The author of the article uses the term intertextuality, which plays a significant role in the text analysis, including from the feminist aspect. The meaning of the text is not fixed but is open to revision as new versions appear and the status of ancient ones shifts. Thus, the base of the text is multidirectional, as it relies on previous writings but adds its own contribution. Moreover, the text responds to formed statements and places new accents around them according to the latest historical stigmas. Based on the theory of intertextuality, specialists can say that The Holy Scriptures is a collection of mutually interpretive or dialogic texts. The analysis of these intertextual connections is critical, both for understanding and comprehensive translating of the Bible. The vocabulary of each version has its own unique influence on the perception of the role of women in biblical plots. For example, in Isaiah 7:14, Matthew chooses the Greek version, which uses the word Parthenos virgin rather than Almh young woman as in the Hebrew Bible (Kim, 1999). The result is a more elevated and saint image of the mother of Jesus.
The Feminist Perspective of the Womens Role in the Bible
I agree with the authors opinion about the great discrediting and depersonalization of women in the Bible against the backdrop of male characters. However, turning to history, one can understand the prerequisites for this injustice. The Bible is a religious scripture, but it was created from true-to-life social movements and stigmas appearing 2,000 years ago. The article mentions the features of the family institution of the Roman Empire and the emergence roots of derogatory epithets for women. The womans rank depended solely on her father, and after marriage, on her husband. Personal desires did not matter; a woman was perceived primarily as a mother, wife, keeper of the hearth, and family property. Any violence against her was perceived primarily as an insult to her husband. A similar substitution of concepts is observed in biblical narratives. For example, the feminization of the city of Rome by using the derogatory metaphor whore due to its socio-economic injustice (Kim, 1999). Such metaphors form from a socio-cultural basis and represent the established hierarchy of society. Unfortunately, these things did not surprise me and did not raise additional questions, given the history of attitudes towards women over the centuries. Such injustice can resonate in the heart of everyone who has met with a reverence for gender and social stratum.
The Historical Background
In Revelation 17, Babylon was depicted as a harlot whose wine made all the nations drunk. Nineveh, as the capital of a powerful empire, was also called a harlot and a sorceress who enslaved people with her fornication and magic. The harlot is a frequent character in the Bible, appearing from the first to the last book. The first mention of harlots dates back to the time of Patriarch Jacob, whose sons condemned the rape of their sister Dinah (Nicholson & Domoney-Lyttle, 2020). In ancient Israelite society, harlots were protected by law regulations which was interesting to learn during my additional research.
Inconsistency in Religious Subjects
Despite the wide writers explanation of things, I still have a question about some controversies in the biblical story. Harlots have a special place in the New Testament. Jesus Christ pointed out to the Pharisees the priority of faith in God over the works of the Law. However, then the Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian Christians against using the services of prostitutes because of their deliberate intrigues. The famous Mary Magdalene was considered the favorite disciple of Jesus, whom he even kissed, frequently emphasizing the innocence of harlots in earthly sins (Nicholson & Domoney-Lyttle, 2020). However, the further discrediting of women and the use of the whore metaphor do not fit with the message of the main protagonist.
Work Cited
Kim, Jean K. Uncovering Her Wickedness: An Inter(Con)Textual Reading of Revelation 17 From a Postcolonial Feminist Perspective. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, vol. 21, no. 73, 1999, pp. 6181.
Nicholson, S. & Domoney-Lyttle, Z. Women and Gender in the Bible and the Biblical World: Editorial Introduction. Open Theology, vol. 6, no. 1, 2020, pp. 706-710. Web.
Feminist therapy is a person-centered approach to counseling that considers the impact of cultural, social, and political contexts on women. In the case of Gwen, the therapist applies this model to help the client realize the effect of gender roles on her life and reclaim her power. As I read about the therapists interventions with Gwen, I felt bitter about the problems women face from a young age, and I reacted positively to the counselors choice of words and treatment techniques. In particular, feminist therapy highlights that gender inequality, sexism, and misogyny are incorporated into various aspects of society and human life, affecting women globally (Jones-Smith, 2019). The therapists interventions such as gender role analysis, psycho-education, and self-disclosure allow for understanding the causes behind the clients issues. They include experiencing sexual abuse and getting silenced as a child, being raised in a men-centered culture, and facing microaggressions and toxic treatment at work as a black woman. In the given case study, the counselors goal is to empower Gwen by helping her reclaim her personal power, use her voice, and redefine her role in society.
The application of a feminist perspective in Gwens case is different from other theoretical frameworks as the approach highlights the impact of gender and associated stressors on the clients life. In other words, this theory assumes that the problem is located in the social environment rather than the individual and their behavior (Blanchfield, 2021). At the same time, feminist therapy emphasizes the importance of empowerment, independence, responsibility for ones own life, and assertiveness. It can be seen that this counseling technique helps reduce Gwens feeling of helplessness. After the therapy session, the woman is more confident about using her voice as she decides to consistently address the inequality and bias to make a change in society. Overall, the feminist approach to counseling is more aware of the cultural and social contexts shaping peoples lives than other frameworks, including existential, gestalt, or reality therapy theories.
The field of international relations is and has always been challenging to many people. It does not have a generally accepted definition. There may be a consensus on whether such theoretical approach as Feminism is a proper framework when it comes to research on international relations (Burchill, 2001). It is an open topic and one can argue out his or her point concerning the proper definition of international relations.
Generally, it may be viewed that feminism attacks men for oppressing women and see to it that the women gain in politics at the expense of the men. It is evident that no feminist has attempted to carry out research on the rights of both sexes to determine whether there is actual equality and equity. The fight for womens rights and autonomy, therefore, appears to only be a means of having dominion over men.
Feminist challenge to mainstream international relations theory
International relations (IR) theory is the study that offers a comprehensive understanding of the challenges that feminist. It main purpose is to give their studies a conceptual framework that upon which the study can be analyzed.(Burchill, 2001). International relations theories can be classified into post-positivist theories that deal with security issues that range from gender to class (Dunne, 2010). They can also be classified as positivist and mainly concentrate on issues within the level of the state.
Feminism constitutes a number of movements that aim at defending equal opportunities for the women in the various fields of politics, social rights and other aspects in the society. Approaches of feminism to international relations became rampant in the late twentieth century and these approaches demanded that the experiences that women had were to be ignored from studies to do with international relations theory.
Feminists who study international relations argued that gender issues apply in international relations. This was based on influence of the spouses of diplomats in the promotion of sex trafficking. Feminist international relations approaches in the past used to be part of the major debate that ensued between the post-positivists and their counterparts, the positivists (Burchill, 2001).
Four major varieties of feminism exist. They include: Marxist, liberal, radical and socialist (Burchill, 2001). Other categories may include black feminism and functionalist feminism. Liberal feminism occurs when prejudgment revolves around ignorance of individuals.
Education is said to be the key to the fight against discrimination brought about by ignorance. Marxist feminism is a form of a class relationship that is the major cause of womens oppression and discrimination. This occurs when men transfer the exploitative relationships at work to their wives at home hence become a burden to them.
In Marxist feminism, the issue of social class is said to be more of value than that of patriarchy because patriarchy is only an ideology that comes about because of class exploitation. Women are not considered to be a sex class since the only similarity is their sex. Socialist feminism has to do with the women and their social status. They are both greatly marginalized by the double roles they have in the current society.
