Category: Woman

Thinking about literary novels in 1897 and vampires alike it is unlikely that the first gothic novel to come to mind is The Blood of the Vampire but rather to Bram Stoker’s popular creation, Dracula. It can be stated that due to the overwhelming success of Dracula, Marryat’s vampire novel can often be overlooked as a cheap imitation of Stoker’s work. However, the Blood of the Vampire is in complete contrast as it shares no plot similarity to Dracula given that it is based upon a female character of Harriet Brant a young female vampire who drains the life-force from her victims rather than draining their blood. This essay will explore eugenics within society and also the social anxieties associated with the ‘New Woman’ of the 1890’s, through Florence Marryat’s The Blood OJ the Vampire particularly looking at the character of Harriet Brant as an example.

The ‘New Woman’ development in writing alludes to the unexpected change in ladies of the late nineteenth Century, amid which the ‘suitable’ ladylike goals were tested – quiet and tame individuals, dependent on men to survive, changed into solid and competent ladies, making progress toward a voice and an outlet of their possess. While this improvement has demonstrated to be a noteworthy and genuinely persuasive point in present day history, the reaction to the underlying change was not exactly agreeable – from ladies both hesitant to give up their ‘Domestic Goddess’ jobs, and appalled by others decisions to venture outside of the local circle, just as most by far of men, who discussed their absence of regard for the individuals who deformed themselves, physically, by methods for the new design, for example, a pantaloons suit or shorter, slicker haircut, and additionally for conveying everything that needs to be conveyed in such a stubborn and insolent way – a long way away from the Victorian lady the men of the time were acclimated with, at last sullying the convention and traditions of England for individual addition, “…..dresses like a man, as far as possible, thereby making herself hideous…..work by man’s side and on his level and still be treated with the chivalry due…..”

The essential concern and in reality reason for a lady in the eighteenth and nineteenth Century was to wed a strong suiter and mother children. Those ladies who had aspirations beyond this were felt sorry for, scorned and to a great extent shunned. At times ladies who kept up their autonomy and restricted marriage were marked ‘Crazy’ or ‘Sexual Deviants’ because of their refusal to accommodate, and were denounced, all the more in this way, by society, bringing about constrained, cold relational unions or uncertain hospitalisation. Amid this time, men were viewed as the ‘head’ of the family, and ladies, the ‘heart’. The men controlled all advantages and assets, close by having progressively thorough training (ladies were most certainly not gifted any guidance until the late nineteenth Century, thus the conception of the ‘New Woman’). In expansion to this, men settled on every one of the choices in regards to wedded life, including (lawfully) constraining their spouses into having intercourse and conceiving an offspring, and controlled the childhood of the children. Which included the choice of sending newborn children away paying little mind to the Mother’s desires (eg, Wollstonecraft’s ‘Maria: The Wrongs Of Lady’). This treatment was advocated by the Church, the law, history and society as a rule, and a transformation began to emerge in the twentieth Century.

Looking at the author Florence Marryat we can see that she herself could perhaps be described as a New Woman. ‘The life of Florence Marryat contains all the intrigue of one of her sensation fictions – marriage, adultery, separation, numerous children, bereavement, notoriety, fame and success.’ Although being the daughter of the successful novelist and navy officer Fredrick Marryat, Florence was internationally successful in her own right through an impressive collection of favourable novels. At the young age of 21 along with her husband, Marryat spent seven years travelling around India. This is an example of Marryat’s life being led as a New Woman as she gained an insight into different cultural backgrounds and ways of life. This would not only have been frowned upon of a woman at the time but also would’ve scared middle-class men at the Fin-de-Siecle. Fears around the introduction of the New Woman and social anxieties were increasing and travelling by young women such as Marryat’s trip to India threatened the eugenics theory. It is probable that Marryat’s characters within her novels are based upon certain aspects of the own life and character as her work are often centred around unconventional women, like that of Harriet Brandt.

Harriet Brandt can be seen as a New Woman through no choice of her own as she is a wealthy young woman travelling independently around Europe. Harriet is the daughter of a mixed-race voodoo priestess and was raised on a plantation in Jamaica. After her father’s death, a revolution from slaves on the plantation cause Harriet to flee to Europe, along with her father’s inheritance. At first glance into the backstory of this character we can see how Harriet is already a controversial character for Marryat to introduce. It is very untypical for a young woman of this era to be in control of such wealth as Harriet is, particularly at such a young age. Due to the lack of education received by women during this century it is expected that women are usually reliant on men for income or stoop to more dangerous methods of supporting themselves such as prostitution. It is also highly uncommon for a woman to be travelling practically alone around Europe as woman not only deprived from even the idea of travelling so vastly across the world, but even denied the right to gain knowledge or background on other cultures and customs. This was due to t

This conduct and treatment of ladies was viewed as a need as they were then viewed as very hung, enthusiastic, and unequipped for persevering through the duties of life. This musing was accentuated by the high level of ailment in ladies of the period, both mental and physical, because of their less than stellar eating routine, practice routine and absence of substance or stimulation. An article distributed in a 1955 issue of ‘Housekeeping Monthly’ subtleties how a lady should treat her better half, mirrors the Victorian disposition to marriage, where they are told to, ‘… ..show truthfulness in your craving to satisfy him’, ‘Let him talk first – Remember his points of discussion could really compare to yours’, ‘Make him agreeable… ..’. In doing as such the spouse was satisfying her very own obligation, ‘… ..cooking for his solace will furnish you with monstrous individual satisfaction’2.

In a world where patriarchy has always been prominent and dominant, class, caste and sex differences between male and female are explicitly noticed. Women have always been portrayed as inferior to men and as argued by Mary Wollstonecraft in her essay, Rights of Women, censoriously expresses her opinion and rues on the fact that women, though treated as inferior, have always been subjugated. Women, for most of the times, are considered to be dependent on male counterparts and are represented as mere wives, daughters and sisters, are meant to be servile towards them, so that they couldn’t achieve a place equal to that of man in society. The sexualisation and infantalisation of women at various points, lead to their unfair treatment and objectification. Ostensibly, women are (Adam and Eve being the exemplaries) only meant to have been created to fulfill male desires, paradoxically both being the creation of one God.

In a male dominated society, women were for so long refrained from reading and writing and they were debarded from the social spheres as their work was limited to the domestic space, tending the children and their husbands. Women’s writing is a new area of study where one could experience the writings of women, courageous they were to try a hand in the patriarchal society. It could be seen as a bold attempt where one could get the literary works from renowned women writers who simply gain fame and recognition through their works. “Narratives that emerge from a historically disprivileged perspective have greater epistemological validity than knowledge that emerges from a privileged position and perspective. Those in privileged position are unlikely to experience caste, class pr gender based discrimination or oppression as those who have been historically disadvantaged. It is also likely that the writings which emanate from such groups of marginalised and disadvantaged groups will offer new insights into the question of identity”. Women writers adopted and came up with their own form and style of writing, to get equal status and recognition as that of men. At first instance, women were criticised as, metaphorically they didn’t have the ‘pen’, which is associated with masculinity and therefore, they couldn’t produce good works. But gradually, female writers started getting recognition and were praises and admired a large group of females, who then started to realise their own importance.

“Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women’ (1792) is a landmark treatise that paved the way for many women after her to not only publish their works but also to engage in the overall critical discourse surrounding the issue of women in literature”. Wollstonecraft found the period after the French Revolution to be progressive, where women could get their rights. According to Meenakshi Malhotra, Wollstonecraft demonstrated a consciousness of being a new kind of woman, one of the foremothers of feminism who on one hand got recognition, albeit limited, of her genius and on the other hand, vituperative castigations of her as a ‘hyena in petticoats’ (Horace Walpole). Mary Wollstonecraft could be seen as both a child pf radical revolution and of enlightenment rationality. Suparna Dasgupta valourizes Wollstonecraft’s rationality in her essay where she mentions that Wollstonecraft cites Milton’s Paradise Lost as the classic example of seeking equal rights.

