This essay will argue that In both texts motherhood and marriage is shown to be a hindrance to both women’s careers and their female identity. The theme of marriage in The Bell Jar and Top Girls Is shown to demolish the female identity of the women. In The Bell Jar Plath uses Buddy as a symbolic figure to show how even the “clean” men of that time were only out for one
‘Still Angela’ by Jenny Kemp and ‘Ruby Moon’ by Matt Cameron are plays that evaded the norms of conservative and often straightforward theatre, into a dreamlike, surreal state. They portray life as a routine; and to escape it, the characters pursuit their own inner self journeys. Both playwrights Cameron and Kemp use contemporary theatre forms, which has created an interesting approach on story telling. However the theatrical techniques of Ruby Moon and Still Angela are completely dissimilar. Unlike ‘Still Angela’s’ jolted time frame, ‘Ruby Moon’ has a very distinct progression, as it is highly episodic.
Jarret McCallister Ms. Smith W131 27 February 2013 Critique: “A Mother’s Day Kiss-Off” In “A Mother’s Day Kiss-Off,” author and editor of Vanity Fair, Leslie Bennetts, starts out criticizing society, specifically men, for being unsympathetic towards the sacrifices women make. She makes generalizations about the resentment that all women feel when it comes to being a housewife. Bennetts then contradicts herself by shifting the blame over to women for accepting the domestic role. She goes on to provide suggestions as to what women should be doing differently to advance their social status and gain more independence. By changing the main focus of her paper and making over-generalizations about the way that all women feel, Bennetts takes away from the effectiveness of her argument and weakens her overall credibility.
Mama’s plant represents both her care and her dreams for her family. Beneatah’s hair represents who she is and why it is a major motif in the play during the time the play sets. The Younger apartment is the only setting throughout the play, emphasizing the centrality of the home. The lighting seems to change with the mood, and with only one window, the apartment is a small, often dark area in which all the Younger’s often feel cramped in. While some of the play’s action occurs outside of the apartment, The home is a galvanizing force for the family.
“He played with me the way that I played with my dolls” (Ibsen 747-748). Nora informs her husband Torvald how her father used to treat her in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House. The idea of women being used as a men’s toys is a common theme in both A Doll House and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Both Nora Helmer and Edna Pontellier, the heroines of these works, are constantly being controlled by the men in their life which leads them to committing their drastic final actions. Nora’s abandonment and Edna’s suicide are the only way that these women are able to assert control over their own lives and take a step out of social norms.
In Alan Bennett’s ‘A Lady of Letters’ he uses different techniques to portray the protagonist as a lonely old woman who is consumed by judgmental prejudices, and is over analytical. He shows this through the form of a dramatic monologue. Throughout the drama text her character changes, and the audience changes parallel to her, as we go on her journey with her being the narrator. This play is a monologue, which means all the dialogue in the play is spoken by one person. The story is all about Irene Ruddock and her experiences through her eyes.
Miller takes the “woman scorned” approach to his character of Abigail. Abigail’s assertiveness is observed early when she tells her uncle “the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself,". This remark, within the confines of a deeply hierarchical and patriarchal society, shows her to have knowledge of social situations and also that she does not conform to the Puritan society, which has already been evidenced by her affair with John Proctor. She is spiteful which helps to build the classic “woman scorned” role which Miller moulds her into: “Oh, I marvel how such
A door that once kept her shut-off from the outside world, not shuts out society’s view of women and their place in the world. “Iv got out at last...in spite of you!” (70). The narrator of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' has been driven into psychological madness through the imprisonment of male dominance. Gilman's use of symbolism to portray patriarchal dominance, through locked doors and bared windows, has been an effective way to communicate the suffering and trapped feeling of women during the 19th century. While many women would be to afraid to question their role in society and in marriage, Gilman has created a strong female protagonist who overcomes her husbands authoritative
Marriage was one subject of writers of the period. A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, was a play about a woman who was treated childishly by her husband and father, and in the end she leaves her husband. It was so controversial, that the play had to be rewritten to include and ending where she stayed for the sake of her children. It is considered to be the first feminist play. Other writers helped society accept the role of women outside of the home.
The wallpaper is very symbolic in the story. It represents the structure of family, medicine, and tradition in which the narrator finds herself trapped. “At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern, I mean, and the woman behind it is plain as can be. I didn’t realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure it is a woman (Page 548).” The fact that John has not allowed her to do anything to exercise her mind; she has turned to find out what is really hidden in the wallpaper.