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The history of the portrayal of women in literature
Women portrayed in literature
Prostitution in the 20th century
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From 1815 to 1850, many issues occurred including the racial prejudice of African Americans and unfairness towards women. Starting at the beginning of this time period, African Americans were either born into, or later sold into slavery. On the other hand, women were treated unfairly because they had much less rights than men had. For example, women were deprived of their natural rights and were unable to vote, work in the fields, or own property. The U.S. did not fulfill the ideals of the Declaration of Independence for all people by 1850 because, slavery was still going on and women's rights were not fully accepted into the society.
First off, Maggie is quiet and shy. She is ashamed about how she looks. The story stated,”She will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs …” Maggie doesn’t know how to be outspoken. She hides herself.
This paper will discuss the well-published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomeroy uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomeroy uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses.
Maggie on the other hand, is characterized by her unattractiveness and timidity. Her skin is scarred from the fire that had happened ten or twelve years ago. Those scars she has on her body in the same way have scarred her soul leaving her ashamed. She “stumbles” in her reading, but Mrs. Johnson loves her saying she is sweet and is the daughter she can sing songs at church with, but more so that Maggie is like an image of her. She honors her family’s heritage and culture, by learning how to quilt and do things in the household, like her mother views their heritage.
Maggie in Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” plays the role of being the nervous and ugly sister of the story, however she is the child with the good heart. Maggie was nervous ashamed of her scars “Maggie was nervous… she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs”. Living in a house with a pretty sister and being the ugly sister with scars could be the reason why she picked up on a timid personality, being ‘ashamed’ of her own skin shaping her in a way that she degraded herself from everybody else. Maggie was not this way before the fire, her mother stated, as it is quoted that she had adopted to a certain walk ever since the fire.
Many portray the 1920s as a time of lighthearted leisure and prosperity. When in fact this period consisted of significant economic , social and cultural conflicts. Technological innovations sparked the economy and life post war was significantly different with the introduction to what we know as the “New women” the new women also sparked many social conflicts. Along with the New women tension between religion and science also sparked many important conflicts during the time we know as the Jazz Age.
During the early to mid-nineteenth century women’s roles were seen to be confined to domestic affairs, but this phase would only lead to a stronger voice for women coming from within the home. The Second Great Awakening in the early 1800’s sparked a need for religion in the American culture. Women dominantly filled the churches leaving men to fend the vices of the world alone. In efforts to bring religion back, a new role for women was formed, the Cult of True Womanhood (Ginzberg 8).
Within the past year, the treatment and perceptions of women have been challenged due to the various marches and movements. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romance, The Scarlet Letter, presents how women were viewed in a Puritan society, falling into a rigid dichotomy of either being the “saint” or “sinner.” This is otherwise known as the “Madonna/Whore complex,” which is explored through the life of the novel’s protagonist, Hyster Prynne. Her struggles and experiences through this dichotomy ultimately affect her both physically and emotionally as it represses her femininity.
As soon as Isabel notices her parents are attending the same show as her and her new boyfriend, she intricately details their current state and, in turn, this detail-orientation creates amusement. Isabel begins her description by comparing her mother’s outfit to a “willow tree”. De Botton uses this simile disguised as an insult to portray Isabel’s mother’s character as one of whom Isabel does not approve; it additionally implies her old age from which Isabel wishes to distance herself. Furthermore, de Botton foreshadows family crisis and turmoil in his introduction suggesting that Isabel’s mother has multiple “gentleman friends” as Isabel hopes “she didn’t come with one” of them. Not only is her mother unfaithful to her father, but, “with any luck, they’ll be too busy arguing to glance up” at Isabel and her date indicating an unhappy marriage.
American Women in the Late 1800’s Were married American women in the late 1800’s expected to restrict their sphere of interest to the home and the family? In the late 1800’s women were second-class citizens. Women were expected to limit their interest to the home and family. Women were not encouraged to obtain a real education or pursue a professional career. After marriage, women did not have the right to own their own property, keep their own wages, or sign a contract.
Marilyn’s troubled past promoted her decision to pressure her daughter, which eventually led to her demise. For example, after Lydia said that she lost her mother’s cookbook, Marilyn thought, “It was a sign, Marilyn decided. For her, it was too late. But it wasn’t too late for Lydia. Marilyn would not be like her own mother shunting her daughter toward husband and house, a life spent safely behind a deadbolt.”
Throughout Bram Stoker 's time in the Victorian Era, societal norms were prevalent in terms of the seclusion of women 's rights, as well as the religious revival of Catholicism. The time in which Stoker lived was when Catholicism made its breakthrough in english societies. In terms of prominent time periods,"The Victorian Age is in fact above all others an age of religious revival" (Arnstein 149). Because religion was one of the largest changes in the Victorian era, Bram Stoker was surrounded by efforts of incorporating Catholicism back into everyday life. In addition, Stoker grew up in an environment where the "Problem of women 's emancipation in nineteenth century Britain was...recognition for their achievements" (Jihang 49).
He describes Mary screaming, “ as though infected,” while the girls cower, “as though” they had been cursed. (118) These similes paint a detailed picture of the scene, intensifying the craziness and depicting the mass hysteria in the courtroom. Mary, due to Miller’s directing, embodies the sense of fear driving the panic of the scene. She sustains the wildness of all previous allegations through her exclamation that John Proctor is, “the Devil’s man.
Many people have heard that women in the seventeenth century had little to no rights, and that would be almost correct. In Amsterdam, women had more rights than most of the women in Europe at the time, which really, was not much. An unmarried woman had more freedoms than their married counterparts, but being unmarried in this century still had downfalls. If an unmarried woman never wed or had children in her lifetime many people considered it to be a waste of her life. An unmarried woman was allowed her own property and businesses but if she was to ever marry, then the husband would assume ownership of it all.
Prostitution Prostitution can be defined as the provision of sexual services for money. The word “prostitute” became common in the of 18th century. During the ancient times this kind of services had been supplied for economic rewards mainly by courtesans, concubines or slaves. Courtesans and concubines often held high positions in traditional societies. The main feature of modern prostitution is that women and men tend not to know each other.
