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Carrie Bradshaw's Queer Postfeminism Summary

548 Words3 Pages

At the very beginning of Orphan Black’s story, prior to the knowledge of clones with a myopic plot at hand, the leading female protagonist named Sarah only had the battle of internal conflicts where she had to become a responsible mother. Unmet needs and wants were driving this problematic character who seemed to only harm the loved ones around her. Instead of taking care of her six year old daughter, Kira, she lets her mother take care of her, while she goes out to the town and parties. Notwithstanding, once the onset of danger presses in, Sarah begins a transformational character arc which implements author Jane Gerard’s depiction of postfeminist women in her article “Carrie Bradshaw’s Queer Postfeminism”. Sarah was already being represented …show more content…

Separated from her daughter’s father, she lives her life in a unique fashion represented progressively towards an unfamiliar depiction of a mother. While Sarah places herself in danger, her daughter is the top priority in her mind at all times. Her goal prior to getting involved in the troublesome clone premise of Orphan Black was to procure enough money to run away and be with Kira safely forever. The relationship between her maternal aspirations and her masculine behavior exemplifies Jane Gerhard’s concise postfeminism ideals stating, “Today’s popular postfeminism explores the new possibilities afforded to women in the wake of feminist legal gains while at the same time reasserts and re-naturalizes what in the nineteenth century was framed as the separate spheres of gender” (Gerhard 2005, p. 41). Establishing the variety of lifestyles women can attain, all while preserving the traditional gender roles of a mother being the caretaker is what the protagonist demonstrates as she consistently reminds supporting characters of her goal. Daughter Kira spends much of one season, safe with her father in Greenland, while Sarah wards off the impending danger for her family. The temporary situation depicts the ability for women to have versatility in both masculine and feminine traits, but the foundation of maternal, female functions conserved. Although there is

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562 Words | 3 Pages

As the daughter of a respected farmer, she was raised with values of compassion, resilience, and empathy. Sarah possessed a thirst for knowledge and a love for nature, often seeking solace in the woods where she would immerse herself in books of folklore and herbal remedies. Her strong-willed nature and independent thinking marked her as different from the traditional women of her time, drawing both admiration and suspicion from the townspeople.

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631 Words | 3 Pages

The novels' portrayal of gender is more nuanced than their portrayal of race. The novels delve deeply into the intricacies of gender identity, including the intersections of gender, sexuality, and motherhood. The novels also highlight how gender influences relationships and social dynamics within communities. In contrast, while race is an essential factor in the novels, it is not as nuanced as the portrayal of gender. The novels highlight the experiences of Black people and their struggles in a racially oppressive society.

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879 Words | 4 Pages

During the 1800s, women were supposed to adhere to the ideas of a patriarchal society. According to scholar Rula Quawas, womanhood during this time period consisted of “a sharp dichotomy between the home and the economic world outside that paralleled a sharp contrast between female and male nature; the designation of the home as the female's only proper sphere … and the idealization of her function as a mother and a wife” (Quawas 44). While men were expected to leave home and make money for their families, women were encourage to work in the house and take care of their children. These narrow expectations for women caused them to be economically and intellectually dependent on men. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the character Jennie embodies this stereotypical function of a woman.

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328 Words | 2 Pages

Who runs the world? Girls. Laurel Thatcher wrote that “Martha Ballard was as independent as an eighteenth-century housewife could be” In her essay she analyzes the diary of Martha Ballard; a midwife in the 18th century, who recorded her experiences and work on a daily basis in her diary. Laurel Thatcher proves that Martha Ballard was an exceptional independent woman who was also constrained by the expectations put on midwifes. Thatcher portrayed the quality of women’s lives through the life of Martha Ballard and the women around her.

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544 Words | 3 Pages

While reading Shira Tarmant’s chapter “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like” I almost felt disconnected from other feminists. I’ve always believed in equality for all genders and supporting each other without demeaning each other in the process. Why was I feeling this sense of disconnection? I realized during my readings that I didn’t make this connection not because I haven’t experienced sexism, but because growing up in small Aboriginal communities it was viewed as tradition, rather than sexism.