This duality appears in their roles as child-bearers and employees. Employers tend to exploit this state by paying the women lower wages and this gives the men the opportunity to receive higher wages due to the services rendered at home. The main reason women have a lower status in this aspect is that they generally depend on the man for economic needs. Male dominion is brought about by the idea that the women are naturally passive and are only involved in such activities as housekeeping and childbearing (Dunne, 2010).
Tickner (1993) identified and used a number of contemporary feminist situations to the issue of international relations in her book, Gender in international relations: Feminist Perspective on Achieving Global security (p. 15). This perception suggested viable criticism to the Marxist, liberal and realist theories. She also points out the gender differences that came about during the construction of state identities and the roles that the citizens played in the state.
Tickner looked at the environmental and the economic issues and she was wondering why there was a difference when gender relations were introduced into question. She clearly demonstrated how the perspective of a feminist on international relations had an impact on the global system. The author introduced the aspect of feminism on international relations and compared it with recent arguments against realism. She argues that it is not sufficient to explain todays international politics.
Tickner also examined the way in which the global economy has paid off the men and women differently and critically looked at the implications of gender on the dominion of man over nature. The gender differences that occur in politics, military and the economic world provide an aspect of the insecurities that men and women face in political ventures. Tickners version of feminist security has led to the recent efforts to come up with proper arrangements on comprehensive security in international relations.
For a long time, the academic venture of international relations has involved positivism in a large extent. Positivism has combined various disciplines of sciences and has specifically used methods incorporated from the natural sciences to give the meaning of the social world (Smith, 1996).
This discipline has generally accepted a number of assumptions that have managed to eliminate the debates on how one view and explains the world. This, however, does not apply for the individuals who worked for what was termed as the English schools or in the disciplines that were in between politics and international relations. This is because the writers were not for the idea of positivist assumptions that was the main topic of the discipline. The subject of positivism has led to debates in international relations.
Pluralism, realism and globalism were all functional under the positivist assumptions. This aided in bringing an understanding of the apparent versions of the universe rather than alternative forms of international relations. The influence of positivism can be felt in the way it has affected the world of research such that those involved in the field of international relations may reject the scientific approach due to the subsequent acceptance of the positivist model.
In this context, there are two points that can be noted. Firstly, as much as the positivist model of science is accepted even by the critics, it is evident that the positivism nature that underlies the discipline is immature. Secondly, within the field of science, positivism was eliminated as a valid practice in science.
The damage to positivism might have been avoided earlier if the discipline had been previously been prepared to undertake the social science venture and finally, that of science. This, however, does not mean that all research undertaken under positivism is not valid.
Common to all social sciences, International Relations has been divided on a number of occasions through time. Throughout its history, various debates have ensued concerning the issue. The first one occurred during the period before and a little after Second World War. It was between the idealists and the realists.
This was mainly because of the alleged functions of the international institutions during that period and the possibilities that the reason for the war was due to influence by superior states. The second debate occurred in the mid twentieth century. This was between the traditionalists and the modernizers. As compared to the modernizers, the traditionalist preferred to use methods that are more humane in nature.
International relation is one of the fields in science that was the last to accept feminism. This has greatly contributed to its use in almost all fields of research. When compared to other disciplines, the feminist aspect in international relations came in a lot later. A comprehensive study in international relations and a book on the same only surfaced in the late 1980s. The various books that were written in this period had different approaches but were similar in the way they sort to redefine the parameters of international relations.
International relations could take some elements of feminism into serious consideration. In addition, its critical to have in mind that the practices put forward from feminist originate from the lives and experiences of women. As such, it is difficult to distinguish between the theory and practice that is put forward.
For feminists, the experiences of the women in their day-to-day lives form the basis of redefining their values. Apart from other factors that prevent feminist research, it has been determined that in many parts of the world, the accessibility of institutions that provide knowledge, continue to be restricted to various portion of the male population which is less likely to deliver awareness of feminism.
Apart from the content of the knowledge, it is also necessary to be aware of the person who disseminates it and how the practices affect the structures. Despite these obstacles, feminist international relations scholars have used other methods to gain more knowledge.
Another method that the feminists have adopted is to use ideas from other disciplines. Wibben (2004) used literary theory as one of the alternative discipline (p. 32). The narrative approach is important as it critical in the preservation of tension. As a result, information can be conveyed easily.
Conclusion
Feminists are aware that for them to produce true change, it is empirical to challenge both the content of the specific narrative and its structure equally. This means that it is not enough to only increase the number of women or to increase the visibility of the methods of molding international relations through gender but it is also important to change the way international relations produces, redirects and develop knowledge.
Feminist international relations challenges the subject to produce dynamic approaches that can be changed whenever need arises and those that can easily adapt to changing events and situations. This is in a way disadvantageous in that it does not allow for cumulative learning and hence requires one to constantly and continuously revise the assumptions they made on their own. In a way, the scholar will always be in the state of curiosity.
References
Burchill, S. (2001) Theories of International Relations. New York: Palgrave Publishers Ltd.
Dunne, T. (2010) International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity. London: Sage
Smith, S. (1996) International theory: Positivism and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tickner, A. (1993) Gender in international relations: Feminist Perspective on Achieving Global security. Columbia: Columbia University Press.
Wibben, A. (2004) Feminist International Relations: Old Debates and New Directions. Brown Journal of World Affairs, 5 (2), p. 21-30.
The notion of feminism is characterized by the development of the peculiarities of its definition according to the aspects of the phenomenons waves. Thus, historians and sociologists still argue on this point, and they are inclined to determine two, three or even four main waves of feminism. According to the majority of opinions, the second wave of feminism began in the 1960s and lasted till the 1990s.
During this long period, women changed their opinions on the gender inequality and stated their different rights and freedoms. That is why today the second wave of feminism is associated with the womens liberty in relation to such concepts as sexuality, family, and equality. The Sweden poet and director Lukas Moodysson also emphasized the feminists ideas in his two movies which are known for the English-speaking audience as Show Me Love (1998) and Together (2000).
The main female characters of these movies are the women who want to feel their freedom of feelings, expressions, emotions, and attitudes, and who can make decisions without references to the traditional norms and customs only because of the fact they are women. Thus, their intentions to acquire and realize their personal freedom in spite of the traditional social visions reflect the main tendencies of the second wave of feminism.
If the feminists of the first wave concentrated on their legal rights and freedoms, the feminists of the second wave accentuated their roles in the society as individuals who are equal with men in their expression of the definite personal feelings and emotions and in their free attitude to relationships in family and to the sex. From this point, the feminists of the second wave began to discuss the feeling of love as the multidimensional phenomenon which cannot be regulated by any social visions of the questions, but only by the personal attitude.
Thus, in his Together, Lukas Moodysson concentrates on the depiction of a woman with the variety of her feelings which are based on the feeling of love. This love can be parental or sexual, reflect the attitudes to the husband or relatives, to the children and friends. In this case, women in Together try to state their freedom to feel and express those emotions they want to focus on without concentrating on their gender. These women are seeking for their personal and emotional image.
Thus, Anna discovers that she is a lesbian, and she does not want to hide this fact as she does not want to hide her body under the clothes which is too tight for her. There is an interesting situation when Anna argues that she can behave as it is comfortable for her, and it is her right to decide to wear or not the clothes in order to hide her nakedness ( Together ).
