Emma

Between reading the Box Hill scene from Emma and watching it, I found the movie clip to be the most laughable. The text was difficult for me to understand after first reading, but once I looked into the text more I understood what was going on. While reading the text, I did not get the full experience of Miss Bates' reaction to Emma's rude comment. However, when we watched the movie clip it was easy to see the awkwardness of the situation. After Emma made the comment "yes, but you are only limited to three dull things," the drawn out pause with Miss Bates stuttering over her own words gives off a few different emotions. My first reaction was to laugh at Miss Bates, but once I saw her reaction to the comment I began to feel bad. I laughed because Emma’s comment caught me by surprise and did not seem to be hurtful. The long pause after Emma's comment illustrates Miss Bates' embarrassment, especially when she shyly agrees with Emma and puts her head down while mumbling to herself. Thomas Hobbes explains this scene best with the quote, "or by the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison whereof they suddenly applaud themselves." Emma has low self esteem so she "applauds" herself by making fun of Miss Bates. Emma does this because Miss Bates obviously is not as pretty and is an easy target to pick on. Another part of Hobbes’ quote that hits home on this subject is, “And it is incident most to them that are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves; who are forced to keep themselves in favour by observing the imperfections of other men.” By picking on Miss Bates’ imperfections, Emma tries to keep the positive attention on herself. By doing so, Emma makes herself look selfish and mean.