Wollstonecraft, as argued by many, was notoriously criticised for Rights of Women, a tract that launched a powerful attack on the second class status of women. Her Enlightenment concerns involved the faith in the human capacity for improvement, the necessity of rejecting unjust and social and legal structures no matter how well entrenched and above all, the faith in human reason as an equalizing force. Wollstonecraft, being a feminist, occupies an ambivalent position, where on the one hand she persuaded women and demanded political and educational rights for their freedom from the domestic space and the clutches of the atrocities faced at the hands of men while on the other hand, she is seen with a contrasting comment on the sensibility of women. “Cora Kaplan argues that the ‘negative and prescriptive assault on female sexuality’ is a ‘leitmotif’ of the Rights of Woman. For example, Wollstonecraft advises her readers to ‘calmly let passion subside into friendship’ in the ideal companionate marriage (that is, in the ideal of a love-based marriage that was developing at the time). It would be better, she writes, when ‘two virtuous young people marry . . . if some circumstances checked their passion’.” “According to Wollstonecraft, ‘love and friendship cannot subsist in the same bosom’. As Mary Poovey explains, ‘Wollstonecraft betrays her fear that female desire might in fact court man’s lascivious and degrading attentions, that the subordinate position women have been given might even be deserved. Until women can transcend their fleshly desires and fleshly forms, they will be hostage to the body’”. “If women are not interested in sexuality, they cannot be dominated by men. Wollstonecraft worries that women are consumed with ‘romantic wavering’, that is, they are interested only in satisfying their lusts. Because the Rights of Woman eliminates sexuality from a woman’s life, Kaplan contends, it ‘expresses a violent antagonism to the sexual’ while at the same time ‘exaggerat[ing] the importance of the sensual in the everyday life of women’”.

She identifies the role of women in society as rational beings like men where, through education they could educate their children and could be ‘companions’ to their husbands, rather than being mere wives. Simply adhering to male world and their desires, women become objects of oppression. Wollstonecraft maintains that women are human beings, deserving the same fundamental rights as men. “While Wollstonecraft does call for equality between the sexes in particular areas of life, such as morality, she does not explicitly state that men and women are equal. Her ambiguous statements regarding the equality of the sexes have since mad eit difficult to classify Wollstonecraft as a modern feminist”.

Women have always been, as noticed and experienced by Wollstonecraft, compared with brutes, but she presents women as being rational, where reason distinguishes and is pre eminent over brute creatures. Women are supposed to be pleasing, gentle, docile and writers like Rousseau and Gregory presents women as weak and useless members of society. Wollstonecraft made a great attempt by trying her hand at the masculine pen and produced major works, for which she was criticised.

Sexuality and pleasure causes women to be slaves of libidinous males as pointed by Cora Kaplan in her essay. Rousseau, as noticed by Kaplan, always considered women as objects of male desire and passion which leads to oppression and subjugation of women. Wollstonecraft’s critique of Rousseau comes from his book Emile in which he states that women need to be educated for the pleasure of men. According to Suparna Dasgupta, Rights of Women needs to be read as a supplement of Rights of Man. Women need to be feminine and human, which if applied to Wollstonecraft herself, she considers it to be ‘utopian dreams’.

“Influence is when you are not the one talking and yet your words fill the room; when you are absent and yet your presence is felt everywhere.” (TemitOpe Ibrahim)

Throughout my life, there have been several people who have great influences on me, but some have left a vast impact on my life. Beside of my loving mother, Staci was the significant figure that contributed in shaping and changing me to become who I am today. Whenever I think of Staci, I remember all the valuable life lessons that I learned from her, lessons about strength, courage, and kindness. As I look back, I realize that I had never told her how much I admired her and how influenced she had left on my life. Staci opened the window of the world for me and perhaps she was the most remarkable teacher of many who contributed to my knowledge.

Staci represented everything good in this world. She had a deep sense of purpose, an ability to connect with everyone she met in a meaningful way, and a commitment to leave this world better than she found it. I first met her in 2003. It was a year after I moved to the United States with my mother. Moving to America was a drastic adjustment in my life. The pain of being separated from my father and the culture shock in the new environment made a negative impact on me. It was even worse when the change happened during my teenager years when my mental and psychological had not fully developed. I constantly felt estranged, lonely, insecure and sad. I was mad at my mother and blaming her for the separation, so I decided to move in to live with my aunt who lived in Midland, Texas. Every day I was sitting in the corner of my aunt’s nails salon for hours without saying a word. I rarely engaged myself into conversations or with anyone at the salon. Staci was one of my aunt’s regular customers. Seeing me like that, she started small conversations with me here and there any time she came for her nails service. At first, I got embarrassed because of my broken English so I said as little as I could, but she urged me to speak more. She politely interrupted and corrected my grammar, encouraged me to tell her about my day, my school, and stories about my life in Vietnam, patiently listened to me. We talked about everything; I even told her my confidences. Despite the thirty-years age gap and language barrier, we got along so well. At that time, Stacie was the first and only friend I had in American. With my aunt’s permission, she started to come to the salon more often to teach me English, the culture and life lessons. Slowly I gained more confidence about myself and adjusted into the new life in the United States with Staci’s help.

When I first met Staci, I thought she was a stay-at-home mom since I saw she came to the salon all the time. Through the way she dressed and carried herself, I could not tell she was a Chief Financial Officer for a million-dollar oil and gas company. She was always warm, gentle and sweet. After graduating from high school, Staci referred me to work as a part-timer at her company where I learnt about the American corporate world and professional business. Taking me under her wings, Staci taught me to how to grow up as a decent and responsible person. In the two years working with her, she continued to amaze me. She made me go from one surprise to another. At work, she was successfully careered woman who had put significant effort into her professional development and was exceptionally good at what she did. She was a dedicated employee who was willing invest the necessary time and effort to accomplish thing. I had never seen her backed down from any challenge, no matter how hard it was. Not only a great asset for the company, but as a boss, Staci also encouraged and gave her employees the opportunities to become ones too. She had never raised her voices with anyone in the company, always treated people with a calm and courteous manner, Staci got everyone’s respect and admiration. She was a genuinely nice person, in all senses of the word and showed me that you can still be kind and tough at the same time.

She was an admirable figure to people around her, especially to her sons who grew up seeing what a strong, confident and successful woman looked like and could achieve. For most peoples, often the commitments to family, household, work, and social life seem to be hard to balance; but, with Staci, she managed everything perfectly. She had proved that she was more than capable of handling all her responsibilities in both work and personal life with great success. No matter how busy she was, she still dedicated her time and effort to fulfill her roles as a wife, a mother, and even a grandmother. She had never missed her grandson’s soccer games, always been there to support her sons, and a great companion for her husband. They called her the “solution” to any problems and the bond to keep everyone together. In some special occasion, Staci invited my family and me to her family’s dinners or events. I was touched to see the atmosphere filled with happiness, laughter and joy. I remember Kris, her husband, a big gigantic man, always gave her hugs and kisses on her cheeks. Those were the sweetest memories that I will never forget. For people who growing up in a broken family like me, I used to admire and dream of having a beautiful family like hers. Staci also taught me my important role in the family when she saw me slowly drifting away from my mother and my family. Even though she had never criticized me about my decision to move to Houston away from my family, but I knew she was disappointed at me. I completely understood her reasons that I had not finished school at that time and my family just went through the drastic incident – my uncle was killed in a car accident. Yet, I was too young and immature back then. Despite all the advices from Staci and my mother, I still followed my instinct and moved away. Before I left, Staci only told me not forget of my root and my family, one day I would realize that all the fun and friends would disappear, and family would be the only one I have left. It was not until several years later that I gradually understood her good words.

After I moved to Houston, Staci continued looking after my family. It was a roughest time for my mother and my aunt since they did not have any friends nor family in Midland to rely on, and the fact I moved away. If not because of Staci, I would not know how my family would overcome that time. She helped my family to settle in the new life without my uncle-in-law. She asked her family to give us all the supports that we needed. For six years after the incident, Staci still visited my family at least once or twice a month, treated my family like her own. To my family and me, Staci was not only a good friend, but she was also our benefactor, an angel that God sent to us. Up until now, I have never met a caring and genuinely selfless person like her. Because of her, I have learnt how much kindness and compassion could change a person. I might have followed the wrong directions and grown up as a failure if I did not meet Staci back then.

During the last five years before Staci passed away, even though we rarely talked to each other, but through my mother and my aunt, we still watched and knew each other’s lives. One day, my aunt told me that Staci just found out she had stage 3 of lymphoma cancer. When I heard the bad news, all I could think was how it could happen to an amazing person like her. In two years fighting with the cancer, Staci never lost her spirits through all the surgeries and treatments. She remained strong and positive spirit for her family and for people who loved her. Even though her odds were not good, she still sent me sympathy card when my dad passed away, still emailed me comforting messages sometimes. I heard there were many family and friends coming together for Staci, helping her with the battle, and supporting her for her to feel she was not fighting alone. In 2017, Staci lost her battle with cancer. Through the rough patch in her life, Stacie never lost her strength. She was still positive until the last day of her life. It was the hard time for everyone, especially for her family. Everyone mourned for a good person like her to die so early. Stacie was a perfect definition of someone with endless courage. She had lived a meaningful life; and even passing away, she continued to inspire and strengthen others.

