Women are strong, ambitious, and independent. These are all characteristics that are associated with many of the women today. The role of women has made great tramps over past eras, as we move closer toward a state of equality. From labels such as, ―Frailty, thy name is woman!‖ females now are productive, confident, members of society. Women now have a powerful voice in the occurrences of today”.
Throughout history, women have had to fight against stigma and stereotypes in society. In every era, from the ancient world to present day, females have been persecuted and taken advantage of due to their gender. In our previous set of readings, the female protagonists were strong characters who defied weak stereotypes, but were still viewed as lesser beings than men. In our second group of readings, where were written more recently, women saw a slight increase in their sovereignty. All depict women as powerful figures who use their wits to make a better life for themselves.
They had to stay home and look after the children and do the domestic chores while their husband went to work. In Judy Brady’s, “I Want A Wife,” she illustrates what women would do on a daily basis: “ I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, and replaced when need be. ...” Women were held responsible for doing everything for her husband and children. They never once thought of themselves, their lives revolved around their husband and kids. In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, she demonstrates how being restricted to one role because of their gender can, therefore, have major consequences just like how it did to Edna.
Who one loves and/or is attracted to is not indicative of woman nor man. Gender and sexuality, unlike performative acts, style, or patriarchal definitions and standards of woman are involuntary, decided by an individual’s genetics and DNA. A woman doesn’t lose or forfeit womanhood because she loves another woman, she merely performs and defines her own womanhood differently. Gender too has no say in the definition of womanhood. Male born individuals define themselves as woman via their attitude, style, gestures, performance, as well as through corrective surgery to make the physical body reflect the internal identity.
Maybe the author might not intend to, but the readers engulfed with the male-centered mindset might omit the position of women. It is worth demystifying the thought that women should only be visible to men. They have a fundamental role to play in the pieces of literature that we interact with and the society as a whole. Just as pointed out in this study, the society cannot succeed without the input of women, even if they are not seen in the forefront. Even though it would appear that Hildeburh did not succeed in the role she was intended to perform, the way she manages herself in the whole process is of great significance.
She breaks her thoughts down in order to show the indifference. She says that women are first portrayed as objects; this patriarchal society sees us as mere bodies. Thus, we are either regarded as objects or as bodies; the mind does not exists here. Here, the subjectivity does not lie in the mind, but within the body. Women’s sole purpose is to be that of another subject’s intentions and manipulations.
Despite the claim that the world has made progress towards gender equality, women are expected to depict feminine characteristics and mannerisms deemed suitable by society. Sandra Cisneros challenges these societal expectations in her poem “Loose Woman” by embracing the negative connotations of a masculine woman. Cisneros faces the pressures of conforming to the American and Latin American status quo of being a woman. Because Cisneros chooses to defy many womanly ideals, she is labeled with “undesirable” identities heavily influenced by religious beliefs. These religious views impact the social expectations of a woman’s sexual orientation as well as her social behavior.
This feminist reading of the poem makes many valuable and probable claims, however the feminist approach contains some weaknesses. This becomes evident in a lack of information about the type of society, and the reader therefore lacks a complete understanding of how the women are oppressed. As a whole, this poem sets forth the idea that female gender is fluid, and asks its readers to questions what it means to be a woman in a male dominant
Men tend to not see women as powerful or as smart as we actually are. On the other hand, Men just have to put on a nice suit and have a good haircut to look like the CEO of a big company. Society has taught us that women should be used as objects and that is all we are, and that is definitely not true. Women are forced to live their lives revolving around men. Some women think we have to dress and act just to impress men.
They come in all shapes and sizes, ethnicities and backgrounds, religions and sexualities. Evershed realizes this, and uses her personal struggles and the ongoing struggles of women everywhere to get a message across: women are beautiful, powerful, and strong. This is why there have been many women to join together and promote feminism; to stand proud