Answer TWO of the following as a Comment below...
1. Discuss Darcy's proposal scene, particularly in relation to Mr. Collins'. How does this scene demonstrate Darcy's pride and class consciousness? On the other side, what makes it more passionate than Mr. Collins' cold manner of wooing? Why is Elizabeth so insulted by his offer? Is it more the offer itself, or the manner in which he proposes? Do you feel that if he had adopted a kinder, less prideful manner she might have accepted it?
2. Where in these chapters does Elizabeth begin to doubt her own powers of perception? What event(s) leads her to discover her own 'pride and prejudice? Do you feel she is truly as guilty of over-confidence and/or arrogance as Mr. Darcy? Or is she simply being hard on herself?
3. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is an unusual woman in Pride and Prejudice, as she answers to no man, and indeed, makes all men wait on her, from Mr. Collins to Mr. Darcy. And yet, though Austen is critical of women like Mrs. Bennet who are silly and powerless, Lady Catherine is also a satirical portrait. What qualities does Austen mock in Lady Catherine, and why might this also be a 'blind alley' for a 19th century woman of money and power to follow? What makes her, in other words, as foolish as Mrs. Bennet or Lydia Bennet/Wickham?
4. Why does Elizabeth decide to conceal the contents of Darcy's letter from her family--especially from Jane, who is her closest confidant? Why not expose Wickham's criminal nature and exonerate Darcy's compassion? What unwritten rules of society does she seem to be following here--and are we supposed to approve of her secrecy?
Mr. Collins has no comparison to Mr. Darcy. Yes Mr.Darcy is arrogant but in a wise manner. He does spit and spew about all that he is or knows. He shows a side that is demiere. This draws one closer. At first it may seen a little turn offish but as we see he it only wise by this and demonstrates that to Elizabeth as she draws closer to him.
ReplyDeletePaul Sandy
ReplyDelete1) When Darcy proposed he was presumptious and acted as though he was doiong a favor for Elizabeth. He also caught her extremely off guard. Elizabeth just got the information that Darcy aided in the seperation of Jane and Charles. Elizabeth doesn't see what his interest is andeven is insulted by his confident aire.
2) We first see her questioning her ideas and perceptions upon reading the letter given to her by Darcy after her refusal to marry him. When given the details and the divulgance of the reasoning he has acted the way he did in regards to Charles and Whickham. When she reflects on the things Darcy said, she found herself inclined to agree with him.
Nikki Ennis
ReplyDelete1. Elizabeth's main problem with Darcy's proposal is that he insulted her in the process. He commented on her lower social class, as well as her family's unappealing mannerisms. His pride assumed that she would agree with him, and be so gracious toward him for the offer that he never had a single doubt that she would say yes. This too, offended Elizabeth-which is where her pride is evident. However, I do not think Elizabeth would have accepted his offer even if it had been more "romantic" because of Darcy's contribution to her sister's unhappiness. I do not think Mr. Darcy's proposal was cold like Mr. Collins, because Darcy is sincerely in love with Elizabeth. His pride and prejudice, however, got in the way of making his proposal ideal- which I'm sure he felt the offer alone was "ideal" because of the difference in social standing between him and Elizabeth.
4. Elizabeth decides to conceal the letter from Jane because, if she had let her read it, Jane would have realized that Mr. Bingley had in fact been in love with her, but was talked out of proposing because of her family and their lack of proper social conduct, and because Jane herself never showed any outward affection towards Bingley, leading Darcy to believe she was only after his station and money. Elizabeth knew this would make Jane feel terrible, and she didn't want to subject her to that. Better she think he never cared for her at all than to think it was her own fault. Elizabeth also decided not to expose Mr. Wickham because, in doing so, she would have to reveal that family secrets that Darcy told her in confidence regarding his sister and Wickham. She knew it was not her place to reveal these secrets, and that if she were to out Wickham, would be expected to provide reasons for her opinion of his character. I think we are to approve of her choice here, because she chose to do what was right over what was expected and common (gossip) of the time and this puts her above the others in her society. A society that Austen is constantly mocking.
I have no idea why it published my post twice. It must be the beginning of the Rise of the Machines.
