ipl-logo

Neocolonialism In Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters '

981 Words4 Pages

Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters exposes lives of numerous characters living in the postcolonial Philippines. Hagedorn vividly paints the picture of a society freed from the foreign oppressor that still clings to the imported values and struggles to recreate itself. The postcolonial confusion and a sense of a lost national identity have allowed for a newly formed nationalism to spread. Yet, the influence of the former U.S rule lingers as society remains infatuated with Hollywood movies, soda drinks, and shopping. The Hagedorn's novel displays “the pressures that neocolonialism places on gender, as well as the pressures the gender places on neocolonialism” (Chang, 637). In this transitional period, men try to recover the patriarchal supremacy in …show more content…

Her unsuppressed sexuality produces the appearance of a wild and uncontrolled woman, but in her relations with men she proves to be tamed and submissive. She is used, and often abused, by her powerful lovers, firstly, the colonial representative, the Englishman who fathered her child, and, secondly, the new neocolonial delegates: the General and the tycoon. For the renowned movie star, these men were “all the same…Carrying around her used panties as if they were a fetish, like a piece of her they had carved off, like her skin” (Hagedorn,226). Sex, for her, is the means of support, it provides her with luxury and she willingly accepts the price she has to pay in return. The first encounter with Luna’s character in the chapter appropriately named “Surrender” portrays her on her knees with her lover, the General, standing above her and pulling her “unruly hair” (Hagedorn, 127). Luna’s lovers need her to exercise their macho potency, as she is another women “in a nexus of suppression, ownership, and violence” (Ashok, 4) only deceiving herself that she is the one who has the control. Lolita is surely worshiped for her beauty and sexual endeavors, and richly rewarded with capitalist commodities, but, whenever she tries to rebel she is constantly reminded that she is a merely kept woman at the mercy of her lovers. In that respect, she is no better than her lovers’ submissive and fully adapted wives. On the other hand, unlike the First Lady and Isabel who enjoy their parts, disgusted Luna always feels the need to escape. Her abuse of drugs in the solitude of her white and sterile bathroom that she perceives as sanctuary provides the rare moments of deviation. Lolita’s desire to buy “her own ticket out of the country” (Hagedorn, 228), verifies her need to abscond the

Show More
Related
832 Words | 4 Pages

The work was rich in its to some degree flighty points of view on the "zeitgeist" which fundamentally affected the workings of society and the general population who worked inside of it. Regardless of the seriousness with which Anna is managed, the book proposed a far less antagonistic reality for ladies even in this timeframe which was not the most worthwhile to the female sexual orientation. Rather, the work endorsed the failings of the period and Anna 's battles, to the defilements inside of the political system which came about as a result of the profound and societal inquiries the mainland was starting to ask of higher

Read More
1209 Words | 5 Pages

The end of the eighteenth - beginning of the nineteenth century England was characterized by the downfall of the revolutionary “Jacobin” movement which advocated for freedom and equality, and symbolizes a return to, as well as an empowerment of the conservative British patriarchal system. This was the context in which Amelia Anderson Opie wrote “her most political novel”(King and Pierce, viii) Adeline Mowbray, a tale which provides a case study about, as Roxane Eberle notes, “progressive ideas that heterosexual relationships can and should exist outside of marriage”(1994: 127). As a result the clash between these innovational type of relationships and the English legal and social norms collide in their representation of models of proper conduct for women. Although Opie’s fiction is roughly known or read nowadays, her writing technique made her be considered one of the representative women authors of that period.

Read More
1235 Words | 5 Pages

The sexualization of Indigenous women perpetrates a stereotype of women who mature at a younger age and are not only sexually active, but sexually provocative. Within this document the effects of sexualization are first seen by the calling of Mary as a ‘squaw’, a term that at this time would have had sexual connotations to the colonists reading the Boston News-Letter. Today, this term is recognized as an ethnic and sexual slur, but in the Algonquin language, ‘squaw’ could either mean a wife, or a woman with whom a man had a romantic or sexual relationship. The use of this term when describing Mary’s relationship with John implies the two had a sexual, if not romantic, relationship. Additionally, this term also ignores any marriage the two may have had, as the author is consciously choosing to not call Mary John’s wife.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

