Introduction to Critical Issues in Humanities and Social Sciences
Gaukhar Nurmukhambetova
Final paper
Oscar Wilde once said, “Women have a much better time than men in this world; there are far more things forbidden to them.” (Oscar Wilde, 1893) Women generally have fewer opportunities than men, and Oscar Wilde sarcastically says that as a forbidden fruit is sweet, women can taste a sweeter fruit than men. Women and men have never had equal rights or roles in society, and mostly men were dominating. In all times women were considered as a weaker sex, and there are dozens of examples from history that can prove it. However, in 19th and early 20th century a weaker sex started to manifest itself with feminist activity. In this paper I will attempt to outline feminist views of two different women, namely Caryl Churchill and Virginia Woolf, who write about different times of history. Furthermore I will make some comparisons and contrasts of their ideas and their ways to define these ideas. Finally, I will make some critical analysis of two texts and share my personal opinion on the subject of feminism.
The play by Caryl Churchill Cloud Nine was written in 1978-79s. This play was written for Joint Stock Theatre Group, which usually gives a workshop for writers. The workshop for Cloud Nine was about sexual politics. For this play Caryl Churchill took the idea from similarities between sexual and colonial oppressions. She wanted to warn society about gender discrimination and racism. In Cloud Nine interesting devices as Cross-Dressing and Role-Doubling where used, where one actor can play different roles in the same play or actors can interchange their dresses between the scenes and acts. The name of the play “Cloud Nine” was given from ...
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...eneficial for development of society and particularly literature, if they had the opportunities, which only men had. As Virginia Woolf pointed out, if there was an imaginary gifted sister of William Shakespeare, she would not be able to write and play in the theatre due to lack of opportunities. Therefore, it is worthwhile at this stage to consider, if women were dominant in the world, would there be an imaginary brother William, and what his life would be like.
Reference list:
-A World of Ideas, 8th ed., ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Shakespeare’s sister. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.
-Alice von Hildebrand. The Privilege of Being a Woman. New York, 1969. www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/feminism
-Caryl Churchill. Cloud Nine. London: Joint Stock Theatre Group, 1979.
-Oscar Wilde. A woman of no importance. London: 1893 www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/feminism
Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 366-398. Neely, Carol Thomas. “Shakespeare’s Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations.”
In Shakespeare’s comedies, many – possibly even most - of the female characters are portrayed as being manipulated, if not controlled outright, by the men in their lives: fathers, uncles, suitors, husbands. And yet, there are women inhabiting Shakespeare’s comedic world who seem to enjoy a greater degree of autonomy and personal power than one would expect in a patriarchal society. Superficially, therefore, Shakespeare’s comedies appear to send mixed signals regarding the notion of female empowerment. Some women are strong and independent, others are completely submissive, and the behavior of either seems to be influenced more by theme or plot than by any qualities within the characters themselves.
Indisputably, Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the most influential figures of Enlightenment, also considered the ‘first feminist’. It is certain that her works and writing has influenced the lives of many women and altered the outlook of some societies on women, evolving rights of women a great deal from what they used to be in her time. It is clear that Wollstonecraft’s arguments and writing will remain applicable and relevant to societies for many years to come, as although there has been progression, there has not been a complete resolution. Once women receive so easily the freedom, rights and opportunities that men inherently possess, may we be able to say that Wollstonecraft has succeeded in vindicating the rights of women entirely.
For centuries women have been perceived as overshadowed figures who remain in a separate sphere from men. The term “separate spheres” refers to the distinct, conventional characteristics associated with gender differences. The public sphere of men is associated with commerce whereas the domestic sphere for women is linked with the household. However, there is more than just one perspective on feminism. The feminist view is influenced by three main voices: the French, American, and British. French feminists focus their attention on language; American feminists analyze the literary aspects; and British feminists examine the historical processes (Murfin 296-299). Using these perspectives, we can see the oppression of women conveyed in many different texts throughout literature and in history. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, for instance, exhibits not only a feminist view in the text, but also in society during Shelley’s time period as displayed by her negotiations with the separate spheres. Voltaire’s Candide also conveys powerful gender differences and reveals the oppression of women throughout the novel. Therefore, a correlation can be seen between the view of women in the two novels and how it reflects the culture and time period in which the novels were written.
Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structure. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society. Writing based on their own experiences, had it not been for the works of Susan Glaspell, Kate Chopin, and similar feminist authors of their time, we may not have seen a reform movement to improve gender roles in a culture in which women had been overshadowed by men.
