chair, he intimidated by a gesture that u was to approach and stand before him. When John tells Jane to refer to him as Master we see that he has little too no respect for Jane at all. By demanding that she comes to him, Bronte shows to the reader how Jane is treated like a servant, which makes the reader sympathise with her. Bronte introduces John to the reader first, before Mrs Reed or his sisters, because he is the person that mistreats Jane the most. John even calls Jane a rat; That is for your impudence in answering mama a while since, said he and for you sneaking way of getting behind the curtains, and for the look you had in your eyes two minutes since, you rat! It is almost Johns role in the family is to keep an eye on whatever Jane does wrong and punish her for it. He refers to her as a rat, which shows that she has the lowest status in the household. John is seen to be important within the Victorian household. Despite the fact that he is poorly behaved, his mother, sisters and servants treat him with the most respect. While Jane is locked in the red room, we are told that John is the dominate person in the house. John, no one thwarted, much less punished; though he twisted the necks of the pigeons, killed the little pea-chicks, set the dogs at the sheep, stripped the hot-house vines of their fruit, and broke the buds of the choicest plants in the conservatory; he called his mother old girl too, sometimes, reviled he for her darker skin, similar to his own; bluntly disregarded her wishes; not unfrequently tore and spoiled her silk attire; and he was still her own darling. Jane explains that she has committed as many crimes as John and he is not punished for it. Mrs. Reed still loves him and calls him her own darling, despite him disrespecting her by calling her old girl, spoiling her clothes and more. When Georgina and Eliza call Mrs Reed, she immediately assumes that Jane has done something wrong and sends her to the red room, even though John was calling Jane a rat. The servants, Bessie and Abbot, also respect John more then the others. When they come down and see Jane and John fighting they respond with; Dear! Dear! What a fury to fly at Master John! and Did ever anybody see such a picture of passion! They also immediately side with John and shout at Jane for attacking him. This is because at those times there was an idea that the eldest male (John) should be the dominant in a Victorian household. This relates back to Brontes assertion that conventionality is not mortality just because something is done in a traditional way, does not mean that it is ethical. self-righteousness is not religion just because you believe that you are good and others are evil does not mean that god would approve of your ways. Jane does not believe that just because John is the eldest male, he should be the most respected. Jane believes that she should be treated in the same way that John is. Their likes and dislikes are contrasted to undermine the ides that the eldest male should be the dominant in the house. When Jane is sent to the red room and she is told that she should be ashamed of hitting her master, she does not understand how he is her master. She says: Master! How is he my master? Am I a servant? the idea of conventionality is not mortality and that self-righteousness is not religion comes in again here, Jane is not allowed to treat John with disrespect because he is a male. The servants, Bessie and Abbot, understand Jane, but do not side with her at all. They say: And you ought not to think yourself on an equality with the Misses Reed and Master Reed, because Missis kindly allows you to be brought up with them. They will have a great deal of money, and you will have none: it is your place to be humble, and try to make yourself agreeable to them. Abbot explains to Jane her status in the household; they say that she is not equal to Mrs Reeds children, and that she should be humble. The social divisions in the 19th centuries that the novel portrays are that it is not very important to be intelligent or sensitive, rather then being rich and male. Your sex, wealth and social position defines how you will be treated in society. The more respectable people in society in those times were the rich men, and in some cases they didnt have as much to offer as some women, or men that were in a lower social position then they were. Women in the 19th century were not valued as the men were because people thought that they are too emotional. Charlotte Bronte was forced to publish Jane Eyre under a male pen name because her work would not have been appreciated if it was known that a woman wrote it. Jane was forced to be hysterical when she thought she saw Mr Reeds ghost, to reflect that women were emotional. Bronte tries to reflect a difference between what seems to be good and what is good, which would ensure that external show is not mistaken for sterling worth. Jane doesnt give up on her beliefs (sterling worth) though she is mistreated. In the mid-17th century the main theme of novels written was illicit love (forbidden love). The novel Jane Eyre was informed by novels written in the mid-17th century because Jane falls in love with a married man, but doesnt marry him until his wife dies, which is the illicit love. In the 18th century novel were popular because the main characters were virtuous (morally good). Jane Eyre was informed by such novels because she was also virtuous. Novels of Sentiment were popular in the 18th century and such novels main characters were, virtuous because they were aware of their surrounding and had sympathetic hearts. In Jane Eyre we see that Jane is also aware of here surroundings and has a sympathetic heart. In the 19th century many novels used landscaped to reflect the depth of their characters feelings. This includes Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre, her sister, Emilys Wuthering Heights and others. In such novels pathetic fallacy is used to reflect on the characters feelings. The opening of Jane Eyre is a good example of this as Bronte opens with a rainy, cold day that reflects on how isolated and depressed Jane is. In the novel Bronte shows how the settings reflect on Janes mental and emotional state and how Janes values contrast with those of the patriarchal household. Bronte also shows that the womens place within Victorian Ideology was low and that men were considered to be better.