Marked, Bullied, and Discriminated, but Redeemed Outsider Comparing with Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre - Essay Example

10 November The Outsider: Marked, Bullied, and Discriminated, but Redeemed To be treated as an outsider because of physical, social, economic, gender, age, political, economic, and religious differences undermines the notion of a “modern” society. A modern society should, in my belief, embrace diversity by celebrating and learning from these differences. This paper compares my experience as an outsider to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I believe that Jane and I have similar experiences as an outsider, because we were marked, bullied, and suffered from discrimination, although critical social relationships made the experience less painful and Jane is more headstrong than I was; furthermore, in the end, we redeemed our tarnished images and asserted our individualities. Outsiders are easily marked; they are singled out because the dominating class or group had spread stereotypes and inaccurate rumors about them. Mrs. Reed has marked Jane by spreading lies about her character. She told Lowood's director, Mr. Brocklehurst, that Jane has a “a tendency to deceit” (Bronte Ch. 4). Mr. Brocklehurst, without even confirming this “allegation,” also shares the same conclusion about Jane's identity with Miss Maria Temple. Together, Mr. Brocklehurst and Mrs. Reed had tarnished what should have been a fresh start for Jane. I had the same experience when I was also in a UK boarding school, because a popular girl in school, who is known to discriminate against ethnic minorities, especially Indians, marked me as a “brown, ignoramus Indian bitch.” I believe she got this assessment, when I accidentally assailed her ego in our English class. I did not know that she had a huge crush in one of our classmates. She answered the teacher's question incorrectly and I challenged her answer. Upon doing so, her crush looked at me with admiration. Since then, this girl spread ill rumors about me, as if she knew who I was and where I came from. Like Jane, the injustice dwelt on my shoulders, but I had not reacted yet, for fear of her greater vengeance. I felt exactly what Jane feels: “I felt, though I could not have expressed the feeling, that she was sowing aversion and unkindness along my future path” (Bronte 4). I did not desire to be popular in our school, but I wanted to be respected and this envious girl damaged that “future” respect. Marking me, she made me an outsider. And since she is popular, she has high personal power, which I lacked. I was lonesome and somehow blamed myself, for not knowing who the main players were and avoiding their power plays. Jane, however, seemed to have a more headstrong character, since she soon opposed her tormentors. It took me a while, on the contrary, to become confident in myself and to defend what I know is right, which is to stop bullying and discrimination at their tracks, instead of letting them slip by, as if they were normal events. Outsiders also suffer from intense bullying, whether they are physical or psychological. Jane suffered from all kinds of bullying. John Reed, a sociopath in my opinion, physically and emotionally degraded Jane. John's last physical bullying cut Jane in the head. Eliza and Georgina Reed also abused Jane psychologically through their indifference. They are both consumed with their self-interests. Georgina knows that the world revolves around her beauty and acts on that advantage too willingly. Eliza does not care for Jane, even when she sees John pummeling her like a slave. Mrs. Reed is a fool for being aware of these unjust treatments on Jane and letting them persist. To do nothing at the expense of Jane is also a form of psychological bullying. At the boarding house, older students also bully Jane. “whenever the famished great girls had an opportunity, they would coax or menace the little ones out of their portion” (Bronte 6). Similar to Jane, I experienced physical and emotional bullying too. The girl I mentioned once shoved me and I fell on the ground, while her “posse” laughed at me. Then, the lies she spread about me made it harder for me to find friends. This girl had enough power to influence people's behavior. I did not care for these people who let popular figures run their lives for them; nevertheless, I felt lonesome for a long time. I thought that the boarding school was the worst place in the world. I was the only Indian in many of my classes, and when there were minorities, they already stuck to their circles of friends. Such circles never expanded or opened to include me. Apparently, seclusion also serves as another form of bullying on a social level. Furthermore, I realized that ethnic groups suffer from social bullying, which manifests through prejudice and discrimination. Social bullying preserves the status quo of dominating classes or groups and I experienced that firsthand in an educational setting. Jane is an outsider, first because she is an orphan, and second, because she is younger than her classmates. As an orphan, she does not have personal power over the family that adopted her. They are the dominating members, especially John. He discriminated against Jane, because she is an orphan. He brazenly identifies her as