Sexism is a highly talked about issue read about online, seen in the news, and experienced in the day to day lives of many. The importance of this issue can be found in many writings. Authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Linda Hasselstrom, and Judy Brady have all discussed the topic of sexism in writings and how they affected their lives. Although each writer addresses the issue of sexism, each author confronts a different type of sexism; the kind we are born into, the kind we learn growing up, and the kind that is accepted by society at the end of the day. One literary piece that confronts sexism is “only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros in which she talks about how she grew up as an only daughter with six brothers. She states “I am the only daughter …show more content…
Hasselstrom. Instead of talking about sexism she was born into she confronts the sexism that is learned and forced upon woman Hasselstroms essay directly confronts the violence woman face every day when they go outside their homes. “According to the 2008 national crime victimization survey more than 200,000 women reported being sexually assaulted in this country” (354). Many assaults also go unreported. The author uses personal experience to convey the issue of sexism and how carrying a gun is the only successful way that she has found to protect herself. “Several events in the past ten years have convinced me I’m safer when I carry a pistol” (354) She tried finding other possible ways to protect herself such as learning Kung Fu but found it took too much time to master and even after becoming efficient, Kung Fu still requires close range in which she wants to …show more content…
Many sexist ideas have long been accepted and have become the societal norm. In “I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady the author talks about how she wants a wife to do the typically expected things of a wife for her. Brady simply lists all the things a wife in today’s age is expected to do such as “pick up after the children, and a wife who will pick up after me” (504). It is the wife duty to give herself to her kids and husband regardless of how she is ever feeling. Throughout the literary piece the author shows how the needs of the wife are no longer considered when she becomes a wife. The entire essay is stated so matter-of-factly that it really shows how accepted these absurd ideologies really
In the short story “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun” by Hasselstrom, she informs the readers about her choice to carry a gun and what led up to making this choice. Hasselstrom tells her readers that she is a female who lives and travels alone. She says that “a woman who travels alone is advised, usually by men, to protect herself” (3). Women are seen as easy targets and are told to take extra precautions to make sure that she is safe. Hasselstrom hates that just because she is female she will need to do extra in order to
The excerpt of “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries A Gun” is a personal account from Linda Hasselstrom on why she feels the need to carry a gun as well as, why other women should feel the need to own a gun. Hasselstrom uses rhetorical appeals in order to justify her means of security, however she fails due to her inability to provide a substantial amount of background knowledge.
The purpose of this article is to explain why the author carries a gun. In the article, Hasselstrom lists several sexual assaults that have made her decide to do something to protect herself. For example, Hasselstrom lists that she found a tire mark in her yard, garbage in her driveway, a larger gas tank empty, and a light shone in her house, and she was too afraid to go into her house. This incident reveals that Hasselstrom is a very vulnerable woman. Also, Hasselstrom explains some ways that she can use to protect herself, such as learning kung fu and carrying guns. Lastly, Hasselstrom states that she feels safer by carrying a gun. The central idea of this article is show how women defense themselves.
In society, women have been associated with being the cooks, maids and concubines for years. This misogynistic viewpoint has been shown in various forms of media, and societal stereotypes. However, these stereotypes of women are thoroughly shown through literature like “Tits Up in a Ditch” by Annie Proulx, which questions and challenges the role of women in society. In “Tits Up in a Ditch”, the protagonist is forced to remain in a housewife’s place after trying to escape the gender norm and be in the military. Likewise, the stereotypical role of women becomes probed in an academic setting such as the scholarly article, “Women Know Your Limits: Cultural Sexism in Academia.” Like “Tits Up in a Ditch,” cultural sexism is defined through the stereotypes
Concealed weapons have been a debate for years in the United States. Pro-gun people believe that carrying a gun is a necessary action. Anti-gun people argue that carrying weapons makes the world a more dangerous place. I am a proponent of being able to fulfill all of the rights that we are given as citizens of America. People should be able to carry concealed weapons. However, some people who are licensed to carry a weapon are being careless. Linda Hasselstrom is a great example of those who abuse the authority of their weapon; giving the pro gun people, as a whole, a bad reputation. I disagree with the manner in which Linda Hasselstrom chooses to use her weapon in a few of the scenarios in her story, A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun.
Despite legislation for equal opportunities, sexism is still evident in the workplace. Women have made great advancements in the workforce and have become an integral part of the labor market. They have greater access to higher education and as a result, greater access to traditionally male dominated professions such as law. While statistics show that women are equal to men in terms of their numbers in the law profession, it is clear however, that they have not yet achieved equality in all other areas of their employment. Discrimination in the form of gender, sex and sexual harassment continues to be a problem in today’s society.
Even in the first civilizations sexsim was very prevalent, women were not included in democracy, they were not allowed to vote, and in some earlier civilizations women were not even allowed to have a job or go outside the home. Even as a 16 year old girl in America, the supposed land of dreams, I see sexism everyday. I see it when I watch the news, I see it when I’m walking down the halls at my school, I even see it when I read novels and articles or watch a movie online. Over 60% of serious journalism roles are given to males, while the women are left with the less important, or less popular sections. In school I see boys calling girls stupid, or girls getting a pass to go to their locker because they forgot something, even though a boy was just denied. I notice sexism the most in literature and movies, I see female characters being “airheads” or acting dumb and helpless, their main role in the piece is to wait for the male character to save them, or to be a comic relief. Not only are women’s jobs and dignity at stake but our sexuality, education and rights are too.
