A. Rose Miller Period 5 11/21/2012 Lady’s Dressing Room Essay “A Lady’s Dressing Room” and Montagu’s Response The poem, “A Lady’s Dressing Room” is of a crude sort of off-color humor. I find it repulsive, in-your-face, and indecent. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s response was certainly understandable. The many insults she wrote toward men were justified considering what Jonathan Swift had wrote about women.
One of the ways this is illustrated through is in the second stanza he describes her as being ‘slapped up’. The onomatopoeic phrase suggests men’s sarcastic prejudice view on women as sexual objects; it also emphasizes the challenges the girl is facing in men’s attitudes toward her. Larkin also humiliates the girl by describing the obscene disfigurement to the image of her ‘huge tits... A tuberous cock and balls’. The taboo language helps to demonstrate more than just adolescent immaturity but deliberate and repeated attempts to degrade her by a kind of visual rape. However one could also argue that Larkin seems to justify violence against women by suggesting that access to women is something men have been unfairly deprived of.
The men are supposed to be sick with love, vehement about it, and so sweet a woman would have to accept his advances. The woman’s role is very much a broad, sweeping statement. This allows for the notion that women are property to be claimed to run as the undercurrent to the courtly love system. This is evident in the way that Arcite and Palamon, Theseus, and even the Gods force Emelye into a marriage she wants no part in. The Knight tries his best to maintain a noble and romantic air to his story but the tale itself contradicts that.
In the poem, it is the ‘pinnacle’ of the anger. It contrasts with the childlike language earlier on in the stanza, ‘snuffling pig’, which again highlights her anger, and suggests that the reason behind her anger is ‘childish’ or silly, but the anger is real. ‘Snuffling pig’ could be reflected in her husband- he is a ‘pi’ in personality, and he is supposedly ‘snuffling’ or looking for girls. This could be why she takes her anger out on an innocent creature Similarly, in Horse Whisperer, anger is shown in ‘foul hex’. Again, he is taking his anger out on an innocent animal, by making the horse unrideable, and therefore likely to be beaten or sold on.
However, the idea of women being unequal to men is quickly dispelled by Webster who appears to mock the misogynistic characters of the play and indeed, very possibly the misogyny of society as a whole at the time. This is most apparent through his evolution of Vittoria as a character and also a symbol of the downfall of sexism. This is most striking when considering Flamineo’s comment that “[perfumes, when chafed] expresseth virtue, fully, whether true, or else adulterate.” Portraying a key theme throughout the play of a true nature disguised beneath a thin veneer of sweet nothings. This facade of Vittoria’s is first revealed to the audience through her manipulation of Bracciano in her dream sequence. Whereby her constant play on the word “yew/you” (“both were
Rhona is making a reference to how beauty effects the way a male boss looks at his female employees. The play is suggesting that attractive women are not smart. Here, Mim is being used by Jim as a window dressing to cover up Rhona’s assumed unattractiveness, while Mim outweighs the smart aspect of the duo. Although I don’t agree with this assumption,
This is best encapsulated in the debate as to whether Annabella can claim to be part of a “wretched, woeful woman’s tragedy” if her mistreatment was indeed her own fault. The question of love and its moralities is a large one in the play, considering the taboo nature of incest. However, what causes an even bigger discussion is perhaps the representation of women in light of love. Despite preconceptions of incest, it is undeniable that at one point or another, we as an audience sympathise with the lovers Giovanni and Annabella. Though, upon closer analysis of their interactions, it becomes obvious that their filial ties are not the only issue with their relationship; Giovanni makes it clear to Annabella that she has limited choice in their union as he declares “that you must either love, or I must die.” Previously to such a statement, Annabella had not expressed her love to such a degree, but it’s almost as if he blackmails her into believing she loves him, as her sisterly love for him would mean she would do anything for him not to kill himself.
She often depends of men to lean on and protect her. She understands that sexual freedom does not fit the pattern of chaste behavior, which Blanche would be expected to conform. Characters: In the beginning of the play, Blanche Du Bois presents herself with an air of poise and elegance. However as the story progresses, Blanche, who is psychologically deluded about her beauty and attractiveness, reveals herself to be a neurotic and an alcoholic. Her flirtatious desires are split from her surface talk and behavior.
‘Men were deceivers ever.’ To what extent can it be argued that Shakespeare’s presentation of men’s attitudes to women in ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ allows for comedy? In Much Ado about Nothing, it can be equally argued that men’s attitudes towards women are actually used for comedy purposes, and it can be argued that their attitudes aren’t. For this argument, the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick at the start of the play can be seen as comical to the audience, as they both claim to dislike each other and take pleasure in making rude remarks to one another. On the other hand, the relationship between Hero and Claudio could be seen as quite dark to the audience, as there are accusations and trust issues between the two. The quote ‘men were deceivers ever’ comes from Act 2 Scene 3 of the play, from the song that Balthasar sings.
We can infer from his language that he feels a sexual attraction for them, one that he knows is wrong, since he's feeling remorse over hurting Mina, that he's in some way betraying her, though he doesn't say no, and seems unrepentant about his actions. “The fair girl went on her knees, and bent over me, fairly gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth.” (Stoker,