Staci had taught me all the important lessons of my life. Lessons about strength, independence, confidence, and kindness that I learnt from her are like memories, and they will stay with me forever. They become a part of my life, shape me to become the woman I am today, and influence all decisions and actions throughout my life. It was my blessing to meet someone like Staci. Some days, I hope to influence someone’s life the way Stacie did mine.

With the violent death of Jamal Khashoggi, reportedly under direct orders from the Saudi Royal Family, Saudi Arabia has seen their human rights violations thrust into the light. For years western countries have seemed to turn a blind eye to these abuses based on various factors, most notably the close relationship between the United States and Saudi governments. Of these documented violations, women in Saudi Arabia have seemed to suffer the worst. Gender roles in Saudi Arabia, like most middle eastern countries come from a history of local culture as well as the interpretations of Sharia Law. So how do the paths of the Saudi women of today mirror those of American women in the early 20th century? This paper will examine the differences and similarities in the struggle women in both countries endured to achieve their current level of rights. We will focus specially on the rights gained in the political and economic spheres as well the improvements in education and the social lives of these women.

Politically speaking women in both Saudi Arabia as well as that of the United States have seen an increase in their rights politically within the last hundred years. Starting with the United Sates, while not the first gathering in support of women’s rights, the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 is seen as the start of the Women Suffrage Movement in the United States. These woman suffrage supporters functioned to educate the public about the legitimacy of woman suffrage. Pioneers of women’s rights pioneers Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others, suffragists continuously implored Congress to pass constitutional amendments to giving women the same rights as their male counterparts. While a democracy since its inception, the United States severely limited who could vote during the country’s formative years. According to the National Women’s History Museum website (n.d.), during this time a strong alliance was formed with another movement who were seeking equal rights for black men as well; the Abolitionist Movement. By 1870, nearly five years after the end of the United States Civil War, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified giving black men the right to vote. In 1920, due to the combined efforts of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman’s Party, the 19th Amendment, enfranchising women, was finally ratified. This is considered the most significant accomplishment of women in the Progressive Era, and was the single largest addition of voting rights in our nation’s history.. Ironically, prior to being given the right to vote women ran and were elected to positions in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. According to Lawless and Fox (2012); “As of the 1970s, women occupied almost no major elective positions in United States political institutions. By 1979, women comprised fewer than five percent of the seats in the United States House of Representatives, and only about ten percent of state legislative positions across the country.” While the 1980’s saw gradual, but steady increases in the percentage of women seeking elected office, and the early 1990s experienced a swell, however the previous few elections have seen as slight decrease in the roles of women in politics. In 2010 congressional elections resulted in the first net decrease in the percentage of women serving in the United States House of Representatives since the 1978 midterm elections. This trend continued to women elected to state legislatures. These usually act as key launching pad to positions in higher office, however they saw the largest single year decline in 2010. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, “Women in National Parliaments,” as of August 2011, the United States ranked 91st in a worldwide ranking of women in the National Legislature, ranking behind countries like Rwanda, Cuba, and Uganda all of whom are notorious for their anti-western ideology. Given the continued gender gap in political ambition, equality in the political arena is a ways off. However, strides are being made where women and men are equally likely to aspire to attain high-level elective office.

The similar can be said regarding the political climate in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a relatively young country, having been formally introduced and recognized in 1932. As a monarchy, elections in Saudi Arabia have been rare, with only three taking place within the 20th century. Based on that, Saudi Arabia was the last country in the world to retain a gender-specific ban on political suffrage, with voting rights not being granted to women until 2015. While the municipal councils’ women could vote for don’t hold much power in the country, the ability to vote was a symbolic moment for women. Similarly, Saudi women were able to hold positions prior to earning the right vote just as women did in the United States. While women within the United States are able to use their political power on a consistent basis, despite the political gains women in Saudi Arabia have made in the last decade the inconsistent frequency of elections in Saudi Arabia as well as the culture of the country that is patriarch dominated will continue to prevent women from having the same rights and opportunities as their American counterparts.

Economically women in the workforce in both the United States and Saudi Arabia have seen a steady climb since statistics started being gathered for both countries. According to the United States Department of Labor, since the end of World War II in the United States the numbers of women in the civilian labor force have quadrupled. This is further expanded on by Barsh & Yee (2011); “Between 1970 and 2009, women went from holding 37 percent of all jobs to nearly 48 percent, an increase of almost 38 million more women. Without them, our economy would be 25 percent smaller today, an amount equal to the combined GDP of Illinois, California and New York.” Back in the 1970s when women and a huge cohort of baby boomer men were entering the workforce, 65 percent of GDP growth arose from workforce expansion. According to an article by Bahn & McGrew (2017); “Women are overrepresented in sectors of the economy that are considered low profit. Many of these sectors are inherently less likely to have significant productivity gains since they are face-to-face service occupations, but they still matter a great deal to the overall functioning of the economy.” While most of the service industry is dominated by women, in recent decades there has been a considerable increase in women in jobs that are deemed “white collar” by society. While not statistically equal to their American equivalents, women in Saudi Arabia account for 48 percent of jobs in the retail sector. However, it should be noted that Saudi women account for significantly less percentage in the work force than men according to the International Labor Organization. While the percentage has risen from 15.3 percent in 1990 to roughly 18.5 percent as of a 2012 report, it is still considered extremely low as opposed to not only neighboring countries but other significant Muslim countries like Indonesia and Brunei. As previously stated, Saudi Arabia is very patriarchal, this is best stated by Al Munajjed (1997); “A woman’s work must also be deemed suitable for the female physique and mentality. Women are allowed to work only in capacities in which they can serve women exclusively; there must be no contact or interaction with the opposite gender. A woman’s work should not lead to her traveling without a close male relative and there is little or no public transportation in the Kingdom.” This causes most working women to travel to work without a male relative out of practicality. This is further explained by an article from Zoepf (2013) who explained until 2005, women worked only in specific fields such as doctors, nurses, teachers, or in a few other special situations where they had contact only with women. Almost all these women had college and graduate degrees and were employed in areas where men were not permitted which included teaching girls or in hospitals, as conservative families prefered that female doctors and nurse treat their wives, sisters, and daughters. Due to this, women in Saudi Arabia seem to be pigeonholed into certain careers and based on the finite number of positions in these fields the reason for the low number of employment as opposed to women in the United States becomes clearer. It should be noted that there are additional factors that account for the low numbers. One factor that can account for women in Saudi Arabia having such a low total in the work force is the significant presence of expatriate workers in the country. These individuals work in sectors that include the hotel service industry, as well housekeeping among other professions. When these expatriates are removed from the 2012 report, the number of working Saudi women dips to just above 6 percent. Another factor of the low percentage of Saudi women working has to do with Saudi Arabia’s chief export and biggest industry: oil. According to the OPEC website, Saudi oil production accounts for 18 percent of the world’s total crude oil exports. Due to this, the number of social programs available to the people of Saudi Arabia offset the need to acquire employment. This trend is being addressed by the Saudi government, as declining oil reserves are forcing them to look to the future. This includes Saudi women, who are deemed to be an untapped resource in the country. This parallels the spot women in the United States had during the 1940’s and 50’s: still considered inferior to men, however recognized for the untapped potential that they possessed.

In the legal sphere, American women have significantly more rights than those in Saudi Arabia. American women have the same rights as their male counterparts. The most glaring difference between the two is the dated system Saudi women requiring a male guardian in almost all aspects of society. While this stance has been loosened in the past decade, in the Saudi court system, under Sharia law, women have significantly less rights. For example, in the Quran when inheritance is sought daughters inherit half as much as sons. While this may seem an insignificant aspect of Saudi culture, it paints the picture of how little women are considered in the legal domain. More significant aspects include domestic violence and sexual violence. Domestic violence, while not a new part of Saudi Arabia, has started to receive public attention after the 2004 beating of popular television presenter, Rania al-Baz was severely beaten by her husband, and photographs of her ‘bruised and swollen face’ were published in the press. According to a Christian Science Monitor report on domestic violence on Muslim women, violence toward women is not the norm in the Middle East, it does exist and there is strong bias against women. The act of domestic violence was not seen as criminal matter until 2013, when the Saudi cabinet approved a law-making domestic violence a criminal offense for the first time. The law calls for a punishment of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 riyals (US$13,000), which can be doubled for repeat offenders. For sexual assault, under Sharia law, which is generally enforced by the government, courts will punish a rapist with anything from flogging to execution. However there is no penal code in Saudi Arabia, so there is no written law which criminalizes rape. The rape victim is regularly punished as well. Due to this, very few rapes are reported. This is like the United States, where many rapes are not reported, however the difference is when rape is reported and found to have happened, the victim is not punished by the court system. Additionally, there is no prohibition against spousal or statutory rape. While the past few years has seen the Saudi monarchy begin to address these heinous acts, they likely occur much more frequently than reported. So, in terms of legal protection women in Saudi Arabia have significantly less legal recourse than that of women in America. This is more than likely the single biggest hurdle that Saudi women will have to overcome, and it is not likely to be done in the near term as religious fundamentals are ingrained in the culture and not easily changed.

