Anna Avalon is the rather graceful and adventurous main character of the short story “The Leap” by Louise Edrich. Anna’s acquired characteristics have made her out to be a very desirable woman. Many of her characteristics showed throughout the short story have proved her to be graceful; brave and cautious. Anna is the surviving half and a courageous blindfolded trapeze act. She made herself into a stunning performer, alongside her husband; they created “The Flying Avalon’s.” She performed many wild stunts, “double summersaults and heart-stopping catches.” (pg190) A horrific tragedy ended the career of “The Flying Avalon’s.” While Anna was 7 months pregnant, lighting struck the main metal pole running directly through the center of the circus tent.
In Amanda Fazzone’s article “Boob Tube,” she explains how TV. show heroines are empowered only because they “bask in the sex object role,” even though NOW (National Organization for Women) states that these “intelligent” and “well-rounded” women are able to “break out of the sex object role and portray authentic people.” Fazzone questions NOW’s credibility for their criterion of their idea of authentic and intelligent women. “If heroines like Felicity are empowered, it’s only because they’ve decided that what really drives female power is sex,” Fazzone states at the beginning of the article. Fazzone takes a stand against NOW asking how they choose their endorsements. NOW explains that their endorsements are intelligent, well-rounded authentic women, but Fazzone wants to know if they are really women who bask in the sex object role, and what are the shows NOW endorses are really about?
Unfortunately, the wannabe aims to please the Queen Bee, doing anything to get in her good grace. The movie Mean Girls will illustrate the evils of social acceptance, either you’re in the ‘in’ crowd or you’re out. Directed by Mark Waters, from a screenplay by Emmy winner Tina Fey, Mean Girls is a fictional comedy based on Rosalind Wisemans’s New York
ENWR-105-BX 18 November 2013 In the essay “Female Chauvinist Pigs” by Ariel Levy, the author argues that women participate in practices that are responsible for their oppression. Levy’s argument is that women participate in “raunch culture” as means of embracing sexism and exploitation toward the idea of gaining empowerment. While some woman like Sheila Nevins, feel empowered and liberated by aspects of raunch culture, other woman like Tyra Banks, co-producer of ANTM, is discussed in “Ghetto Bitches, China Dolls, and Cha Cha Divas” by Jennifer Pozner using racist stereotypes in order to gain power. The judges in the show say they try and promote inclusive beauty standards actually reinforce racial stereotypes. Women are willing to participate in practices that oppress them because they want power.
There was one particular quote in the novel that seemed out of place in my opinion. The quote depicts women in a very negative way. The beginning of the quote is as followed: “Experience will teach you the real characters of the beings who chiefly compose your species” (86). The statement was made by a male character from the novel. Then the quote continues and states: “You will find them, [women] a set of harpies, absurd, treacherous, and deceitful—regardless of strong obligations, and mindful of slight injuries…” (86).
Critical Analysis G.I. Jane In her article, “I Won. I’m Sorry,” Mariah Burton Nelson contends that it’s hard for a woman to walk the line of success in any sport or competition and not have to worry about looking and acting feminine. She states, “Most female winners play the femininity game to some extent, using femininity as a defense, a shield against accusations such as bitch, man-hater, and lesbian. Women who want to win without losing male approval temper their victories with beauty, with softness, with smallness, with smiles” (Signs of Life in the USA 540).
Lakisha Slaughter September 16, 2013 English 102 Dr. Fierce In the article “What’s wrong with Cinderella” Peggy Orenstein’s views are that of a mother and of a feminist. Orenstein raised several concerns regarding the mental and physical control brought upon the younger generation in which she contradicts herself and assign blame. The writer claims that the princess-themed commercial products have distressing effects in shaping young female generations’ outlooks as well as their qualities. Orenstein uses her daughter as the example in the article.
In the essay, “The Smurfette Principle”, the author Katha Politt explains how there should be more female dominant characters in the world of movies, books and cartoons. Parents usually give in when their child asks for something. Katha Politt gave her daughter “The Little Mermaid” cassette. Areal is a heroine, she is brave and encouraging such as Cinderella, Barbie and Sleeping Beauty. Movies with a boy cast are going to be the more popular rated movies at the video store.
The most prominent difference between these two articles are the authors side of whether the princess theme has a negative impact on girls or not. Orenstein is very strongly against the princess theme and believes it only has negative effects, while Poniewozik believes that it is not all bad and some good messages come from the theme. Another major difference is the approach that they took to get their point across. Poniewozik used different princess movies and compared them and the different themes that were shown and stuck to that the whole article. Orenstein began with an anecdote expressing her frustration with the princess theme, then talked about different product lines with the princess theme.
He explains that both of these women “seek to kill a principle of rebellion that is specifically female, and based in sexuality.”(262) Through this he eludes to the idea that a goal of the lottery is to contain the disruptive force of female sexuality. Here the lottery is being accused that the lottery is a way to control women. Encouraging them to have more children does this, by slimming the odds of they themselves having their name drawn in the second round of the lottery. Oehlschlaeger makes it very clear that even though Tessie is comparable to Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne, she is no hero. She not only tries to get a redraw,