Feminists are often stereotyped as angry, man-hating, unattractive women who scream absurdly about their political views. These stereotypes make women feel embarrassed to call themselves feminists (Stereotypes about Feminism). It is essential that all women consider themselves feminists simply because women are still being oppressed today and there is a need for equality. To begin, women should not be ashamed to call themselves feminists because women are still being oppressed today. Our culture believes women should be dependent on men and this forms a belief that women need men to survive.
However the traditional role of femininity that was enforced upon women by a stringent and somewhat vigorous society was changing and these two texts challenge the traditional role of femininity both directly and indirectly throughout. The lack of communication and action of characters in As I Lay Dying is often conspicuous. As one would expect, this often leads to an obscuring of identity for both the female protagonists alongside males. Addie is scathing of words in particular. For her, they are just a “shape to fill a lack”.
Additionally, basing the discrimination on the fact that women have periods and might see a man naked or be seen naked trivializes the desire these women have to be the best and to be recognized for it. These women have been in less than ideal conditions, as have their male counterparts and the minor adjustments that are made don’t seem to cause mission failures or lasting psychological damage. Additionally, speaking to the idea of how our nation feels about women killing or being killed in combat, I have to point out that women’s lives are no more or less valuable than men’s are. As the mother of sons, I don’t feel one bit different about my son dying in combat than anyone else would feel about their daughter doing the same. I believe very strongly in a woman’s right to choose what is right for her and her family.
Sexism in the Odyssey The equality of the sexes has been a touchy subject for more than a century at this point. Before that, women were, without a doubt, inferior to their brilliant male overlords who could clearly do no wrong. Media, such as stories and the like, seemed to wish to express that as much as was physically possible. Whether it was stories about women being raped by the protagonist, or even the story of how the Trojan War began; wherein three women are being materialistic and shallow, thus starting a bloody war, there is little subtlety to the expression of the fairer sex in ancient literature. Even in a story which purports to be filled with moral values, such as Homer’s Odyssey.
This essay will analyze both these books and state examples of gender inequality. Multiple perspectives are found in these stories about gender inequality. An example found in The Trojan War is when Hebuca was speaking of Aphrodite saying, “Men blame her for every mindless act that they commit” (Rudall 48) Aphrodite had not done anything wrong, yet men still blamed everything they did on her. This shows that men blame women for acts that are not their fault. Women know they are not to blame, because they have not done anything.
Whilst Ismene grasps these notions, her sister, Antigone, does not. Antigone does not care about the previously set declaration of Creon, as she believes it is wrong. Creon will “not…keep [Antigone] from [her] own” (47). Although Antigone acts upon emotion because of the repulsive treatment of her dead brother Polynieces, she plays the role of a character resisting the preconception set by Creon that women are lesser then men. Opposing the viewpoint of Antigone, Creon, shows us his ideas of the role of a woman.
The use of ‘evade’ tells Abigail that he cannot be overcome and therefore she cannot overcome god like she has taken control of the Girls. Miller has used a comma before Hale says Abigail to prolong the pressure that Abigail is under as well as to lengthen the dramatic tension. The women of Salem are only seen as house wives, doing the normal roles of a mother and wife. Miller exerts an extreme amount of pressure on them to be a certain way; it is like Miller is expressing his view on women in ‘The Crucible’. The society preaches freedom however value uniformity more.
Before, women were not as strong or opinionated as a man. They didn’t speak up very much and played their role as a wife. When a woman wants to speak up or has an opinion guys don’t like they are portrayed as a bitch, or it may even be said that they are bitchin. “These days the word bitch is as loaded as the term feminist-both are lobbed at uppity ladies who dare to speak up and who don't back down” (Humphrey p26). She then goes on to talk about how this is not to say that bitch is down with being gratuitously mean or catty; no, we just know that taking a stand is usually more important than being nice.
The loss of peripheral vision was unnerving, and she did not like the suffocating way the pleated cloth kept pressing against her mouth” (65). Khaled Hosseini’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns” focuses on the plight of women in Afghan society. It is in this society that the burqa is used as a symbol of both the repressive nature of male dominance and the suffocating effects of submission. Much like in the novel “Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, women are seen only for their reproductive purposes. They are only considered a means by which to pass on the family name and business, not as loving caring individuals.
Seeing as these women are feminists, it may be the case that they are biased and possibly sexist because none of the feminists have shared any evidence-based opinions on women becoming more equal – just women being mistreated and exploited. The majority of the sociologists studied seem to bend towards women being equal, and these sources appear the most valid given that they are more