While access to education to is available to women in both the United States and Saudi Arabia this is one of the rare instances where Saudi women have a distinct advantage over their Western equivalents. Based on an article in the Atlantic by Marcus (2017), women will comprise more than 56 percent of students on campuses nationwide according to the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to this, as recently as the 1970’s, roughly 42 percent of college students were women. Ironically this is nominally the same percentage as Saudi women, where 52 percent of all college graduates are women. However, their reasoning for obtaining higher education differ. While there are various reasons for women to obtain degrees in the United States, the most prevalent is that degrees are often required to obtain higher paying “white collar” careers. This contrasts to the reasons of why Saudi women obtain degrees, which is based on religious pursuits. In Islam, a great emphasis is placed on the importance of knowledge, study, and understanding. The belief is that obtaining knowledge is the only way to gain true understanding of life, and so it encourages both males and females to study. However, according to Yizraeli (2012); “The opportunity for women is Saudi Arabia didn’t really occur until the first women’s school opened in 1956 and the first state run school didn’t open till 1960/61.” (p. 227) Prior to this there was no “official” schools for women in Saudi Arabia. The first school for higher education for women in Saudi Arabia didn’t open till 1970. Saudi women’s education is still controlled by male guardians who are responsible for making many decisions for the women’s education. This is obviously vastly different than women in America who can attend a school of their choosing without the need of a male guardian. So, while access to higher education is available to women in both countries, their reasoning in obtaining higher education differs from one another.

Socially women in Saudi Arabia and the United States could not be more different. While women have enjoyed new freedoms following a landmark decision by the ruling monarchy to lift restrictions including extending driving privileges as well as the ability for women to travel alone, there are other facets of social behavior that women in America enjoy that Saudi women cannot. While driving and traveling alone have been extended to the women of the United States for a long time, it should be noted that women in Saudi Arabia have certain aspects of social life that they still cannot do. According to an article in the UK version of the Week, Powers (2019) listed things that women in Saudi Arabia still cannot do. The dress code for women is controlled by a strict interpretation of Sharia law and is enforced to varying across the country. Most women wear an abaya as well as a head scarf. While the face does not necessarily need to be covered, some hardline conservative Muslims are annoyed by this. Religious police are notorious for harassing women for exposing what they consider to be too much flesh or too much make-up. In July 2017, Mohammed Alarafe, a prominent Muslim scholar in Saudi Arabia, issued the advice on the abaya, posting on Twitter: ‘O daughter: Don’t buy any abaya that has any decorations. No embellishment, no slits, no openings. Please, daughter, don’t show any makeup, and don’t wear makeup like in Jahiliyyah era.’ Two weeks later, a video circulated on social media showing a Saudi woman walking around a deserted area north of Riyadh wearing a miniskirt, which many saw as defiant stance the strict regulations on women’s clothing. The clip sparked debate in the country, with conservatives demanding her arrest against reformers applauding her bravery. While in America, restrictions on what women can wear seems trivial, it wasn’t that long ago when women were shamed in to wearing certain forms of clothing. The flappers of the 20’s, and the bikinis of the 50’s and 60’s stand out as two of the most significant events in what American wear. These events are unfathomable in the Saudi Arabia due to reasons previously stated above. While women and men America can work, live and socialize with each other, Saudi Arabia remains segregated between the opposite sexes. Places such public buildings, which include offices, banks and universities, have separate entrances for the different sexes. Additionally, public areas like parks, beaches and amusement parks are also segregated in majority of the country. Mingling can lead to criminal charges being brought against both individuals, yet it should be noted that women typically face harsher punishment than males. Ironically the government of Saudi Arabia proposed hosting a future Olympics, yet without the participation of women. Even after the participation of Saudi females in the 2012 London Olympics, many hardliners in the country denounced their involvement, even going so far as to call the women “prostitutes.” Female athletes in America are considered heroes and work to advance female involvement in all sports. While strives have been made in Saudi Arabia to include women in all facets of sporting events, including allowing women to enter a sporting stadium for the first time in 2017, females are still strongly discouraged from a religious standpoint in participating in physically activities. Additionally, tasks that American women take for granted everyday are considered incredibly taboo in Saudi society, this includes trying on clothes in public to reading an uncensored fashion magazine. It should be noted that while these aspects are engrained in the older generation of Saudis, according to a quote from a report by ABC journalist Momtaz (2018); “Saudi society has been stagnant too long, shackled by regressive social conservatism that has excluded half of our workforce” Indeed, it seems even the rigidness of Saudi Arabia cannot stop social progress. As the older, hardline Muslims fade away from the public, Saudi may be on the cusp of becoming on par with its other Gulf Coast country neighbors.

What we can gather is that women in Saudi Arabia have far less rights than of those in America. While this is an obvious statement, the similarities between women in America and Saudi Arabia stand out. Indeed, it seems that the path Saudi women are on is relatable to those of American women in the late 19th and early 20th century. While rights for Saudi women have come it seems at a slower pace than Americans, we must understand that for all intents and purposes the country of Saudi Arabia is a baby to that of other countries, and it took American women almost 100 years to gain the rights they currently possess whereas Saudi women have gotten them in less time. While not likely a short-term outcome, the rights that women in Saudi Arabia have gained will remain to grow as progressiveness continues to grow in the kingdom.

As a new immigrant to Canada my knowledge of Indigenous people was very limited or close to non-existent, especially topics on Indigenous women. Taking this course has impacted me in so many ways and it has opened up my eyes to many of the problems that is witnessed in this city regarding the First Nations of Canada. Hence, I have chosen the topic on woman and colonization and the impact it had on the aboriginal people and women particularly. I believe this topic is very important on the road to reconciliation with Canada and should be acknowledged. Women in general are vulnerable to many gender-based problem – sexism. Aboriginal women further face sexism as well as the ramification of Colonial discrimination. Indigenous people has suffered a great deal on the hands of colonizers, and were stripped out of their land, tradition, livelihood and language. Colonization has taken its toll on all Native people, but it has taken its greatest toll on women and children.

Rolls of Women before the European contact

There is still dispute among scholars to the extent of women’s political position as to how involved and powerful they were in their clan before the European contact. But the Canadian Encyclopaedia mentions the extent of power women were entrusted in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. It further goes on explaining the power of women in this confederacy such as matrilineal which is tracing of kinship through the female line. Clan Mothers were also delegated in the higher political position such as monitoring the decisions of the Chiefs and appointing a new one when departed.

In most Indigenous cultures’ women are considered carriers of water, which is a significant role of connection with the sprit of water through bearing children. Hence each individual indigenous woman has a certain duty to safeguard and cherish water. As carriers of children they play a huge role in bringing up children and teaching them gently to use their own mind and make their own journeys, as the creator intended. Hence women were most of the time connected with wisdom and were considered as the pillar of their culture. Another roll indigenous woman had on their clans were of a teacher. They were guardians of their languages and cultures, at difficult times they are the force behind in keeping it together. As the ones who gives birth they were often stated to being favoured by the creator since the gift was bestowed un to them. Consequently, they were regarded with respect amongst men in their clan.

In general, it is clear to see how well organized and efficient governance they had. True it was so different from what the Europeans were accustomed to, but that does not justify their prejudice against the Aboriginal people. Moreover, before contact the Aboriginal people were living peacefully amongst each other and in harmony with mother Earth. It might be true that women are bearers of children all over the world, but not all of them do not have the respect the aboriginal women had on their clan. Almost in all part of the world and especially the western world, women were viewed as inferiors to men and their voices were not important. In case of the aboriginals their view of gender was way ahead of the western governances and way ahead of their time.