This discussion between the members of the commune Tillsammans can be considered as the metaphor which accentuates the womens desire to express themselves without paying attention to any social limits.
Anna is a lesbian, but she was not always aware of the fact because the peculiarities of the womens life in the Swedish society in the middle of the 20th century could not provide her with the idea that it is possible to go beyond some social fringes.
The era of the 1960s presented the opportunities for all the people to look at the social norms and rules from the other point of view. Lukas Moodysson portrays the aspects of the life in the commune Tillsammans in 1975 with references to the peoples rethinking the notion of liberty and equality.
If Anna begins to think about her sexuality as the way to express herself only after analyzing her life with Lasse and in relation to the fact they have the child Tet, the main characters of the other movie by Moodysson, Agnes and Elin, begin to experience the difficulties with the understanding of their feelings much earlier, when the girls are in their teens.
Thus, this difference in the female characters age accentuates the evolution of the womens attitude to their personal self-actualization which develops from the 1970s till the late 1990s. In Show Me Love, Moodysson pays attention to the girls lesbianism as their reaction to the conservatism of the society in which they live, to the traditions and customs of their small town Amal.
They are ready to behave provocatively in order to break the false norms which limit their freedoms in expression the feelings and in order to understand themselves as personalities ( Show Me Love ). It is possible to speak about feminism in Show Me Love as the way to represent the changes in the womens visions of their role in the society.
According to the ideas of the movie, women are equal to men even in the situation when both the women and men fight for the other girls attention and love. There are no boundaries between the genders which can prevent somebody to fall in love with a person of the same sex.
Agnes and Elin act as the young feminists who are free from the social prejudices, and they follow only their own desires and inclinations. They feel the tension of the social morality, but they try to resist it. Lukas Moodysson is successful in his presentation of the girls story as the element of the everyday reality.
That is why the world which he depicted is the world of the further changes in the social rules and norms with references to the position of women which can be discussed as the second wave of feminism.
The feminists of the second wave concentrated on those womens rights which were associated with the distribution of the gender roles within society and with the womens role in the family. The female characters of Lukas Moodyssons Together can be considered as the real illustrations for depicting the various aspects of the feminists intentions. Thus, Lena and Goran follow the ideas of the open relationships.
Moreover, Lena concentrates on this ideology more enthusiastically in comparison with Gorans viewpoint because she sees a kind of freedom in following this style of living ( Together ). It is important that the society was always more patient to the mens addicting to the idea of open relationship. That is why Lenas thoughts about this question are discussed as rather provocative.
In this case, her character can be perceived as the embodiment of the feminists position according to the womens role in the family with references to their sexuality. Nevertheless, Lenas attitude to the open relationships can also be analyzed as the exaggeration of the feminists intentions to be equal to men in all the fields not only of social but also of their personal life.
Elizabeth, the sister of Goran, is the illustration of the woman who is not afraid of breaking the relations with her husband in spite of the social opinion. Elizabeth cannot bear the quarrels with her husband and decides to escape from such a life going to the commune in which her brother lives. However, in spite of the fact that this woman is rather decisive in her actions, she differs from those people and those women who live in the commune.
Elizabeth can be discussed as the typical housewife, whose sense of life is her family and her childrens bringing up, but the situation changed, and now the young woman learns the peculiarities of the other way of living.
Thus, Elizabeth is not a feminist in the typical sense of this word because she is used to live with her husband and according to the laws of the mens world. Nevertheless, living in the commune where people mostly speak about their freedom in all the senses, this woman seems to share these peoples points of view on the problem of the equality and liberty of men and women.
Comparing Show Me Love and Together directed by Lukas Moodysson, it is possible to conclude that he uses the notion of lesbianism in his movies as the way to emphasize the womens new approach to their personal freedom. From this point, the social challenge provided by the lesbians behavior is associated with the challenges which were accentuated by the feminists.
Thus, Agnes and Elin are depicted as lesbians in order to present their strong reactions to the ordinary everyday life in a usual small town where people are dependent on their biases. However, the girls cannot be discussed as the real feminists because their visions are based only on the idea of the personal freedom. Nevertheless, they also focus on the differences between the boys and girls and accentuate the coming tendency of paying no attention to the sex or gender, but to see the personality.
In Together, the main feminist who is illustrated with the help of the image of Anna is a lesbian who is rather direct in presenting her challengeable visions of the situations and many social aspects. Thus, her lesbianism is the reflection of the notion of the womens freedom on which the second wave of feminism depends.
At first sight, the problem of feminism cannot be discussed as the main topic of such movies as Show Me Love (1998) and Together (2000) which are directed by Lukas Moodysson. Nevertheless, with focusing on the peculiarities of Moodyssons depicting the main female characters in these movies, it is possible to speak about the authors personal reflection on the aspects of the second wave of feminism in his works.
The sensitive story about the love of two girls which is described in Show Me Love seems to have few similarities with the story about the life in the commune of the 1970s which is depicted in Together. However, the main concepts of feminism which can be summarized as the freedom and equality are analyzed in the both movies with references to portraying the womens provocative attitude to their liberty, sexuality, and the role in the family.
Works Cited
Show Me Love (Fucking Amal) 1998. Video file. 05 June 2012. Web.
Together (Tillsammans) 2000. Video file. 05 June 2012. Web.
There is hardly a single fairy tale character that has been interpreted in so many ways, introduced to so many cultures and both loved and hated as much as Cinderella. An epitome of femininity and a staple of the way in which women are portrayed in most tales and legends in practically any culture, Cinderella with her numerous clones is, indeed, a character for a thrilling analysis.
Despite the fact that Cinderella is viewed mostly as a passive character who does nothing until a fairy godmother does everything for her to help her go to a ball, Cinderella can be viewed as a decent role model for young girls and, moreover, as a rather proactive character when considering the existing interpretations of the tale.
Perraults Cinderella also tends to display the traditional feminist qualities; although the narrator never took out most of the magic elements, leaving the initial enchanted atmosphere, he still made Cinderella a proactive character who achieved her goal mostly on her own. According to Haase, Perraults Cinderella is an active and happy girl who does not need magic to find her way in the world (Haase 205).
It is rather peculiar that, instead of simply providing Cinderella with the dress, the crystal slippers and the carriage to get to the palace in, the fairy godmother turns the process of helping Cinderella into another set of tasks for her. First, Cinderella is supposed to bring the fairy godmother a pumpkin, then the mousetrap, then the rat-trap, etc. Therefore, it can be supposed that these actions might have a specific meaning.
Perhaps, these rituals symbolize all the hard work that the leading character had to do to find the way to happiness. Moreover, these small tasks could be a metaphor for the price that Cinderella has to pay to go to the ball. As it has been mentioned above, in most cases, Cinderella is restricted by the boundaries of the role that women played at the time.
Therefore, the process described by Perrault could be a metaphor for the actions that Cinderella was not allowed to do because of her gender (e.g., ride a carriage to the ball on her own, disobey the stepmother, run away and start living on her own, etc.). That said, Perraults Cinderella must be regarded as a character with rather distinct feminist traits.
The Grimms version is a much darker parable than Perraults one. The Grimm brothers obviously took more risks with the story, creating a fairy tale for the older audience and taking a very realistic, though doubtlessly gruesome take on certain details, like the fact that one of the older stepsisters actually cut her foot to fit it into the shoe: the girl cut off a chunk of her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, fritted her teeth against the pain and went out to the kings son (Grimm and Grimm 632).
