Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender in literature
Gender in literature
Gender equality in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
But try as she might, “She couldn’t make him look just like any other man to her. He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring.” (106) This was a new kind of love, a more dangerous type of love that Janie had never before experienced and as she so aptly says, “Ah done lived Grandma’s way, now Ah means tuh live mine” (114) No longer will security dictate Janie’s definition of love, it is time for her to make her own interpretation. Tea Cake and Janie soon get married and start their lives anew in the Everglades, blissfully coexisting and enjoying the others company.
In the world of theatre, a place which tends to be reserved for liberal expression and socially progressive content, Bekah Brunstetter’s The Cake appears to be somewhat of an anomaly. This is not to say that the play condemns or lacks representation of the social matters which are so commonly highlighted in contemporary theatre. In fact, The Cake very thoroughly explores the unceasing debate surrounding the topic of marriage equality. However, Brunstetter’s thoughtful characterization forces audiences to consider a perspective that is rarely supported, or even acknowledged, on the stage.
In “Bedecked”, Redel raises attention about the different approaches to parenting in a situation when a parent’s son is more flamboyant than society would deem acceptable. Redel can handle the criticism and “other mothers looking”, but wanted none of it to change the purity of how her son “loves a beautiful thing not for what it means- / this way or that”(16-17). She ends her poem by asking readers if their “heart was ever once that brave”, for going against social norms and not confining to them (21-20). In addition to the older woman and younger man double standard, Calbert's “In Praise of My Young Husband” lists examples of the world’s different romances to note that there is not just one single type: “young lovers like to drink too much / and make a drunken, careless love, / why couples always cook so much” (19-22).
This incredibly humorous idea, of the stag and hen night before the wedding, gives the audience a clear and simple over view of the lifestyles present in the 1980s, as characters throughout the play give out continuous hints regarding: sexual references, alcohol and sexism, which could have been a personal choice by Rourke to present
Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” is an enthralling memoir about a young girl’s peculiar childhood, which involved her family’s funeral business, infatuating trips, family turmoil, solitude, and her befuddling relationship with her masterful artificer of a father; in which similarities ranged from obsessive compulsive disorders and literature to sexuality. The most profound being homosexuality. Bechdel utilized duo-specific, speech bubbles, as well as, subject-to-subject paneling to illustrate the complex father-daughter relationship where Alison and Bruce Bechdel perpetually attempted to compensate for each other’s eccentric gender behaviors. Initially, both Bechdals yearned for different genders, imposing expected behaviors upon the other.
George would not agree with Mr. Birling because Mr. Birling says “you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else,” show that he doesn’t care about anything but himself and his family. Whereas George gives up his whole life for Lennie which he is not related to. Mr. Birling will never do it in his whole life. Curley and his wife’s relationship are all about power and hurting other people and is a loveless marriage. Curley married her because of her beauty and to get higher social status.
The Manipulation of Societal Expectations and Power In the short story “Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze”, Eliza Haywood shows how societal values, standards that people are expected to follow, can also be manipulated to a person’s favor. In the eighteenth century, a woman’s reputation is extremely important because her actions do not only represent her character, but it also affects her ability to find a husband and wed. Finding a husband is an act necessary to survive as a woman in this time period. However, the protagonist pushes the boundaries of societal limits by actively pursuing and having sexual intercourse with a man dressed as four different characters. Although, the protagonist is extremely careful when it comes to hiding her identity,
The short story has expressed the theme through a character’s first exprience of sexuality. “I never knew this would be so embarrassing! I can’t watch them anymore so I turn around to Brad who still is”(page 4). Deidre feels very embarrassed by watching her dad having conversation with Rita.
In Kiss and Tell, Alain de Botton humorously describes a situation between tactless and socially oblivious parents and their uncomfortable adult daughter, Isabel, who is on a date with her new boyfriend. Using immaturity and a lack of etiquette in the actions of the characters, multiple examples of irony, and the anticipation of Isabel’s father’s actions which all ultimately lead to a comedic effect, de Botton produces a universal experience that brings humor to the audience while commenting on family dynamics. To depict the immaturity and lack of etiquette in the actions of the characters, de Botton uses juxtaposition in the setting, onomatopoeia, and other literary devices. De Botton intentionally sets his story in a theater with an “elegantly
Katherine Mansfield wrote about an aged woman, Miss Brill who is isolated from the real world. Miss Brill attempts to build a fantasy life to protect herself from the harsh facts of her existence. The short story “Miss Brill” is very descriptive and has decent examples of imagery to help readers better understand and see what is happening. Robert Peltier mentioned that “Miss Brill” has a rise and fall in each paragraph, so in his overview of “Miss Brill”, he also “chose the rise and fall of every paragraph to fit her, and fit her on that day at that moment” (Peltier), to help readers picture what is happening. The character Miss Brill does not look past what is present, which causes her to be narrow minded and not understand why things happen
Sometimes the things we do for others don’t always go as planned. That was the case for the innocent wife in “Birthday Party” by Katharine Brush, as what was thought to be a nice gesture by the wife, was viewed as a crime by her husband. This small event can be an indicator of a crumbling relationship, and through literary devices such as diction and shifts to portray this deeper meaning. The harsh adjectives used throughout this piece paint a story much darker than simple botched celebration.
The table glows in the warmth of the November sun that shines through the dining room window. A smooth, golden finish blankets its 45-inch diameter, and its presence seems to warm the crisp autumn air in the wood-frame farm home. The table, purchased for the home the newlyweds have rented, is to serve their children and grandchildren in the years to come. The year is 1925; my father 's mother, tall, slim, hunched shouldered, works in the kitchen. Her hair lies in a thick, straight bob parted on the right side and held in a silver barrette on the left.
After Tea Cake’s death, Hurston wrote “She had come back from burying the dead.... The people all saw her because it was sundown” (Hurston 1). This quote illustrates that the brightness of change died with Tea Cake, but the memories and lessons lived on forever through each new sunrise of every forthcoming morning. Janie learned that although marriage consists of a relationship between two people, marriage must contain individuality to a particular extent. Janie finally experienced satisfaction in a marriage when Tea Cake allowed her personal freedoms and individuality through inviting her to be equal to him in such activities as playing games and hunting with guns.
One author that does this is the author of “The Story of an Hour,” here are three way she does it. One is that she shows the attitudes of marriage of the time. During the time that the story represents
Leguin opens up the story with the wife saying that she doesn’t understand it and that she doesn’t believe it happened and although she saw what happened she refuses to believe it. She refused to believe it even though she saw it her own eyes because he was a gentle and kind-hearted man. The facts were shown to her and there was no denying the event that occurred yet she refused to believe it because her perception of her husband wouldn 't allow her to accept it. Throughout the story, the wife describes he character of the husband and his traits.