Armand quickly places the blame upon Désirée, stating that it must be her that is black. Désirée is shocked at this conclusion made by her husband. The story states, “A quick conception of all that this accusation meant for her nerved her with unwonted courage to deny it” (3). Women in the seventeenth century were essentially seen as only a “pretty face” made to take care of her and her husband’s child or children. It was uncommon for a women to stand up for herself, such as how Désirée defended her origins.
Society, especially within the deep, Antebellum south, plays a major role in the actions of characters Armand Aubigny and Desiree within the short story “Desiree’s Baby”. The importance of high social status and reputation put pressure on both characters to maintain a socially acceptable image. This emphasizes the racial prejudice seen within the time period while also creating the main external conflict within the story. Kate Chopin creates tension through Armand and Desiree´s internal and external conflicts. They both struggle internally because of their family backgrounds, while their external conflict stems from prejudicial views and expectations within their society.
Winifred Morgan’s article, “Gender-Related Difference in the Slave Narratives of Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass”, examines multiple fundamental differences between male and female slave narratives. Morgan says, “However, given the pervasive impact of the ‘social organization of the relationship between sexes’, gender influenced even the way in which bondage was experienced; men and women experienced it in different ways.” (n.pag) Women in slavery not only faced dehumanization, but sexual harassment and rape as well. A slave woman dealing with these aspects daily could break down their life into pieces and destroy their personhood for their whole life. Jacobs writes, “The remembrance fills me with sorrow and shame. It pains me to tell you the truth, and I will do it honestly, let it cost me what it may.
When it comes to the rights of women one faces problems when it comes to one making their own personal discussions. This just a smear of the social problems that a woman faces. For generations, women have been stigmatized though intersectionality and multiculturalism. Although this may be, women have accomplished obstacles that other humankind has not. We have changed the mindset for our daughters and the future generations to come.
O’Connor has a distinctive style of writing that expresses this message through characterization, conflict and literary devices. From the first page, Flannery O’Connor describes his mother by making sure her characterization skills fulfilled to the max. Julian’s mother comes off as a strong and hard-headed woman who has the mindset that Negroes are inferior to whites. “’They were better off when they were [slaves],’ she said…. They should rise but on their own side of the fence.’” Julian’s mother is double-minded and shallow unlike her son Julian.
Tituba is in her forties. Parris brought her with him from Bardados, where he spent some years as a merchant” (17). The Commercial slavery was the logical extension both of the need to acquire a cheap labor force for burgeoning planter economies, and of the desire to construct Europe’s cultures as ‘civilized’ in contrast to the native, the cannibal and the savage (Ashcroft et al., 1998). The slavery system not only consumed the black physically but also destroyed them spiritually. In The Crucible, Tituba, a black woman and slave, is suffering from loss of ambitious to return home under slavery.
Mr. Darcy had assumed that Jane was not worthy of Bingley due to her social class and embarrassing family. He claimed that he thought she did not love him the way that Bingley loved her, and it caused them to split. Fortunately, this did not affect Bingley and Jane’s relationship, as he proposed to her later. Lastly, Lady Catherine’s pompous and arrogant attitude towards Elizabeth when she found out that she and Darcy were connected in some way caused the couple to get married. All things considered, social class in Pride and Prejudice played a big role in how the plot progressed and determined the resolution of the
In Everyday Use, all the characters, the narrator, Dee and Maggie, in some way clash with their society. For example, Dee has too much pride in being an African American, which would have definitely been a clash in that day and age. In The Color Purple, Celie clashes with society when she breaks out of the norm for an African American woman. Lastly, both books at some point, have a scene where a character questions their identity, except regarding different
Slave narratives provide eloquent arguments against the inhumane practice of slavery and serve as crucial documentations of America’s reprehensible history. Frederick Douglass, a famous black abolitionist, fearlessly published his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass seven years after his escape from bondage. Douglass powerfully details the physical hardships of a male slave and the evils that occurred within slave plantations. Similarly, Harriet Jacobs–once free–published her narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Jacobs tackles the emotional tribulations inflicted upon herself and other women of color by their white masters.
The African countries have a patriarchy system which is male domination and it rooted in culture. Men have more power over women which gives birth to issues of oppression, violence ,abuse and inequalities .Social workers addresses these issues through different interventions such as group work ,advocacy, empowerment of women and the girl child and educating the girl child from the roots. For example in Tswana culture men are head of families, they make decisions without the consent of women. African feminist advocates for the rights of women and equality between men and women. According to Khumalo et al (2002) In Zimbabwe they are payment of lobala, arranged marriages and levirate marriages in the Shona culture so the male assumes dominancy.