Governess

=**__Governess__**=

The Turn of the Screw is a ghost story, but by no means a conventional ghost story. It focuses on the themes of corruption of the innocent and destructiveness of heroism as the story follows the experience of the young new governess, who is never actually named. Upon her arrival at her employer's estate, she finds herself entangled in stories of the past. Peter Quint, the estate's former caretaker, and Miss Jessel, the children's former governess, still haunt the estate. The children, Flora and Miles, that the governess once found to be so charming and innocent, appear to be controlled by the powerful ghosts, a stronghold from which the governess may not be able to free them.

‍Archetype: The Flawed Hero
The unnamed governess proves to be an excellent example of the flawed hero. First, she is remarkably human. There are no supernatural forces or magical abilities at hand. She wholeheartedly believes in the goodness of human nature, stating that the children were, “like the cherubs of the anecdote,” and that she was “dazzled by their loveliness” (p.23). She is described as being “young, untried” (p.6), and chooses to reflect on the beauty and gaiety of nature than anything of actual seriousness. Upon the discovery of the mysterious ghosts of the estate and her realization that it is her duty to protect them, she states that she was “able to find joy in the extraordinary flight of heroism” (p.33). Her humanistic viewpoint of life makes even the most eerie of situations appear as another circumstance to show her worthiness and credibility. However, her flawed hero can also be characterized by her too trusting nature. She loves the children and ultimately trusts that they are not much up to any mischief or harm. She declares, “I found nothing at all, and he was therefore an angel,” in regards to her discovery that Miles had been expelled from his school. This ignorance keeps her from realizing the evil among the ghosts sooner, as well as their true strength and power. She trusted the children so greatly that she was unable to foresee the strong hold the ghosts had on the children, and was thus unable to protect them. Thirdly, the governess finds herself up against an insurmountable obstacle. She is faced with circumstances that are both disturbing and dangerous. The ghosts haunting the estate are not only power hungry but ultimately impossible to defeat. She soon comes to the unsettling conclusion that the ghosts are after the children, as she states, “he had come for someone else” (p.24). To make matter worse, she is under strict instructions that “she should never trouble him,” and not “complain nor write about anything” (p.7). So the governess, in all actuality, finds herself with no one else to rely on besides herself and the words of the other staff. The lack of support only adds to the overwhelming situation in which she finds herself. In addition, she is understandably extremely fearful of the ghosts, stating that she was “more nervous than I could bear as that I was remarkably afraid” (p.21). She realizes the ghosts are incredibly strong and powerful in their hold over the children. Though she tries to remain brave, she is terrified, going so far as to shriek, “No more, no more!” (p.103) in her attempt to save Miles. However despite her display of fear, the governess proves to be very courageous at times. She adores the children and eventually comes to the conclusion that she alone will have to save them from the corruption of the ghosts. She declares with much gusto, “We must find them now!” (p. 79) in her search to save the children. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, she gains humility from the ordeal. One of the main themes of the novel is the destructiveness of heroism, a fact that becomes unfortunately very clear to the governess. She realizes the true power of the ghosts too late, underestimating their control, and is unable to save Miles. She fought the terror of the ghosts, “but at the end of a minute began to feel what is truly was she held” (p.104). Through the dire circumstances, the governess comes to understands heroism has its limits, as well as comes to terms with her own weaknesses and limitations. The governess can be compared to Sir Gawain, another flawed hero. Both are without any magical gifts, but are against clearly supernatural forces, his a mysterious Green Knight and hers a deadly pair of ghosts. Each character must rely on their own strength ad intellect to defeat the forces against them. In addition, Sir Gawain and the governess gain humility, at their own expense, from their ordeals. Sir Gawain, after lying about the green girdle, is forced to admit his own cowardice. As for the governess, following her direct encounter with the ghost of Peter Quint is forced to come to terms to her own over-trusting nature and ignorance towards her limitations.

‍How to Speak Like the Governess
1. Pause for Suspense When telling of your encounter with evil, power-hungry ghosts, it’s important to maintain a level of suspense. By using periodic sentences, only at the end of the sentence does the meaning make sense, keeping the reader interested to the end.

“To me at least, making my statement here with a deliberation with which I have neither made it, the whole feeling of the moment returns” (p.19).

In this sentence, as well as other periodic sentences, there is a pause before the meaning is made clear. This suspense is parallel to the situation as the governess awaits the reason for the appearance of the ghost.

2. Creat Some Credibilty .In a situation that creates a sense of disbelief, it’s important to establish credibility. By using mainly declarative sentences, you come across as stable and reasonable. Rhetorical questions and exclamatory responses might dissuade the audience from believing you actually saw a ghost

“My sense of how her received this suffered for a minute from something that I can describe only as a fierce split of my attention” (p.99).

Sentences like this describe an eerie, unconventional event. The declarative purpose gives it a serious tone, thus adding to the seriousness of the situation and making the experience more believable.

3. Add Some Personality The story deals with the appearance of two ghosts. By using frequent examples of personification, you give realistic aspects to the ghosts, allowing the audience to better connect with the occurring events. When the setting is given human traits and qualities, not only are circumstances more believable but also more relatable.

“The rocks stopped crawling in the golden sky and the friendly hour lost, for the minute, all its voice” (p.19).

Such description paints an image in the audience’s head of the event of the appearance of the ghost. If the audience feels they were present, the more likely they will believe in the credibility of the situation.

4. Be Complex By frequently using complex sentence structure, you give the audience a sense of cause and effect. This allows them to better understand your reactions and thought process. Such reactionst seemless far-fetched when the cause for them is identified, and that, once again, establishes credibilty.

"It was as if, while I took it in- what I did tke in- all the rest of the scene had been stricken with death" (p.19).

In this sentence, the governess explains her situation through a complex structured sentence. By doing so, the audience is able to understand the reason for her fearful reaction. If the audience is understanding and informed, they are more likely to believe you to be a credible source.

5. Comparisons, Comparisons Through the use of figurative language, especially metaphors and similes, you give the passage an eerie and mysterious tone. The appearance of the ghosts becomes all the more frightening and dangerous as the true power and strength of the ghosts becomes apparent.

"It was like fighting with a demon for a human soul when I had fairly so appraised it I saw how the huma soul- held out, in the the tremor of my hands, at arm's length- had a perfect dew of sweat on a lovely childish forehead" (p.100).

The sentence, with contains several uses of figurative language, shows how such comparisons create a fearful tone, which lends perfectly to the ghost story. By employing the use of such comparisons, you will be captivating the audience with your story.

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‍Obituary
==‍A young woman was found dead earlier this week in her country home. It is believed that she was a former governess but as of recently had been relieved of duty. Upon discovery of a diary in her room, we were able to dientify her as Emma Jergen. According to her neighbors she had only recently moved into her small home. We spoke with her psychologist who, only after it was determined that he would remain unnamed, relayed to us that Ms. Jergen had been suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome. He gave few details about her situation but did confirm that he believed her nervous breakdown had something to do with the death of young Miles, the boy to whom she had previously been a governess. According to credible sources, Ms. Jergen was present at Miles untimely death. Authorities are still working on the case in which Ms. Jergen had been a prime suspect. Though the casue for both Miles is unknown, Ms. Jergen died by ingestion of a poison. It is uncertain if she ingested it herself or there was foul play involed. Any information is needed.== ==‍Ms. Jergen will be greatly missed by Flora, Miles sister. We sincerely hope she rests in peace.==