Thus, Karnad explores the possibilities of the gradual change that has been taking place as an under-current. His female protagonists are always in search of a new meaning to be added to their individuality, status and dignity. They are lustrous, passionate and philosophical and exhibit emotional intelligence in strive and fight for survival against the traditional concepts. The plays, Bali:The Sacrifice, Yayati, Hayavadana and Nagamandala examine how Karnad moulds and develops the female sensibility towards the wave of self-identification emerging gradually among women. 2.3 Female sexuality As sexuality is a key site of women’s subordination, it is an area that is receiving more attention in gender research. Women are not entitled for …show more content…
I married him for his youth. For his potential to plant the seed of the Bharatas in my womb. He has lost that potency now. He does not possess any of the qualities for which I married him. But you do…You have taken over your son’s youth. It follows that you should accept everything that comes attached to it.15 Yayati, by asking Chitralekha to accept the aged Pooru, tries to curb her claim of the sexual rights, which are so easily crushed in the patriarchal order. Chitralekha, in her fit of anguish even offers herself to Yayati to ensure that she would bear the child of the Bharata family. Chitralekha’s proposal shocks Yayati and he accuses Chitralekha for harbouring such ‘low’ thoughts. Here he expects a young girl to become an epitome of resistance and penance. The protagonist Chitrlekha is a modern, contemporary woman, who is seen asserting her place in the family and society regardless of gender discrimination. Her reaction against Yayati, her father-in-law is a courageous act never anticipated. She goes up to Yayati and demands her sexual rights. When Yayati refuses Chitralekha walks up to him and expresses her frustration, “You have your youth. Prince Pooru has his old age. Where do I fit
Serano contends that this belief system perpetuates the idea that men are entitled to women's bodies and attention, which is harmful to both men and women. Serano suggests that men need to consider their attitudes and actions toward women in the second half of her essay. She contends that men should acknowledge that women are unique beings with their own desires and agency. Instead of expecting sex or a relationship as payment for their positive deeds, Serano argues that men should focus on developing sincere connections with women. She also advises men to improve their communication skills and be receptive to female criticism.
Sexuality and gender are often confused in society. Women and men have biological differences; from these differences societal establishments are created within a community, culture, and or race. In the article “Dude, Where’s Your Face?”, Brandon Miller presents a study in which the social networking profiles of male homosexuals represent themselves and how they depict partner preferences. As a result, it brings up the discussion whether this population of people is trying to fit in with societal norms.
First unaware of these bounds, Tita later learns that she must abandon everything she has ever known in order to gain her autonomy. Born into such an authoritarian and traditional world, Tita’s emotional feelings and desires are suppressed and she struggles to find reconciliation between her life as nurturer and her desire for freedom and defiance.
Anne McClintock wrote her essay “Gonad the Barbarian and the Venus Flytrap: Portraying the female and male orgasm” to examine pornography and how it has changed throughout history and its effects on how women perform as sexual beings. McClintock focuses on the various roles of pornography such as its emphasis on voyeurism, pleasure, and the male ego. She wants her readers to know that women are still not represented in pornography to satisfy their own desires, but they are there to cater to men and their subconscious. I will analyze how McClintock argues that due to the history of sexism towards women, the roles that men and women have in pornography are inherently different because of the societal belief that women are only seen as objects of sexual desire and are solely there to satisfy the male audience.
In this twenty-first century, individuals have to think about everything they think, feel, and do because in some way or another, it affects their daily lives. Society today comes with expectations, hard decisions, stress, and fitting in. Because of the many hardships in life, women come up with mechanisms to help them cope with their struggles. While society today affects men and women, women face more hardships and get judged differently and harshly than men. In “Selections from Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” Leslie Bell argues that splitting is often young women’s preferred method to make sense of the dizzying array of freedoms before them” (29).
Being a women in every part of the world and throughout centuries has given women little to nothing of recognition about their bodies and achievements. Deborah helps us understand these difficult topics that a lot of women today are not comfortable talking about to other people and even other women. Deborah talks about women’s desire but she focus on teenage girls entirely. Who are at their peak of mental and physical change in their bodies.
“Doing Gender” by West and Zimmerman is similar to Butler’s “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution.” However, West and Zimmerman build upon the ideas that Butler puts forth. Butler focuses on gender as performance and how gender is made up by specific actions. While West and Zimmerman take the concept of performance and constitution and applies it to a new concept, the sex category and how sex categories and gender are intertwined in society. Sex categories and gender, according to West and Zimmerman, are different and interconnected.
During this week, we have covered numerous topics, none more prominent than the oppression of women. Everyone had different opinions, allowing me to take into account different views on the issue. In one of the texts we examined, “Oppression”, Marilyn Frye, a philosopher, debates the subjugation of women. She states the cultural customs that causes oppression of women. I do agree with her view that women are oppressed, but I do not agree that it is just women.
Hosseini illustrates the struggle of women and their endurance of being treated as second hand citizens through his female lead characters. An important theme he displays is the importance of education in woman and the effects it has on a
Other readings have discussed the history of sexuality—A history of Latina/o Sexualities. Throughout history, women were supposed to be passive. Women were there to please the man and ofter were viewed as the inferior. Sex was viewed as something that was essential only for reproduction; it was only to be pleasurable during a marriage and through very strict guidelines set by the church. This is still an influential way which women are being treated today.
This theme relates to the real world because gender inequality is a problem that has been faced throughout history. In many cultures in the past, women were in-charge of domestic work while men took the roles of public life. Be that as it may, both men and women took equally important roles; however, because of the longstanding gender bias in the world, the roles of men in society were glorified more than the roles of women. Today, gender inequality still exists in the world. Specifically, today’s women are faced with sexist comments and attitudes from men that put women down.
There are specific rules and regulations that women are to abide by to be considered appropriate. There becomes this self-imposed expectation that women find themselves abiding by. Young argues that women typically underuse and undermine the actual potential of their bodies. We do not use them to their full capabilities and all they have to offer. We
Government Arts College for Women, Thanjavur. Abstract: Identity crisis or search of identity has received an impetus in the Post-Colonial literature. Man is known as a social animal which needs some home, love of parents and friends and relatives. But when he is unhoused, he loses the sense of belongingness and thus suffers from a sense of insecurity or identity crisis. In the field of Indian English Literature, feminist or woman centered approach is the major development that deals with the experience and situation of women from the feminist consciousness.
Moreover, this restriction on expressing sexuality encourages passive behavior amongst women. In addition, linking a woman’s ethics to her body reinforces the double standard related to sexuality between men and women. Ultimately, being sexual is “stigmatized in women, but encouraged in men” (Heldman, Part 2). This double standard, combined with the expectations of passivity, reinforces the concept of rape culture. Women are expected to refrain from sex in order to embody purity and thus, are defined by what they do not do.
This relates back to the claim of how women were placed as the inferior sex since birth where they were raised to take advantage of their youth in order to simply please the opposite sex. Thus, society’s “ideal woman’s”