The same can be said about the feminist issue Cinderella in Grimms version differs greatly even from Perraults tale. Not only does she go to the ball, but also climbs the tree, which is rather unexpected from a girl in Grimm brothers epoch. In addition, the Cinderellas relationships with her mother are mentioned, in contrast of other versions.
In contrast to the previous two versions of Cinderella, the Chinese tale is a huge step backwards in terms of feminism. Unlike the previous two tales, the one told by Cheng-shih does not even mention whether the girl in the story had any positive qualities, or any specific character traits, for that matters. Compared to the previously mentioned Cinderellas, this character is pretty bland and does even less than Perraults and Grimms Cinderellas.
Though she is also very hardworking, she is less daring. In addition, unlike the previous two characters, who only had one wish and one single chance to make their way to their dream, Yeh-hsien had everything handed to her as soon as her fish friend died: The girl followed his advice, and was able to provide herself with gold, pearls, dresses and food whenever she wanted them (Cheng-shih 634). At this point, the feminist image of a young woman who suffers and strives to achieve at least something is pretty much ruined.
Therefore, Cheng-shihs tale takes all the feminist ideas out of Cinderellas story, turning it into the tale in which suffering is finally rewarded. However, such a downgrade in Cinderellas feminist qualities can be explained by the fact that Cheng-shihs story is the earliest known version of Cinderella (Cullen 646), and, thus, obviously belongs to the era when womens social role was restricted solely to household.
The African tale takes the feminist image of Cinderella down a few more notches. Even when introduced to the African prince, she remains silent, and it is the prince who recognizes her: There is my wife (The Maiden, the Frog and the Chiefs Son 637). However, the Indian Cinderella makes for the two above-mentioned downgrades in the feminist portrayal of Cinderella.
She did not fear the unknown and was seeking an encounter with the so-called the Invisible One, the local goodness: She would try, she thought, to discover whether she could see the Invisible One (Oochigeaskw the Rough-Faced Girl (A Native American Cinderella) 640).
In his turn, Disney upgraded Cinderellas story, making her less active, yet emphasizing such important qualities in the character as kindness and diligence (Grant 641).
As a matter of fact, Disney often mentioned that Cinderella was his favorite animated movie period, and that he often felt like Cinderella, with all the hard work and the reward that he finally got (Maclain 246). Finally, Sexton offers a modern perspective on Cinderella.
Incorporating the traditional elements and the less known details, such as the punishment of the stepsisters, Sexton sums up Cinderellas story as the tale of a girl who was finally rewarded for all her hard work: This time Cinderella fit into the shoe/Like a letter into the envelope (Sexton 645). Even in the XXI century, the feminist ideas are cast aside for the sake of keeping the fairytale magical.
Needless to say, each of the Cinderella versions incorporates the elements of a specific countrys culture together with the basic plot points, which, therefore, defines the balance between feminism and femininity in the main protagonist.
However, considering the story as a whole, trans-cultural phenomenon, one still must admit that Cinderella is far from being a stereotypical fairytale princess. Not only does she act on her own, but also has a unique and, quite honestly, very believable personality.
It is not only about Cinderellas good qualities, which have been mentioned above; it is also about her unique characteristics, which make her look real. It is rather peculiar that the traditional Cinderella can be viewed as not as positive a character as she is typically portrayed; according to Panttaja, she is not that morally superior to her stepsisters or stepmother:
She disobeys the stepmother, enlists forbidden helpers, uses magic powers, lies, hides, dissembles, disguises herself, and evades pursuit. The brutal ending of the tale, in which Cinderella allows the mother (in the form of two pigeons) to peck out the eyes of the stepsisters, further complicates the storys moral thematic. (Panttaja 660)
In addition to the vengeance that Cinderella laid upon her stepsisters, the issue of sibling rivalry (Bettelheim 651) should also be mentioned. Pushed down and degraded by her sisters (Bettelheim 651), Cinderella can be viewed as a vengeful victim, which perfectly explains the eye-plucking issue mentioned above and adds a tint of gloating delight to Cinderellas triumph, which also makes her not so big-hearted and, therefore, rather weak, which stands in a contrast to a feminist portrayal of a woman.
To make the matters worse, Cinderella has become a stereotypical princess, the girly dream of glass slippers and true love (Poniewozik 667). Moreover, even if casting the feminist ideas aside for a while and considering Cinderellas personality or a change, one will most likely find out that she was not such a charming young woman, after all: She would starve before shed cook a meal and let her clothing get stiff with dirt before shed wash it, but tending the fireplace was a task she appeared to enjoy! (Rossner 663).
Then again, the big decisive point concerning the feminist significance of Cinderella is not only the means, which Cinderella uses, but also the ends. No matter how active and energetic Cinderella might be portrayed, her main objective is still finding the handsome prince and marrying him or, to be more exact, dancing with him.
To Cinderellas credit, she does not fall in love with her Prince Charmin without even seeing him, and they still share some chemistry, even though it lasts only for a few hours. Anyway, the problem of Cinderella that most feminists find so hard to nail down is not her lack of initiative on the contrary, Cinderella is very active; whenever she is in the story, she is doing something, and she never sits twiddling her thumbs.
The problem, however, is that in every version of the story, her priority is to marry the handsome prince. Nevertheless, to solve the conflict, it is required to mention the time context and make it clear that marrying was mostly the only possible choice for a woman then; therefore, Cinderellas feminist nature should be evaluated according to what she does rather than what she finally gets. Therefore, Cinderella can be viewed as a positive feminist character, corrected to the time period and the shift in womens priorities over time.
Though it must be admitted that a modern idea of an active woman who has the guts to do significant things and strive for her goal does not quite correlate with the existing interpretations of Cinderella, it will be appropriate to say that the given image of a woman must have been rather feministic at the time.
Even with the character traits that cannot be considered feministic nowadays, the image of the Cinderella of the past can be considered rather revolutionary for its time. Moreover, Cinderella also had several qualities that might not be considered important for a feminist, yet still add much to the likeability of her image.
She was good-hearted, polite and well-mannered, which alone should be considered as an incredible achievement given the environment in which she lived in. Therefore, it can be concluded that in every interpretation of the seven suggested ones, the portrayal of Cinderella can be viewed as an attempt to introduce feminism into both childrens fairytales and legends representing national culture.
Works Cited
Bettelheim, Bruno. Cinderella: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston, MA: Longman, 2011. Print. 651657.
Cheng-shih, Tuan. A Chinese Cinderella. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston, MA: Longman, 2011. Print. 633635.
Cullen, Bonnie. The Rise of Perraults Cinderella. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston, MA: Longman, 2011. Print. 645650.
Grant, Campbell. Walt Disneys Cinderella. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston, MA: Longman, 2011. Print. 641642.
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Ashputte. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston, MA: Longman, 2011. Print. 628629.
Haase, Donald. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. Print.
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In literature and language studies, a variety of themes exist and among the fascinating ones is feminism. Feminism has been given attention by a number of writers, play writers, poets and novelists. Their works have been used to study feminism in literature. Feminism was brought in the lime light through the works of writers, who came up with the notion of feminism and demonstrated how it has affected society.
Such writers include Susan Glaspell and Sophocles. This research essay will make reference to the works of different writers to discuss feminism in the works of Susan Glaspell and Sophocles. Susan Glaspell is known for A Jury of her peers and plays Triffles while Sophocles work in feminism is The Women of Trachis .
