Throughout time, women have been expected to adhere to the stereotypical roles set for them. In my essay, I will focus on how women have been continuously marginalized and stereotyped into roles assigned to their gender causing gender inequality and sexism. I will convey this by analyzing the I Want a Wife article by Judy Syfers. I Want a Wife was written during the feminist movement in 1971 to address the ridiculous expectations that were set for women, especially during that time period. Although Syfers article was humorous and even ironic at times, it was also significantly serious and delivered a powerful message to readers.
A few themes that are shown in these poems include feminism and social standards of women, self-strengthening and transformation. Defying social standards on women is a common theme that can be easily identified in Duffy’s work. Modern standards of achieving the ideal body figure can also be seen in addition to the traditional idea of women being submissive and obedient to men. Emphasis is placed on feminist ideas of defying such suppression and rejecting such social ideas on women. In Thetis, suppression and degradation are shown through the use of metaphors.
Feminists around the world turned to literature to advance their perspectives. One play commonly cited as a feminist text is “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen. Written in the nineteenth century, Ibsen’s play describes the struggles of a woman who desires to step outside society’s conventions. Although Ibsen argued that his work was exclusively about the human condition, Ibsen unintentionally created a feminist play. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen is a feminist play, as shown by demonstrating the risks of defying societal norms and the burden of gender rules through many of his characters.
Her first and most prominent work, The Book of the City of Ladies, tackles the issues of misogyny and sexism head-on by acknowledging women’s contribution in history, providing an alternative to the dominant narrative (which was largely written by males). In The Book of the City of Ladies, three allegorical figures—Lady Reason, Rectitude, and Justice—appear before Christine, where they discuss the oppression of women and the misogynistic subject matter used by contemporary male writers. Under the guidance of the Ladies, Christine then goes on to construct the City of Ladies, a place of refuge for all good and noble women, impenetrable by the malicious attacks of sexist male writers. Through the celebration of women and their achievements throughout history, de Pizan was able to counter the negative stereotypes associated with the female sex since antiquity. Ultimately, de Pizan argued that women, like men, are capable of adopting virtuous behaviour and following intellectual pursuits.
• Methods of research: • Using books, written theories and internet research and findings to discover the representation of women in society. I will compare the different theories constructed in my research to find a common thread that can be analysed. The argument will be structured as follows: - Introduction: This will include the definition and meaning behind the gaze and introduce my stance on how woman are represented. In this paragraph I will give context and introduce to the reader what my essay will be about – by discussing the gaze theory and linking it to how woman are generally represented. - Body: This will include all theories, descriptions and research that I have gathered about the gaze and how it inks to woman in history and modern day, how the gaze of woman has changed through time, and how the gaze has altered power.
It will discuss what effect these approaches had on society especially women. According to Hooks (2000) as cited in Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”. It is necessary to explain the different types of feminism that are present in society first. Freedman (2001:5) states that there are many
As a literary movement, feminism in African novels has a long tradition in bringing about change in society, especially on how women are treated. It tries to elucidate unfairness and humiliation of women and focuses its attention on their emancipation and awakening. Adichie portrays her female characters not as the usual depiction of women in African novels as mere sex symbols - inferior beings who should be under the control of men – but rather as an audacious and self reliant woman. The innovative writers of Africa have a clear mental picture of the ideal society and they have stressed on the need to combine the best in the old cultural traditions with the progressive ideas of the modern world. They have also expressed their bitterness against the corruption in the independent African states and they have protested against the dictatorial forces, which are trying to mishandle the
Politeness theory can be also exemplified by analyzing the discourses within the Arabic play Women 's Prison / sejn Al Nesaa which is written by a female playwright who is said to be a feminist and always calls for women 's right in the Egyptian society and that was not common at that time. By this play, Fathiya Al Assal tries to focus on women who suffer suppression and how women were treated as inferior creatures who are below men. FTAs as well as negative and positive politeness are crystal clear in this play. This is supported by the following examples: […] ليلى: "انا ماليش في السياسة لا انا مافهمش في السياسة لا"-1 سلوى: (تهمس لليلى في هدوء) "لو امبارح في النيابة اديتيهم بطاقتك ولا باسبورك كانوا ادلوا على شخصيتك ومكانش زمانك معايا لوقت"
The subjugation of women by the age old norms of the hegemonic society led women to endeavor in paralyzing the circumstances; the insights to raise their voice varied, but the one which is effective is writing as life is reflected in literature where readers are enlightened with the knowledge which can revolutionize and bring change in tradition. The reasons for feminism has its roots in the western world which is reflected in Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’ which dates back to 1924 and Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex’ (1949) .These works have come as a reaction to the society where women are restricted to play submissive roles. Some of the significant themes which befit are: subjugation, marginality, patriarchal society, and
In American Literature, there is a woman who was polemical in the 19th century for her writings. She was Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a woman who found herself in the progressive era, where women were trying to open their path to equality, and during this process, Gilman saw many injustices against her gender, making her act with the creation of writings where she expressed all of this and influenced feminism across the US. In fact, The Yellow Wallpaper is one her most famous literary pieces and is the one that will be discussed in the following lines. Charlotte Perkins Gilman use of symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper is present in almost any paragraph, making it the main literary device applied to address the moral issue on feminism concerns and the male superiority complex along with the social norms of the