Ⅰ.Introduction
Simone de Beauvoir once depicted female’ gender identity like this way, “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”2.Evidently, she believes the female group itself, does not own a born ability of abiding the norm of what female “should” do.This kind of role is called female gender role.There’s no doubt that some seemingly-hidden social forces are distorting the natural reshaping of female’ self gender role.
Literature is a mirror of reality.When we look back at the development of modern Chinese literature,it’s not complicated to capture the subtle change or revolutionary remodeling of the female characters.More and more eye-catching heroines touch the bottom of our heart by their characteristic personalities and diachronous
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Her higher education level is only a path to marry better.A qualified woman should be tolerant towards the demand of her husband, parents and the society.These gender stereotypes rooted in the Chinese history are like fog, numbing and redirecting the self-revolution of Chinese female.LI Ruijue,a relatively minor character in Ba Jin’s masterpiece:Family, represents a brand group of female who are situating their gender role all life long as a typical eastern lady:they are imprisoned in the exquisite house,staying far away from the noises in the outside world,they learn the" three obedience and four virtues" along with the basic knowledge of poem-writing in their early childhood.The influence of this sort of knowledge pushed them to bear the heavy burden of old morals and norms3(Zhou, F. (1999). Research on tragic female characters in the modern Chinese literature). Ruijue is a typical female literature character,whose gender role is all obedient to the traditional gender stereotypes,she was forced to marry with someone she didn’t know,she calmly accepted the superstitious arrangement on her bearing baby in the rural village,which finally leads to her tragic destiny of dying in …show more content…
She once declares war upon the ugly gender stereotypes and says bravely:"we are the possession of ourselves,no one,neither my father nor my uncles can get in the way of my choices!"4The declaration is not only a courage to break away from the yoke of the paternal power,but also a reflection of the new-style gender role:being an educated,independent and thoughtful
I read the book, Bound, written by Donna Jo Napoli. The book is about a young chinese woman, who is bound to her father’s second wife. This is because he passed away and, back in 17th century china, young woman had very little power or say in situations. Also woman were thought to less value of worth then their livestock. Throughout the day’s of dealing with her step mom she, loves to do poetry and calligraphy.
Maxine Hong Kingston's use of talk stories in The Woman Warrior emphasizes that individuals will find a more fulfilling life if they defy the traditional gender norms place on them by society. While contemplating beauty standards in Chinese society in “No Name Woman” Maxine Kingston thinks, “Sister used to sit on their beds and cry together… as their mothers or their slaves removed the bandages for a few minutes each night and let the blood gush back into their veins” (9). From a young age girls are expected to be binding their feet and are told that it is to look beautiful, but in reality that is not why. When a womans feet are bound they are restrained and silenced. These girls could be free and happy but they are restrained by men through this binding.
Traditionally structured gender roles place both men and women into very strict categories. However, as we move into the future this way of thinking becomes increasingly archaic. Thinking of such things in such black and white terms gives one a narrow point of view and places people in categories which they do not fit. In Octavia Butler’s Dawn and William Gibson’s Neuromancer the ideas of the feminine gender role are redefined.
Towards the end of the story the author is taking a stand against everything that is traditionally “woman duties.” There must have been a constant battle between Fa Mu Lan’s chant in her head and her
Deja Patterson English 3 Honors 2nd Block Mr. Colagross 4 January 2016 Doubt Analysis: Oppression of Women It is said that as a woman you are suppose to stay home, clean up, breed and raise the children. Women were not allowed to hold a higher job or success than men because they might feel intimidated and their ego might actually shirk instead of being inflated. The concept of how women are suppose to portray, have been suppressing women into these roles by both men and women since the earth has been created.
The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable
“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.
Instead of a delighted ending where she had a family, others ended dreadfully that she committed suicides. The story of Fa Mu Lan provided an alternative sense to the Chinese traditional beliefs and the low, degrading status for women in society. The protagonist is trying to find answers from listening to the heroic struggles of Fa Mu Lan to improve upon her current Chinese- American life. According to the quote, she is unwilling to do chores and breaking dishes purposefully while washing them.
There is a distinguished balance in the relationship of women and men and it is visible in coexisting and procreating beyond themselves. In making decisions that are influenced by mistakes sometimes, one person gets the short end of the stick. In Hills Like White Elephants, the feminine role is displayed by a woman named Jig, whose feelings and thoughts get pushed aside to cater to the main male character’s wants and needs. In this case the “operation,” that cannot even be called by it’s true name or else the objective to persuade would not be met and ruin their lives. Masculine and feminine attributes have been visible in literature from the beginning of language, with the response of love and forcing one’s self to put aside: “me” for “you.”
In “The Field of Life and Death”, Xiao Hong uses the characters’ suffering and symbolism to demonstrate the breaking of traditional male and female roles. As Howard Goldblatt mentions in the translator’s introduction, “the villages’ fatalistic attitudes and repeated mention of the four distresses (birth, old age, sickness, and death) are unquestionable” (xiii), Xiao Hong represents these distresses with the main female characters without reservation in the process of childbirth, aging, disease, and death. Through childbirth, men shrink from responsibility 1. Childbirth and responsibly 2. Old Age and 3.
Who are you? Do you define yourself as man or woman? How do you know? Born biologically male/female, do you know how to behave in a masculine/feminine way? Of course you do!
In the essay “The No Name Woman” by Maxine Hong Kingston, the story of living in a traditionally male-dominated Chinese society with a very dysfunctional family structure is told. The villages would look upon the men as useful, and women as useless to their society. Kingston, the main character, learns this first hand from how her aunt was treated. Kingston’s aunt, The No Name Woman, is victimized by a male-dominated society by being shunned for an illegitimate child. As a woman, the odds were automatically against you in their society.
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.
1.2 Background Females are an integral part of human civilization. No society or country can ever progress without an active participation of female in its general development. The status of female in society is directly linked with social and cultural traditions, stages of economic development achieved, educational levels, attitude of the society towards women, social and religious taboos, women's own awareness and political attainments. Through the centuries, the image and the role of female have been observed and studied in various ways, and the acquired knowledge has been recorded in literature, works of art, religious texts, mythology and codes of social behaviour.
The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.