The Importance of Violence in Of Woman Born
In cultures as different as Sweden and the Yucatan, women have a part in the decision-making process during their deliveries. The Yucatan midwife emphasizes that 'every woman has to 'buscar la forma,' find her own way, and that it is the midwife's task to assist with whatever decision is made.' This does not mean that births are painless, but that needless pain is prevented, birth is not treated as a 'medical event,' and the woman's individual temperament and physique are trusted and respected." (p.175)
Rich both begins and ends her book on the topic of violence to get our attention. Once the realization that something must change has occurred, her ideas are further developed, by implying that with some major change in the patriarchal system this violence may end, and being a mother would not be so difficult. I agree that it can be much better than this dated account of life as a mother, but as the Yucatan midwives have stated, there will still be pain. Rich would agree that woman's individual temperament and physique need to be trusted and respected, but I take it a step further and think that this particular discussion on labor should be a metaphor for the argument of this book. The description of labor and delivery above is the way in which motherhood should be approached, substituting the partner, husband, or friend for the role of the midwife. In this situation patriarchy does not need to fall, a much more attainable goal.
By both beginning and ending with violence, Rich is making a statement that these atrocities can be mended or at least should be mended by her proposal of denouncing patriarchy. Not only may this not be possible, but it implies that once the balance of power has been shifted, this violence which is discussed at length could change. Although the balance of power could shift, abusive, violent, and uncaring parents, fathers or mothers, will still exist regardless of who is holding the power, thus leaving the burden of child rearing on the other parent, creating the same situation that we have today. By Rich placing such emphasis on the violence, in a backhanded way she gives hope that with her plan this violence will stop. Since Rich implies a solution to the problem, she, too, is carrying on a myth of sorts.
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In doing this project the literature drawn from is largely non-scholarly for the reason that I am prevailing upon the reader to think outside the box about birth. Most of the “scholarly” research that is available was written by doctors or nurses/nurse midwives who were trained in the medical model of birth. Since part of my premise is that the high rate of Cesarean sections is caused in part by viewing birth as a medical and therefore pathological event, and in part for its emergence as a capitalistic industry, it was then necessary to find literature written by people who have expertise in birthing though not from the traditional obstetrical/medical school approach.
Upon viewing “More Business of Being Born” (Epstein, 2011), I learned a lot about the different pros and cons of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Women are often deprived of the choice of the method of delivery of their children after they’ve previously had a cesarean birth. The cause of this is that there exists medical fright about a rupture of the uterus which often leads to death of mother and baby (Epstein, 2011). In the mid twentieth century, it became a common saying that “once a cesarean, always a cesarean” came about. This saying perpetrated the fear and understanding that women have to go about having another cesarean, depriving them of choice (Epstein, 2011).
Birth is a normal, physiological process, in which a woman’s body naturally prepares to expel the fetus within. It has occurred since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, childbirth has gradually evolved into what it is today - a highly managed whirlwind of unwarranted interventions. Jennifer Block, a journalist with over twelve years experience, has devoted herself to raising awareness regarding the authenticity of the Americanized standard of care in obstetrics, while guiding others to discover the truth behind the medical approach to birth in this country. In her book, Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, Jennifer Block brings forth startling truths concerning this country’s management of birth.
There is a social outlook to the increase for the medicalization of birth. According to a study, women with higher social status and greater access to education often choose a cesarean birth. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists even stated that c-sections should only be done if the risk of a child being birthed vaginally is higher than going through the surgical process with anesthesia. Even though the guidelines promote going towards vaginal birth, the rates continue to
It is wrong to assume that the stigmas that exist around the practicing methods of midwifes today are products of the past. A lot of information in today’s society is recent and biased against the...
The Business of Being Born is a documentary film produced by Ricki Lake that studies the contemporary experience of childbirth in the United States. The film explores the various childbirth methods such as midwives, natural birth, Cesarean section, and Hospital birth that include medication such as Epidurals and Pitocin. Analyzing the various childbirth methods allows people to become aware of the pros and cons of each method. It also brings attention to the decrease of natural birth and babies’ delivery by midwives in the United States. In the United States Midwives attend less than 8% of birth compare to 70% in Europe and Spain. Another issues regard this difference is countries that have a high percent of Midwives birth is they lose fewer women and babies compare to the United
...r. Mahler's chamber music composition was limited to his student days, and the closest he came to composing an opera was Rubezahl, for which he prepared a libretto in manuscript (in 1880 or 1881), sketched some music (1882), and then abandoned. He did, however, play a significant role assembling existing material and adding his own connecting material to create a performable version of Weber's Die Drei Pintos, at the request of Weber's family. Although Mahler had a thirty year long composing career, his complete works could be assembled on fifteen or sixteen CDs.