an outsider, when he tells her: “You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent...you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen’s children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mama’s expense” (Bronte 1). I also felt the pangs of being excluded, of being seen “differently” in the most unjust way. Because of the rumors spread about me, many students avoided me. If the teachers knew about this exclusion, they sure did nothing about it. Like Eliza and Georgina, they let the discrimination take place as a norm. What is most painful for me is being displaced because of my race. I am proud of my Indian heritage and I believe that our race contributed a great deal to the development of world history and civilization. In my oppressors' minds, however, my being an Indian deserves scorn and disgust. I looked and talked differently; I had different religious and social beliefs and practices; and those differences became my “illness” for them. Indeed, they acted like I was leprosy itself. Like Jane, I wondered how they would have felt in my position. Would they want to be seen and treated like an outsider too? I know that they would not like to be in my shoes, but they managed to be cold to the practice of “empathy.” One time, I wanted to borrow an important but rare book from the library. This girl bully wanted to borrow the same book. The librarian asked us both what we needed and decided to give her the book, even when I was first in line. When she gave the book to her, her eyes avoided me. I knew she would see the pained and disappointed expression in my face. But I did not react. I reacted like many discriminated people do. Defeated, I bowed my head and in one corner, I cried for myself and many others who suffer from racial discrimination and other forms of discrimination. Outsiders need social relationships to anchor them to the goal of moving on, despite life's oppressive forces. Jane found Miss Temple, Bessie, and Helen, while I also had such personalities in my few friends and teachers. I soon found two friends, Karell and Armand, who were also outsiders, because of their social class. They were scholars from poor families. Armand is like Helen, religious and Mahatma Gandhi in kindness. I find it natural for him to echo what Helen tells Jane: “It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil” (Bronte 6). In addition, two teachers stood out too to become my mentors, Miss Livingstone and Miss Ramirez. They know how prejudice and discrimination exist in the boarding school, but they could not fight the system. They did try their best to make positive amends to the lives of the disempowered, by listening to them and encouraging them to find and develop their individualities. These social relations helped me survive daily existence under prejudice and discrimination's duress. Outsiders also find redemption and develop strong personalities through asserting independence and expressing their opinions. Jane asserted her independence in school, where she molded herself to finish education. I also found my independence by not letting bad people ruin my dreams. I focused on studying and got high grades, while the bullies floundered academically. Moreover, freedom of speech liberates outsiders and helps them express their true identities to others. Jane becomes open to Mrs. Reed, when she tells her that she is not deceitful: “People think you a good woman, but you are bad, hard-hearted. You are deceitful!” (Bronte 4). I also achieved that same level of freedom of expression. One time, I had enough of the girl bully's constant taunts. In a canteen that brimmed with people, I stopped walking when she yelled “Indian bitch,” and I turned to her. “If you do not stop your racial slur, I will make sure that this bitch will damage your white face badly enough that no cosmetic surgeon will dare touch you. I have strength-boosting chants you have never heard of and can tackle you and your friends too, just dare me now.” Her ashen face and silence gave me victory. I share Jane's victory after her word fight with Mrs Reed: “I was left there alone—winner of the field. It was the hardest battle I had fought, and the first victory I had gained” (Bronte 4). Since then, the bully left me alone, especially since she found a new target. Jane and I had numerous similar experiences, because society marked, bullied, and discriminated against us, but our social relationships helped us waddle through life's pernicious waves, until the day of our redemption from lies and helplessness. I no longer care if people disliked me due to their racial prejudice, but I do react to discrimination. I have stopped becoming complicit to discrimination through silence and learned to express my ideas on why people deserve respect, simply because they are human beings too. Up to now, I am still in the process of molding my individuality, but indeed, it is already solidly placed on the strength of my racial heritage and social relationships. If ever marked, bullied, or discriminated again, I will stand strongly and defend myself. There will be no more standing back in silence. It is time to tell the world that I am proud of who I am, because who I am is essential to who I will be. Work Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 1847. Read More