Do you agree that Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Katherina as “offending against society’s expectations about women”? The idea that both Beatrice and Katherina offend against society’s expectations of women in the plays Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew is open to personal interpretation. We must take into account which society it is we are suggesting they are offending against, if we are judging it on Shakespearean society’s expectations we could, in theory, agree with the statement, due to the fact that at that time, women were largely expected to be submissive, quiet and respectful to the superior sex, males. However, it would not be correct to say that Beatrice and Katherina offend against modern day expectations of women. Further to this, it would also depend on at which point in the play we are making our judgement.
As an example two influential short stories will be discussed in depth in order to shed light into the lives of the two authors and their stories. The short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) and Angela Carter (1940–1992) both sideway the same idea; the confinement of women in particular roles and positions in both personal and professional lives, posed on them by patriarchal figures. Toril Moi quotes in her examination of feministic criticism, Sexual/Textual Politics (2002), Elaine Showalter’s idea that “women writers should not be studied as a distinct group on the assumption that they write alike, or even display stylistic resemblances distinctively feminine” (Moi, 2002: 49), which comes across when reading the two stories which are stylistically already very different. It might be so that a feminist reader of both times (there’s some 80 years difference between the two stories) did not only want to see her own experiences mirrored in fiction, but strived to identify with strong, impressive female characters (Moi, 2002: 46), and looked for role-models that would instil positive sense of feminine identity by portraying women as self-actualising strong identities who were not dependent on men (Moi, 2002, 46). The two stories bring out two female characters, very different by position and character; the other a new mother, scared and confused of her own role, and the other a young newly-wed girl, still a child, being fouled by a much older man, mainly as a mark of his authority over women in general.
Jesse Smith Close Reading Anna Barbauld’s poem, “The Rights of Woman,” has a controversial debate, describing how women should take over and rule the world. Baurbauld was a poet, a freethinker but she wasn’t considered a feminist. In the poem, Barbauld acknowledges, “But hope not, courted idol of mankind, on this proud eminence secure to stay”(25). Meaning she’s advising women to stand up and play a higher role than men. But in reality she is scared to voice her true goal of the passage.
Where Marie de France comes from, many people disagree with women having power through literature. They disagree with women having much power at all. Because of this, Marie de France feels the urge to protect herself from those people. She argues that credit and respect should be bestowed upon anyone who earns it, regardless of their gender. Before her story even begins, Marie de France contests the idea of female inferiority.
They were not inventing anything new but reclaiming something ancient. This is why governments tend to fall apart, because people often want to come together freely and be themselves, rather then fit a mold that is presented for them. Hobbes foretold that it was a human condition that war fought by each against each, making it hard for anything good to come out of it, or learn
Along with “Civil Peace” and “Sugar Baby” the story “Girls at War” forms Achebe’s masterful trilogy of short stories that is set during and im¬mediately after the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70). Achebe uses the title “Girls At War” ironically to make emphasis on the vulnerability of women especially as victims in times of war and turmoil. This title does not mean physical fight between girls but rather the psychological, emotional as well as moral struggles among girls in times of difficulties as in the case between Gladys and her girlfriend Augusta. The girls compete among themselves for favours from men in order to survive. This is typical of our society today where girls are fond of dating men in authority and of wealth in order to gain security and comfort.
Assertion Journals Symbol: Refutation The part of an argument where a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view. Example: “Okay, so meet me there?” “There’s really no point,” “Can you please let me decide that for myself?” (48) Function: So in this chapter Zoey and Stevie Rae are having an argument where she wants to save Stevie and gain her humanity back while she is still reluctant of it. Stevie Rae is rebutting all of Zoey’s arguments because it’s very predictable and she knows what Zoey wants to do. Though Stevie decides to come to be helped, she says it’ll be futile anyway. Symbol: Prose: Ordinary writing (both fiction and nonfiction) as distinguished from verse.
“We can at least give them our names,” Jeff insisted Alima, frank soul that she was, asked what good it would do. Terry, always irritating, said it was a sign of possession. Herland p. 118 I found this quote from Herland particularly interesting because it showcases the men’s attitudes compared to the women’s. We get a comparison of how Jeff, Alima, and Terry’s conflicting personalities affect their outlook on marriage and what it means. Jeff wants to give something to the women since they have nothing else to give them.
However for both Bronte and Austen, relationships were unconventional for their time, as neither of the women married. Austen’s novel was much more widely accepted, as the heroine does not condone the inappropriate relationship that begins to form between Isabella and Captain Tilney. “His behaviour was so incompatible with a knowledge of Isabella’s engagement” Austen is satirical and ironic Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship becomes strained and unobtainable because of the pressures society imposes on Cathy to marry for status and weath. Their family and society forbid Cathy and Heathcliff’s love throughout the novel. Critic Suzanne Birkett suggest ‘She later marries Edgar and comes to feel that she is imprisoned by society’s rules.’ As although Cathy has made a wise choice in marrying Edgar because ‘He will be rich’, her forbidden love for Heathcliff still hinders her when Heathcliff once again returns in chapter ten.
A major point of differentiation would be that Holden does not face the challenges that Juno does and that she possesses much more of a clear emotional compass whereas Holden's is more erratic and uncontrollable. Both protagonists in these texts seek authentic relationships, and express their frustration with the inauthentic relationships that they have and form. However, Holden does seem to have reached a turning point in his life through his relationship with Phoebe at the end of the novel whilst not as defined as Juno’s, as she seems to come to terms with the phoniness of people and processes it, still choosing to live her life her way in spite of the various pressures that are placed on her. The main characters