Post Colonization

When colonizers came to North America the first thing they went after was the Indigenous people’s land. They removed Indigenous people from their land and forced them in to a reservation. Before being forced to the reservation they use to hunt and provide but now that was taken away from them which caused to frustration and rage which finds its outlet in violence against women.

Édouard Manet has a well-versed collection of art that has truly stood the test of time. In his era, Manet definitely pushed the boundaries of what society deem appropriate and “real art,” but most commonly now, he is known as the father of modern art. In this essay I will be discussing Manet’s “Woman with a Tub.” First I will give a brief synopsis and history of the painting, then I will analyze the work in depth, and lastly I will overview it’s cultural context and give some insight to how it relates to art and media today.

Manet created “Woman with a Tub” around 1878-1879 by using pastel on canvas. A woman is standing over a tub in black knee high stockings. It’s hard to tell exactly what she is doing, but by assumption, she looks like she’s about to bathe. Described by Koons Collection, “Behind her, crowned with cologne bottles and a chamber pot, stands a toilette table—.” This leads to believe that this is just a visual depiction of a woman in her bathroom. This style of painting he did was very simplistic. There aren’t many harsh lines and there are not many bold colors. Manet’s style in the 1870’s was much different than anything he had done before. “Instead of relying on linear, retrospective derived and decorative elegance for main effects of his images, Manet selected personages from his immediate experience and rendered them in the most abbreviated manner possible.” What makes this painting so beautiful is its simplicity.

Now that a brief overview has been given of “Woman with a Tub, I will analyze it’s physicality in depth. The painting itself isn’t very big; while I could not find it’s exact measurements, you could very well easily pick up the painting and hold it comfortably within both of your hands. As previously stated, this was painted in Pastel on canvas. At first glance, the color that stands out most is black. The woman in the painting is wearing knee high black stockings, and the tub she is bent over is black with hints of blue—these colors are pretty bold. There is a bottle of what looks like perfume in the background, speckles of red, yellow, and blue on what looks like a cabinet of some sort (these colors are streaky and light), and a yellow sponge in the tub (which is very bold in color). When it comes to the woman in the painting, she is painting bending over, the outline of her body is painted in black and browns, and her skin is a pale peach color. He breasts are tucked between her head and torso as she bends over, and they are painted in an outline of gray. Her face has no distinct features—just an outline of the profile of her face and eyebrows; all painted in a very light brown. It is important to note that she is also naked and not nude. According to Koons Collections information plaque (photo obtained from The Getty Center, Los Angeles), “Here a model, all the more naked for having retained her stockings, bends over a tub of water.” The model having stockings makes her look like a real woman and not a venus which could be described as a muse or a goddess. Also, even though she is not looking directly at us (but downward at the tub, the stockings hint to her being real, for a venus would be draped in cloth and look very idealistic. Looking at this photo, I feel calm and comfortable. It’s very similar to what most people do when drawing a bath to get into. I was instantly drawn to this photo for that reason; the simplicity is stunning. “…We have kind of a catalogue of the important moments in a woman’s toilette, in wish a woman fashions herself and produces her femininity—either implicitly or explicitly under the gaze of a man or not.” What Manet is trying to convey is just the simplicity of a woman bathing and her showcasing her femininity. The woman’s body doesn’t have to be this risqué, taboo thing. It is beautiful and worth admiring.

With this analysis of Woman with a Tub, it is easier to tie it into the context of how it links to art and media today. Back then, drawing naked women would have been very risqué and harshly critiqued because it made people uncomfortable. Manet broke those barriers with his art and forced people to recognize femme bodies in all their glory. In art and media today, seeing a naked woman is not taboo—it is not something we turns our heads away at in contempt. If anything, sexuality has become a huge part of what is in demand and what people see on a daily basis. Of course, some will still think that sexuality in art and media is too risqué, but honoring human bodies in a healthy way is a beautiful thing. It has led to movements of body positivity, women’s rights, and women’s equality. Manet helped set the tone for women to be free in their skin, just by showing a woman simply bathing.

Works Cited

1. Edouard Manet as an Illustrator.” Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 62, no. 293, 1967, pp. 223–235. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3795194.
2. Armstrong, Carol. “Facturing Femininity: Manet’s ‘Before the Mirror.’” October, vol. 74, 1995, pp. 75–104. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/778821.
3. Koons Collection. Woman With A Tub. 2019. Accessed 17 Nov 2019 at The Getty Center, Los Angeles.

Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann were two women that dealt with many problems women in today’s society deal with. Unfortunately we still live in a society where gender roles play a very important role in our every day lives. For fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann this was a very apparent issue in their lives. Both were wonderful composers and performers whose talents were underestimated in their society simply because they were women. Sadly, due to societies norms, being a woman, composer and performer was looked down upon. Both females were considered musical geniuses and they both were not given credit for their hard work and talent. In most cases, very much like Clara and Fanny’s lives women were forced to either hide their musical talents or were taken advantage of while giving credit to their male counterparts. Therefore, in this essay, I will be talking about Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann’s lives and how were effected by gender inequality.

Fanny Mendelssohn daughter of Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg Germany on November 14 1805. Fanny learned to play piano from her mother and by the age of thirteen and could play the twenty-four preludes from the well-tempered clavier by Bach. Although she showed many signs of being a child prodigy her father was not as supportive towards her musical abilities as her mother was. While on the other hand, her younger brother Felix Mendelssohn who later became a known composer in the romantic period had much more support from their father when it came to being a musician. In 1829, Fanny married Wilhelm Hensel, traveled Italy and had one child. When her mother passed away in 1842 she went back home, took part in organizing concerts, and occasionally performed. She died of a stroke on May 14, 1847. Clara Wieck daughter of Friedrich and Marianne Wieck was also born in Leipzig Germany on September 13 1819. She began playing piano with her father who was a well-known piano teacher. By the age of seven, she had already performed Kalkbrenner’s duet with her father. In 1830, her future husband Robert Schumann had began studying with Clara’s father. At this time, Clara was about twelve years old and touring across Europe with her father. By 1837, she was well known as a leading virtuoso in Europe while at the same time she was growing as a composer as well. One of her first compositions was dated back in 1830 but her most known pieces like the six lieder written in 1842 and three preludes and fugue in 1845. Once Clara was married and had three children Clara did not compose as much but she did begin teaching music. In 1854, her husband Robert was committed into an asylum where he then spent the rest of his life. Clara continued to compose very little and died of stroke on May 20,1896.

Both Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Wieck were both very talented composers and performers. Fanny Mendelssohn wrote around 450-460 musical compositions many of which were published under her brother Felix’s name, which he later became famous for after in a genera she had created called “songs without words”. Some of Fanny Mendelssohn’s famous pieces are Notturno in G minor, which was played for composers like Franz Liszt and even Clara Schumann at Sunday gatherings. Das Jahr meaning the year, which was a collection of twelve songs representing a each month in her travels around Italy and string quarter in E flat major which incorporated a large amount of emotion and sequences including the sound of echoes. Critics say that her music is lively, powerful and included many characteristics from baroque composers she admired. Fanny was more known to compose music rather than perform it while Clara was more known for her performances. Clara Wieck was one of the leading pianists who in the late twentieth century became recognized for her compositions. Since there are no videos or recording to prove how talented Clara actually was, we can only assume from her written compositions and commentary from fellow musicians that she was as in fact a very talented woman. A few of her most known compositions are piano trio in G minor written in 1846 which was considered a dynamic journey between light and dark, piano concerto in 1836 which was bold and explored multiple ranges of the piano and Drei Romanzen which demonstrate a slow pace tempo with a slight urgency which drew the audience in. Although both Fanny and Clara were considered very skilled and accomplished musicians they went through many obstacles before finally being able to take credit for their own talents.

