Rhetorical Essay “I am obsessed in becoming a woman comfortable in their own skin”, is something that Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter and Janie Mae Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God would most likely agree on. Both of these women in their stories were constantly treated differently because they were not men. A major theme in both these novels would be that female oppression is practiced in the society and how the women in these novels overcame the differences that society has thrown at them however, these novels differ from the process that the women experienced to gain their independence. These novels are similar because both women experienced troublesome time while being under the influence of male dominance.
It was highly expected for the women to obey either their husbands or father’s decisions. At that point in time women weren 't as well respected, men were always the most dominant. Julia Alvarez could portray that otherwise by the four sisters showing women 's self-worth and righteousness. Minerva was unhesitant about women 's right she was first to join against Trujillo. Each sister had strong characteristics to show their willingness to not give up on a better life for them and their children.
LIMA 1 Some may say that although some may women may relate, none are the same. They all have qualities and morals that differ them from the rest. Some may be victims to domestic abuse, yet others would never let their spouse think of raising their hands to them. Some are more feminine while others feel less comfortable behaving girly. Some are free-spirited, while others abide by all the rules society places on females.
A Husband’s Control: Women Must Defer to Her Husband in All Matters of Marriage and Obedience As the narrator introduces her story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the reader goes back in where a women is considered fragile in her mind and naïve to the world around them. The narrative depicts a woman’s strife while personally suffering “nervous depression” (376) and how such a malady happened to be treated by her attending physician, whom is also her husband by the name of John. In 1899, polite society dictated and observed propriety at all times therefore, wives and unmarried ladies were expected to defer to their husband or the oldest living male family member within the residence.
Another example would be, how all women during this time are looked at to play a certain role and never to step out of their role. Throughout one's readings of Go tell it on the Mountain it is bold how the writer expresses that the female has no type of consent toward her growth as a person. The female role is forced to follow by the male of the household's rules. The male has the say within
The author creates a gender role inversion between the characters of Betilak’s wife and Sir Gawain through many comparisons in their actions. Bertilak’s wife takes on more traditionally masculine traits while Sir Gawain is described with more feminine traits when the two characters are together. In the first bedroom encounter of the two characters, Bertilak’s wife sneaks into the guest bedroom where Sir Gawain is sleeping and says “let’s make a truce, or I’ll bind you in
Throughout his “Divine Comedy,” Dante Alighieri encounters with two women, who are antithetical to one another in terms of their roles in the context of love. These two women; Francesca di Rimini and Beatrice, have similar emotional experiences since both have relationships outside marriage; yet, they have different roles when Dante explores the notion of love. The reader meets Francesca in Inferno, while meets Beatrice in Paradiso. In other words, one of them is being punished, whereas the other woman is placed at a divine level. Thus, the female characters within the poem represents two distinct roles of women: either as a pure and holy being, or as a sinful entity.
As we look at marriages in today’s day and age, it is difficult for a man to be more dominant over his wife. Women are allowed to work in any profession they choose, and do not need to rely on a man for money. However, centuries ago in the progressive era, men were superior and dominant over their wife. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel “The Yellow Wallpaper” portrays this type of image where a woman is controlled and trapped in her marriage by her husband John. In this era, they considered articles exposing issues like this as muckraking.
The main difference is that women are seen as an object and not as people. This is due to the unfaithfulness of both of the king’s wives. I found it brutal and unreasonable how the women characters in the stories are treated. The woman was clever in managing to survive in a society where women were not valued. The structure relies on her bravery and cleverness.
Lindo is forced to live almost as a servant to her mother-in-law and husband, conforming to idealized roles of feminine submission and duty. Because An-mei’s mother is raped by her future husband, she must marry him to preserve her honor; whereas he, as a man, may marry any number of concubines without being judged harshly. Ying-ying’s nursemaid tells her that girls should never ask but only listen, thus conveying her society’s sexist standards for women and instilling in Ying-ying a tragic passivity.
For example, Esperanza states that “I am the one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate” ( Cisneros # 89 ). This reveals that Esperanza is not going to fall in the category of all other women who has to follow all the rules and clean up after the men. This also shows that the girls are always expected to do certain things and which is becoming a maid for a men. The women are just supposed to do all the cleaning, pushing, and the men are like the guests who needs special care. The women has no freedom when they are always looking after the men and cleaning all the men’s
Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam makes many valid points about women’s identities in marriage. Mariam’s choices throughout the play reflect her understanding of the fact that in the world she lives there is no space for a chaste, honest, independent woman. The standards that a woman of the time are impossible and Mariam’s attempts to grapple with them are doomed to fail. After experiencing the freedom of self expression afforded to her after she believes her husband has died she is unwilling to re-enter the position of a subordinate.
Those concepts being that both of these women in these short stories have no control in their marriages and are treated like objects. “The Leaving” is a story of a mother and daughter going on a three day adventure to ponder about how they can come back from their small journey, and receive the respect they deserve. They arrive back home with a huge amount of determination, to finally acquire that respect. “Another Evening at the Club” is a tale of a young 16 year old girl involved in an arranged marriage with an older man. She is faced with a dilemma of helping another young girl who is a servant or to not say anything so that she can protect her husband's reputation.
Gender Inequality: A Woman’s Struggle in “The Yellow Wallpaper” In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Charlotte Perkins Gilman captures the lives of women in a society based on societal expectations during the late nineteenth century. She focuses on the issue of gender inequality where women were often discriminated against and expected to fulfill the role of a perfect wife and mother. The narrator is based on on Gilman’s personal experience of suffering from her treatment for postpartum depression due to the social restrictions on women which represents a reflection on women's social status in society. The narrator, who remains anonymous, is depicted as a depressed and isolated prisoner who is oppressed under her husband’s control and struggles to break free.
Furthermore, Feminist Criticism provides a better view of literature because it shows that women can be powerful. When Emilia finds out that her husband has been plotting an evil plan she says,” Tis proper I obey him, but not now”(Othello V.2.195). Emilia refuses to help her husband after she finds the cruel intentions he has despite the expectation of women always being submissive to their husbands. Women also have a voice and feelings, they are capable of defying their husbands commands when they know what he expects is simply wrong. In a literary article,The Role of Women in Othello: A Feminist Reading states that,” Society weighs heavily on the shoulders of women; they feel that they must support the men and defer to them, even if the actions of the men are questionable” (Literary Articles).
