My reaction towards this chapter was almost bipolar. On one hand, I enjoyed reading about the empowered women who took their lives and independence into their own hands and stood up. I really admire people like this, because they fought for a cause they believed in and that I believe in. And what’s more, they fought with what they had, which were not the most advantageous tools for equality, but they were the ones they were able to use. However, on the other hand I feel that Zinn over-exaggerates.
To be a women means you have confidence in yourself. You know your worth and value, and don’t allow anybody to bring you down or control the way you act. Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Women” is outlining what makes a woman phenomenal. It’s not about just having the body parts of a women, it’s about being proud of who you are and not bowing down to anybody. In the poem she states “Now you understand just why my head's not bowed.
It is about women living on equal terms with men and not pushed down by law or by culture into a meek role. The practices of 1880’s dictated that women stay in the home, marry, have children and find happiness in doing so. In many ways Alcott battles this convention by creating strong female role models and male characters that support this free will of women. Although some of the characters like Beth may not have shown independence, Meg, Amy and especially Jo showed independence throughout the novel. She is an independent woman who could never be restricted to the household.
Gender Roles plays a huge part of the novel, Possessing the Secret of Joy, by showing the reader how women are treated unfairly and what this treatment can cause to the women. In this novel, Alice Walker portrays how society sees men as the dominant gender and how women are merely sex slaves and servants. The main reason for the female circumcision is to satisfy the men in the tribe needs. If it were up to most women, they would not go through this ritual, but unfortunately, they need to, according to the Olinkan tribe. The women get this done to their body so they are “cleansed”, so a man is able to marry them.
Raising children and tending to a house were thought to be a natural part of being a woman, an effortless and feminine expression. A woman, although not given any real authority when it came to a man’s decision making, was responsible for the entirety of the house. Women were charged with the upbringing of their children who needed to be taught how to be well rounded citizens. Women were thought to be natural teachers; this was once male dominated job but then became known to society as a natural position for women. The
Due to the vital role that media plays in the socialization process, Grey’s Anatomy is positively shaping the way women are depicted in media. The clear insubordination to men and rising to be the strongest individuals possible though strong friendship and strong personal will conveys that women do not need to be sexualized and underrepresented in mass media, for there is glory in a woman’s ability to succeed in all aspect of life, including
Even in the perfect Utopian world of Thomas More, the social status of women, the role they played in society and the general way they were treated, were influenced by the dominant view of the society at that time and by his own personal values. The social status given to women in More’s Utopia was unconventional but yet still traditional in some ways. In opposition to what was usually permitted for women, in Utopia, they were allowed to get an education. “Every child receives a primary education, and most men and women go on educating themselves all their lives during those free periods that I told you about” . Typically in that time,
Even though Chopin’s work always has to do with the issues of females, I have always found it interesting because I am always surrounded by very masculine and male dominance or equal relationship and it is intriguing to me to see the other side of it and really learn how females lived in her contemporary times. I strongly believe in the idea of that it does not matter your race, ethnicity, or gender, everyone can be what they want to be if they work hard, females should not be held back because of their sex, and obviously, Kate Chopin agrees with me. First we are going to analyze Chopin’s novel, “The Awakening”. The novel is set in the late nineteenth century in New Orleans and Grand Isle, an island off the coast of New Orleans. When The Awakening was first published, it sparked much controversy in early 1900’s social life.
This idea of sharing stories of their vaginas basically opened up a topic that usually is silent and not discussed. By doing this it helped establish a common interest in most of the audience of women. It was the focal point in which help relate that created this relationship to something that they have faced or could face in the future. By this it established a strong sense of unity within the women audience and ensured them that the vagina is nothing wrong to talk about. Hence, the vagina through this play was symbol that imbued equality within women.
I also understand that her father’s adoration gave Celie the ability to fully accept femininity throughout her life and helped establish her identity. In the conclusion of your article, I understand how throughout the beginning of Celie’s life, the adoration her father gives her helps her become feminine. While she continues living her life, she thinks she has to do everything that she is told to do, until she realizes that it all can change when she finally starts sticking up for herself. Your points are very viable, however, Celie turns to the characteristics of masculinity rather then femininity when she fights for what she wants, sticks up for what she believes in, and does not give up. Although I agree with you on certain points, I have to disagree with you on your opinion that Celie follows femininity and the “core gender identity.” I believe that eventually she turns towards the role of masculinity.