Since gender inequality was a major issue in the nineteenth century, many women like Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara were not given the acknowledgment for their musical capability. In letters found that had been sent back and forth by Fanny and Felix more in site on their lives was revealed. As a child Fanny’s father would favor her, brother’s talents over her own and would state that her brother was to become a professional musician and composer but for Fanny she would only use music and an accessory. Soon after Felix began to publish some of his compositions many of which were actually his older sisters compositions. Because Fanny was a woman, her and Felix decided it would be best if the songs she composed were published under Felix’s name. Therefore, she spent almost her whole life as an invisible writer for her brother. She was always seen second to her brother even though in reality she was a better composer then he was. The society and traditions she was raised around made it almost impossible for her to make her own decisions as a woman. The only way she would have been able to display her talents at that time was through her brother while in return she would help him with constructive criticism. In 1838 Fanny had her first and only known performance then later in 1846 she decided that she would publish her own songs thus finally giving her the credit she deserved from a young age. Unfortunately, her fame did not last long as she did pass away a year later. Even though Clara spent most of her life performing, fanny and her did have one thing in common. The control of their artistic talents was in the hands of the men around them. Even though the situations were different, the underlying truth reveals that they were very much in the same type of predicament. Clara Weick’s father Friedrich had a different view on society. Her father raised her to be genderless in a way. He knew that in that time being a famous musician and a woman was wrong but he did not care what the norms of society were saying. He just wanted her to become the best of the best. So far, that it actually caused many psychological problems for Clara, although he was very supportive throughout Clara’s life he would often put too much pressure on her which resulted in Clara having issues with depression, anxiety and low-self esteem. It was common for her to be anxious before performances then would almost never be happy with her playing which resulted in her becoming depressed. Once she broke away from her father and married Robert Schumann slowly but surly after Robert began taking advantage of her talents and manipulated her into believing that she needed him in order to do well and in the meanwhile he was just encouraging her psychological problems to increase. Therefore, Clara went on with her life feeling this way from not only her father but husband as well. Although some may say that Friedrich was just a over supportive and controlling there were many instances where one could see the manipulation. Clara’s father would take all profits from her performances and only reward her sometimes if he was pleased with how she played. This was Friedrich taking credit for something was not his to take just like Felix Mendelsohn.

While looking into the lives of Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Wieck, people realize that it was not an easy time to be a woman with such talents. It may seem like their fathers brothers and husbands were there to support them but in reality, these two remarkable women were taken advantage of instead. Thankfully in recent years both Fanny and Clara songs have become more popular while their reputations are growing as well. We now know how powerful and strong they really were in order to withstand the amount of pressure and inequality. Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann are just two of many women composers who were overpowered by a man. this shows the impact a society can have on people and their lives. This teaches people not only to learn from the struggles that occurred in history but also to be inspired and never let your work and create a world where women receive the same power as men. No one other then you are in charge of your life.

References

1. “5 Of the Best Works by Clara Schumann.” Classical. Accessed November 20, 2019. http://www.classical-music.com/article/5-best-works-clara-schumann.
2. Cummings, Robert. “Clara Wieck Schumann: Biography & History.” AllMusic. Accessed November 20, 2019. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clara-wieck-schumann-mn0001499984/biography.
3. Cummings, Robert. “Clara Wieck Schumann: Biography & History.” AllMusic. Accessed November 20, 2019. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clara-wieck-schumann-mn0001499984/biography.
4. Hensel, Fanny, Felix Mendelssohn, and Marcia J. Citron. The Letters of Fanny Hensel to Felix Mendelssohn. S.l.: Pendragon Press, 1987.
5. Kelly, Thomas Forrest. Music Then and Now: with Total Access Registration Card. Place of publication not identified: Ww Norton & Co, 2013.
6. Reich, Nancy B. Clara Schumann: the Artist and the Woman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
7. Rizzi, Sofia. “Clara Schumann Was Completely Unique and Awesome – and Here’s Why.” Classic FM. Classic FM, September 13, 2018. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/clara-schumann-facts-pianist-composer/.
8. “Six of the Best: Works by Fanny Mendelssohn.” Classical. Accessed November 20, 2019. http://www.classical-music.com/article/six-best-works-fanny-mendelssohn.
9. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Fanny Mendelssohn.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., November 10, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fanny-Mendelssohn.
10. Wilson, Brant, Dan Reifsnyder, Tim Maryon, Evan Zwisler, Jeremy Young, and Sammy Hakim. “Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann: The Inspiring Composers Music History Missed.” Soundfly, March 10, 2019. https://flypaper.soundfly.com/discover/fanny-mendelssohn-and-clara-schumann-composers-music-history/.
11. 1 Kelly, Thomas Forrest. Music Then and Now: with Total Access Registration Card. Place of publication not identified: Ww Norton & Co, 2013.

The term ‘New Women’ was coined by the Irish writer and public speaker Sarah Grand in 1894 in refer to intelligent, educated, emancipated, independent, and self-supporting women. Independence was not simply a matter of the mind: it also involved physical changes in activity and dress, as activities such as bicycling expanded women’s ability to engage with a broader more active world. The New Woman pushed the limits set by a male dominated society. Female subculture was divided by Elaine Showalter into three phases (1) Feminine (imitation) (2) Feminist (militant and anti-men) and (3) Female (discovery of selfhood). Shashi Deshpande’s New Women belongs to phase three. Her feminism aims at improvisation of relationship between man and woman.

Shashi Deshpande was born and brought up in Dharwad in Karnataka, South India in the year 1938. She got writing as a legacy from her father Sri Adya Rangacharya – the renowned Kannada dramatist and Sanskrit scholar. She grew up surrounded by books and literary personalities. Deshpande grew up in a family that belonged to the upper middle class, and so does her own family. She received her graduation in Economics and in Law. Much later, she took a post-graduation degree in English. In 1962 she marries Dhirendra H. Deshpande, a medical doctor. After marriage she obtained Diploma in Journalism, and worked for a couple of months as a journalist for the magazine ‘Outlooker’.

In 1968 they go to stay in London for a year. Writing did not come to Deshpande as a conscious decision. In England she felt isolated, with no friends, and her husband away all day. On their return to India her husband encouraged her to write about this experience. 1978 saw her first collection of short stories: “The Legacy and Other Stories” (1978). Other collections of her short stories are: “It was Dark” (1986), “The Miracle” (1986), “It was the Nightingale” (1986), “The Intrusion and Other Stories” (1993), “The Stone Women” (2001). About her process of being a writer Shashi Deshpande stated:

There was really nothing. It was really strange. Maybe it was there waiting inside and suddenly at one moment it came out. Until then, I was looking around to see what I could do. I was very unhappy and not doing anything, just looking after home and children. It was perhaps a kind of claustrophobic existence. I could feel something building up in me and that caused the outburst. Otherwise, it would have perhaps led to a breakdown. (Dhawan 117)

Shashi Deshpande has been contributing her literary jewels in Indian Writing in English for more than thirty years. Short stories and novels being Shashi Deshpande’s forte, her major works include six collections of short stories including near about eighty stories, seven novels apart from the books for the children and several articles. Thus her output is by no means inconsiderable.

Shashi Deshpande, in her fictions, deals with certain recurring themes, like- inner conflict and identity crisis, parent-child relationship especially mother-daughter relationship, and the concept of marriage and sex. Above all, the theme of silence rooted in the complex relationship between man and woman holds a great fascination for Shashi Deshpande.

Shashi Deshpande has carved a niche for herself in dealing with woman in different roles- daughter, wife, mother and an individual in a society conditioned by the rigid codes laid down by men. Deshpande is the articulator of women who are caught at the cross-roads of change in a society which is undergoing the birth pangs of transition from tradition to modernity. Rejecting the level of a feminist, Shashi Deshpande has always been writing about women. There is no feminine mystique in her portrayal of women.

New Woman challenges the old codes of conduct and morality of the society. In the story entitled ‘The Legacy’ Shashi Deshpande supported the Niyoja theory of Mahabharta, where sex is conducted to continue to dynasty of the King of Hastinapura. There is only a minimal voice of feminism in the form of fulfillment of woman. In the story, woman’s instinctive desire to have a son was unfulfilled due to sexual inadequacy of her husband. Her husband agrees to arrange surrogate husband. As a result of that she conceives a child. Thus, Shashi Deshpande reject the “idealization of motherhood”, and false sentimental notes about it. It also shows a deep understanding of woman psychology on her part.

New Woman takes her decision herself. In a story named ‘A Liberated Woman’ Deshpande creates a confrontation between a high salaried educated wife and less salaried prejudiced husband. The deep-seated prejudices and complexes of the husband are set against the modern liberated outlook of the educated woman. The husband suffers from inferiority complex marked by aggressive behavior to his wife in compensation. She knows her predicament in male-dominated society. She articulates her problems to an old friend of hers. She smothers her will to oppose openly and break her relation with her husband because of so called ethical values of society. Sidelining the advice of her old friend she decided to give an interview to a magazine to publish her story, which shows the courage of ‘New Woman’ to take her decision herself.

New Woman expresses her disagreement to the idea of arrange marriage. ‘The Intrusion’ is the most articulating story in this regard. This is the story of a newly married couple. It was an arranged marriage. On their honeymoon bridegroom makes amorous advances to the bride, who is in nostalgia. He is not trying to understand her point of view and claim proprietary right on her.

