Dr. Signe Wegener
Xinya Liu Be a true woman
On my 18th birthday, my best friend sent me a birthday card. The card had only four words –"Be a true woman. " I kept wondering what a true woman is. How to be a true woman? I didn’t find the answer until I met Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.
I believe a true woman is like Elizabeth. A true woman should be confident, natural and keep herself, introspective, and flawed. These four characteristics make Elizabeth “a handsome woman,” which is how the author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, describes Elizabeth. Elizabeth has her own thought on love and marriage. She is outspoken and follows her own rules. She is introspective and faces her mistakes honestly. She is not perfect.
Elizabeth is confident. Elizabeth has her own thought on love and marriage. In the 18th century, some woman would marry for material wealth and social position, some marry just for passion and beauty, and some would marry for true love with a consideration with partner’s economic and social status as well. However, healthy love is the strongest condition in Elizabeth 's eyes. She said that "If it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination. I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away" (Austen ch.9). She realized that her father married her mother for her mother 's passion and beauty. So her parents’ affections went to an end at the early in their marriage. Her parents ' dead marriage is considered a good example of unhealthy love in Elizabeth 's mind, which is lack of responsibility from two sides, and lacks mutual respect. As a result, Elizabeth defies her mother 's wishes by refusing to marry Mr. Collins for convenience. She may not be faced with the same issues that her father struggles with. Elizabeth always believes that true love is the most important thing in a marriage.
Cited: (and the heading needs to be centered). Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Add the rest of the information here. The chapter 36?http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/ppv2n36.html The chapter 9?http://www.readprint.com/chapter-463/Pride-and-Prejudice-Jane-Austen The chapter 56?http://www.austen.com/pride/vol3ch14.htm The summary of P&P: http://baike.baidu.com/view/40337.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice Words from the movie P&P: http://video.baidu.com/kan/movie/?id=25263&url=http://www.funshion.com/subject/play/87172/1 http://video.baidu.com/s?word=%B0%C1%C2%FD%D3%EB%C6%AB%BC%FB&id=17705&site=pptv.com&n=1&f=1002&url=http://v.pptv.com/show/eTISkPhezgxv7fE.html The birthday card author: Coco Zhang