The idea and characteristics of gender, relate to the specific differences men and women deliver to society and the unique qualities and roles each demonstrate. The term ‘Femininity’ refers to the range of aspects and womanly characteristics the female represents. The foundation of femininity creates and brings forth many historical and contemporary issues. According to Mary Wollstonecraft in ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’, women’s femininity is considered a flaw of nature. Throughout the paper, history indicates how women are viewed and looked upon in a male dominated world which hinders a woman’s potential, her character, her mind, her dreams, her femininity. The paper particularly stresses the idea of power, the power of man. The historical argument leans towards man’s desire to treat women as inferior to them.
Ihara Saikaku’s Life of a Sensuous Woman written in the 17th century and Mary Woolstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman written in the 18th century are powerful literary works that advocated feminism during the time when women were oppressed members of our societies. These two works have a century old age difference and the authors of both works have made a distinctive attempt to shed a light towards the issues that nobody considered significant during that time. Despite these differences between the two texts, they both skillfully manage to present revolutionary ways women can liberate themselves from oppression laden upon them by the society since the beginning of humanity.
What is Feminism? How does feminism affect the world we live in today? Was feminism always present in history, and if so why was it such a struggle for women to gain the respect they rightly deserve? Many authors are able to express their feelings and passions about this subject within their writing. When reading literary works, one can sense the different feminist stages depending on the timeframe that the writing takes place. Two such works are ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by, Charlotte Gilman and ‘Everyday Use’ by, Alice Walker; the feminist views within each story are very apparent by the era each author lives in. It is evident that a matter of fifty years can change the stance of an author’s writing; in one story the main character is a confident and strong willed young woman looking to voice her feminist views on the world, while the other story’s main character is a woman trying to hold on to her voice in a man’s world which is driving her insane.
Kemp, Theresa D. Women in the Age of Shakespeare. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2009. Print.
For hundreds of years, women are fighting a war of inequality in the male dominated society. Heather Savigny addressed a very important question in her article, what is Feminism? By definition, “Feminism” is a moment started by women to end inequality in all fields of society. Women in the society started this protest to gain rights that were deprived by the males in the society. A feminist can be a normal person who fights against the discrimination on based on sex, age and gender. The feminist movement is very important in our society, to protect women for sexual harassment and violence. To fight this problem, and to find a possible way to end it, many great writers wrote very influential poems and stories. A very few writers who chose to
Society continually places restrictive standards on the female gender not only fifty years ago, but in today’s society as well. While many women have overcome many unfair prejudices and oppressions in the last fifty or so years, late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were forced to deal with a less understanding culture. In its various formulations, patriarchy posits men's traits and/or intentions as the cause of women's oppression. This way of thinking diverts attention from theorizing the social relations that place women in a disadvantageous position in every sphere of life and channels it towards men as the cause of women's oppression (Gimenez). Different people had many ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities amound women, including expressing their voices and opinions through their literature. By writing stories such as Daisy Miller and The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic that took a major toll in American History. In this essay, I am going to compare Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” to James’ “Daisy Miller” as portraits of American women in peril and also the men that had a great influence.
Greene, Lenz, Neely, eds. The Woman's Part: Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1980.
Throughout literature’s history, female authors have been hardly recognized for their groundbreaking and eye-opening accounts of what it means to be a woman of society. In most cases of early literature, women are portrayed as weak and unintelligent characters who rely solely on their male counterparts. Also during this time period, it would be shocking to have women character in some stories, especially since their purpose is only secondary to that of the male protagonist. But, in the late 17th to early 18th century, a crop of courageous women began publishing their works, beginning the literary feminist movement. Together, Aphra Behn, Charlotte Smith, Fanny Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft challenge the status quo of what it means to be a
Stirm, Jan.For Solace a Twinne-Like Sister: Teaching Themes of Sisterhood in As You Like It and Beyond.Shakespeare Quarterly 47, no. 4 (1996 Winter) p. 374-86.
"A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.” Vera Nazarian said. Nowadays, gender equality becomes a popular topic; however, the rootstock of inequality between men and women took root since several years ago even in fiction. Shakespeare’s sister, by the name of Judith, is a fictional character that created by Virginia Woolf. Did Shakespeare have a sister? We do not know; however, if she did exist, she would be unnoticed. She definitely existed in fiction that Virginia Woolf describes a story about Shakespeare and what if he had a sister. What kind of life would she have? Would she get high level of education as same as her brother? Would she be a playwright like her brother if they had same talent? Virginia Woolf imagined Judith in “Shakespeare’s Sister” which is a story about how women are treated and what types of opportunities they have in the Elizabethan Age compared to men.