New Woman fights against the traditional perception of woman as ‘Angel in the house’. In “An Antidote to boredom” protagonist of the story is tired of her dull existence as a house-wife and mother. She feels she has a chance to entertain herself when she met a young widower at her son’s school. The socially unacceptable status of Eros emerges in the humiliated wife. She does not know whether it is automatic, natural, and authentic experience of her life or only to spite her husband and relieve her boredom. Whatever, but at last she has the satisfaction of trying something to defy the societal norms to fulfill her own desires.

By her women characters of the stories, Shashi Deshpande conveys the message to her reader and society that the time has ripen to be ready to welcome the ‘New Woman’ who is aware, self-controlled, strong willed, self-reliant, and rational, having faith in the inner strength of womanhood. Being a woman Shashi Deshpande understood the world of Woman and portrayed it perfectly in her fictions unarguably.

The short stories of Shashi Deshpande simply puts the point to ponder upon that, Woman is also a human being with same right of live and survive. At the same time, she draws the colorful picture of the ‘New Woman’ with her magical and mastered pen on the canvass of post colonial Society.

Works Cited

1. Dhawan, R.K. “Recent Commonwealth Literature” New Delhi: Arnold Publishers, 1989

The tribal women have been given insufficient recognition in the literary as well as the social canon in the pre and post-independence period. The traditional image of Indian womanhood, whether the socially secure and independent image of Aryan woman or the sheltered and protected image of the purdah clad medieval woman, does not include the grim realities that constitute the life of tribal women. The subordination of tribal women operates at various levels, the first among which lies in the very terms of discourses which are decidedly mainstream. The traditional notions associated with women’s role, their social position and responsibilities, their privileges – economic, political and sexual are determined and judged from the dominant cultural perspectives which are opposed to the ideals of tribal traditions. The depiction of tribal women’s predicament serves as corollary to the status of women in India. A study of tribal woman therefore becomes imperative since women are the pillars of mankind, comprising almost half the population of human race, and the different facets of their socio-economic life play a landmark role in their destiny.

This paper seeks to examine the representation of the subaltern tribal women within the socio-political domain of the nation, where the impact of materialism and greed intrudes into the mental and physical geography of the margins that is the poor and exploited tribal women. The renowned writer Mahasweta Devi’s fight and struggle for humanity, her sincere efforts to improve the conditions of tribal women are clearly reflected in her literary works. She has an unflinching faith in the strength of womanhood and she voices her concern against their exploitation subverting in the process dominant myths of the mainstream society. The exploitation and deprivation of the tribal women has been studied here in the backdrop of neocolonial set up. This goes without saying that women in general in present times are subjected to repression, marginalization and exploitation in society. The tribal women are no exception.

This paper would focus on the representation of tribal women in the context of Mahasweta Devi story “Draupadi” from Breast Stories where she describes how these women are exploited, tortured, humiliated, manipulated and raped by rich social institutions and the protectors of law. However, as Mahasweta Devi makes a remarkable shift in the general perspective about subaltern women by presenting them as decisive and assertive. Women whose value system do not allow them to accept or adhere to the ideology of violence, death and destruction. Rather than adhering to the feelings of helplessness and misery due to their victimization they bounce back with greater vigour against the perpetrators of violence.

The stereotypical assumptions of womanhood perpetuated through patriarchal ideology have been challenged by these ‘subaltern’ women to assert their emancipation however insignificant it may be. Despite consistent degradation at personal, social and political levels through their resilience and conviction tribal women register a metamorphosis in their lives.

The short story “Draupadi” is a remarkable story that subverts the cultural politics of mainstream history by appropriating and redeploying the mythical narrative. The semblance of historical narrative is created and refurbished from the perspective of the subalterns. The myths as a site of cultural contest are employed to bring the margins to the centre. The meaning that the Mahabharata episode assigns to sexual assault and nakedness, shame and fear, consolidating the power politics, is inverted by the demythicized and revised reincarnation of the protagonist Draupadi. The tribal Dopdi ironically reverses the semiotics of these signs to produce a sense of bewilderment, incomprehension and fear among the male violators (Goswami,116).

An attempt is made here to showcase the desperation of the subaltern tribal women and the way Mahashweta Devi has imparted voice to these subaltern women. Dopdi Mehjen (Dopdi ) is a Santhal tribal guerrilla working with her Husband Dulna. They are the chief conspirators in the murder and death of landlord and moneylender Surja Majhi and Biddhi Babu who had levied taxes on water, called Canal tax. Their fight for survival was very strongly crushed by Special forces. Ironically her perpetrators use her own brethren to capture and torture Dopdi. The Senanayak wants complete submission from Dopdi and for this she is shamed to the core and turned into an object of gaze and derision. He applies on Dopdi the tactic of rape in a bid to subjugate her body, mind and soul. She is repeatedly raped as she loses and gains consciousness during the ordeal.

What is significant here is the unprecedented response of the victimized Dopdi to her victimizers. This sexual assault and brutalization cannot defeat her, she refuses to wash and clothe her and instead uses her tortured and molested naked body as a weapon to challenge them “What’s the use of clothes? You can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? Are you a man? There isn’t a man here that I should be ashamed. I will not let you put my cloth on me. What more can you do?” (37). Here Dopdi emerges as an embodiment of feminine resistance who refuses to cover her nakedness, heroically defies standing naked before her torturers because “a Santhal woman believes that a true male will never insult a woman. In her defiance of her captors and torturers, Dopdi achieves a larger dimension than the Pandava Queen (Draupadi), her namesake, and exposes a violent truth about Indian manhood” (Arya 111).

Dopdi’s rebelliousness displays two forms of resistance – resistance in the form of tribal insurgencies by tribal woman who walked shoulder to shoulder with men and second is the humiliation and subjugation of tribal woman through rape but here the shackles of false notions of honor are broken and Dopdi succeeds in shaming her tormentors by raising her voice. In her we find the concrete alternative to resist and destroy not only the injustice of gender politics but also the incursion upon tribal land and forests, of feudalism, colonialism, and global capital. According to Beniwal Mahasweta Devi’s “Draupadi” empowers the subaltern linguistically as she ruptures the linguistic structures/canons of the mainstream literature:

Mahasweta Devi manipulates “the standard linguistic expectations to transform the subaltern’s acts, articulations and responses into tools of strength and self-respect minus servility and self-denigration. This strategy is most conspicuous in Draupadi’s (re)action after she is captured and raped” (Vandana, 188). Dopdi’s body has been violated but her soul and indomitable spirit remains intact, “She does not let her nakedness shame her, torture her, intimidate her, or the rape diminish her” (Sen and Yadav 224). In the final scene Draupadi uses her mutilated body to counter her oppressors, “Draupadi pushes Senanayak with two mangled breasts, and for the first time Senanayak is afraid to stand before an unarmed target, terribly afraid” (37). This custodial rape is particularly dehumanizing as it presents a blatant abuse of authority of the Indian government, the same institution which is bound to promote and protect the rights of women. Sadly though such instances of custodial rape are not new in India. Hundreds of helpless women are raped in custody especially the dalit and tribal women are being raped everyday by upper caste landlords and the powerful. The Mathura rape case was an incident of custodial rape in India on 26 March 1972, wherein Mathura, a young tribal girl, was allegedly raped by two policemen in the compound of Desai Gang Police Station in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra resulting in huge public outcry and protests. This case has been a turning point in women’s rights movement in India, as it led to greater awareness of women’s legal rights issue, oppression, and patriarchal mindsets. In recent times in July 2004, a group of Meitei women staged protest in Imphal to protest against the torture, rape and murder of thirty two year old Thangjam Manorma in the custody of the Indian army’s Assam rifles battalion.

Pakistan is considered to be the third most dangerous country for women in the world. In the paper, I would analyze the problems that women in Pakistan face every day, and how difficult it is to survive in a male dominated society.

Women in Pakistan are thought as subordinate to men. In a patriarchal society such as Pakistan, women consist half of the population yet are not given the same rights as men, they’re treated ruthlessly especially in the rural areas where education is practically a non-existent concept. Being a woman in Pakistan should be considered as an act of bravery because they have to endure problems such as physical/ sexual assault, marital rape, forced marriages, honor killings and the list goes on. From her birth a woman is considered to be a burden/ liability, her worth is decided based on her power of reproduction. Women all around Pakistan are looked as an object of sexual satisfaction; they are looked as a commodity that needs to be protected until it’s passed along to the chosen recipient.