Gustav Mahler was born on July 7th 1860 in a village in Bohemia called Kalischt, what is now Kaliste in the Czech Republic. His mother and father were Bernhard and Marie Mahler. Gustav was the second oldest of his twelve brothers and sisters, of which six of them died at a very young age. Mahler grew up in a town called Iglau (now Jihlava). As a child, Mahler studied music with native teachers in his village. Although Mahler loved composing music, his school reports portrayed him as unreliable and absent minded. At the age of four, Gustav discovered his grandparents’ piano and immediately fell in love with it. A few years later at the age of ten, he gave his first public performance in Iglau. Bernhard Mahler, his father, was very supportive of his son’s dreams and ambitions. Bernhard Mahler strived for his sons’ music career and agreed that he should audition for a spot at the Vienna Conservatory. Mahler suffered an unpleasant personal loss of his younger brother, Ernst, in 1874 after a long illness. He wanted to express his feelings by playing music. With help from Josef Steiner, a close friend, he began to write an opera called Ernst von Schwaben as a tribute to his lost brother. In 1875, he went to Vienna to study at the conservatory, where he stayed for a few years. After completing his studies, he took a series of producing steps throughout Central and Eastern Europe, including many cities such as: Budapest, Hamburg, and Leipzig. Then he moved to Vienna, where he conducted the state opera orchestra. Mahler succeeded in transforming the staging and performance standards of the opera house. It was nothing short of remarkable, but it came at a high personal cost. The continual work forced him to restrict his co...
Rosenzweig, Alfred, and Jeremy Barham. Gustav Mahler: New Insights into His Life, times and Work. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2007. Print.
In “The Devil Wears Prada,” a young girl who just graduated college, seeks out to become a journalist. She lands a position in which “a million girls would die for” a job to work for a
When a woman delivers in a hospital, she will do so either by vaginal delivery or Caesarean section (commonly referred to as a “C-section”). A Caesarean is considered major surgery, where the baby is delivered via abdominal incision. C-section deliveries are becoming increasingly common, from 5% of deliveries in 1970 to more than a quarter of all deliveries in 2002 (Landon, 2004). Although vaginal delivery is the natural method, Caesareans are sometimes necessary when the mother or baby cannot tolerate the stresses of labor and vaginal delivery, but the procedure is not without serious risks for complications. I began to wonder during my labor and delivery clinical rotation why it seemed to be common knowledge that women who had
The framers had many goals for the constitution. One of their most important goals was protecting liberty by limiting the government. They were able to protect people 's liberty in many ways through the constitution. The Bill of Rights and grants and denials are just a few examples. The framers learn through mistakes of other countries as well as mistakes through the Articles of Confederation.
The design of the toy is meant to resemble a woman’s body in the prime of her teenage years. Barbie is tall and slender with a small waist and a full chest with blonde hair and blue eyes. When Barbie first launched, it was priced at about $3.00 (presently goes for about $15 - $40) it became an instant hit. The toy is manufactured in such a way the body is made of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic and the head is made out of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), The toy, like many other dolls, is fairly self-explan...
Social media can be used in our days as a very helpful tool for many things in changing any person’s life ant attitude. It has a positive impact on the society level. These media will keep the person socially active and open to all what happened in the world. Sharing the latest news, photos, finding new friends and knowing the culture. Also, it allows for millions to keep in touch with each other and update for all the new technology. And, it helps people who have difficulties in communication with others to be more socialized and stronger and develop more confidence to feel more comfortable, protected and relaxed just sitting behind a screen. “It saved me time and money without ever requiring me to leave the house; it salvaged my social life, allowed me to conduct interviews as a reporter and kept a lifeline open to my far-flung extended family” says Leonard(231).