Blog Assignment: Haworth

Let me first state that I loved Haworth!!! This city initially was much like Cincinnati (from the standpoint of an new visitor arriving) shopping areas, food and bus stops are quite common and in this way and I wasn't impressed. (Seriously, how foreign or strange is this to a person such as myself who prides herself on being a conqueror of the urban jungle).
Not until I was made aware (by fellow classmates) of the significance of the trip and where we where going I fully began to comprehend where I was and how historically significant this land is.
Walking up old cobbled roads was very painful (due to the poor choice I made in packing comfortable walking shoes) but also interesting because these stones are a part of the history of the Bronte sisters because these stones have survived through the test of time and remain here as a physical testament of the simple living, farming and engineering that was available during the 1800s.
We were all hastened to the museum by Professor Benander's lightning pace (but for good cause) due to an scheduled appointment to receive a personal tour of Bronte sisters home. Sue (our informant and tour guide) provided interesting facts and pictures about their lives (the Bronte's) which helped me understand why these girls in particular became such great literary icons. Charlotte's family is what we would consider "middle class poor" which is interesting because their father (is what I would consider a self made man) was a poor Irishman who, proved to be intelligent and was able to receive an education. His family benefited from this because he was able to educate them (children) sufficiently enough that they were able to master the English language by manipulating words to describe beautiful worlds through writing. The Bronte children had wonderful imaginations and were given a freedom to explore and make up worlds. Their house was small and the rooms inside were very tiny!! But if you put things in perspective Charlotte Bronte was only 4"11 so this home was probably quite suitable for herself and her family. The front yard of the house included a cementary and her fathers church (literally, right in front). Religion and death were a part of their daily routine. Their father was a preacher and of course their lives were to live accordingly to God but they all were introduced to death and in some ways had to accept it as part of living. I see in Charlotte Bronte's writing the influence of the church and how she struggled with the submission Christianity demands. She challenges the readers ( in Jane Eyre) by including Helen and St. John as Christians who are so easily able to accept the world and its maliciousness and to hide behind their religion verses challenging why am I being made to be subdued and who benefits from my submission?(If i was to answer my own question.. I would reply by stating in order for many wealthy men and women to feel at ease with their comfort, money, and possessions the uneducated poor must conform and accept their place. With out this conformity there would be anarchy so religion is a tool to satiate the masses.Religion helps to ease the minds of the poor that they should not be concerned with worldly possession therefore accept the indifference,brutality, poverty and misery in which you live because your will be rewarded in heaven).
The walk on the moors was pivotal in understanding how the landscape of the enviorment influences people differently. Science and Psychology have presented us all with the "Nature vs. Nurture" argument and while I was walking I thought about this but put it to the side while I was trying to imagine the how Charlotte walked in cloth slippers and only wore a knitted shawl and bonnet as weather protection!! The path through the moors is challenging due to the rocks , hills and temperamental weather that I started to feel that I was being challenged by the moors rather than cordially invited!! Its beautiful to look around and realize you are surrounded by green fields and sheep wondering around. I imagined when the Bronte sisters walked they all enjoyed their solitude. Their imagination enabled them to envision handsome strangers riding on their horses falling and needing the aide of female heroine. I believe Emily (in when writing Wuthering Heights)was reflecting back on her childhood and the innocence as well as ignorance of children who could runaround without any cares in the world because they were not wealthy enough for former education or not yet old enough to care about society and all of its constraints.Upon arriving at the Bronte falls I thought about how as children this would have been amusing to play around or in . Its very beautiful and almost hidden so it was just "theirs" when they were present.
Now the walk to top of the moors (to the iconic symbol of Wuthering Heights) was the equivalents of scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro (seriously) way more difficult that I imagined. As the hike progressed I began to feel stronger (mentally and physically) because I was pushing myself and exerted all of my energy to get to the top. When I made it to the top I became an accomplished woman!!I could see Emily pushing herself to began to venture further in to more rugged terain than the peaceful tranquility of the falls and continuing to walk further and further. When she would finish her walk I could see her sitting and realizing that she could be the victor. She was no longer dominated by the landscape but has become victorious heroine. I believe that the landscape challenged the Brontes to see woman as strong and fearless rather than timid and weak creatures.
The gift shop was aimed at seeing the literary text as well as providing a lot of historical background of the Bronte sisters. Many books were biographical accounts of their lives and of her fathers and even the servants. The postcards represented photos of the present as well as the past. I really enjoyed this aspect because I can see the Brontes world in which they saw it.