https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03 by Diana Ake en-us 2018-10-02 03:13:09 UTC 2026-01-03 17:16:09 UTC hello@padlet.com diana_ake993 https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287928532
       The Gothic Trope "Child" is a very imminent identity present in many pieces of Gothic Literature. This trope is present whenever there is a person of youth, from infant to teen, and is identifiable by its youth.  This identity is special from other tropes due in part to its innocent nature. Children are about as innocent as it gets, and to include such an innocent character to play a role in such a dark and gloomy story as Gothic stories are. ]]> 2018-10-02 03:16:38 UTC https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287928532 diana_ake993 https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287929033
 What children in Gothic stories tend to represent varies slightly from each literary piece. 

Sometimes, children are perceived as vulnerable victims of a terrifying fate, there to increase the idea of danger in the reader's and character's mind. 

Other times they are embody demons themselves, which contains much of modern themes of ghostly or demonic children who intend to possess and kill through supernatural powers, despite the irony of in and of themselves being harmless otherwise. 

And lastly, they are symbols of truth and purity amidst terror and hate. They are representations of our inner selves, who were were and are before social voices changed us and unkind words hardened us. They are their truest selves and remind us of mercy, grace, vulnerability, and humanity at its best. ]]> 2018-10-02 03:21:03 UTC https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287929033 diana_ake993 https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287930283
       An excellent example of a child present in a prevalent piece of Gothic Literature is in Jane Eyre, a gothic novel written by Charlotte Bronte.  

     In the start of this novel (and in many of the films and shows based off of Jane Eyre) she recounts her past through memories and flashbacks.  Some memories are of the red room, an upstairs spare bedroom where her abusive aunt locks her when Jane is framed into looking like she has not been obedient.  In the room, the fear and panic of being haunted by her uncle's ghost is present only due to her aunt's desire to further scare and punish Jane. Another memory she recounts is her family saying, when a painter asks why Jane isn't present in the family portrait, that "Jane isn't part of the family."

Another memory Jane has is being hated by her cousins and aunt so much that she is sent away to a ruthless boarding school, where she is whipped on the wrist, forced to wear a funny hat in front of her peers, and having to stand on a stool in the middle of a room for 24 hours.

A key repetition of Jane's is being called a liar, and being punished by others for their false belief of her being a liar, when in fact, she is not.
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    The author chose to represent the "child" in her book as the last of the three representations I stated earlier, as a symbol of innocence which the world tries to corrupt through violence, abuse, neglect or judgment.  I think it is key in learning the nature of this trope by keeping in mind that, while the child is still young and does not grow up, they are still vulnerable and do not harden their hearts.  They remain vulnerable to the darker powers of the world as a target for corruption, but somehow keep their actions and hearts pure amidst such hate. It is only when the child grows up and is no more a child that their heart begins to harden and they have the choice and urge to repeat the cycles of violence and neglect. 

This is a pathos appeal, primarily, because whenever innocence is being mistreated, and whenever anything or anyone is being abused, it creates a sense of sadness and perversion. People were not meant to abuse, nor abused, and when people's free will power is used to commit to it, it is a waste of unused potential to love, and be kind. In addition, childhood abuse or neglect affects people until they day they die, not just when they are children. ]]> 2018-10-02 04:11:35 UTC https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287935476 diana_ake993 https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287935758
http://www.planetpdf.com/planetpdf/pdfs/free_ebooks/jane_eyr

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, 1999. Print.]]> 2018-10-02 04:14:01 UTC https://padlet.com/diana_ake993/zciyww88ds03/wish/287935758