Persuasion

Throughout this semester we have been studying the novel by Jane Austin titled Persuasion. I have really enjoyed learning about lots of the underlying meanings behind this novel. There are so many deep things to explore and discuss about this novel. We have gotten into big class discussions about women's rights and their role in society. We have talked about gender roles and how it is still a problem today. There has also been talk about marriage and, as a woman, when is it the right time to surrender and give up everything for a man? How much should a woman have to give up for a man? What is the perfect balance of surrendering and yet still having enough education and meaning behind yourself to be an equal partner in marriage and relationships? These questions obviously don't have any right or wrong answers. That is why the book is discussing these problems. That is another great thing about this book, all the questions it poses and all the answers are arbitrary. No one quite knows the perfect answer. It gets you thinking. 

The title itself is Persuasion. People are trying to persuade throughout the whole book. In the first few chapters of the book it discusses the different types of women by using Anne (the main character) and her sisters as examples. There is the type that gives up everything and gets married right away, the type that remains single because she is stubborn and wont give into societies role, then there is the type that is doing both, similar to Anne. Anne doesn’t quite know if she wants to surrender to what society if trying to make her become. What is the right thing for Anne to do anyway? Anne feels like there needs to be a balance. The role of gender is still a problem in society today and that is a reason why I think this novel is still so popular. People can relate to it. The book goes through Anne’s way of deciding what is best for her. The ultimate judgment of what is right to do is ambiguous. The book is titles persuasion because even though Anne is being pulled and persuaded by society and everyone else in this book, she still has to decide for herself what she wants to do and what she thinks is right.

This book can be applied to many aspects of life. There are always people around you and society norms that persuade you and form you into the person you are and will become. People need to remember that, even though persuasion can be good at times, there needs to be times where people decide for themselves. It is hard to step away from society and change. Sometimes it is engrained into people’s heads what is right or wrong, or that there even is a right or wrong in every situation. Sometimes there is a gray area in life and people need to explore and find their own gray area. It might end up being a mixture of someone else’s black, which turns out to be a different persons white. In the end the gray area you choose will become your own personal black and white. People need to learn to step back from the norms and the persuasion and choose for themselves what they think is right for them.

All of these questions and feelings have been really applicable to my life lately. That is why I am so grateful for the opportunity to be studying abroad in London. This can be a time for me, like Anne, to figure out what my black and white is. It is a time where I can step away from mostly everything and just think about what Sami wants to think about. I can make decisions for myself and I can finally figure out what I want to do in life. I think I am finally figuring out my balance of black and white and gray and everything in between.