Feminism in the works of Susan Glaspell and Sophocles
Susan Glaspell is a renowned novelist, script writer, poet and an actress. Her works A Jury of her peers and play Triffles have been featured in feminism studies. Sophocles brought out the notion of feminism in his work The Women of Trachis , which is considered a Greek tragedy.
The works have been adopted in play and are used in the study of feminism. Moreover, they have remained in use since the 19th century. The works have been dramatized and remain in print for feminism studies.
Susan Glaspell work, A Jury of her peers , narrates the story of an abused woman, who takes the life of her abusive husband. The truth about the death of her husband is concealed while story of the husbands death is told making the legal situation different.
Women who become the jury are able to enter the kitchen and make judgments while the men who do not visit the kitchen have a different perception on the same matter (Makowsky 4).
Sophocles works The Women of Trachis describes a woman whose husband left for adventure and leaves her with the entire responsibility of the family. The wife, who marries unwillingly, is left by the husband for a long time until she sends her son to look for him. The wife is left with insecurities and anxieties until the whereabouts of the husband are told.
She sees the success of the husband as their success. She engages in magic to win the attention of the husband so that he does not pursue a relationship with another woman. She takes her life after her plans are shattered (Griffin 2).
Both Susan Glaspell and Sophocles are writers whose works introduced the model of feminism in the society. The society favored and considered men as the favorite gender. Consequently, men enjoyed most privileges as women were under them. The work also introduces physical and emotional abuse that women undergo. The abuse is neither by recognized the law nor by tradition.
Sophocles, in his work, portrays women as beings who are dependent on men for security. The female character in The Women of Trachis is overwhelmed by anxieties and fears when the husband goes missing. After the disappearance of her husband, she has to take over the responsibility of taking care of her family. As a woman, she goes along with the marriage although she is not willing to be united with the man.
Feminism as demonstrated in the works of Susan Glaspell is domination of men over women. Men create and implement domination which is demonstrated in the legal system. The legal system represents mens ideas. Moreover, the legal system is dominated by men who are in control. She further emphasizes the oppression of women who are abused by their husbands.
Sophocles works imply that women exert many efforts to support the families and view the success of men as their success. Men enjoy the privilege of being polygamous. Being polygamous leaves the wives with the responsibility of taking care of the family.
The writers had become aware of the injustices against women. When they were writing their works, they had noted the place of a woman in the society in the past and present. The woman was not allowed to vote, was under the authority of the husband, could not enjoy owning property and was denied basic human rights by the manmade laws.
Men had been allowed to batter women and the law protected men from being convicted. The language that Susan Glaspell and Sophocles use implies that women had suffered abuse and had lived with it until it was named. Women gain identity by being referred by their husbands name.
The first name of a woman is rarely used. Marital rape, separation, stalking, abandonment and other forms of abuses were ignored in the society. Men are in control of the society.
They also brought out the differences of man and women in the society. Different roles are assigned on gender basis. Womens role is the kitchen, children and house chores. On the other hand, men are free to leave their homes and go for adventure. Consequently, women gain identity by associating with men. The female characters are not referred by their first name; most are referred by their husbands name.
Susan Glaspell and Sophocles use their works as a metaphor. As indicated in Susan Glaspell works, the unfinished business in the kitchen to break bread is a symbol of the diverse ideas and contribution of law in the society that has neglected to foster equality.
Cooperation is required and patriarchy needs not be replaced with matriarchy but with respect for all humanity. The traditional notion of men being good without considering how they treat women needs to be reversed. Sophocles identifies the departure of the husband to pursue individual goals. The departure leaves the woman insecure.
The justice system is dominated by men like in many other spheres of life. They are in authority and the representation of women is low. The law does not consider the realities that women encounter. Women, just like men, are also expected to obey the law. The women have their own understanding of laws. There is a difference in what women believe and understand (Makowsky 18).
The characters used reveal the perception of women in society. Women are viewed as defenseless and in need of help from men. Women depend on protection from men. Women value relationships. Men are the enemies of women since they cause them harm.
Men abuse the women physically and emotionally. Women are emotional beings who are not courageous to face life. Men who feel defeated describe themselves as a woman. Men are courageous and participate in war as women remain in homes to take care of the family (Griffin 22).
The works of Susan Glaspell and Sophocles illustrate well organized structure of literature. Each of the works begins with a brief background and progress to the drama. The solutions for the problem are not revealed in the story but the writers want to pass across the message of oppressed women in society. The aim is to reveal the family life in society and the effects of feminism in the society.
Women, who become juries, lacked faith in the manmade law. Susan Glaspell reveals that women understand feminine issues hence; it is possible they might have found the wife who killed the husband not guilty, although the story does not reveal the verdict. Sophocles works indicate a tragedy in the end, which is preventable if the society changes their perception on women.
Conclusions
Susan Glaspells A Jury of her peers and play Triffles as well as Sophocles The Women of Trachis are works that have brought out the concept of feminism precisely. They depict the differences between men and women in gender roles and the position of women in society. They also use literature to review the real situations of women in society and injustices that exist.
Women have suffered emotional and social injustice under male dominated society. The manmade law which favors men is supported by tradition. Men enjoy the privilege of being in control and polygamous. Women look upon men for security and value their relationships.
The language used implies that women gain identity by getting married. They are referred to by their husbands name. The plot gives a brief history before the drama. The story discloses the implications of feminism in society.
Works Cited
Griffin, Jasper. Sophocles Revisited. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Makowsky, Veronica. Susan Glaspells Century of American women: a critical interpretation of her work. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
In the period of the middle ages, misogyny was considered a conventional attitude to women. Femininity was rejected by the clerical teaching as if women were born already sinful. The patriarchal system that existed at that time was another reason for proclaiming women inferior to men. In this respect, Chaucers interpretation of women from the feminist point of view pays the most attention. It is false to believe that Chaucer was anti-women because a great part of his work depicts strong and independent female characters even though it was rather unusual for medieval society. The outright expression of his feminist view is disclosed in his poem, Wife of Bathe.
Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the founder of English literature. To pursue him as a feminist, it is worth mentioning that his life was closely connected with the most influential women of that time such as Elizabeth Ulster, a wife of Prince Lionel. There, he serves as a household accountant. Arising from this, his feminist approaches were quite clear as he views the gender distinctions as something natural. Despite the distorted interpretation of gender in the patriarchal society, Chaucers vision of women contradicts the orthodox view of the biological distinction of males and females as the justification for gender inequality. Chaucers Wife of Bath could describe the poet as an outright feminist (Rigby 118).
The main character
In Canterbury Tales and in its prologue called Wife of Bath, the author depicts a woman with a strong character. The story is about a womans pilgrimage that was married five times. At first sight, she could be referred to feminist as she defends womens rights and her domination over men. In the story, she tries to reveal herself as a strong feminist that could oppose the ideology of the middle ages. Her five marriages are a kind of affirmation of her sexuality and feminine nature that is widely rejected by the clerical teachings. Chaucer makes the readers view the woman who is not afraid to break the standards of society and to establish new ones. The wife was proud of the fact that she could easily manipulate her former husbands. In comparison with Wife of Bath, where marriage is considered as an effective means of manipulation, Franklins tale describes marriage as a sacred rite and the embodiment of harmony and happiness. It proclaims the confidence and love that confront Wife of Baths concept of superiority and female equality: Love will not be constrained by the mastery; when mastery comes, the God of Love anon immediately beats his wings, and farewell, He is gone (Chaucer Franklins Tale 765-766).
