Similarities Between Women And Tartuffe

I am a white gay man. Before I begin my analysis, I want to recognize the parts of my privilege. I am not going to be using any other lense other than my own, therefore I thought it was important to preface that before I started my research. This essay will be about gender and race, and the intersectionality of it through Tartuffe (1664) and The Octoroon (1859).

Personal happiness and social obligation are always on the opposing end of the spectrum. They can also be one in the same. Literatures written over time express social obligation over personal happiness or personal happiness over social obligation, such works include “The Love Suicides of Amijima” by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and an excerpt from Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A vindication of the rights of woman”. These two stories are distinctly different in which they show more favoritism towards. Monzaemon’s play has a perpetual sadness issued by the fact that personal happiness caused the downfall of many characters. Wollstonecraft’s on the other hand centers around how personal happiness is better over social obligation because the social obligation of woman is what will cause their downfall into being nothing more than lessee beings than their male counterparts. These opposing forces leave major conflicts, conundrums and despair in their place when left with a choice between the two.

Wollstonecraft explains that women “they must be permitted to turn to the fountain of light, and not forced to shape their course by the twinkling of a mere satellite” (3). In the 1790’s women weren’t allowed to amount to the same standards as men. Wollstonecraft describes that the steps towards liberation were for all females to endeavour out into the world and find their own path in life. They must be able to have access to an education and make their futures whatever they wanted them to be, then they would use their knowledge towards improving society. Feminism is still a major issue today and society views it as a great thing, for the sexes to be

William Shakespeare 's "Othello” can be analyzed from a feminist perspective.This criticism focuses on relationships between genders, like the patterns of thoughts, behavior, values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within sexes. A feminist examination of the play enables us to judge the distinctive social esteems and status of women and proposes that the male-female power connections that become an integral factor in scenes of Othello impact its comprehension. I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions

All throughout time women have been treated differently from men. They were not given a voice or trust but was it for the better? I am deciding to defend feminist because women need to be treated better and in this essay i will show you how women were treated and why it 's wrong. Although i believe in defending feminism some believe women should not be treated equal. I am explaining this through showing that men were not expected to love their wives. The feminist lens provide modern society with the most compelling view of literature because men don’t trust women, men think women are cheaters and whores, and women don 't have a voice.

Rousseau states that women should be "passive and weak", "put up little resistance" and are "made specially to please man". Wollstonecraft wonders how someone as Rousseau “lowers his sentiments when describing women and interprets his words as the rationalization that women are in fact, considered either moral beings, or extremely weak that they must be entirely subject to “the supreme faculties of men. Therefore, there is a contradiction in Rousseau’s words, why women should not receive education, if they are equal to

Feminist point of view means the analysis of any literary works based on the feminist perception. Feminism has gradually become broad and noticeable in its attacks on male-dominated society. The Shakespearian era of the 16th century was a time when women were very inferior in the society. If we compare with other writers, Shakespeare was always careful of women and tried to give them respect in his different writings. If we look at his famous play named Othello we need to judge the equality of women in terms of political, social and economic perspective. The feminist perspective challenges sexism and other beliefs and practices that result in the domination of women. When we look at Othello from feminist point of view it is important to note how the women of this play are treated and stereotyped.

Wollstonecraft strongly believed,“...both sexes must act from the same principle…” (Doc D) Wollstonecraft strongly wanted both sexes to follow the same criteria and be given the same educational rights, so that women could be wiser and more virtuous. Wollstonecraft and Locke both believed that all should be equal and this supports that women are one of the groups besides religion that were not given as many rights as others. She also thought,“...women must be allowed to found their virtue on knowledge...to full fill their peculiar duties...to free them from all restraint…” (Doc D) All three of them thought [Wollstonecraft, Voltaire, Locke], you have to free them from restraint and set some boundaries so that everyone agrees with each other and people are

The main argument was woman can everything man can do. The purpose it was written was the failure of the French Constitution to give woman rights. Wollstonecraft saying that woman need to educate their children and be the best wife to their husband as can be. Wollstonecraft wrote, “But few parents are willing to receive the respectful affection of their offspring on such terms. They demand blind obedience, because they do not merit a reasonable service: and to render these demands of weakness and ignorance more binding, a mysterious sanctity is spread round the most arbitrary principle;”(CH 11) (Pg 2) Wollstonecraft is advocating that if woman do not have an education they will feel like they don’t have anything quality to teach her children, so then her children will not respect her. Also if woman don’t have education they can’t be a good companion. If she knows more about the world she will able to do more things for her husband. For example if she knew how to

