One of the many ways to cope is through the power of laughter. An old saying goes “Laughter is the best medicine,” useful in situations of grief and difficulties. Lately, however, laughter combines with politics and international news. While this is effective, is it right to do so? Not only do Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert pick-and-choose the stories they wish to cover in their TV shows, they choose them based on the comedic potential, blinding their viewers to the real problems the stories present. Known for her comedic approaches in literature, Margaret Atwood also uses humor in her short story “Rape Fantasies” to effectively warn her female readers about the dangers of desensitizing and underestimating the possibility of rape. The admonition worked, although it was a risky maneuver and Atwood could have used another method just as effectively to caution her female audience.
Published in 1975, right in the middle of the free love, hippie movement, Margaret Atwood’s “Rape Fantasies” evoked some extreme reactions from her readers. Some believed it to be too humorous to seriously study as a social critique, while others thought it just what society needed to wake up and consider this awful occurrence called “rape” (Tyler np). Focusing on gender studies, especially a woman’s role in the world, this story displays just how little women understand power. As a group, we consider ourselves powerful and strong; however, we do not understand exactly how powerless we are since we actually know so little about rape. For example, study the group of women in “Rape Fantasies” who eat and play bridge during their lunch break. One day Chrissy stops reading her magazine and asks if any of the group members have had a rape fantasy. ...
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...r the value of each life, the danger of not reacting to a horrific news story, the possibility that anything can happen, and the fact that nobody can be overly protective.
Works Cited
Disaster Center. “United States Crime Rates 1960-2009.” Disaster Center. Disaster Center, 2010. Web. 9 Dec 2010. http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm.
Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. “Statistics.” Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, 2009. Web. 9 Dec 2010. http://www.rainn.org/statistics.
Tyler, Lisa. “Rape Fantasies: ‘I Just Don’t Understand It’: Teaching Margaret Atwood’s ‘Rape Fantasies’.” Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 9 Dec 2010. http://www.enotes.com/rape-fantasies/just-dont-understand-teaching-margaret-atwoods.
Susan Brownmiller’s excerpt Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape written in 1975 explores rape. It argues that from the beginning of time men had an advantage over women because their genitalia can serve as a weapon, which, in turn, generates constant fear. “Rape provides a sufficient threat to keep all women in a constant state of intimidation, forever conscious of the knowledge that the biological tool must be held in awe for it may turn to weapon with sudden swiftness borne of harmful intent”(Brownmiller, 312). Females are subjected to the harsh reality of rape at a young age through fairytales such as Little Red Riding Hood. Stories like these emphasize how weak women are and how heroic, brave and strong men are. Susan Brownmiller believes that the way to destroy the idea that “you can’t thread a moving needle,” and “no women can be raped against her will” by spreading awareness about rape and how it is a moral wrongdoing and punishable under the
The very title of this mock- epic gives the audience a clue, the word "rape" and all its implications bring to mind a heinous crime of violation.
"Statistics." RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.
Susan Griffin’s Rape: The All-American Crime touches on many issues within American society. She begins by recounting how she was taught to be afraid of strange men from such a young age that she had not yet learned what it was she was so afraid of, and then goes into her experience with harassment, an experience shared by every woman at some point in her life. Griffin recounts the belief that all rapists are insane and the proof that they are just normal men and dispels the myth that rape is normal activity that is prohibited by society. However, she goes on to clarify that our culture views rape: “as an illegal, but still understandable, form of behavior” (Griffin 514). It seems that the wrongness of rape is determined by the situation in
"Statistics | RAINN." Statistics | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Searles, Patricia and Berger, Ronald. Rape and Society: reading on problem of sexual assault. Westview Press, 1995
Rape is a hidden epidemic that affects many lives world wide. It is a problem that is so terrifying and uncomfortable that people do not talk about it. John Krakauer, author of Missoula, focuses on this issue of rape in the college town of Missoula, Montana. His focus is specifically on the case of Allison Huguet and Beau Donaldson. As the progression of Allison 's case continues we learn of more and more rape cases that happened to women on this same campus. A majority of women do not report these cases, we later learn as Krakauer continues through Allison 's case, because reporting and pursuing the case would be giving their life away. [4] Of course Allison decides to go through the trails of Beau Donaldson, however it is obvious that it is extremely difficult to convict someone with little evidence. As hard of a read as Missoula
"Rape Fantasies" is written by Margaret Atwood in 1977. Basically this short story is about the narrator, named Estelle, recalling a conversation of several women during their lunch hour. It starts with one of Estelle's co-workers, asking the question 'How about it, girls, do you have rape fantasies?'(pg 72) The story goes on with each woman telling their supposed 'rape fantasy' to one another. As each is telling their fantasy, Estelle is doing her best to try to deflect the situation by making jokes about their fantasies. After all the women have told their fantasies, Estelle says, 'those aren't rape fantasies. I mean, you aren't getting raped, it's just some guy you haven't met formally who happens to be more attractive than Derek Cummins . . . and you have a good time. Rape is when they've got a knife or something and you don't want to.'(pg 74) Estelle then goes on to talk about her 'rape fantasies' from about to be raped by a short, ugly guy dieing from leukemia to squirting lemon juice in another attacker's eye.
In conclusion Margaret Atwood uses humor to explore a serious topic, allowing the reader to see how society itself has failed to address the seriousness of the issue. Estelle may never understand how someone could violate another human being in that way. She is nonetheless fully aware that in reality, unlike her rape fantasies, no amount of conversation would deter a potential rapist from committing the violent act against a woman as rape has nothing to do with knowing a person and developing a human bond, instead it has everything to do with power.
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “it would do some women good to get raped,” from a historical perspective, lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Women are still seen as the property of men, are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men are usually more aggressive, and women are seen as passive. (Vogelman) This socialization process is changing, but slowly.
Rape and sexual assault are one and the same. They both make the victim feel worthless and it is a grotesque topic. Two novels that include this topic are To Kill a Mockingbird and The Lovely Bones. In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Mayella Ewell claims to be raped by a black man. In addition, Alice Sebold’s novel, The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon is abducted, raped, and then murdered in the first chapter of the book. Some critics say that the content of these novels should be banned, but in this present day in age, topics more grotesque are discussed between peers than the topics in these novels (“Review” 3). Harper Lee’s rape content is not as graphic as the content in Alice Sebold’s. The strong contrast of Lee's and Sebold's treatments of sexual assault in their novels is clearly evidenced by their plot, dialogue, and reviews.
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “women secretly enjoy rape,” from a historical perspective, can lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Much stems back to the idea that women are still seen as the property of men, and are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men a...
Statistics . (n.d.). Statistics | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.rainn.org/statistics?gclid=CJT7sb3b8L0CFY0-MgodBz0Avg
My eyes were caught by the title "rape fantasy" at the first time I saw this essay because it was so sensitive that most people are not willing to talk about it. After finish reading this novel, Estelle and her six fantasies gave me deep impression.
You can find wide varieties of these crude pieces on the internet, and it is not uncommon to hear them in the hallways of schools, or whispered among students and followed by unjustified giggles. Attempting to lighten the seriousness of things such as sexual assault or terrorism is not comedy, no matter what people may say. Comedy is about laughing with the people being mocked, not lessening the seriousness of their situations. When we try to make ‘jokes’, we must keep one thing in mind: comedy is about laughter and joy. A joke is only funny when it is not blinding us to the reality of cruel