Due to the limited amount of resources and the restrictions laid upon women for practicing rhetoric, it is astonishing how many women were still able to make a significant impact on the field of rhetoric which I feel has paved the way for women’s liberations rights today. Christine de Pizan portrayed the art of rhetoric through language and letter writing as she challenged the boundaries of women’s input at the time. She sought to save the reputation of women, who at the time were being slandered and shine a new spotlight for women’s advancement. It is imperative that more time and space be dedicated to Christine De Pizan in Herricks textbook of rhetoric and many more to follow. Christine De Pizan is a brave woman who stood up to the verbal assaults on women in the 14th century.
The speaker presents examples of the roles of women in order to set a standard of comparison between the three generations and to show the differences in expectations of women within them. This poem confirms that women fall under stereotypes, depending on when they were born. Though these expectations of being a woman remain relatively the same through time, Mirikitani’s writing illustrates how each generation undergoes changes, and how the drive for rebelling against society grows within each later generation. The speaker in “Breaking Tradition” uses the metaphor of “separate rooms” to demonstrate that each generation is inevitably different from the previous one and that the desire to be free of societal norms and expectations increases within every one. From the beginning of the poem, there is an obvious separation of generations, hence the “separate rooms”.
Women, were so unhappy without having rights and it made them feel less loved and wanted. With this theory being applied to this issue of Women’s Rights, they come out on top of the situation. It took 130 years or so for women to evolve in society. “Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of one's own interests and takes into account the interests of others.” (Cavalier, 2002) With the Women’s Rights Movement, there were a lot of pros and cons that can about, mostly positives.
In comparison Fay Weldon’s Letters to Alice, written a few centuries after, shows a clear link of how particular concerns, held by society, have altered. A women living in the late 1800’s had very few rights and freedoms. Education was a thing men and if a women engaged in such activities she was at risk of being shunned by society or “left on the shelf.” Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice follows a young girl, Elizabeth Bennet, who struggles against society’s expectations. Being a smart and well educated women, she is somewhat frowned upon, however this has been disguised by Austen through her dialogue. An example is seen near the beginning of the book in which Mr Darcey and Mr Binley’s brother are engaged in polite conversation.
In Gail Goodwin’s, “A Sorrowful Woman,” the feminist point of view is very prevalent. This story illuminates the idea that not all women may remain content and survive by only being a mother and a wife. The main character, who remains unnamed, may seem hard to relate to and could easily be seen to the reader as uncaring and distant. However, with the ideals of feminism considered, as well as a side of sympathy for the caged in mother that is derived from the author’s tone, it is much easier to understand where all of her unhappiness originates. This story was written in the 1970s in the midst of what is known as the second wave feminist movement.
Emma Baird Dr. Meredith McCarroll English 232 25 September 2010 The Death of Edna Pontellier: A Rebellious Defeat Even from its first publication, Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening has caused controversy. While today The Awakening is praised for its feminist undertones, the piece was first criticized for its lack of representation of American values. Instead of depicting a main character that embodied the Victorian ideal of a woman fulfilling the role as an “Angel in the House” which was the norm for American women during this particular historical period, Edna was a rebellious wife and an adulteress, whose desires and yearning for independence lead her to make many radical decisions throughout the course of the novel¾ from inwardly
In life we face difficult periods but those times reflect us who we are. In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zola Neale Hurston there was a girl, Janie who went through many obstacles growing up. Janie’s upbringing affected her life choices by looking for love, being raised strictly, and not knowing that she was colored. She also had relationships that did not end well. Janie grew to learn how to go through struggles and overcome them.
When she writes “Oh my dear girls—for to such only am I writing—listen not to the voice of love, unless sanctioned by paternal approbation.”(P. 55), she is trying to tell women to put themselves in a position in which they are not exploited, and listen to their brains and parents rather than their heart and emotions. The story of Charlotte Temple is somewhat extreme in the sense that she was a very naïve and sheltered young woman that didn’t really know what the world was like outside the walls of her home or the border school. She was weak and she was dependent on other people to make the decisions for her. Rowson is also warning the women about other people in their life. The parents have the best intentions for their children, but other people might not.
In the epic tale of Beowulf, translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland, it is the role, worth and importance of the woman that is greatly questioned by some readers. When one first reads this tale at a glance, one might not even see the true value of women during this era due to the portrayal of the women characters in the story. One must do close reading to see the true importance of each women character or lack of importance. After close reading one might see that it is the status of women and the significance or function of their role for that particular status in society that should be focused on; for each woman regardless of status, held some worth and importance. If one did not have a proper status or ancestry, they were held in very low opinion, therefore, those women deemed of low status or low ancestry held the roles of monsters and wenches.
She notices that she “didn’t realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure that it is a woman” (Gilman 2351). She believes that she sees a woman in the wallpaper, and the more covered up lonely, and restricted she feels over the course of the story, the more she recognizes herself to be the woman in the wallpaper. Gilman is actually extending this idea further to say that the main character is not necessarily a prisoner at the level of wife or mother, but to say she is a prisoner because she is a woman. (Antiessay). The narrator is classified as a prisoner, because prisoner’s rights and freedom is taken away as well, as a result, the connection between the narrator and a prisoner is very