This document provides instructions for an assignment asking students to analyze how a popular song from the last 20 years either adheres to or subverts depictions of gender from Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. Students are to write a 3-4 page paper in MLA format comparing their chosen song to themes and portrayals of women or men in the novel. The paper should include an introduction with thesis, background on the song, analysis of how the song relates to women's roles or how views have changed since Jane Eyre, discussion of at least two themes found in both the song and novel with evidence from lyrics, and a conclusion. Guiding themes from Jane Eyre are also listed.

1. 1. For this assignment, I want you to pick a popular song (aim
to keep it fairly recent—within the last ~20 years or so) and
argue for the song’s adherence to, or subversion of, gender in
the nineteenth century, as depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane
Eyre. Feel free to focus on how the novel portrays women, or to
look at how it depicts the men in the novel—the choice is
yours! Although the nineteenth century seems like a long time
ago (it’s been over a hundred years!), this assignment should
hopefully help you see connections between our modern
narratives of gender and how the Victorians viewed it.
This paper should be 3-4 pages long. Like all papers in this
class, I expect this to be in MLA format, with your last name
and page number in the top right header, and then your name,
my name, the class name, and the due date on the first page, top
left. Your paper should be double spaced, and when you quote
from the text or a song, be sure to cite correctly (please see the
assignment sheet for the one-page response paper if you need a
refresher on how to do this). You do not need to include a
Works Cited page.
This assignment will be due in Week 5, at the midpoint of the
semester, on October 3. Please submit it to the Canvas drop
box, and include the link to a YouTube video/Soundcloud of the
song you chose as well. (Please be aware that I do not have
Spotify or Pandora, so make sure that the link you send for your
song is easily accessible.)
Your Paper Should Cover the Following Points:
Introduction
Provide a brief overview of the song and how it relates to Jane
Eyre, including a thesis which drives your interpretation home.

2. Song Background
Be sure to take the time to mention some background of the
song, such as who performs it, when it was created, the genre of
the piece, and a short summary of the song.
Women’s Role/Connection
This is where I want to see you get into more detail about how
this song helps you interpret a certain part of Jane Eyre. How
are the song and text similar? Alternatively, how does your
chosen song help you to see how things have changed since Jane
Eyre was written? Refer to specific details from the song and/or
text in this section. This is a great spot to bring in some
evidence by referring to specific lyrics.
Themes (See attached list)
Describe at least two themes of the song. Explain where in the
song we see those themes, again providing lyrics as evidence
for your themes. Discuss why these themes are relevant.
Conclusion
Offer a final insight about this song and Jane Eyre.
Here are some ideas of themes in Jane Eyre to get you started.
If you want to write about something not included on this list,
feel free to do so! These are just some ideas:
Qualities of the ideal Victorian woman
Angel of the house
Gender roles
Jane’s connection to the natural world/environment
Social class
Motherhood/child-care