The idea of ¿converting the natives¿ is by no means unique in Jane Eyre. In fact, it is so ordinary that I almost overlooked it altogether. From my perspective, that of the minority, many times dominant religions have this superiority complex which leads them to believe they are somehow better than others. Now I do not wish to step on any toes, and I do understand that many religions do ask their followers to go out and find converts, I do have a big problem with the disrespect that many show those who do not follow the same faith as them. In Jane Eyre, St. John presents the idea of learning ¿Hindustani¿ to go convert Indians to Christianity. This idea is not new, but it does stir up feelings of resentment in my own culture. See, the idea of dominance of religions can be traced back to Ruyard Kipling¿s ¿White Man¿s Burden.¿ From a cultural standpoint the idea of any one believing they are above others is bound to cause animosity, but the greater question is what leads people to feel this way? There is nothing inherent in all humans that cries ¿I am better than you because I am Christian/White/Tall/Wealthy/etc.¿ So is the feeling connected to religions? Or is it connected to the culture in which the religion is founded? I do not fully know the answers to this question for Christianity, but I am curios to find out more. Along the lines of the more familiar for me, Hinduism strongly teaches acceptance of others and respect for others. My connection with my religion has always stressed this, but perhaps the reason I feel rather strongly about this is because I grew up in an environment in which I am clearly the minority. Respect is stressed and therefore I believe my own faith can only become stronger when learning about others beliefs. After all, I don¿t think I would be able to make it through much of my educational career and this course even if I did not have that mindset. With Jane, however, we reach the same idea of imperialism from the religious standpoint. The winners write history, and thus a full perspective of any situation is never fully given. Those who set out to conquer left us with the images we now have of missionary work to convert those all over the world. The question that still boggles me, and I hope open your eyes as well, is why? Past the idea that some faiths want you to find more followers, and past the impression that you need to continue what you love, the question is: what is it that is so wrong with what people are already following? I hope to address this question in class today ¿ a mixture of the book, our everyday lives, and not our everyday lives provides the answer.