Agony Column

Dear Jane,

Firstly, I'd like to thank you for your last letter, because you were very opened and shared your thoughts and feelings with me. You asked me what would have I done, if Mrs Reed's son had hit me and when she had locked me into the Red Room and also what I think about going to Lowood.

Well, first of all, Mrs Reed and her children are definitely treating you very badly. It's wrong and impolite to say that you are lower than the servants. After all, you are Mrs Reed's lost husband's sister's daughter, not some kind of stranger. Secondly, it's is absolutely unfair that you got punished instead of Mrs Reed's son, who caused the trouble by throwing that book. Maybe you shouldn't have hit him back after that, but I'm afraid that I'd have done the same; Moreover, when she wanted to punish someone, she should have punished you both then, though it still wasn't your fault. OK, she decided to punish you, but locking you into the Red Room is too rough. It's normal, because she knows that you are afraid of this room due to your uncle died there. 

You also wrote me, that you got ill soon after the incident. I'm glad that you're fine now. Doctor suggested you to go school. I think that it's a good idea. Firstly, you'll get away from your cruel aunt. What ise more, you will become an educated young lady one day. If I were you, I'd definitely use this opportunity. I'm sure you are going to like this place a hundred times more and be happier than you are at the moment. 

Jane, use this opportunity and go to school. I'm sure that you are not going to regret this decision. Life that you are living now is quite miserable, so I believe that things can go only better. I'm already waiting for your next letter.

All the best,

Katren

"Jane Eyre" . Charlotte Bronte

      I read C. Bronte's "Jane Eyre". This book's publisher is Pearson Education Limited in association with Penguin Books Ltd. Reading level is 5 and number of pages is 152.

      This book tells a story of an orphan girl named Jane. She is living with her cruel aunt and her children with who she doesn't get along with. She is unhappy and miserable. Fortunately she is sent to Lowood school, where she is willing to go just to get away from her aunt. Jane has some difficulties at the beginning in new school, but she makes friends with Helen Burns and starts to enjoy studies. She likes there quite well and she gets along with the school's head teacher, too. During the school-years unfortunately her close friend Helen dies. Then after few years Miss Temple also leaves Lowood. Since Jane has grown-up she wants to experience something new. She gets a permission to leave Lowood behind and go to Thornfield to become a governess there. But in Thornfield, after meeting Mr Rochester, happens something new for Jane...
      Although this book was quite sad and miserable at some points, it was still very good. I'd definitely recommend it to everyone. Here's some words that were new to me:
murmur- sumin
anxiety- rahutus
deceitful- valelik
obedience- kuulekus
hollow- kume;õõnes
urge- aje;tung
clergyman- kirikuõpetaja
firmly- kindlalt
scorn- põlgama
plainness- lihtsus
   

A letter from one character of the book to another character

      During the time when Inman was at war Ada wrote many letters to him which he didn't receive. Here's one letter that I think how it may have been written.

Dear Inman,

I haven't heard from you for such a long time. I've written to you before, but I'm not sure if you have received the letters. I am hoping and believing that you're alive and fine and I hope the war ends as soon as possible.

I'll write a bit about myself, too. Since my father died I was thinking whether to sell the farm and return to Charleston or stay in the farm. To my own surprise I decided to stay here, in farm. At first it was very hard- I couldn't do any of those farm works since I just didn't know how to do them. I even didn't eat much because I didn't really know how to cook a proper food. Fortunately on one day came a girl named Ruby here and offered her help. I accepted it. She isn't my servant, she's more like a friend and for now she has taught me to do all these farm works. We live, eat and work together side by side. We are managing just fine. We are raising the necessary supplies we need for ourselves and changing some of them in the town for the things that we need.  

I just can't wait the war to end. It has done so many horrible things to people. Me and Ruby once helped three women with children whose men are fighting and whose' house were robbed and burnt down by Federals. Besides, if there wasn't this far, you would be here, also. I'm feeling actually quite lonely and sad without you.

Come back to me is my request.

Love,
Ada

"Cold Mountain" . Charles Frazier

     This book is published by Pearson Education Limited in association with Penguin Books  Ltd and it has 86 pages. Reading level is 5 (upper intermediate) and the number of words is 2300.
      This book tells a story of war and love through the eyes of people involved. Inman is injured due to the Civil War and he is tired of it and doesn't want to fight any more. He decides to escape and go home to Ada and he wants to marry her, but it's dangerous journey since the Home Guard is hunting the deserters. He travels for quite a long time and faces many obstacles and dangers on his way. At the same time Ada Monroe, the woman who Inman is in love with, is struggling with the farm that her father left him after his death. Fortunately a young girl named Ruby comes to help her and Ada is learning how to manage the farm. At one day Inman manages to find Ada and they spend a few days together in one empty village where Ada and Ruby are staying because of Ruby's injured father who isn't able to travel back to the farm. Ada and Inman are making plans for the future and they decided that Inman goes to the north and gives himself up to the Federals and then he just has to wait for the war to end. They started leaving towards the farm with Ruby's father on the horse. Ada and Ruby went ahead and Inman with Ruby's dad behind them. Unfortunately they met the Guards. Inman fought against them and when it was only one of them left, a young boy, he didn't want to shoot him, but the boy himself shoot Inman. Ada heard the shots and ran back. She was with Inman for the last minutes of his life...Years later Ada lived with Ruby's family and her daughter in the farm.
      I enjoyed this book very much and would definitely recommend it to everyone. Only thing that I didn't like about the book was an unhappy ending, but as in life, there aren't always happy endings. What I especially liked about the book was that it payed attention to the war- how it changes a person and how much harm can it do.

