The personality and strong character of the female archetypes on Othello can be seen through the Feminist point of view. The three main female characters; Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca; are all affected and oppressed by society in different ways. Desdemona; the faithful wife; and her servant, Emilia are suppressed by the society’s male domination, and its views that women should be owned by men as if they are property. Bianca, on the other hand, has more freedom than of an average woman due to her role as a courtesan. However, she, also is suppressed by the society due to her work as a courtesan.
Cleopatra VII used her charm, wisdom and sexuality to rule and increase her kingdom through the help of men who were medley in love with her. She had a power over men which she used to her own advantage ,,It was a pleasure merely to hear the sound of her voice, with which, like an instrument of many things, she could pass from one language to another,,. (What kind of women p.5). Sources have the same opinion to the fact that Cleopatra’s charm was outstanding and her presence astonishing. (bibliography p3) She also knew how to look her best and even wrote a book about cosmetics.
Beli has taken her rebellion so far as to have sex with Jack Pujols, something everyone shunned her for especially La Inca. Once Beli has acquired her new “womanly” body features, she begins to realize what exactly she can do with these “weapons”, and how she is able to get men to do what she wants. Beli doesn’t want to become a doctor or continue school so that she can become something important, but wants to just fiend for herself and starts to work at a chinese restaurant. La Inca is disappointed in Beli’s choice because it is not what the typical Dominican women of her stature should be doing. Beli later messes around with a Gangster, who gets her pregnant while married with Trujillos sister, causing much havoc around Beli’s life, including near death.
Essay #2 (Women Who Live Evil Lives by Martha Few and Autobiography of a Slave by Juan Francisco Manzano) In the book Women Who Live Evil Lives by Martha Few, Few makes the argument that despite the vast ethnic and gender discrimination that plagued Santiago de Guatemala during the time of the Spanish inquisition, women especially women of color were able to exercise more cultural authority then historians have previously acknowledged. Her analysis of the perspective of the “mujeres de mal vivir” or “the women who live evil lives” tells us the often overlooked story of women who to use Few’s words, “drew on ideas and practices of religion and the supernatural and reformulated them to assert their authority and power in the local community”(5). She goes on to say that “Women then used this authority and power to overtly challenge gender, racial and colonial hierarchies and intervene in conflicts and problems in daily life”(5). This new found perspective for examination allows us a better understanding of the hierarchical aspects of both the culture at large as well as the slave culture. Within both of the cultures, societal role was often determined by ethnicity as well as gender and Few points out that the perspective of historians has always been shaped by the assumption that this discrimination led to the utter oppression of those in marginalized groups.
This is quite degrading to women. A woman can maintain a job, raise and provide for a child, all without a man’s help. The fact that a woman like Scarlett, with all her physical and mental capabilities, needs to be protected by a man for a very minor incident compared to other situations she has been in, is very degrading to women. The women in CSI: Las Vegas are very well educated and smart, similar to Scarlett in GI Joe. However, the women’s education and knowledge in CSI is not valued, instead their appearance is foregrounded and highly focused on.
Among the major female characters in the novel we can conclude that as a result of being treated like objects, women become passive. Being pampered and used as servants makes them subjective to reality and weak so they are unable to object or oppose the ways they are treated. When facing a life of misery or death, women turn to the men around them rather than putting in effort to assume more independence. Therefore, being perceived as nothing more than something expendable, most men would not make an effort to help women in need unless it would benefit
Although Edna has taken control of her own life, she is still not happy with her life because of the many different types of love she has experienced. Alcee loves her but she only uses him as an affair while her husband is doing business. Robert truly loves her, and she felt the same way about him, but he can’t have her, because her husband already owns her. Edna doesn’t want to be owned by anyone, but no matter how many times she rebels and takes control of things, men still think of her as a possession. Edna ends her life in search for herself, and her
He manipulates everything around him including all the key women in his life (Caruthers, 2006). In contrast Vivian is a prostitute who is a victim of circumstance. During the film Edward plays a hand in almost every aspect in Vivian’s life where she has very little control over his life putting him in the more dominant position of the relationship. Therefore reinforcing the ideology that both sexes sustain the notion that males are superior to that not only of woman but society in general (Ortner, 1989; Donaldson, 1993). “The possession of erotic desire for
On the contrary, one may argue that as a prostitute, Firdaus gains more power and independence than other women in her society[SJ2] . Ultimately, Firdaus does obtain some degree of power and independence by proving to herself that she “owns” her own body and that she is the one who determines her own destiny. Therefore, Woman at Point Zero, challenges “the social order which has assigned women to a subordinate position under the control of her male partners”(512) as Firdaus controls the ways in which she utilizes her body as a prostitute to gain power and independence[SJ3] . The first time Firdaus becomes aware of her own power is when Sharifa introduces her to prostitution[SJ4] . Sharifa is the one who, through the skillful application of cosmetics, helps Firdaus to see her inner beauty and strength.
He depicts women as completely sexual creatures and also devalues women in the eyes of men. The way we have viewed women from the 1600’s to now has changed dramatically. In the 1600’s, the approximate time period Shakespeare had written Hamlet, women where viewed as helpless, dependent and had no place in society. Women today are looked upon with respect and dignity because they have earned self respect, value and a place in society as hard working, knowledgeable and yet compassionate. I believe Gertrude from Hamlet, is a depthless individual who only thinks about her body and external pleasures.