As exemplified in Pride and Prejudice with characters like Mrs. Bennet and her child, Lydia, many ladies put money above love when it came to the subject of marriage. Perhaps the behavior of women in this time period is a question of nature vs. nurture. For females especially, society dictated class distinctions and parameters for retaliatory ridicule, while bringing emphasis towards honing “womanly” talents in lieu of formal education and opportunities. If a lady were to step out of the bounds of appropriate behavior, she would disgrace herself and most likely her family, thereby cutting them off from benefits that might otherwise shine upon accomplished personas. Mrs. Bennet’s least favorite daughter, Elizabeth, seems to be made of strong moral fiber and respectfully does not sink to the (often) poor matrimonial standards of her peers.
Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz are two women in which Edna’s options of life paths are exhibited, however, Edna finds both role models lacking. Edna then begins to see that the life of freedom and individuality is the path she wants to follow, however goes against society. The restrictions imposed on Edna Pontellier are based purely on her gender.
Assess the contribution of Feminist perspective for an understanding of the family in contemporary society. (24 marks) Within modern day society the nuclear family is still seen as the idealistic family type. Feminist argue that the family oppresses women through these main factors unequal division of domestic labour and domestic violence against women. Feminist do not regard gender inequality as natural or inevitable but as socially constructed; there are various views towards this liberal, Marxist and radical. The liberal feminist believe we are moving towards greater equality, since they argue that women were once the oppressed gender in family and society as a whole.
The book firmly projects the patriarchal society as the context: “A young woman, if she falls into bad hands may be teased…but one cannot comprehend a young man’s being under such restraint.” This language, although satirical reaffirms a main attitude existent in the context of Regency England. Austen uses the novel's protagonist Emma as a manager of self-determination and although she is a part of high society, she is delicately able through Austen’s narrative, to resist traditional gender roles and concerns. Emma proudly states, when refusing Mr. Elton’s proposal: “I have very little intention of ever marrying at all”, showing her dominant stance yet she is still somewhat a woman of her context as the novel results in her marrying of Mr. Knightley. This reaffirms the fundamental reality of patriarchy as although Emma forms her own opinion, she
This is no way to treat a woman that you are supposed to love; it sounds more like being a wife was more like being a slave in her viewpoint. I can sympathize with how she felt. Although, Brady exposes a sensitive matter, it seems to me she exaggerated a little. The purpose was to give the reader
Do you agree with the view that WW1 did little to advance women’s rights? Post-war culture shows us that society was subject to conservatism and little progress was made regarding the enfranchisement of women. In the workplace, ‘women’s work’ involved domestic service- it was poorly paid and perceived as inferior to ‘men’s work’. It was expected that women should sacrifice work once married and adopt roles of wife, mother and housekeeper. Despite this Britain had one of the most active suffragette movements in Europe- the WSPU 1903, founded by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst.
(Thesis) - Brief outline on what the essay aims to achieve, also a short summary of the main points such as main ideas into how women benefited from their marital and economic status, but also how it hindered their success. Introduce argument that women were provided with more opportunities through marriage. Paragraph 1- General overview of the lifestyle of women at the time Paragraph 2- Explain how marital status created opportunities- Mention the opportunity to build a household, start a family, have a husband to provide for you and your children, explain the expectation upon women to marry and the stigma attached with women being single. Paragraph 3- How marital status created obstacles- Refer to obstacle in which marriage presented women with such as- The loss of independence, a women’s duty to the household, the way in which everything a women owns is given to her husband after marriage, the fact that she is not seen as legally independent apart
AP English Open-ended Prompt: 1987 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen seems to challenge the traditional order of society in her time and age, where women marry not out of love but rather for wealth and an establishment of a stable household. She presents this progressive stance through the contrasting relationships of couples who had a love marriage such as, Darcy and Elizabeth as well as Jane and Bingley, as opposed to couples who did not - Mr. and Mrs. Bennett as well as Lydia and Wickham. From the very beginning of the novel, it is clear to the readers that Mr. and Mrs. Bennett do not have a very loving nor compatible relationship, despite the frequency to which she addresses him as ‘my dear’. In fact, it is evident that even
A widespread attitude was that women’s roles and men’s roles did not overlap. This idea of “separate spheres” held that women should concern themselves with home, children, and religion, while men took care of business and politics. North Carolina opponents of woman suffrage, or voting, claimed that “women are not the equal of men mentally” and being able to vote “would take them out of their proper sphere of life.” Though slow to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade, women were represented on local, state, and national political committees and were influencing the political agenda of the federal government. More emphasis began to be put on social improvement, such as protective laws for child labor and prison reform. Women active in politics in 1929 still had little power, but they had begun the journey to actual political equality.
The authors wrote that women should have equal rights as men, should be able to vote, and they shouldn't be tied down to their husbands. There is still a widespread belief that women are not equal to men. Even though many people still try to convince themselves otherwise. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Gilman both made women believe that they should have the same equal rights as men. In the 1920's, women began to grow more independent, which would change the role of women's lives.