DeleteStephanie Callen
ReplyDelete(2) Elizabeth begins to doubt her own powers of perception when she reads the letter that Darcy wrote her. As soon as she discovers that she was wrong about Darcy, she realizes that she had been prejudiced against him every since she had formed her opinion of him at the ball. I don't think she is guilty of arrogance like Mr. Darcy but she may have been a little over confident.
(4) Elizabeth decides not to reveal the contents of Darcy's letter to her family. I think she doesn't tell Jane because she doesn't want to hurt her more and she doesn't tell the rest of the family because it might hurt her pride in misjudging a person so badly. I don't know why she doesn't expose Wickman and relieve Darcy unless it is that her prejudice would be revealed also.
Amory Morgan
ReplyDelete2.) she begins to doubt herself when she reads what Darcy had wrote her and she found out she was wrong in the way that she had judged him. She realized that she had judged him ever since she thought that he was arrogant and an asshole. I don't think she is like Mr. Darcy, but I do think she believed in her powers of perception a little too much.
4.) I don't think she let Jane read it because I feel like Elizabeth knew it would hurt her to know that Bingley really did love her and that would show that Elizabeth was wrong for the first time.It was better from Elizabeths POV to let Jane think it wasn't her fault instead of Jane feeling like it was all her fault. I feel as if she didn't expose Wickman because then she would have had to expose Darcys family secret as well. and I do feel like we should approve of her secrecy. she kept those secrets for good reasons, to not hurt the people that she cared about.
Weston Haynes:
ReplyDelete2.)It is obvious that after reading the letter, Elizabeth sees a side of herself that Mr. Darcy noticed but she didn't. She had been prejudiced against not only him but pretty much everybody. She told Mr. Darcy what she thought of him at the ball, and during the proposal, but in a way she went too far. She is not as arrogant as Mr. Darcy, but she is not perfect either. The letter I believed seemed to be in a way a wake up call for Elizabeth. She shouldn't change who she is, but she should watch what she says at times and to not abuse her power of perception.
4.) Elizabeth hid the letter in secrecy because she didn't want to show her misperception of a person like Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy. She also didn't want to cause up a stir of exposing secrets, thus people would feel like they couldn't trust her. Not only was Elizabeth looking out for Jane because she didn't want to hurt her from the letter, but she was also thinking about Mr. Darcy and Wickham. She knew the true nature of their characters, but didn't feel right to expose them if they (Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham) didn't show their personality themselves. Elizabeth feels that she is better than that, and living in a time of secrecy, she rises above it all.
Michelle Wyant
ReplyDelete1.) I don't believe that Darcy falls under the same category as Mr. Collins. His manner of his proposal was just as bad but in true reality he did have real feelings for Eliza. He felt that she was going to say yes just like Mr. Collins did but was completely shocked when she rejected him. Her reason being he had insulted her during the proposal saying that he like her against his better judgement and character. She also knew of what he had done to separate her sister and Bingley. So even if he had done it in a more romantic manner I do not believe she would have said yes.
2.) She realizes her pride when she finished the letter that Darcy left her. She finds how truly blind she was to everything that Wickham was and saw Darcy's true reasoning for separating her sister and Bingley. She had told Darcy that she could not stand him because of the things he had done when in truth they were not as bad as they seemed to be. She realized that Darcy was not a bad person and she couldn't stand how she could have come to dislike him so.
Kay Shurtleff
ReplyDeleteQuestion One
Mr. Darcy's proposal is totally different than Mr. Collins, but the intentions are different, too. Mr. Collins wants a wife...there is no romance involved. Mr. Darcy does not appear to have romantic intentions as well but I think the fact is he has no clue how to speak to someone and say what others would consider nice things. He is a snob, probably was raised a snob and that is so ingrained in his personality that when he proposes to her it comes out cold and "snobby". But at least he has some feelings and a little class whereas Mr. Collins is more like a bumbling "fool" so to speak.
Walter Braxton Reeves
ReplyDelete1) When Mr. Darcy proposed, he didn't do it out of love. He acted as if he was doing Elizabeth and her family a favor. Which he honestly was, but you aren't supposed to act like that, especially when the person that you are hoping to marry (Elizabeth) isn't materialistic, she wants to marry based off of love.
2) She first began to question not only her feelings for Mr. Darcy, but her initial judgment of Mr. Darcy after she reads the letter that he gave to her explaining the truth about Wickham. At first she was judging Mr. Darcy off of assumption from what Wickham originally told her.