This poem is in its truest sense a feminist poem, one that laments the historical and mythological scorn of women, and provides a new light in which to view the fairer sex. There are countless juxtapositions throughout Clampitt’s lines, and aided by the reflexive nature of her poem, she presents a work matching the complexity of the mythological Medusa herself. To appreciate Clampitt’s message, one must delve deep into her almost purposeful convolutions, as one must do to understand the true nature of Medusa. Clampitt wrote “Medusa” to provide a commentary on the disparate and often negative light in which women have historically been viewed. To do this, she uses the famous story of Medusa, a figure that has consistently been vilified and relegated to the dark annals of mythology.
By utilizing the Handmaids as a representation of the females in the Gileadean society, the author exposes the flaws of an anti-feminist society through objectification and the absence of agency. The Handmaid’s Tale illustrates women who are strongly objectified by men. An example of how Handmaids are objectified is through their names. The women are named after their assigned Commander; their name which consists of two parts is constructed with the prefix, ‘Of’, followed by the suffix of their Commander’s name. The main character’s Handmaid name is Offred, meaning that she is property of Fred.
The Second Sex: Mythologies and Contradictions, “What is a Woman”? Racel Robles Phiolosophy 327 Professor Conway Woman, Wife, Mother, Lover, Slut, Bitch…is this what a women is, what she is defined to? In andocentric society, women have been place in many lights, from the “good mother” to the “treacherous whore”. In The Second Sex, Beauvoir breaks down the construction of myths created by men in society to establish patriarchal “supremacy” over women. Such myths, Beauvoir explains, are derived trough literature and Social beliefs.
Vincent Wu Hurston 19 October 2017 AP Literature Critical Lens Essay Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow --A Psychoanalytical Critic of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a campaigning feminist writer in the early 20th century, was primarily concerned with showcasing the societal bonds that imprisoned most women in their marital contracts. Since its publication in 1891, The Yellow Wallpaper has created a huge stir over this often neglected issue. Generally, there are two major psychological critical lenses to examine this work: one that blames the illness of the narrator on the patriarchal structure of the society; and one that looks at medical causes for the depression the narrator suffers from. However, these
“It’s a Woman’s World” “It's a Woman’s World” by Eavan Boland is a poem that encourages women to look beyond the “sexist” rules of society, take charge and strive. As shown by Boland, women in our society are seen through a stable “lower than men” view. Boland's poem shows that woman are trapped, looked down upon, are seen as inferior to men. For many generations women have only been seen as housewives and even after time as passed, that is all they are seen as now. But one women in particular seems to stand out from all the others, the one who is trying to change and break away from all the pain and sexist rules.
If you look closely at Shakespeare's play she is a girl neglected by all who should hold some responsibility for her: her father, her brother, her boyfriend and the court. I wanted to take that figure (as well as the other female stereotype of Gertrude the
Barbie Doll clearly displays a strong sense of feminism. It specifically attacks the modern day pressures that women are faced with as far as appearance goes. The author seems to have the opinion that women are pushed to make themselves perfect in the eyes of society. I think this is why this poem has a very negative and almost angry tone to it. Barbie Doll has a few main themes that can be easily recognized; the main ones that Piercy addresses are the pressures of being a female and the desperate attempts to please others.
Carol Nguyen English Literature Q: Explore Carol Ann Duffy's reversal of traditional gender roles in her collection of 'The World's Wife' with a particular focus on the poems 'Little Red Cap', 'Mrs Beast' and 'The Kray Sisters'. Carol Ann Duffy challenges traditional gender roles through the satirical subversion of classical myths in her collection 'The World's Wife.' Duffy employs a critical feminist tone in order to place emphasis upon the female perspective and undermine societal perceptions of women within literature as 'cute but essentially hopeless.' She aims to invert the stereotypical gender roles by reinterpreting the archetypal 'female' through empowering the voices of the female character whom would usually be overshadowed by males. Although, it has been disputed that Duffy's poetry is misandrist due to her dismissive persona towards men.
Discuss Caryl Churchill’s presentation of the roles of woman By placing two women in an interview situation, Churchill creates from the start, two characters that we subconsciously begin to compare and contrast. ‘right Jeanine, you are Jeanine aren’t you?’ The apparent lack of interest and her own sense of superiority over Jeanine combined with the blatant uncertainty of her name in the first line of the scene gives us a clear understanding of Marlene’s character and attitude towards Jeanine in the passage. Churchill presents the two woman’s conflicting backgrounds and primary interests in life in a way that clearly represents the society that they are written in. Marlene and Jeanine both symbolize two different aspects of society, on one hand there is Marlene, a highflying, ambitious ‘Top Girl’ who encompasses everything that the ideal ‘power woman’ would have had in 1981, then Jeanine, a woman who aspires to have a job in a position of influence and authority, but also wants to have the ideal family life. This expectation is something that as a modern day audience, we can compare with the 1981 creation of the ‘power woman’ and the present day equivalent, who in this case is Jeanine.
Name: Elfreda Agyemang-Duah Index Number: 10243654 Course Code & Title: ENGL 608 American Literature Topic: Images of Women in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry Course Instructor: Prof. A.A. Sackey Introduction The representation of women in literature has been a major subject in literary circles. This basically stems from the way in which women are portrayed in literary works. In the western world, women writers from the time they were allowed onto the literary scene have challenged the way in which women are represented in male literature. They championed this cause believing the images of women in male authored works were all stereotypical and as such did not fully capture the images of women. In correcting this image, women are writing themselves and their stories.