Sexism in American Society Sexism is a long-standing historical and global problem. Nowadays, many countries still exists with the concept that a man has more power than a woman and women should listen to men, especially in American society. Even though the practice of feminist movement have never stopped, hostile sexism and benevolent sexism is still very common in American society. The relationship between Lou, Mindy and Albert in A Visit From The Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan) reveals the hostile sexism, benevolent sexism and self-discrimination in women in American society because it shows how a powerful man despises a less powerful woman and how women discriminate themselves. Hostile sexism is a negative emotion directed towards women such as anger, resentment, revile and so on.
In society there are always stereotypes and unwritten rules that are followed. During the era of Norman England, gender roles were a prominent facet of life; men and women adhered to strict codes of conduct. Men are idealized as strong, dominant, and respectful, whereas women are elegant and courtly. If an individual does not meet the standards of society, they are shunned. However, not everyone agrees with the heavy stereotypes laid down by the social order such as male dominance and proper courting.
The context of Donne’s writing indicates a time that females had power despite being subordinate to men in every day life. With much tension and debate over the effectiveness of a female rule, it can also be seen as a theme within Donne’s work where the male questions his own power and submission to female dominance (Guibbory, 1990). From here, Donne seeks to re-imagine a London based on Ovid’s Rome but instead of pandering to Ovid’s obvious Christian values that underpin his work; he ignores them and rewrites the style. Still incorporating the outrageousness of Ovid, Donne uses conventional values of this discourse of desire in posing lust and desire in a way that spurs chaos and anarchy. The female persona is the catalyst of the chaos but it is from the male’s perspective that readers experience the protagonist’s anger, desire and competitive nature.
What is feminism? I believe that feminism is about both women and men. It confirms women’s full humanity but, it is not a putdown of men’s humanity. Rather it is a critique of patriarchy as a system that distorts the humanity and humility of both women and men. A patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.
Guterson himself says, "Post-modernism is dead because it didn't address human needs. The conventional story endures because it does. I'm interested in themes that endure from generation to generation" (qtd. in Kanner). This book is a conventional story, a simple story about the internal battle of Ishmael Chambers as he struggles with himself.
Tannen’s writing is lengthy, personal, analytical and well sourced. Even though the differences between these two pieces can easily be highlighted there are some similarities. Both Tannen and Quindlen believe there are obvious differences and similarities between men and women. However, when specifically observing the relationship between men and women Tannen believes the main differences lie in communication, reactions, the way life is approached and the dynamics of childhood.
Furthermore, Sofia describes her history as one entirely full of men; hence, Walker forces the reader to expect Sofia to be a female with many male behavioral patterns. Because of Walker’s portrayal of Sofia as such a masculine character, to assume that Sofia would act as a traditional women would be absurd; hence, Sofia’s history and character make gender roles themselves seem preposterous.
Additional differences between men and women are that they differentiate as they often inhabit different social roles as well as occupational. Finally, sexual reproduction is a biological constant that is ultimately related to men and women being different since a woman is defined as childbearing and child rearing (Eagly, 1987) and promotes intimacy between the men and women. Furthermore, men often employ their power over women as well as their sexual relationships, which at times women counter power through sexuality by using sexual attractiveness to control the man. Therefore, concerns about power and the differences regarding the sexuality are bound together. Modern context in where social movement and increasing gender and equality threaten the traditional male dominance may be directed on those woman who challenge the power of a man and the status (e.g.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" motivated the female mind of creativity and mental strength through a patriarchal order of created gender roles and male power during the nineteenth century and into the 20th century. While John represented characteristics of a typical male of his time, the yellow wallpaper represented a controlling patriarchal society; a sin of inequality that a righteous traitor needed to challenge and win. As the wallpaper deteriorates, so does the suppressing affect that male hierarchy imposed on women. Male belief in their own hierarchy was not deteriorating. Females began to think out of line, be aware of their suppression, and fight patriarchal rule.
Since the dawn of man, societal roles and behavior have differed between the sexes. Even in today's modern and progressive society, women continue to be judged more harshly than men for their behavior, particularly when it comes to sexual impropriety. Not only are a woman's actions judged more critically, but within the American society, we often see other women acting as a woman's harshest critics. This societal characteristic is all too pronounced in two literary works: "Daisy Miller: A Study", and "Roman Fever". In both stories, women are painted as the ultimate judge of morality; but the women, not men, seem to be the only ones judged and held accountable to society for their actions.