The only thing that matters
In Wife of Bath, the woman is confident that sex is the only thing that matters for her husband. Therefore, she was confident that she could control her husbands desires by satisfying them: Say that men should be courteous to an old person and call him father and call him father, because of your nobility (Chaucer Wife of Bath 1210). In this line, Chaucer, emphasizes womens hypocrisy and snobbism. Her control of husband still supports the idea of her feministic view: A husband I will have I will not desist who shall be both my debtor and my save and have his suffering also upon his flesh, while I am his wife (Chaucer Wife of Bath 154-157). By this, Chaucer entails his heroine with male features as if proclaiming the equality of rights and. Like with Wife of Bath, Merchants Tale is also devoted to the problems of marriage and male-female relations. However, Merchants tale represents women as weak and inferior creatures who are deprived of freedom and human rights. Here, Chaucer shows marriage as a parody of love and romance. The tale makes an irony of female behavior thus rejecting the capability of women to love: Whereas these bachelors sing alas, when they find any adversity in love, which is nothing but childish vanity (Chaucer Merchants Tale 1274-1276).
Dominant side in marriage
Wife of Bath also depicts the womans dominant side in a marriage where a woman has the right to decide how to behave, as it was mentioned before. Hence, Chaucers feminist inclinations are brightly revealed here. However, Wife of Bath is an antagonist of Millers wife whom Chaucer refers not as to a woman but as to the trophy in the fight of two men: How Alison! How John! Be merry, for the flood will soon pass (Chaucer Millers Tale 3577) The tale, therefore, depicts absolute inferiority of a woman and uncovers the author as a real misogynist.
In addition in Chaucers General Prologue to Canterbury Tales depict Wife of Bath as a straightforward woman with her own opinion. In the tale, her deafness only indicates her refusal to listen to other opinions so that she likes to talk because she could hear the others: But she was somewhat deaf and that was a pity, she had such a skill in cloth-making (Chaucer General Prologue 446-447).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be stressed, Chaucers work Wife of Bath reveals him as a feminist because he depicts women as strong and independent personalities. Even though other tales manifest his pejorative attitude to women, still it is noteworthy that there are hues of the unconventional outlook of humanists on women. Relying on this, Chaucer could be considered one of the first feminists in the Middle Age.
Works Cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey The General Prologue. 2008. Web.
Chaucer, Geoffrey The Franklins Tale. 2008. Web.
Chaucer, Geoffrey The Merchants Tale. 2008. Web.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Millers Prologue. 2008. Web.
Chaucer, Geoffrey The Wife of Bath. 2008. Web.
Rigby, Stephen Henry. Chaucer in context :society, allegory, and gender. UK: Manchester University Press, 1996.
In her writing, McCullers aims to achieve a whole mind by using protagonist approach to present both the feminine and masculine gender in the society.
Due to frustration, suffering, and emotional tones in the main character Frankie, the author creates a feminist understanding of the society in which Frankie lives in. Thus, this analytical paper presents a feminist approach in understanding the theory of gender imbalance in The Member of the Weeding society .
The self regulating society offers a facilitated explanation for common support on gender imbalance as a fundamental ruler of perception on doctrines of its members.
The author is intrinsic on the above idea and is consistent in exploring possible reasons behind specific antagonist and protagonist inclination of different characters (Kira 6).
Reflectively, Frankie talks about her frustrations concerning the fearful deep hole between her and other people which causes in her a disease that makes her unfit in the society.
For instance, the author asserts, All other people had a we to claim, all other except her. When Berenice said we, she meant Honey and Big Mama, her lodge, or her church (McCullers 42).
Based on this argument, it is clear that unfulfilled desires stop proactive thought arrangement that is often responsible for aligning beliefs to realities of life, especially when the point of disagreement is of gender nature.
Generally, personal interests form a wide blanket in the thoughts of these patriarchal characters who introduce an interesting twist on the need to recognize the supernatural power when in problems. Interestingly, it was as though a question came into her heart, and the sky did not answer (McCullers 24).
Gender understanding of life varies from different backgrounds. The engine that ignites an unending desire to fulfill social satisfaction is basically love, unity in family, and self consciousness as seen in the character of Frankie who is in a quest to earn recognition.
Upon completing her story, gender disparity between males and females are connected by a delicate balance between societal inclination and nature.
Interestingly, all the fear factors limiting personal expression and reflection are destroyed in the newly found common ground of waiting for a miracle to free the young female stuck in the rubbles. Religion grooms people to be caring. In fact, when you look at each other, the eyes make a connection.
Then you go off one way. And he goes off another way. You go off into different parts of town, and maybe you never see each other again (McCullers 114).
Frankie has a divided self which imprisons and puts restraints on her relationship with men. The feminine roles are so unfulfilling to her, and due to her fear of feminine roles, she lives in denial (Kira 9).
Frankie feels insincere and guilty about being compelled to relieve her brother from her party. Her continuous fight against these limitations through her thoughts bears no fruit and she cannot find fulfillment.
She is confused about her romantic relationship, and while she understands its beauty, she is also aware of its degradation. Frankie did not know, but she could feel her squeezed heart beating against the table edge. The world is certainly a small place (McCullers 6).
Here, McCullers is of the opinion that only an androgynous mind could be fully creative in thoughts, as it allows freedom of the mind of any restriction or inhibition that gender stereotypes laid upon the development of a unique personality which could express itself freely. In her view, androgyny is not the absence of gender but rather gender unconsciousness.
Conclusively, gender imbalance enables the writer to articulate her ideas in writings to summarize gender orientation and eliminate the egotistic nature of most human beings. This balanced state of mind is known to warrant that wholesome creativity and facts important for individual functionality.
However, many critics are of the opinion that McCullers views are spontaneous and might not quantify the actual phenomena.
Works Cited
Kira, Cochrane. A review of the book Women of the Revolution: Forty Years of Feminism 2010. Web.
McCullers, Carson. The Member Of The Wedding, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1946. Print.
Was Willa Cather a feminist? How does she Portray Women in Her Novel My Antonia?
Willa Cather is the feminist author
A feminist can be regarded as a person who supports the equality of women. Willa Cather can be classified under the feminist authors through her literature work works. Various analysts of her work bring out the different aspects of feminism that are clear in her works.
For example, critics such as Granville Hicks say, Cather failed to conform to the contemporary life as it is (OBrien 464). This inconformity was mainly attributed to the fact that Cather would always dress in a masculine way. In fact, another analyst named Lewis says that during her life in college, Cather looked like a young man (Lewis 38).
This dressing is seen as a purposeful step in challenging the social construct of the masculine gender. In addition, a photograph of Willa Cather in the archives of the University of Nebraska portrays her wearing a shingled hair during a period that women wore their hair fashionably long. The shingled hair is also seen as a masculinity symbol since it was gendered to be for men.
It shows Cathers fight for equality between men and women during her time. Another factor that brings out the aspect of feminism in Cather is the fact she always surrounds herself with female friends in all her life.
For example, in college, she had female friends such as Louise Pound and Isabelle McClung. It is also interesting that she moved in with these women in Toronto after college. This aspect showed her approval of the relevance of females since she did not live with a man at any one time of her life.