In Reading Lolita in Tehran, the main character is a woman who is on her way home, and in her country, there is a law that says she needs a man to escort her in the streets. But her brother refuses to go to her location and take her home, so she is left with no other choice than to go home unaccompanied. To most people this is not a big deal, but if she is caught she could be severely punished by walking in the streets alone. In lines 49-52 the author states, “

Read More
1219 Words | 5 Pages

Sexual politics is defined as a “. . . difference in the amount of power that men and women have in a society or group,” (Macmillan, “Sexual Politics”). Philip Dick challenges the social norms of the 1950s in his novel Time Out of Joint, by briefly highlighting how women in the nineties acted and looked different, but more importantly, giving a woman a position of authority. There are two types of women characterized in the novel; the women like Junie, the stereotypical women of suburbia, or the women like Kay Keitelbein who represented changing women in a changing society. Kay Keitelbein embodied the women of the 1950’s who were ready to abandon the idea of what women’s roles were and redevelop them for the future.

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

The Victorian Era is known for a pious, sexless society where women were considered inferior. While strides have been taken, there is still an inherent bias against sexually liberated women. This shame is still relevant to society today because of its abuse by those in power. Day by day, political scandals involving sexual assault and rape are being revealed on the news. This is only indicative of the willingness of the elite to abuse those working under them- especially young naive women.

Read More
533 Words | 3 Pages

Quilty portrays his devotion towards viewing children and women not as people, but objects meant to be used and taken advantage of. Hence, because Lolita loved him and did not want to get tangled in sexual activities that did not involve him, Quilty stops pursuing her and instead, disposes her like another one of his useless accessories. Quilty’s obsession over children reflect back on American culture and its constant creation of porn. Amy Adler discusses the “sexual exploitation of children” in America (Adler 212) and how the “culture drenches itself in sexualized children” (Alder 213). Consequently, similar to Quilty’s character in the book, America oppresses children and is obsessed with using them to make money, regardless of the violence that they might inflict on them.

Read More
1059 Words | 5 Pages

Moreover, the two female protagonists’ control over their sexuality seems to grant them a unique form of ‘power’ in relationships with men who are sexually attracted to them. It is hence obvious that there is a direct relationship between female sexuality and power that is portrayed in the two

Read More
1147 Words | 5 Pages

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston addresses prevalent topics faced in America today. How should women act? Should women be treated differently from men? In her memoir, Kingston faces many obstacles with her Chinese-American identity such as finding her voice as a young woman. In “White Tigers,” Kingston tells her own version of a popular Chinese ballad, “Fa Mu Lan,” while incorporating her own reality back into the section.

Read More
1228 Words | 5 Pages

This means that men are the authoritative figure both at the family unit and in society. The patriarchy system although slowly

Read More
1987 Words | 8 Pages

In the 16th century, not only in England but also almost in all the countries, all the families were “under” the patriarchal society. A patriarchy, from the ancient Greek patriarches, was a society where power was held by and passed down through the elder males. When modern historians and sociologists describe a "patriarchal society," they mean that men hold the positions of power: head of the family unit, leaders of social groups, boss in the workplace and heads of government. Unfortunately, this fact still exists, even today in the 21st century in many countries, especially in the Muslim countries where women have restricted rights. Patriarchal society, manhood, and the sense of masculinity, in my opinion, raise two main issues: the issue

Read More
304 Words | 2 Pages

The final quarter of Lolita has come to a close, and I for one is very happy about it. Not often am I wishing for a book to end sooner, but in this case I was. The predictions I had made in the beginning were somewhat true, although the ending did exceed my expectations as well as surprising me. I did not expect Lolita 's plot twist of marrying another man, as well as being pregnant. Humbert 's dark obsession with Lolita was terrifying to read about in all honesty.

Read More
277 Words | 2 Pages

The reader ultimately has two views of women one who is powerful and one who is willing to show obedience and follows the conventions of the society

Read More
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.

Read More
904 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction Patriarchy is the sociological structure in which man dominates women. Within this structure men have power to subordinate women (Warren, 2004). The entire relationship is not only on family, but the whole community. Slavery of women in the form of patriarchy is still fueling most activities of feminist movements. This view is a complex change to be made in human relations.

Read More

More about Neocolonialism In Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters '

Open Document