Interior monologue- Edgar's proposal to Catherine

      I'm very confused at the present. Edgar has just asked me to marry him. And I accepted. My mind says to me that it's right to accept this proposal, but my heart tells me the opposite. If I'll marry Edgar Linton I'd be the greatest lady in the hole neighbourhood. Besides Edgar is handsome rich man who is pleasant to be with. I'll have a fine and stable life at the Thrushcross Grange. I also get along with her sister Isabel very well. I'd definitely spend many great times with them there.
      But my heart and my soul doesn't feel the same. They know that Heathcliff is my soul mate- mine and his souls are the same. If my brother Hindley hadn't pushed him so low I won't even consider marrying Edgar. But now is too late. I can't be with him. Or can I? What kind of future we will have? Not bright, especially as long as Hindley is alive. He heard my conversation with Nelly where I said the same thing and run away. Now his gone. And I'm even more confused: whether I should listen to my heart and soul or my mind? I think that sometimes it's better if you listen to your mind and sometimes the opposite. But this time I'm sure that if I'll marry Edgar I'll have a carefree and luxurious life, but I'd be miserable. I do love him but in a differend way.
      I think that I must find Heathcliff no matter where he is, explain my feelings to him and we have to leave Wuthering Heights together and forever. Only then we can be happy together and start our lives all over again.

"Wuthering Heights" . Emily Bronte

This time I read "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte. This book is published by the Penguin Group (published in Penguin Popular Classics). It hasn't got written a reading level. The number of pages is 279.

      This book tells a story about difficult relationships, love, hate and forgiveness. Mr Lockwood, who's a new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, is about to find out a story of mysterious Mr Heathcliff, the owner of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. His made Nelly is going to retell it to him. Heathcliff was an orphan boy who was adopted by old Mr Earnshaw. Heathcliff never got along with Hindley, but he did get along with Catherine. When they got older, they even fell in love. Then, one day, Edgar Linton proposed to Catherine. Catherine consulted with Nelly about it, but Heathcliff heard some things he shouldn't have and he left. Catherine was devastated by that and got seriously sick. Later, she still married with Edgar although who she really loved was Heathcliff. After few years Heathcliff returned and started a revenge- he treated those people bad who had done the same to him. Catherine, after giving birth to a daughter, (who was also named Catherine) died. Heathcliff got his son back, who he had with Edgar's sister Isabel. Young Linton was a very weak boy since his birth and Heathcliff did nothing to help him to recover. Instead, he used him in order to get him married with young Catherine. He managed to do that, but then Linton died. Years later Heathcliff himself died and Catherine fell in love with Hareton- Hindley's son. so the book has a quite happy end. 

      I liked this book very much. I've also read it in Estonian. For me, there were quite many new words in this English book, but I still understood the main point and have understood it even without reading it first in Estonian. It's quite sad and depressing book to read, but still good in it's own way. It's interesting from the beginning to the end. I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone!

Compare Maxim's relationships with his first and second wives

      Maxim de Winter met her second wife in Monte Carlo, where she was working as a companion of one American women called Mrs Van Hopper. In one evening when Mrs Van Hopper and Maxim were going to have a coffee he insisted the young woman to join them. He started to took her out and it didn't take very long when they got married and they moved to Manderley- Maxim's home. Newly married couple, especially the second Mrs de Winter, hoped to get happy there.

      But unfortunately there was a dark shadow of Maxim's first wife over them. No matter what she tried to do or how hard she tried- there was always something that had to remind Rebecca. People also told her how different she was from Rebecca who was sociable, intelligent and incredibly beautiful woman. But she, Maxim's second wife, was young, inexperienced and quiet woman. She felt that her husband still loved Rebecca and that it will always affect their marriage. But she was completely wrong...After one discussion with her husband, Maxim admitted that he had never loved Rebecca and that she had been cruel, smart and he hasn't seen anyone that evil. He had always known almost all of her dark secrets, but he was together with her because Rebecca knew how do take care of Manderley and Maxim loved this place too much. He had never loved Rebecca and he even knew that Rebecca had affairs with other men at the time of their marriage. It didn't bother him as long as she didn't take her men to Manderley. Maxim also told her second wife that Rebecca actually wasn't drowned as everybody thought she had died, but Maxim himself killed her. And he didn't regret it. On that night Rebecca went too far with her "jokes" and Maxim lost his temper and shoot her and made it look like an accident. But during the later inquiry, when came out that the holes in the ship's bottom weren't made by rocks, and Mr Favell accused Mr de Winter killing his wife, and also came out that Rebecca had been seriously ill. Mrs Danvers, Rebecca's servant and friend, told that if she were able to choose how do die, she'd want it to be fast and painless. Then Maxim realised that Rebecca actually wanted him to murder her. For conclusion I'd say that Maxim and Rebecca seemed to live a perfect and happy life, but it was everything else beside's that. 

      The marriage between Maxim and her second wife was completely different. I think that there was love between them. When they were in Mone Carlo everything was alright. After arriving at Manderley things changed. At first she just felt Rebecca's shadow everywhere and thought that Maxim still loved her. When Mrs de Winter found out that Maxim was a murderer and when the inquiry for Rebecca de Winter's sunken boat was started she was beside him. She hoped it will end as well as possible for her husband. Maxim wasn't sure if young Mrs de Winter would handle all of it, but she did and very well. She said that she loves him. And she certainly did. So this relationships was different from the first one. Different like a night and a day. But although everything ended well for Maxim de Winter, because Mr Favell couldn't prove that Maxim killed Rebecca, and he went back to Manderley with young Mrs de Winter, things weren't and wouldn't be the same. But no matter what, Mrs de Winter wanted to be with Maxim and have a family with him and what's even more important- she loved him.