Gender role refers to those behaviors and attitudes that are considered to belong to one sex. Gender role is based on femininity and masculinity that differentiate women and men by giving men some roles and women which results to gender inequality. There some work in society that is regarded to belong to women such as cooking, taking care of children and other less important roles while men are given roles that makes them superior than women. Most of the gender roles associated with women makes them inferior and creates a room to be oppressed. Gender roles are constructed by society and attributed to women or men. In the book of vindication of the right of a woman, Wollstonecraft brings out clearly the roles of a woman in her society and how it has led to oppression of women (Wollstonecraft 22). Wollstonecraft believes that men and women are equal given the same environment and empowerment, women can do anything a man can do. In her society, education for women is only aimed at making her look pleasing to men. Women are treated as inferior being and used by men as sex objects. Wollstonecraft believed that the quality of mind of women is the same with that of men, and therefore women should not be denied a chance for formal education that will empower them to be equal with men.

Mary Wollstonecraft mentions in her essay that an education for women is essential, for it is their gender’s responsibility to educate and nurture the next generation of children. Quoted in the phrase “such an attention to a child as will slowly sharpen the senses, form the temper, regulate the passions as they being to ferment, and set the understanding to work before the body arrives at maturity” (Wollstonecraft 220)”.

However, biased expectations towards women, concerning both themselves and motherhood, have remained relatively unchanged. In, Maria, these expectations were addressed as the female sensibility. When describing Maria it is said that, “nay such was the sensibility which often mantled over it, that she frequently appeared, like a large proportion of her sex only born to feel” (Wollstonecraft 32). In any society men and women are expected to act a certain way. However, the female sensibility: which encompasses how one should dress, manners, etiquette, and reform have been used to suppress the position of women in society. Women are expected to sit quietly and look pretty and as a result they became what people expected of them. In A Vindication for the Rights of WomenVindication Wollstonecraft writes, “In their current state women are weak and artificial: taught from infancy that beauty is a woman scepter the mind shapes itself to the body” (Wollstonecraft 44). These expectations create a reality for women. For example, finishing school is the epitome of women’s sensibility. They’re sent away to learn how to fit into a society that is being dictated by men; they’re taught how to act, how to essentially be sensible. This puts emphasis on how a woman should look and act and that expectation creates the reality for women and they become a shell. Their only substance comes from the value that

Similarly to with education, Wollstonecraft is a strong critic of Rousseau’s ideas in relation to socialization. It can be inferred from Rousseau’s work that he believes that women are innately subservient as he believes that their central purpose in life is to please men. Wollstonecraft uses Rousseau’s work titled Emilius and Sophia: Or, a New System of Education to exemplify this notion as she mentions two characters from the piece named Sophia and Emilius who abide by stereotypical gender norms (Wollstonecraft, 78). Using these characters, Rousseau attempted to prove that “woman ought to be weak and passive, because she has less bodily strength than man and hence infers, that she was formed to please and to be subject to him” (Wollstonecraft, 78). Although Wollstonecraft agrees with Rousseau that women are biologically not as strong as men, she does not believe that physical strength is a reason for women to be seen as subsidiary to men. According to Wollstonecraft, the systems of education in place perpetuate socialization among the sexes which results in a society in which women are not using their reason while men lack reason. This knowledge brings the importance of education to the forefront as the current educational system is perpetuating inequalities among women by educated youth to conform to the stereotypical gender norms that are brought on by socialization. To combat the negative aspects brought on through the educational system which perpetuates inequalities brought on by socialization, Wollstonecraft calls for an educational system that focuses on understanding rather than one that nurtures sensibility at the cost of understanding (Wollstonecraft, 82). She believes that the current educational system contributes to some women’s dependence on men as due to the amount of time that women have been dependent, “is it surprising that some

In this chapter I would like to discuss and present Mary Wollstonecraft`s criticism on traditional philosophy on concept of women.

She reasoned that because men and women were both undeniably human beings, one should not be treated in a better way than the other. She wanted women to be allowed the rights of all men- life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. In her influential work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, she writes about how society views women as weak and treats them as inferior to men. She notices that any woman who tries to step out of society’s expectations will be looked down upon- “[Women] were made to be loved, and must not aim at respect, lest they should be hunted out of society as masculine.” She points out that in order for children to be raised as respectable people, their mothers should be educated and well-respected, since it is their job to raise the children. Wollstonecraft believed that a more educated woman would make a better wife, as