Feminism In Brave New World

What liberal feminism has done most convincingly is breaking down how modern society discriminates against women within male dominated fields. In the light of this theory, liberal feminists have given the equality of rights to modernity. This perspective could not be comprehensive however to the difference between men and women, but there has been success in proving that this difference does not mean inferiority (Zerilli, 2009). (MacKinnon, 1989)The feminist theory goes deeper into exploring the nature of gender oppression using other perceptions of the feminist

Huxley uses this to criticize the ridiculousness in the standard of which people are held in society; both men and women are judged on their physical beauty and, in some instances, are labeled of their worth due to their appearance and its perception by society. The novels examples of Linda being ridiculed on her “hideous” appearance further serves to shed light on the sexist nature of the role of women being judged and men being the judges in western society. Moreover, the fact that “nobody had the smallest desire to see Linda” after her traumatizing experience with Tomakin which left her in bed rest, is set to apply a satirical comment on how after a woman has “lost her youth” she is seen as no longer useful to society (Huxley 153). Huxley uses these instances to comment on the underlying sexism seen in literature and gender roles of society which force women to strive to only obtain physical beauty for the sake of being “useful”; in contrast, this sexism usually consists of labeling men for being

Is he also changing his masculinity by applying certain gender patterns that are specific for women? Martha’s behavior displays a high amount of vulgarity and aggressiveness. She constantly denigrates George telling him,

Is it necessary for us to have such a system? But, this patriarchy system is a way for women to blame men in the first place. This actually suits the contemporary world but when thinking about such a system in slavery time within the slave men is clearly not possible with them having much in their plates already. The less known fact about this system is that it also affects men just like women. Toni Morrison in Beloved emphasizes Paul D’s weakness by humiliating him at the hands of so-called weak and restless women, contrasting to the patriarchal tendencies.

In other words, men only see woman as a toy for sex; men used them whenever they wanted and threw them away like trash after they’re done. In fact Iago, Emilia’s husband thinks this way too, as he once states what he thinks of women, he says, “Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk: You rise to play and go to bed to work” (2.1.114-115).He believes that women act and play as a lady and a housewife during the day and they work hard to please men during the nights and that’s their only job and responsibility. To be specific woman was considered dumb and why not? They never got education as it was a taboo in the English society.

The text is said to have almost ridiculed the Irish people in terms of their culture and lifestyle. The journal briefly discusses the male to female relationships along Gerald of Wales’ journey. Sexism in this particular travel narrative is displayed in a way such that women are viewed to be on the same level as animals and are viewed as filthy— having hair and dirty bodies. The text “A goat that had intercourse with a woman”, when “The wretched woman proving herself more a beast in accepting him than he did in acting, even submitted herself to his abuse” (Gerald 75) females are also associated with having intercourse with animals. But, the question is, exactly what kind of beast is Gerald referring to?

Instead, “The bourgeois sees his wife a mere instrument of production.” (Marx, Chapter 1) They see their wives as mere tools, not as human beings to be valued for themselves. In addition, Marx accuses bourgeois men of treating their wives as sexual objects who can be used by anyone to satisfy their urges. He also charges that the bourgeois men of believing that they can take any woman they desire.

David objectifies every woman he meets, thinking of them only in terms of their physical appearance. In addition to objectifying women, David also believes that it was a man’s duty to please women by desiring their beauty. For instance, David assures himself that he is helping Melanie, justifying to himself that her beauty is meant to be shared. However, this is contradictory because it uncovers the fragility of David’s masculinity through his need for female validation.

Emilia, however, believes in the equality of genders, “wives have sense like [men]. They see, and smell” (4.3.105-106), acting as a middle ground between the idyllic views of Desdemona and the misogynistic ones of Iago. The men, including Iago, in the patriarchal society in which she lives in do not reflect her ideals, and thus causes her to speak disparagingly of men: “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food” (3.4.121). While Iago embodies evil and deception, Desdemona represents benevolence and truth. When Emilia begins to reveal the dark truths about Iago, he demands her to be silent.

Shakespeare’s play, Othello, deeply explores the effects of jealousy on a person. Shakespeare also portrays the different types of jealousy and alludes to the causes of them. Othello is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare around 1603, about a man, Iago, who plots to take revenge on a Moorish soldier, Othello, for he has “done my (Iago’s) office”. The deaths of several people, including Othello’s wife Desdemona, Iago’s wife Emilia, Othello and Iago’s companion Roderigo, were all directly linked to Iago’s actions. Othello illustrates that jealousy often leads to revenge, jealousy can prevent a successful relationship, and jealousy leading to one’s downfall.

[1] Looking at the operation of ideology throughout Western art history and visual culture, Berger points out the unequal relations between men and women as well as the difference between their social presences. Unlike a man, whose presence is tied to “the promise of power which he embodies” (45), a woman is being noticed by how she appeals to men. She is seen as nothing more than a “sight” or an object to please the “the ideal [male] spectator” (64). In Chapter 2, other than many images of women, Berger includes a few photographs of raw meats and soup ingredients (41). What is his intention here?

Feminism is the philosophy, found in both literature and society, that the Western world is fundamentally patriarchal. Throughout the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, there are several examples of women being oppressed, as seen through the feminist critical lens. Miller uses male characters to reference to women objectively to help demonstrate this. This teaches that women are oppressed not just in literature, but in life. The female characters gain power in a male-dominated society through an elaborate plot of accusations and executions.