Such myths, Beauvoir explains, are derived trough literature and Social beliefs. The construct of the “essence of women” have been grossly misconstrued by a male dominated world. In her essay, she strongly argues about the two-sided opposition of the “self” and “other” through an existentialist perspective, which is through the experience of the human condition. She boldly announces that the male has appointed himself as “self” and the female as “other” in order to gain dominion and authority to call the female inferior, passive, or weak. I will take an in depth look at the contradictions and myths that men have created of women as outlined by Beauvoir.
One must assume the feminine role deliberately. Which means already to convert a form of subordination into an affirmation, and thus to begin to thwart it. Whereas a direct feminine challenge to this condition means demanding to speak as a (masculine)”subject,” that is, it means to postulate a relation to the intelligible that would maintain sexual difference” (Rivken & Ryan p 795). So Irigaray warns women that directly, openly issuing verbal challenges to the system draws attention to the victimized feminine in a bold but ultimately ineffective attempt to overtake a masculine-oriented arena. Instead of moving toward the dissolution of gender boundaries, that type of move reinforces the perception of difference between the genders by drawing attention to “the plight of the woman”.
This shows how the women are suppose to please the men no matter how much gruesome pain the women go through, therefore making wives a sort of ‘sex slave’. Alice Walker’s overall message, that men and women get treated unequally, sticks out like a sore thumb. One way she shows this message is by showing how men were allowed to have multiple wives. For example, in the beginning when Tashi is reciting a
Theory Summary Essay In this theory Gayle coveys how sex is used to display dominance and power. She breaks down today’s view on sexuality and the stereotypical and hypocritical categories placed on gender. She focuses on homosexuals, pedophiles, children, women, transvestites and more. She argues that sex shapes society’s social norms, in other words society no longer uses sex as only for reproduction. She references western culture in this argument to suggest our humanity is built solely upon the idea of sex as a natural force that is the basis of social structure.
(Gender can be defined as the culturally produced distinctions between masculinity and femininity, as well as the power relations or imbalances between masculinity and femininity in a particular cultural context). Rabi’a is a curious figure in Islamic literature. At the same time she assumes a passive role with regard to her ascetism, she also shows brashness at times that contradicts this role. She is deeply pious eschewing all aspects of the material world that does not directly relate to serving the almighty deity. She defends the deity to the point of even rebuking men for their ego.
She believed that women should be equal to men in relationships. Although Wollstonecraft had an idealistic view of marriage, Tweedy reinforces how marriage is far different from the ideas that we have. She describes elements of love which prevent true reality of what is being seen. Wollstonecraft gives the advice to women readers that they should consider their choices; is having a husband the right choice? Or is a lover better?
It seems as if women are plentiful and men are rare. The man has freedom and the option to choose any girl that he wants, while the women are desperate and fight for whichever man they can get. Jane Austen points this out and shows how dependent the woman is on a man in her English society. This dependence is viewed as a necessary part of upper class England by most and was not criticized. If Jane Austen had written a book simply about English society, these sentiments would not have showed up.
How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? Sex and gender have everything to do with masculinity and femininity. Men are considered to be masculine by being strong and tough and women are considered to be feminine by having supposed less strength and ladylike behaviors. As I have stated above, each is categorized and history has presented itself as these being the reasons why. * * Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity?
Double consciousness is when anyone of a different race than white see themselves through the eyes of white people. “One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” (Du Bois) Du Bois is saying that whites
The Declaration of Sentiments was an inspiring and powerful speech written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton where she argues about the inequality of women and the lack of rights given to them, regardless of them being poor, wealthy or a different race. She mentions that all men and women are “endowed by their Creator with certain alienable rights” to provide the idea that the government has no authority to decide on who has freedom and who does not. A strategy she uses is including parallel structure to intensify her message which gives details on the list of grievances that can be identified in the repetition of the infinitive phrases of “he has...”. Her syntax and organization of her passage establishes an extended analogy to the Declaration of Independence which forms a satirical piece to create a powerful argument to support her position of all females wanting the same rights as white men. Since she is a witness of bearing the lack of freedom, she creates a high credibility in her speech knowing that women and male supporters will believe in her claim of demanding equal rights to women.