The author of the article “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun” is Linda M. Hasselstrom. She is a peace-loving woman, but because of several dangerous events she encountered, she decided to carry a pistol. She is definitely an expertise on this subject because she had many experiences getting sex assault. She wrote this article for women and the people who against owning guns. For example, she wrote, “A woman who travels alone is advised, usually by men, to protect herself by avoiding bars and other ‘dangerous situations,’ by approaching her car like an Indian scout, by locking doors and windows. But these precaution aren’t always enough. I spent years following them and still found myself in dangerous situation. I began to resent
For the past century, the United States of America has made countless advancements in technology, medicine, and many other fronts. As a society, it has advanced at an incredible rate, becoming a major world power in an incredibly short period of time. The biggest barriers that America is working on are currently taking place within its own borders; civil rights and the battle for equality have men and women of every race up and arms. Specifically, the fight against sexism is the most modern struggle in America. Discrimination against women is harmful to both men and women; it holds women back into a useless position and forces men to take the brunt of the work. Men are expected to work, but women are almost expected not to, and instead "be nothing more than dangling, decorative ornaments--non-thinking and virtually non-functional” (Chisholm 4). There is progress to be made in the American society in its attitude and treatment of women. Gender inequality continues to be a social problem in the business, family, and personal lives of women.
Even after these prejudices were overcome, the education system still maintained sexism in both obvious and subtle ways. Books rein...
One thousand years go by and an abundant amount of people still view women in a stereotypical type of way. On the opposing view, if women did not overstretch the slightest of things, this wouldn’t be such an enormous issue. Women may be overreacting to what the media has to say about them. It is not affecting everybody but a vast majority of successful women from continuing to moving forward said Marianne Schnall. Important to realize, women are capable of doing jobs men can do. Such jobs as being an engineer, physician, mechanic, lawyer and even top notch business women! Up to the present time there is an ongoing public debate on women suffering from double standards. If it makes a female feel threatened or belittled than it may be sexist. A very interesting article this came to be because the writer had numerous accountants to keep her argument steady. A worthy writer brings up present time activities, statistics, and people being affected by the scenario and provides the reader some closure. With a devastatingly crucial issue such as women being shunned by the media, it’s not okay to have the ideas of other people in your work. In the article, “Controversial Hillary Cover of Time Illuminates Sexism in the Media” by Marianne Schnall, implies that the media is negatively affecting the chances of women becoming successful with all the sexism it is portraying. Marianne Schnall is a published writer and professional interviewer with many influential credentials that she in not afraid to use.
Feminist, Judy Brady explains in her speech, Why I Want a Wife (1972),why she would like to have a wife. She supports her claim by first stating what she wants in a wife, then what that wife would do for her, finally she tells of how the wife would take on these tasks. Brady's purpose is to get the point across that she wants a wife to do the things that wives do and that she is a woman who knows what she wants. She is a very informed woman and knows how she wants a wife to act. She establishes a very demanding sounding tone for the readers of this article.
These novels, poems and short stories show how sexism is very much an issue in past decades but also in present and future decades. The America that we live in wants to believe in the fact that all men and women are created equal, it has yet to do anything. Women are still seen as objects to an extent. We are still seen as Daisy or as Charlotte Perkins main character, or the woman Carlos Gomez Andres writes about. The fact that we might die from the loss of freedom, because one cannot escape from an unhappy marriage, is considered ridiculous.
Traditionally, women during the 19th century were expected to submit to the patriarch of the house and obediently follow his commands and the commands of society. According to Elaine Fortin, writer of “Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women,” society’s expectations of married women included catering to their husbands by caring for the children, performing household chores, and preparing all meals so their husbands could focus all of their attention “on the matters of the world.” To broaden this definition of a wife’s duties during the 19th century, Judy Brady, an activist for women’s rights and renowned author, said women had to satisfy their husbands sexually but refrained from soliciting sex, listened to their husband’s problems but did not complain of a “wife’s duties,” were good cooks, waited hand-and-foot on their husbands and their guests, babysat the children, and more in her essay “I Want A Wife.” As an effort to overturn the stereotypical view of women and their marginalization, two waves of feminist movements were organized in order to establish “Women’s Rights.” In today’s society, women’s rights have
Women – beautiful, strong matriarchal forces that drive and define a portion of the society in which we live – are poised and confident individuals who embody the essence of determination, ambition, beauty, and character. Incomprehensible and extraordinary, women are persons who possess an immense amount of depth, culture, and sophistication. Society’s incapability of understanding the frame of mind and diversity that exists within the female population has created a need to condemn the method in which women think and feel, therefore causing the rise of “male-over-female” domination – sexism. Sexism is society’s most common form of discrimination; the need to have gender based separation reveals our culture’s reluctance to embrace new ideas, people, and concepts. This is common in various aspects of human life – jobs, households, sports, and the most widespread – the media. In the media, sexism is revealed through the various submissive, sometimes foolish, and powerless roles played by female models; because of these roles women have become overlooked, ignored, disregarded – easy to look at, but so hard to see.