All throughout the 1970’s women are dealing with their lack of equality – may it be within the work area, politically, at home, or with laws. Sexism was very popular, and not uncommon, but these women are ‘at their ends’ with accepting it. The women of the decade begin to bond together – to fight for their rights as people. This will be known as the second-wave of feminism. They discover the power of sisterhood and begin to attract attention to their actions and when the Royal Commission of the Status of Woman steps in to make a report on the status of woman in Canada, laws begin to change, and debates on these new laws begin to occur.
The outrage triggered the Second Wave Feminist Movement, a more modern movement, and the fight for women’s sexual freedom and equal opportunities in the workplace. The Feminine Mystique and the Women’s Rights Movement of the 1960s as well as the incident in the Miss America pageant of 1968, influenced the lives of women in the U.S. in a positive way. Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique speaks of “the problem that has no name” which signifies the unhappiness women had during the 1960s and 1970s. The book specifies on the negativity women encounter in comparison to men and what middle class women had to withstand. Due to the publication of the book there came many outbursts mainly in forms of angry letters written by women around the world wanting to be treated equally to men (Suri).
As a result of her husbands control, the woman develops and obsessive attachment to the wallpaper which masks the walls of her bedroom. Gilman composed the short story to make determined statements about feminism and individuality to oppose the male authority that ruled over her during her lifetime. Gilman does this by describing the narrators decent into madness, which is caused by many factors, all being linked to her husband. It’s immediately apparent in “The Yellow Wallpaper” that the woman allows herself to be inferior to men, in particular her husband, John. This ultimately leaves the reader with many questions about 19th century male-female relationships and perhaps insanity.
Curley’s wife is presented as a dream destroyer and a flirt in this novel, however Steinbeck suggests that there is a more complex character. She is a product of an evil, social, and economics environment of the 1930s; It was a society which degraded women. Curley’s wife puts herself out there as a desperate flirt, but while she’s flirting with guys she’s only looking for someone she can talk to. When Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie she tells him how she doesn’t get to express her feelings while living on the farm. She realizes that Lennie has mental disabilities therefore decides to talk to him because she knows he will stay.
A People’s History of the United States: Reflection Chapter 19 Surprises This chapter goes back to the early 1900s to the times of advocacy for women. Zinn sums up the attitude fairly well: “Each time practicality pulled the woman out of her prison—in a kind of work-parole program—the attempt was made to push her back once the need was over, and this led to women’s struggle for change,” (zinn 504). Indeed, WWII brought out more women than any other cause, and it was here that women began to demand a change. And change occurred. “Women took the place they customarily took in social movements, in the front lines—as privates, not generals,” (Zinn 504).
The speaker feels that men do not appreciate this work. By repeating “I want a wife” in almost every sentence, the author clarifies the many things a man expects and how ridiculous and overwhelming the amount wanted is. Even though she herself is a wife, she says she wants a wife to do all of these chores for her (274). Brady repeats “I want a wife who will…” to identify what a proper wife is supposed to do. Repetition enhances her sarcastic tone because after all that is expected of a wife, she says, “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife,” (276) in the final sentence, meaning even an actual wife would want someone to do as much as she does.
The two texts present a woman from a disadvantaged point of view and how she struggles to establish a foothold in a male-dominated society. In Hamlet, analysis of the plight of women falls on Ophelia and Gertrude. The two women endure chauvinistic suffering and finally break loose. Gertrude transgresses the patriarchal bounds of femininity by marrying soon after her husband’s death, much to Hamlet’s chagrin. Consequently, he refers to her as “frail” (Act 1, Scene 2, line 146).
Nanny took care of Janie really well and loved her. Nanny’s only desire was to marry Janie to a man of social status and a man that can provide her safety. This was Nanny’s definition of safety for Janie because Nanny herself when she was a slave was raped by her master, abused by the master’s mistress, and Janie’s mother was raped by her Teacher. Nanny marries Janie off to an older but wealthy man, Logan Killicks after she finds Janie kissing a local boy. After Janie moves in with Logan she feels miserable and finds no love for Willicks.
She tells these lies to protect herself from social ostracism. By nature she doesn’t fit the social stereotype of a woman. Being the perfect wife during this time was to be proper, unintelligent, compliant, in need of male protection and only of value as decoration, and as a homemaker and child-barer. On the other hand, her sister Stella is characterised as Blanche’s polar opposite fits the social stereotype of the perfect housewife. She lies about her husband’s vulgar behaviour and justifies it through clichés.
The story of Sky Woman illustrates for this society that women are divine, powerful and wise. When Sky Woman follows the instructions of her dead father instead of listening to her mother, she is paired with a man who deceives her. Thus, men are represented as being unwise and deceitful. In fact, any dealings with any male throughout the story result in a perceived tragedy initially. One of the sons that her daughter bears (Bud) insists on exiting the body of Sky Woman’s daughter from a location