The reason I have selected this area to research is because this is an important social issue that needs to be highlighted. Women are only guaranteed a life if they agree to conform to outdated traditions and social norms. In the mind of a Pakistani, a woman’s only supposed purpose is to provide their husbands with a male heir, a mindset that is irrational and illogical and needs to change. In some extreme cases, daughters are considered to be such a liability that female baby infants are buried alive.

A woman, despite being educated faces the same hardships a woman who may have been deprived of it. The issues may be targeted towards different aspects of their life, but the criticism and the hardships still persist. Due to the fact women are considered to be the inferior gender they endure severe discrimination. Little boys, mostly in rural areas, will be sent to receive an education whereas little girls are forced to stay at home and do housework. Boys are given the role of a breadwinner from an early age but if a woman decides to take that role, her character is shamed and she is looked down upon in society. Matriarchal households rarely exist those to after the death of a male breadwinner.

One of the major problems that women face in Pakistan is honor killings (Karo-Kari). Honor killing is defined as killing of a relative, mostly targeted towards a girl/ woman who are perceived to have brought dishonor on the family. It is a heinous act that is still practiced in some parts of Pakistan and is an act some even take pride in because they believe it restores the honor also known as “izzat” of the family. The fact that such an immoral act is still accepted in our country shows how little value is given to a women’s life. Honor killings are extremely common in Pakistan; however in some areas the rates are alarmingly high. According to Aurat foundation’s statistics a total of 557 women were killed in the name of honor in 2010, 604 were killed in 2009 and 475 women were killed in 2008. These are the cases that have been reported, however there are so many cases that go unreported, or are dismissed. One of the most major and well- known case was the Qandeel Baloch case, a woman who was honor killed by her brother in her hometown Multan. Ms. Fauzia Azeem also known as Qandeel Baloch was a 26-year-old, model, social media sensation and self-proclaimed feminist who belonged to the village Shah Saddardin in Dera Ghazi Khan District of South Punjab. Media claimed that she had an unsuccessful marriage and a child too. She was known for posting daring and bold pictures, videos and statements on her social media accounts. She used social media as a platform to get her point across in her own unique way. On July 16, 2016, she went to visit her ill father and to celebrate Eid-Ul- Fitr in Multan when she was strangled by her younger brother in her sleep. Few days before her murder she responded to an interview question “I don’t know HOW many girls have felt support through my persona. I‟m a girl power. So many girls tell me I’m a girl power, and yes, I am. I was 17 years old when my parents forced an uneducated man on me. The abuse I have been through… It happens in places like this, in small villages, in Baloch families. This happened to me too she said, No, I don’t want to spend my life this way‟. I was not made for this.” In this we come to the realization that Qandeel Baloch was just another woman who was suppressed by her family, she was a 17 year old girl who was forced to marry a complete stranger. Qandeel herself stated that her family never supported her. The man she was married to tried to throw acid on her face just because he thought she was too beautiful. She stated that despite coming out with my story the media didn’t give me any credit for speaking about women empowerment. Her character was judged based on the videos she posted but the media never highlighted the fact that this was her only way to escape the abuse she endured; they also failed to specify that she was responsible for supporting her family financially. Instead they criticized her; her own brother murdered her because a woman standing up for her rights in Pakistan is unacceptable.

Qandeel wasn’t the only woman to have gone through this. While carrying out my research I came across multiple cases of domestic violence. Another incident that took place was with a woman named Ayesha. When she was 10 she was stopped from attending school due to the birth of her younger brother. While these celebrations were taking place in the name of her brother, she was raped by an unknown young man in her uncle’s house. In order to save the families reputation the man was forgiven. Not just this but her father was also extremely abusive towards her mother, it was a very common practice in her village. A few years down the line, her father also started sexually abusing her despite knowing the trauma that she had endured when she was a child. From this we see that women’s safety is always in question even when they’re at their own homes. Another case that stood out was of a woman named Rehana. In majority poor households women are physically abused but are also the primary breadwinners because the husband refuses to work. This was the Rehanas’ life story where her husband refused to contribute anything to the household. Before she was married to her husband, she had to face rejection on the basis of an incident that took place in her house when she was 14. These men came to rob their house, but had more sinister intentions. She threatened to kill herself before anything extreme happened. Despite being brave enough to stand up to her sexual offenders, the family who had asked for her hand in marriage now rejected her on the basis of being impure and used. Even now being treated like a normal human being is a privilege due to her husband’s abusive tendencies.

While it may seem that women are marginalized in Pakistan, there are various examples which highlight the success of women especially when it comes to social issues. One such is example is of Meesha Shafi who took inspiration from the #Metoo movement and spoke out against Ali Zafar, a well-known singer and actor, who allegedly sexually harassed her. After her public declaration, other women followed her lead and spoke out against Ali Zafar and the case has been going on for months. This boosted the confidence of several other women spoke out for those who were taken advantage of. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, a renowned journalist and filmmaker, spoke out against a doctor on Twitter who harassed her sister. Later on, action was taken against the doctor and he was asked to step down. Another such case took place where an 11 year old girl spoke out against the CEO of a Pakistani Streaming Website. The girl’s claims were backed by another woman who claimed to have felt extremely “uncomfortable”. An investigation took place and later the CEO was asked to step down. Aurat March, which took place in major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Mardan, was another milestone for women which should go down in history. In a country like Pakistan, where women speaking for themselves is considered shameful and derogatory, movements like these ad platforms like the Aurat March are creating a safe space for women to share their stories and fight these social stigmas together. Many women have been taking steps towards making Pakistan an empowered nation such as Malala Yousufzai, who has won a Nobel Peace Prize award for speaking for female’s rights to education after facing harsh consequences for pursuing her own education. Ghulam Sughra Solangi is another commendable example of a woman who, once oppressed herself, is now working in hopes of building an educational path to a prosperous future for other young girls deprived of opportunities. While several cases of female oppression have been brought forward over the decades, it is only in the 21st century where women have taken a stand and are breaking free from the chains of social stigmas and taboos. Social media has given women the opportunity to keep the conversation going about topics like physical and sexual abuse, marital rape, education and marriage related rights and extremely isolated topics such as the female menstrual cycle. It seems as though women have a new found passion for righting the wrongs of our society with a lot of compassion and accountability. Female voices are louder than ever and are being recognized for what they are worth. This conversation ignited by women all over Pakistan stands on the grounds of inclusivity and empathy.

However despite all the progress that has been made there still a lot of issues that remain. Through Meesha Shafi’s case, we see how ignorant the Pakistan society is towards sexual harassment of women. Meesha shafi received around 3000 comments in which most of them disregarded her and criticized her for defaming Ali Zafar, a very “respectable” celebrity. Ali Zafar on the other hand is denying the accusations and using national television to invalidate her claim. Another incident that took place was related to Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy where her sister was harassed by her doctor. Her main claim was highlighting how inappropriate it is for a doctor breach doctor- patient confidentiality. She was highly criticized and was accused of dramatizing the situation and blowing the matter out of proportion. The public failed to empathize with her sister rather showed sympathy with the doctor because he was asked to step down. This shows how the people of Pakistan would rather sympathize with the accused rather than believe a woman who is risking her reputation to do the right thing. In the previous paragraph I stated how the Aurat march was a movement that provided a safe place for women to address the social stigmas they face on a daily basis. However, the Aurat March was severely criticized on social media. The women who organized this entire event were sent death as well as rape threats. There was severe backlash to such an extent that there was a petition sent to court against the Aurat March which was in fact later thrown out. But however the fact that a petition was sent in the first place shows how intolerant the men of Pakistan are. In retaliation of the Aurat March, there were pictures of doctored placards/ posters that went viral on social media. Women claim it was a way to compromise the credibility of the march and also a form of harassment. Social Media pages such as Facebook also made memes about the march thus showing us how women standing up for their rights were a joke to the general public. One man used Instagram to compare the Aurat March participants to the Al Qaeda militants. He stated in his plea that he as a man feels “isolated” and “marginalized.” His entire statement is extremely ironic because men are considered to be the superior gender thus men feeling isolated and marginalized is the furthest thing away from reality. The concept of the “Mard March” only was emphasized on after women decided to stand up for their rights. Even when the Mard March happened, not many men participated. The Mard march was just a means to oppose the Aurat March because the march questioned tackled the masculinity of a man and their insecurities. When we talk about influential women like Malala Yousufzai, Ghulam Sughra Solangi, we fail to recognize the criticism that these women face every day, the hardships that they had to endure in order to get to this platform where they can finally take a stand to make Pakistan a safer place for women. Now if a man were to take their place, he would receive no conflict whatsoever, rather he’d be praised and idolized.