JC H2 Lit Group (with K's bitches,) Mansfield Park paper: fk off fanny : O no o no o no we ded

“Principle alone is ineffective” Discuss.

OI: Principle is ineffective when it impedes characters from bettering themselves and their environment, causing a stagnation of their morality. To therefore bring about tangible improvement, this principle must be accompanied with sincere action. 

BP1 : Having principle alone breeds passivity and is ineffective as it hinders the ability to be adaptable to situations. 

• [ pg 123] “Fanny looked on and listened, not unamused to observe the selfishness which, more or less disguised, seemed to govern them all, and wondering how it would end”

D: image of Fanny’s presence as a third party and having “observed” the acts of the others

E: evokes her judgement of them, highlighting an air of arrogance through her passiveness of not participating 

S: Thus signifying her inability to act on her principles, suggesting a status quo in the situation.

• [pg 135] “ “Me!” cried Fanny, sitting down again with a most frightened look. “Indeed you must excuse me. I could not act any thing if you were to give me the world. No, indeed, I cannot act.” ”

D: Verb used describes a non-participation through her act of “sitting” 

E: This conscious decision to not take part in the play highlights a lack of movement 

S: Thus reiterating her passiveness through the juxtaposition with the movement and action around her.

D: Further compounding this is the repetition of “could not.. Give me the world” and “cannot”, suggesting the severity of her inability through the lack of choice in ‘cannot’

E: Ironically, this double meaning suggests both an inability to perform in the play as well as “act’ on her moral opinions,

S:  Thus signifying an incapability of her to better a situation, through her passivity.

• [pg 61] “Do not you think," said Fanny, after a little consideration, "that this impropriety is a reflection itself upon Mrs. Crawford, as her niece has been entirely brought up by her? She cannot have given her right notions of what was due to the Admiral."

D: The absolute “cannot” coupled with the uncertainty of “do not you think”

E: Suggest Fanny’s hesitance to blame Mary for her shortcomings in terms of propriety and values. 

S: Fanny attempts to see the best in people, which clouds her judgement and hinders objectivity, thus also showcasing her inability to do more than discuss her judgement of others.

• [pg 224] “ I will stake my last like a woman of spirit. No cold prudence for me. I am not born to sit still and do nothing. If I lose the game, it shall not be from striving for it” 

D: This serves as a contrast to Fanny’s initial statement that she “cannot”, through the conviction of Mary that “(she) will” 

E: This evokes a juxtaposition through the ability of Mary to recognise her worth and acknowledge her ability to act

S: Hence creating a contrast between Fanny’s passiveness and Mary’s activeness, highlighting the success of Mary in securing “ the game was hers” 

• [pg 64] “ At first Miss Crawford and her companion made the circuit of the field, which was not small, at a foot’s pace; then at her apparent suggestion, they rose into a  canter; and to Fanny’s timid nature it was most astonishing to see how well she sat.”

D: Previous point is alluded to by the contrast in Mary’s confidence, manifested through her “suggestion” of “ a canter” to “ Fanny’s timidness”. 

E: evokes a scene of fast movement, highlighting the ability of Mary to act,  juxtaposed with Fanny’s shock ( slower movement) 

S: This represents also a metaphor for the nature of both Fanny and Mary’s principles, signifying the confidence brought about by the willingness to pursue better things versus a stagnation.

Overall Significance: Inability for Fanny to voice out her opinions on the happenings in Mansfield Park despite her strong moral compass thus hinders her ability to better the situations, as well as enhance herself as a character. 

BP2:  Inactive principle provides no basis for effective execution of one’s intentions as it lacks an outward medium through which improvement can be carried out. This passivity may arise from a fear of judgement from others in society. 

• [pg 60] “Do not you think," said Fanny, after a little consideration, "that this impropriety is a reflection itself upon Mrs. Crawford, as her niece has been entirely brought up by her?She cannot have given her right notions of what was due

to the Admiral."

D: The absolute “cannot” coupled with the uncertainty of “do not you think”

E: Suggest Fanny’s hesitance to blame Mary for her shortcomings in terms of propriety and values.

