The opening of Jane Eyre (1847) establishes confinement and injustice. Jane is excluded from the family by the fire, silenced when she asks a question and finds refuge in a window seat, “shrined in double retirement”. The first-person voice creates sympathy.
In Julius Caesar, Antony's funeral speech turns the crowd against the conspirators without openly attacking them. He repeats “Brutus is an honourable man” until it sounds ironic, uses rhetorical questions (“Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?”) and pauses for emotion.
Both extracts show how language can reveal power: who is allowed to speak, and how speech can change minds.
Worked example
How does the repetition of “Brutus is an honourable man” change in meaning?
- At first it sounds respectful.
- After each piece of evidence it sounds more doubtful.
Answer:It becomes increasingly ironic, until the crowd hears the opposite.
Key words
- verbal irony
- saying one thing while meaning another
- refuge
- a place of safety
- rhetoric
- persuasive language
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: RL.11-12.4, RL.11-12.6