Serena Nanda 's Neither Man Nor Woman is an ethnographic study about the lives of Indian men known as the hijras. Through interaction with the hijras and her study of Indian culture, Nanda provides a glimps into a unique society and lifestyle. Nanada goes into specific detail about the lives of hijras beginning with the process to become a hijra, their lives and their treatment and placement within Indian culture. Nanda's defines the hijras as “...the name given to a full-time female impersonator who is a member of a traditional social organization, part cult and part caste, of hijras, who worship the goddess Bahuchara Mata. Hijras may be eunuchs with partial surgical sex reassignment; their sexuoerotic role is as women with men.” (Nanda) Hijras are (typically) castrated Indian men who self identify as women or of neither gender “As ritual performers, they are …show more content…
Throughout Neither Man Nor Woman, Nanda interviews hijras and intoduces the reader to a life changed by infertility. The life of a hijra begins when a man is unable to produce childern. In chapter 2 Nanda introduces Lakshimi, “...a beautiful young hijra dancer, who had undergone the emasculation operation a year before I met her, said, "I was born a man, but not a perfect man." Nanda the introduces Neelam “... a transvestite homosexual who had not yet had the emasculation operation, told me, " I was born a man, but my male organ did not work properly so I became a hijra.” (Nanda 15-16) The reader also encounters Salima, an hijra who as was born “intersexed” (a person whose genitalia is neith male or female.) Because of her condition, emasculation was not required for Salima. She like others, began the life of a hijra at a young age beteween 10-13 years old. (Nanda
Also offering the view of gentility as a whole into the lives of
Williams begins the article by explaining that the western convention of a male-female gender binary is not consistent with other views throughout the globe. As evidence of an additional perspective, Williams introduces the berdache tradition, an American Indian gender. Berdache are born male physically, but are not masculine and do not fill society’s typical male roles. As berdache is not a concept present in western culture, Williams conveys berdache as being somewhere between male and female. Following an introduction of the berdache and their behavior, Williams explains a brief history of American Indian religions and the spirit of the berdache.
From that day on, she learns to adapt to her life. Another physical and mental transformation she experiences is pregnancy due to a rape. “Only women have babies, not girls” (Kamara 67). Her mindset is forced to shift from taking care of
Shori is discriminated against by the Ina’s because of the color of her skin. Her point of view shows us how hurtful this is to her, but also how she overcomes this. Shori is a strong woman and leader, and defies female gender discrimination. The novel gives us a view of her quick thinking and impulsive actions through her narration. Additionally, Shori and her symbionts explore polygamy and homosexuality.
Julia Alvarez, in her poem “’Poetry Makes Nothing Happen’?”, writes that poems do play a role in people’s lives. She supports her idea by using relateable examples of how poems might change someone’s life. Her first example is simple, poetry can entertain someone on long drives. This does not only aply to long dirves however, Alvarez uses this to show that poetry does not have to have a big influence on someone’s life, instead it can affect a person in the smallest of ways, such as entertainment. The second example describes poetry comforting someone after the loss of a loved one.
“Nikki-Rosa” Poem Analysis In the poem “Nikki- Rosa,” Nikki Giovanni writes with diction and imagery to prove that’s she had a happy childhood in spite of her family’s hardships. Giovanni creates a poem, that although short in words, provides a lasting effect on the reader. Giovanni’s creative use of language and descriptive words, the distinction of black culture from white culture, and memories of average times that made her childhood unique and happy made this poem distinct and exceptional. Giovanni frequently references to her happy childhood in her poem using words and phrases that create an image in your mind showing you that her childhood was in fact a happy one.
The experience of transitioning from one world to another can be prevented due to obstacles that can possibly be challenging which may result in the growth of an individual. One may encounter barriers that can prevent successful transition, thus having an effect on their perception and the perception of others. The remarkable play ‘Shafana & Aunt Sarrinah: Soft revolution’ -2010 by Alana Valentine portrays the experience of venturing into a new religious world as both protagonists exhibit their juxtaposing perspectives on devotion towards religion as the cultural significance of the hijab becomes a barrier between generations. This provides the audience with an insight into Muslim women’s world, exploring their own identities in regards to
The women in Njal’s Saga take advantage of all the power they are given. Marriage is highly valued in the lives of men and women in this culture. The woman is usually given a choice to see if she will take the power of the household. This act is a very big
At the end of the story, the narrorator chooses the girl, but ends up regretting it. I too can connect with the regret he feels. He had a tough decision between the girl and the fish. The boy chooses Sheila Mant because he cannot resist her beauty. He describes how amazing the moonlight looks shining on her skin.
Written by the great Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon is where the song of African- Americans is sung with the most genuine and sincere voice in utmost entirety. In this essay, the masterpiece will be examined with gender studies approach and cultural studies approach, the function of Pilate and Ruth would be examined in depth, the suggestion that the protagonist should be more loving and caring for others would be fully explained, and the value of this book will be carefully examined. Part One: Critical Approach A significant character in Song of Solomon, Corinthians the First, can be analyzed through the gender studies approach and the cultural studies approach.
Love, Trust, and Family Renowned film critic Roger Ebert has praised Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding for the way that it “leaps national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature.” Indeed, despite the many differences that seem to divide people, there are also aspects of life that are present in the lives of everyone that can be used to relate and understand those with a different background. Throughout the story, the creators allow their audience to relate to a traditional Indian family through the emotions they share with the characters and the way that they deal with issues involving, love, trust, and family while still understanding the many differences between traditional American culture and the culture of those within the film.
The few personal stories from the women who experienced circumcision offer powerful additions to the horrifying nature of genital mutilation and how the poorly done operation forever ruins the women’s hygiene and health. The result of Soraya Mire’s choice to only showcase the graphic parts of female circumcision takes away the cultural meaning and importance of the practice. Soraya Mire’s strong opinion on female circumcision relates closely with the Western approach to viewing external cultures and disagreeing with practices that
NATIONALISM IN THE WORKS OF SAROJINI NAIDU ABSTRACT: Indian English Poetry is remarkably great. In Naidu 's poetry one can see the representation of the different colours of India and its folk cultures. There is also depiction of her secular outlook and patriotism as her theme of her poetry.
This chapter provides a review of available literature on social issues in To the Lighthouse. The basic focus is on the social issues related to every character in the novel. Issues like feminism, marriages, death, vision, religious doubts, optimism, pessimism, materialism etc. The relative work is connected to the objectives of the study. Mrs. Ramsay uniting family, and Charles Tansley religious doubts and degrading women, and Lily’s painting, similarly the marriages of Victorian and Modern Age through the characters of To the Lighthouse, and at the end how they all deal and respond to all these different social issues.
According to the famous sociologists Sylvia Walby, patriarchy is “a system of social structure and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women”. Women’s exploitation is an age old cultural phenomenon of Indian society. The system of patriarchy finds its validity and sanction in our religious beliefs, whether it is Hindu, Muslim or any other religion. For instance, as per ancient Hindu law giver Manu, “Women are supposed to be in the custody of their father when they are children, they must be under the custody of their husband when married and under the custody of her son in old age or as widows.