S: Fanny attempts to see the best in people, which clouds her judgement and hinders objectivity. Fanny’s lack of faith in her opinion, coupled with fears of judgement from others, prevents her from taking any forceful action against Mary. 

• [Pg 64-5] She could not turn her eyes from the meadow; she could not help watching all that passed. She must not wonder at all this; what could be more natural than that Edmund should be making himself useful, and proving his good-nature by any one? She could not but think…

D: Repetition of “could not”, reinforced by “must not”

E: Reflect Fanny’s effort to restrain herself

S: Highlight that Fanny prioritizes decorum over her personal wishes. Fanny’s observations were not acted on, hence postponing Edmund’s revelation of Mary’s Frivolity.

Illustration : Her feelings for one and the other were soon a little tranquilised by seeing the party in the meadow disperse (Hyperbole “tranquilised” used after “a little” ); She began then to be afraid of appearing rude and impatient; and walked to meet them with a great anxiety to avoid the Suspicion. (highlights Fanny’s preoccupation with appearing civil despite serious discomfort)

• [Pg    ] 21 that she was safe from the possibility of giving Crawford the triumph of governing her actions, and destroying her prospects; and retired in proud resolve, determined only to behave more cautiously to Mr. Rushworth in future, that her father might not be again suspecting her.

D: Maria’s flexibility in morality and her ability to alter her outward actions contrasts Fanny. the verb “behave”, coupled with the adjective “determined” 

E: suggests that there is an incongruence between the way Maria presents herself and her true intentions. 

S: this is indicative of how through a deliberate manipulation of her actions, she is effective in hiding her feelings for Henry. Hence, it is possible that an outward display of principle might be more effective than an implicit one.

• [Pg    ]1 Mrs. Norris was quite at his service; and though she perfectly agreed with him as to its being a most difficult thing, encouraged him to hope that between them it would be easily managed.

D: repeated use of emphatic adjectives such as “quite” and “perfectly” reinforce the irony in Mrs Norris’ act of declining to take Fanny in despite fervently convincing the Bertrams of it

E: this emphasizes Mrs Norris’ ability to manipulate using her language

S: highlighting that an outward display of principle need not manifest in a physical act, but rather the manipulation of the presentation of one’s intention. Hence, the ability to present ones intentions and principles outwardly supersedes any attempt of implicit genuine principle.

Overall Significance: Societal expectations may have the potential to inhibit one from outwardly revealing intentions. If there is any discrepancy between one’s actions and one’s intentions, it is likely that little can be done to achieve competency. The best intentions are futile and wasted if not explicitly acted upon.

BP3: Even if an individual is able to outwardly portray their ability to adhere to principles, this may not necessarily equate to an improvement in the situations of others. 

• [pg 23] “he earnestly tried to impress his eldest son with the same conviction, in the hope of its producing a better effect than anything he had yet been able to say or do”

D: “earnestly” and the phrase “had yet been able to say or do”

E: The adverb “earnestly” suggests sincere effort on Sir Thomas’ part to correct his son’s hedonistic lifestyle however he is unsuccessful. This is reiterated through the use of “he had yet been able to” that implies similar efforts had been attempted in the past.

S: This highlights how while Sir Thomas demonstrates strong morals in wanting his son to abandon pursuit of greed, this outward appearance does not translate into tangible improvement in Tom’s character as he “listened with some shame and some sorrow; but escaped as quickly as possible”

• [pg 428/429] “his daughter’s sentiments had been sufficiently known to him to render him culpable in authorising it”

D: Use of Free Indirect Discourse in the form of Sir Thomas’ narrative voice

E: This suggests his awareness and ability to recognize immoral behaviour stemming from strong principles he himself emulated and hence the guilt that arises within him. This is further reinforced through the pattern of words associated with criminal behaviour “culpable” and “conviction” in “conviction of his own errors in the education of his daughters”.

S: This highlights the gravity in his inability to improve his daughter’s character despite upholding strong values himself. 