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1724 Words | 7 Pages

In this type of narratives, women are represented as subjects, capable of relating their own story. However, despite the increased room for the subjective representations of consciousness, the maternal perspective is still silenced under the weight of the daughter 's emerging subjectivity. In Oranges, the mother herself renounces to her power to speak. When she starts suspecting that her daughter’s lesbian tendencies, and thus the girl’s deviance from the heterosexual norm, may be due to the power they were given inside their religious community, she decides to step back, affirming that ‘the message belonged to men’.

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503 Words | 3 Pages

“Hating Queerness Without Hating the Queer”, written by Emma Green, explores the relationship between progress in the LGBT movement and changes in the philosophy of evangelical leaders. The article discusses recent wins for the LGBT community, such as the legalization of gay marriage, and how new policies impact notably conservative groups. A major theme of the article is how an act like legalizing gay marriage does not immediately make it “okay” or “permissible” in the eyes of everybody—it is likely, and realistically expected, that there will be opposition. Representing a group of conservative Christians, and a self-labeled evangelical leader, Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers a unique perspective

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1208 Words | 5 Pages

It is heavily demonstrated that women are reliant on men when O'Connor describes how the Grandmother lives, “Bailey was the son she lived with, her only boy” (O’Connor). This suggests that because the Grandmother seems to

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838 Words | 4 Pages

Her father ends up being alive and explains to her how the council runs the community and how the field contained of no beast. He gives kira a choice to either stay or come with him, she stays because she wants to better her community, but now she knows Jamison tried to kill her father she thinks he also could have killed her mother. Kira stays for the few people she truly cares about and plans to change the community through her

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660 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel, women seem to live lives that are not only harder, but also subordinate and limited because of women’s specific roles, Dewey Dell’s abortion response and Anse’s method and thoughts of a relationship.

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252 Words | 2 Pages

Kira is dynamic, throughout the story she changes into a much stronger person. She used to not have any of the needs but then an opportunity came to where she was able to gain her basic needs. She then made strong bonds with people

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

This year is the 30th anniversary of the publication of Margaret Atwood 's dystopian classic, The Handmaid 's Tale. The novel is told from a first person account of a young woman, Offred. In an age of declining births, she is forced to become a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, the imagined future in the United States. The Handmaids are to provide children by the substitution of infertile women of a higher social status. Through the creation of different characteristics of female characters – ones who are submissive yet rebellious, and like to take advantage of their power - Margaret Atwood portray themes of love, theocracy, rebellion, and gender roles.

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1122 Words | 5 Pages

Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, argues that women are instruments of the patriarchy, that women know this, and that women allow the system of oppression to live on. Her fictions ask, “What stories do women tell about themselves? What happens when their stories run counter to literary conventions or society’s expectations?” (Lecker 1). The Handmaid’s Tale is told through the protagonist, Offred, and allows readers to follow through her life as a handmaid while looking back on how life used to be prior to the societal changes.

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1141 Words | 5 Pages

Furthermore, the author displays a dystopian society completely dominated by a totalitarian and theocratic state. The main subject of this novel is the role assigned to women, mainly represented by the handmaids. In Gilead, the made-up country where the novel takes place, women are completely subjected by the government, and especially by men, who clearly have a higher status than women. Moreover, women’s freedom is entirely restricted, as they cannot leave their house at their will, they are forbidden to hold properties or jobs, they cannot read or write, and they are treated as sexual slaves whose only purpose in life is to bear children for elite spouses. The other option is a miserable, short life at the Colonies (a type of concentration camp), and death.

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826 Words | 4 Pages

This novel is also autobiographical. Throughout history, women have been locked in a struggle to free themselves from the borderline that separates and differentiate themselves from men. In many circles, it is agreed that the battleground for this struggle and fight exists in literature. In a

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