Chapter one of Jane Eyre opens with ten-year-old Jane, alienated in her home by her cruel family. This chapter inspired me in many ways for my short story or poem. The fact that the novel opened with Jane as a child struck a chord with me, and I think it would be interesting to write a poem or short story from the perspective of an adult, looking back on his or her days as an adolescent, or even from the perspective of a child and seeing the world through his or her eyes. I believe children’s innocent view of the world is beautiful before it gets tainted by experience in the world. Just from the opening chapter, the audience can tell that Jane has suffered through so much in her life already that she has lost the optimistic and fearless worldview that all children hold. I believe in today’s world it would not hurt us to reclaim that childlike wonder when we view the world.