• [pg 76] Miss Bertram’s “own sense of propriety could but just smooth over”

D: Use of phrase “but just smooth over”

E: Use of adjective “just” suggests the almost inadequacy of Miss Bertram’s actions in restraining herself from reacting to Julia’s behaviour with Henry while “smooth over” implies a temporary cover of civility where in actuality Maria is seething with jealousy despite decorum dictating that “All is safe with a lady engaged; no harm can be done”

S: This signifies how despite an outwardly appearance of adherence to principle, Maria’s behaviour brings no improvement to her situation as she internally continues to desire for what she cannot have. 

• [pg 93] “Fanny, feeling all this to be wrong, could not help making an effort to prevent it. ‘You will hurt yourself, Miss Bertram,’ she said cried, ‘you will certainly hurt yourself against those spikes - you will tear your gown - you will be in danger”

D: Use of absolute all in “all this to be wrong” and repetition of auxiliary verb “you will” 

E: This shows Fanny’s strong moral compass in being able to discern Maria’s potential actions as ill-principled and the repetition suggests her desperation in preventing Maria from harm that she views inevitable

S: This shows how her attempts, while well-intentioned, are feeble and unsuccessful in improving Maria’s situation by preventing her from disregarding decorum. 

Overall significance: This signifies how despite these characters displaying an ability to uphold morals themselves, due to a lack of sincerity in their desires, these outward principles do not translate to an improvement in the situations of those who surround them. 

BP4: Furthermore, outward principle has to be accompanied with a close relationship so as to deliver “education” on principles effectively.  

•  [pg 184] “Some members of their society sent way and the spirits of many others saddened, it was all sameness and gloom compared with the past; a sombre family part rarely enlivened.” 

D: collective noun: “saddened”, “sameness”, “gloom”. 

E: It characterises Sir Thomas’ “government” as it evokes a sense of dreadfulness as well as lifelessness which then brings about reluctance amongst the “members of their [Mansfield Park’s] society to adhere to Sir Thomas’ stringent principles.

S: Paradoxically, this justifies the excitement behind the Lovers’ Vow as it gives an opportunity for the people in Sir Thomas’ house to explore ways to “enlivened” the atmosphere. As such, this results in taking a contrasting approach by disobeying Sir Thomas’ rules in the house. This thus builds upon the idea of how a connexion between emotional relations and principles will enhance the latter’s effectiveness in society. 

• Pg 430 “ Wretchedly did he feel, that with all the cost and care of an anxious and expensive education, he had brought up his daughters without their understanding their first duties. Or his being acquainted with their character and temper.”

D: the metaphor used for “all the cost and care of an anxious and expensive education”

E: It suggests how despite the pure intention of Sir Thomas’, it nonetheless shows how his “education” has led to adverse effects - at the “expense” of other people’s morality. Such “cost” shows how his “education” which lacks “understanding” or emotional connection proves to be ironically, exacerbating his daughter’s morality. 

S: This builds upon the idea of how principle is heavily dependent on the closeness of one’s relationship so as to deliver the education on it effectively. 

• Pg 20 “[Sir Thomas] He was not outwardly affectionate” 
• Pg 19 “Such were the counsels by which Mrs Norris assisted to form her nieces’ minds.” and Pg 18 and 19 repetition of “my dears”.

D: repetition of my “dears” and juxtaposition of Mrs’ Norris treatment towards the Bertram sisters with Sir Thomas’ treatment towards the Bertram sisters.

E: Such repetition confirms Mrs Norris’ affectionate which highlights the closeness of Mrs Norris’ relationship with the Bertram sisters. The immediate juxtaposition therefore serves to suggest the distance in Sir Thomas’ relationship with his daughter as he was unable to offer the equal amount of “affectionate”. 

S: Henceforth, this builds upon the idea of how for one to follow another is through building a close relationship which Sir Thomas fails to do so despite his effort in conducting his principles. 

Conclusion: Whilst principle is by no means redundant to the furthering of one’s objectives, the context which informs such principle, if not aligned to it, is not likely to be successful. Moreover, the choice of individuals to alter manifestations of principle also play a key role in determining the usefulness of the displays of principle with regard to the intended goal.