It is also seen as a proof that a woman can live without necessarily depending on her male counterpart. This observation confirms why her sexual identity is still a big question to date. Cathers life was that of a total nonconformist with the societal standards of gender.
For example, from her masculine tone in various narratives to using male narrators in her writings, Cather indicates has assumption of masculinity as a woman. The fact that she dressed like a man and wore a hair like that of men is also an indication of her struggle against the social construct of masculinity. She used her personal life to illustrate that gender roles were literary assigned by the society and that they could be contravened.
Feminism is also deeply engraved in the masculine tone of Willa Cathers work. For example, Woodress says, Cather so completely& embraced masculine values that when she wrote about women writers, she sounded like a patronizing man (Woodress par.10).
This observation is an indication of the deeper search for a balance of the two genders that the society constructs. Cather was stern on women who viewed men as the norm or standard in the society. Another evidence of Cathers feminism approach in life is seen in her continued use of the male perspective in her writings. For example, Sara Jewett who was a mentor and friend to Cather advised her at one time to use some females in her narrations.
However, Catha declined the advice. Cather replied that she preferred using male narrators (Woodress par. 11). This situation further indicates that Cather had a deeply seated approval of equality between men and women and that she would have approved the case of females behaving like males in different roles.
In fact, Cather would depict male playing feminist roles in her narrations. As a feminist, Cather used the work of art to illustrate that women could also play the role that men played since it was not ideal but a social construct. As a result, her personal life is packaged in a way that questions the social norms of masculinity and femininity.
Further, in the novel My Antonia, which will be tackled deeper in the next section, Cather draws a thin line between the main character Antonia Shimerda and her personal real life. In fact, analysts of her work have concluded that it is difficult to know where her fiction characters and their life end and/or where depictions of her personal life begin or ends.
For example in a biography, Cather was a feminist who turned her own life and experiences into literature to a degree that is uncommon among writers (Woodress par.6). This confirmation indicates that feminism was inherent in Cather. She even had difficulties in separating her own feminist views and those of the characters that she creates in the novel.
Reality of feminism in her life creeps into her writing that overpowers her created characters. Therefore, she ends up presenting her real life experience as a woman who grew up in a male dominated environment, namely Nebraska. Interestingly, Cathers interest in feminism is clearly depicted in her words during an interview with Latrobe Caroll (Giglio par. 2).
She says, I grew up fond of some of these immigrants- particularly the old women who used to tell me their home country&I had an enthusiasm for a kind of country and a kind of people, rather than ambition (Bohlke par.4). This statement shows that Cather had a clear perception of people and society that she desired. This perception is the feminist society that she draws in her works of art.
Hence, it suffices to declare Cather a feminist playwright. However, it is now crucial to investigate whether there is any link between her feminism and the way she portrays women in her novels such as My Antonia.
Cathers Portrayal of Women in My Antonia
Women as Conquerors and Assertive Beings
In her novel- My Antonia, Willa Cather portrays women in a strong feministic light. Cather takes time to paint an accurate image of success to all her female characters. All women are depicted as ultimately successful at the end of the story. In the novel, Cather builds very physically powerful womanly characters who are feminists in nature.
All the female characters are able to overcome the difficulties they face as they settle down in a new land. This power to overcome is meant to compromise the male dominated world of success (Woodress par. 4). Through the way Cather brings out the characters, the reader is able to identify the feminist ideals of the author.
Cathers inspiration to present the significant roles that were played by women during settlement of westerners in America is visible in this novel based on her approval of women equality with men in terms of role-play. For example, the abilities that men have in overcoming difficulties of settling their families in new areas are equal to those of women in the novel.
In fact, she presents female characters that played equal or more important roles than those of men. For example, in the novel, Antonia Shimerda actively compromises gender norms to show that such norms can be changed. Antonia assertively takes over the duties of her late father immediately he dies. For example, Antonia begins undertaking roles that were traditionally assigned for men.
The plan is to compromise those outdated norms. In fact, she says, I dont care that your grandmother says it makes me like a man (Cather 801). This assertion shows her tough belief in gender parity. Cathers feminism approach in writing is also brought out by the way she questions the andocentric system where the male gender is believed to be the standard.
Through Antonia Shimerda who is one of her strongly depicted feminist characters in the novel, Cather questions the male norm construct in the society. For example, Antonia says, I like to be like a man (Cather 801). This remark, especially by a main character, indicates the authors approach of the masculine societal construct that a woman can play the role of a man with comfort.
It also shows the thirst for equality in women. Women desire to be like men and/or to be equal to them. Therefore, Cather questions the notion that men are the standard in the society. Cather continues to present Antonia as able and active woman who achieves all she desires in life. Despite the death of her father, this woman assumes all the manly duties and succeeds amidst dissenting voices that claim that she acted like a man.
At the end of it all, she is able to bring up her family in a better way than men do. For example, Jim, a character in the novel remarks, it was no wonder that her sons stood tall and straight (Cather 926). In this statement, Cather wants to disapprove the traditional societal construct that boys learn to be assertive from their fathers or other males.
She portrays Antonia as a woman who brings up well-cultured and upright men as evidenced by Jims words. In fact, Cather wants to show that despite a woman having a husband and children to cater for, she can still be successful as men are.
Feminists also advocate for abolition of the inequality construct that exists between males and females. Cather uses female characters that are determined, opinionated, and self-directing to bring about the aspect of females being equal to males. She presents some gendered roles that are typically believed to characterize males through women characters.
To deliver this point, she makes all female characters successful. From the novel, Lena Lingard moves to the city as a stranger and succeeds in business as seen in, she had come to Lincoln, a country girl, with no introductions except to some cousins&and she was already making clothes for the women of the young married set (Cather 885).
Cather depicts women as hard workers and breadwinners in their families, a construct that the society rejects. For example, she writes about Lena as a role model whom other people have emulated based on her devotion to work (Cather 885). Cather also presents Tiny Soderball as a woman who has strong business acumen.
Tiny is drawn as an adventurous woman who travels to different parts of the world searching trade goods of high value such as gold. In fact, she says, She was satisfied with her success, but not elated (Cather 897). Cather uses this statement to portray women as self-determined and successful, just like their male counterparts.
Women as Strong-willed Beings
In the novel, women are depicted as uncompromising creatures. A strong-willed person is one who shows the character of determination, fortitude, and resilience. Cather draws a picture of women who are determined to achieve, despite the challenges they come across in a male-dominated society.
For example, the novel presents a woman Antonia Shimerda who is eager to learn a new language at a young age. In fact, her determination is clearly brought out when her father eventually dies. She fills the gap by playing his roles as seen in her words, I like to be like a man (Cather 801).
She cannot heed to criticizing voices and outcry by some individuals who say that she is playing a mans role. For example, she tells Jim Burden, I not care that your grandmother says it makes me like a man (Cather 80). Her strong will presents women as a tough gender that is able to defy discouragements and achieve amidst obstacles.
After the death of her father, people expected that Antonia would either take to the streets or move to her relatives to beg for food. However, she is determined to work towards her success. In fact, she stops spending her time playing with other young people such as Jim so that she can begin to work. Consequently, Antonia is portrayed as a very successful woman at the end of the story (Obrien 462).
This depiction shows how determined women end up succeeding in life. With reference to her success, the author says, She was like a rich mine of life, like the founders of early races (Cather 926). Another woman who is painted as strong willed is Frances Harling.
