She shows how women can only be categorised as either an angel or a whore. It shows the way that women can only be judged at the time. She also frequently alludes to the “bad” women in literature to show how women could only be categorised in those binary opposites like Lady Macbeth or Eve. She uses rhetorical devices to explain how bad women are needed to disrupt the static order which is Patriarchy. Atwood also shows her opposition to the extreme feminism that existed in her time where feminism was influencing the creation of literature at the time.
In Katherine Wilson’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” she begins with a powerful introduction saying “this is about hair, breasts, and identity” (Wilson 21), insinuating it is going to be a gender identity piece. Reading more of the first page, you assume the thesis is about the common misconceptions of how a woman is supposed to look and how not looking that way could take away from a woman being a woman. Wilson gives the example of her hair being buzzed and people looking at her differently. Although she tries to argue the hardships of not looking like the normal female, Wilson’s argument fails to meet the rest of her story. She claims her argument is about “hair, breasts, and identity,” she is really just ranting and raving her being disrespected and her own issues of being black.
This essay will outline and assess each approach in turn. Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that focuses on the hypothesis of patriarchy as a system of power that organises society into a complex of relationships based on the assertion that male supremacy oppresses women. With regards to religion, they see religion as serving the interests of men. The French feminist, Simone de Beauvoir provides an explanation about why gender inequality in religion exists. According to de Beauvoir, religion acts very similar to women as Marxists see it acting on oppressed classes.
In this novel, Julia Alvarez manages to capture and express the true feelings of women which deconstructs the stereotypes through Yo. Feminism is defined as “a political movement that works to achieve equal rights for women and men” (Hirsch 113). For the past ages, women were seen in the society as inferior to men and were greatly excluded from education and the right to property ownership. A British feminist named Mary Wollstonecraft argues, “educational restrictions keep women in a state of ignorance and slavish dependence” (Blake 117). The shattering of classifications and stereotypes, and the subversion of traditional gender roles, and the concept of sisterhood or unity among women are among the main tenets of feminist criticism.
Life is Nothing but a Hazy Shade of Gray Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif” is a short story about two girls, Twyla and Roberta, their relationship and various run ins throughout the course of their lives. Recitatif’s main underlying theme deals with racism. The theme is obviously present, Morrison makes it known that the two girls are of different races, but he intentionally does not define them by their color. This decision forces the reader to come up their own assumptions and ultimately strengthens the message of racism and the understanding of the point that Morrison is trying to make. Toni Morrison gives clues that leads the reader to formulate their own guesses about the girls’ ethnicities by saying that they are “like salt and pepper” (Morrison 140).
The author prefaces her own reading of the Odyssey with an analysis of the issues posed by the earlier feminist readings on which she builds. Should the Odyssey be read as a "closed" text, that is, as one whose meaning is highly determined, or as an "open" text whose contradictions and ambiguities undercut its overt meanings? Siren Songs presents a feminist critique of the Odyssey in an accessible manner aimed at a more general audience. All Greek is translated, and critical terminology is clearly defined. Lillian Eileen Doherty is Associate Professor of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park.
Close Critical Reflection of Diane Dubois' 'Seeing the female body differently': gender issues in The Silence of the Lambs. Dubois (2001) argues that The Silence of the Lambs (1990) although of popular cinema does not follow the typically conventions of patriarchal film, and argues that is it a 'profoundly feminist movie'. (Taubin, 1991, p.129, in Dubois 2001) The approach to patriarchal cinema is based on the theory of voyeurism, male gaze and the 'passive' female (Mulvey, 1975) and also suggests that women pose a threat to patriarchal society. Like Mulvey, who’s theory is centred around Freudian ideas of patriarchy, Dubois also takes a psychoanalytical approach to look at the gender issues in The Silence of the Lambs. The Silence of the Lambs as a film explores the idea of the active female, Dubois discusses this throughout her essay and uses Clarice Starling's position in the FBI, a predominately patriarchal institution, to explore the her character in relation to this.
Fitzgerald openly shows his opinion that women generally have low moral qualities, and demonstrates this by the actions and speech illustrated by the three main female characters in the novel; Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson. His portrayal of them appears to expose a disturbing, misogynistic view of women in the 1920’s. Others would say this is not the case and his approach to how he presents the women has a much deeper meaning therefore implying that Fitzgerald could in fact be a feminist. In my essay I will discuss how I feel that Fitzgerald’s experiences with women are mirrored throughout the novel and undoubtedly display his general ‘underlying hatred’ for the female kind in the Jazz Age through his constant implications of the negative characteristics women possess. Like the central character of The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald had an intensely romantic imagination; he once called it "a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life."
The third theory is cultural theory in which people believe that immigrants pose as a threat toward the cultural norm (Wallace 2012). The Chinese exclusion acts where based off the cultural theory and all three theories can be used to argue the reasoning of the 40% increase of hate crimes in the United States of
Losing Our Sense of Self: Media Distorts Female Body Image An Annotated Bibliography Alexander, Alison, and Janice Hanson. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Mass Media and Society. 8th ed. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill, 2005. 50-69.