A Jury Of Her Peers Rhetorical Analysis

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In “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and "If” by Rudyard Kipling, societal expectations are rooted in gender stereotypes that are used to limit one’s autonomy and freedom. Through these gender stereotypes, there are societal expectations that are used to constrain one’s ability to exercise autonomy. - maybe define autonomy or find a synonym In "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, societal expectations are established through gender stereotypes. Evidently, when Mr. Hale points out John Wright’s indifference towards Minnie’s opinions, one can see this. “I said at the same time that I didn’t know what his wife wanted made much difference to John—” (Glaspell 48). Through the

Additionally, this expectation is further proved when the women find Minnie’s dead bird: “‘No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird,’ she said after that — ‘a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that too.’” (Glaspell 55). John Wright’s action of killing the bird shows the societal expectation that women should put men's desires and opinions over their own self-expression, creating submissive roles in relationships. This illustrates how gender stereotypes shape societal expectations, leading to Minnie living in the confines of submissive roles for women, ultimately constraining their autonomy. Similarly, in Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, Girl is subjected to many societal norms, set up by her gender. For example, “This is how you smile to someone you don’t like very much; this is how you smile to someone you don’t like at all” (Kincaid 43). This further proves the gender stereotype that women are almost always pleasant and nice, leading to the social expectation that girls should behave accordingly and put politeness first, even if it is not implied. Suppressing her feelings and true self-expression,

Kincaid uses the word “slut” to describe a promiscuous woman, a gender stereotype and offensive term Girl will be described as if she doesn’t dress modestly or, in this case, hem her dress. This stereotype leads to the social expectation that women should change their appearance to be viewed or they will be viewed as inappropriate. As a result of this, Girl is limited from the freedom to convey her feelings, as it will go against social expectations. Lastly, this can also be seen in If by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling quotes, “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same” (Kipling, 45, lines 11-12). Men, according to the gender stereotype, are supposed to remain emotionally detached. This leads to the social expectation that men are supposed to remain stoic and unaffected with both wins and losses. This social expectation limits autonomy by pressuring men to maintain a fake state of aloofness. Furthermore, Kipling quotes that “If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone” (Kipling lines 21-22). Although the use of the word “sinew” is usually used to describe a tough tissue typically found in tendons or ligaments, in if, it is symbolically used to represent