This woman represents the young and upcoming woman. Cather draws this character working in a white-collar job as a chief clerk. Frances is also depicted as the person who manages her fathers office when he is absent. This responsibility shows how a determined woman can be trusted to perform duties that men perform.
Ability to work and/or supervise oneself as a woman is also quietly depicted through the girl who is able to work in the absence of her father. Her strong will is also depicted by the way Cather portrays her success in business. In fact, Frances proceeds to be the manager of her fathers offices when he eventually retires.
Perseverance in learning the art of business and succeeding is another aspect of a woman that is clearly brought out through her. It is through strong will that women in the novel are seen as successful.
Women as Independent Elements
An independent person is one who is self-sufficient. He or she has the ability to make decisions without the influence of others. Cather portrays women as independent beings who have the capacity to produce excellent results based on their independent decisions. One of such women is Lena Lingard.
This woman is able to assert her independent desire in life, despite criticisms from her people. For example, the people of Black Hawk believe that a woman should not leave home to work in town. However, Lena defies all these unfounded notions and moves to the city where she becomes a successful businessperson.
She had come to Lincoln, a country girl with no introductions&and she was already making clothes for the women (Cather 885). Linas drive for self-reliance is also evident in the way she moves to the city without depending on anyone to show her the way or to introduce her to the city dwellers (Cather 885). Her determination to provide for herself is portrayed through her hard work too as seen in, She evidently had a great natural aptitude for work (Cather 885).
Lena even refuses to marry in a bid to maintain her independence. In fact, when she involves herself with Jim, the relationship does not erode her independence. Woodresss biography presents her as influentially reminiscent and not noticeable through zeal (par. 3).
At this point, Lena is both financially and emotionally independent. Hence, she cannot be manipulated. This point portrays women as independent and hardworking people.
Women as Powerful and Opinionated Characters
Another woman who is painted as powerful is Tiny Soderball. Cather portrays her as a successful businessperson. The autonomy of Tiny is brought out through her numerous travels that she makes in search of gold. She moves from Seattle, to Alaska, and then to San Francisco.
Only independent women can make numerous long distance travels without being questioned or denied permission (Palleau-Papin 542). Cather portrays women as having the ability to move from one city to another in a free way without help from their male counterparts as depicted in the words of Cather, She was satisfied with her success (Cather 897).
These words show how womens power resulted in self-satisfaction, as opposed to dependency that is witnessed in defenseless women who have to rely on their male counterparts. Cather also uses Frances Harling to portray women as powerful. She depicts her as a working person who is able to stand in for her father in his office work.
In fact, she is drawn as the chief clerk who is in charge of others. The writer goes ahead to show her as the manager of her fathers offices in Black Hawk town after he eventually retires (Cather 894). This depicts women as bosses who are reliable and dependable by others.
Another character that is used to portray women as powerful is Genevieve Whitney. Cather paints her as a sophisticated, intelligent, and an educated woman. Such a woman is less dependent on the help of other people since she can independently work for her wealth.
The author refers to her as having, her own fortune and her own life (Cather 712). It is important to note the use of the possessive term with reference to Whitney livelihood. The implication is that she is independent of factors that control a persons life. Women are therefore painted as well armed to face and conquer the challenges of life without being dependants.
An opinionated person is one who is able to bring forth his or her ideas without fear. Cather depicts most of the women in her novel as opinionated. She portrays women as having the ability to decide on their own and/or take action without influence of others.
One character that is depicted as opinionated is Antonia Shimerda. Antonia is depicted as asserting her opinion to take a mans job after the death of her father, despite objections, for example by Jims grandmother (Cather 801). She goes ahead to implement her decision by avoiding playing with Jim. Instead, she devotedly works in the farm. The author finally portrays Antonia as a very successful woman.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is clear that the literature work by Willa Cather depicts her as a strong feminist as she confirms in an interview with Latrobe Caroll where she narrates the path that her life has taken since her childhood. The paper has revealed her as a powerful character who had to beat all odds to attain a feminist title that acted as an awakening call to all other women who had been used only as vessels or machines of producing children.
They had no other role to play. Cather passes the message that such women need to break these chains loose, come up with a plan for their life, and rise up to execute it, despite the challenges that might come their way from men who will pronounce them as betrayers of societal norms.
The paper has found that such norms are unfounded and that they only tie women to the extent that they cannot exercise their full potential of taking leadership positions, being breadwinners, and/or deciding on behalf of their male counterparts.
Cathers belief in equality between men and women has also been clearly brought out by the way she paints all her female characters as independent, strong willed, opinionated powerful, and successful in roles that were typically preserved for men. Any fanatic of Cathers work will declare it an informative masterpiece whose message will continue making sense to the world.
Ruined is a play written by an American playwright Lynn Nottage. This is a story about the issues of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the civil war. The play provoked a strong public reaction in different parts of the world. While some people, like a Dean at Princeton University, find some false notes in the drama, others actively support the narrative choice of the author (Dolan). Indeed, the play raises topical questions about womens plight in the modern world and deserves to be supported.
Main body
The comments of Anonymous published as a response to the review of Jill Dolan, demonstrate the importance of womens role as mothers during the war. The author links the story of Mama Nadi with the story of Mother Courage who lost her three children, trying to get benefits from the war. They also highlight how significant it is to never engage in war since both women and men lose a lot as a result of military actions. The author expresses concern that sometimes it is suggested that women suffer more than men during wartime. Overall, the comment contains very positive feedback about the play which is considered as genius .
I, personally, agree with the opinion of the author of the comment. Indeed, Mama Nadi is an entirely different character that has nothing to do with Mother Courage from the play of the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. While Mother Courage was trying to make money out of the war without thinking of her children, Mama Nadi felt a deep pain inside. She understands that she has to use other women to save her daughters. Moreover, Mama Nadi took care of all the women in her house. She said: I expect my girls to be well-behaved and clean. I provide a bed, food, and clothing. If things are good, everyone gets a little (Nottage 12). Therefore, even though the business of Mama Nadi based on using sexual attractiveness of women, she appears to be more thoughtful and less selfish than Mother Courage.
However, I cannot fully accept the idea of the author about a total rejection of war as a means of overthrowing the political power in the country. There is no doubt that it is better to avoid military actions, but the author did not suggest any other ways to deal with the current political situation in their state. I think that it is not a good idea to wait for a better time without doing anything fearing the war. Something needs to be done to improve peoples lives in the future. If it is not possible to avoid war, then it is necessary to prepare the population, to evacuate women, children, and elders from the places of military actions.
Conclusion
I would also like to add that the authors concerns about reducing the role of men in the war have no basis. There are a lot of works dedicated to the heroism of men in wars, such as What It Is Like To Go To War by Karl Marlantes, Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce, or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. However, the play Ruined is one of the works that aims to show womens lives and their plight during the war. I think that concentration on womens issues is one of the most strong sides of the play. Even nowadays, in the 21st century, we still see evidence of womens discrimination in different parts of the world. Thus, Congo became the worst place for women in the world during the armed conflicts there (Kahozi 1). Therefore, it is extremely important to pay attention to the world community to the issues faced by women during the war either in Congo or any other places.
Kahozi, Daniel. The Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman: Novelists, Playwrights, and Memoirists on the Congo Armed Conflicts (1996-2010). Dissertation, University of Texas, 2016. UT, 2016.
Nottage, Lynn. Ruined. Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 2010.