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The role of the woman in literature
The role of the woman in literature
Introduction of technology during the medieval period
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The middle ages, were a time of growth for society, technologically speaking. There were many inventions during this time period that affect modern lives today. The printing press, being one of them, eventually allowing the birth of newspapers, printed books, the mass production of any printed source was now possible. Gunpowder weapons were introduced in this era, changing warfare forever. During this time, there was also many influential women, some who seemed to be from a fairytale, but did not quite get the fairytale ending. Joan of Arc began her life as a simple peasant girl, living in the north of France. She was growing up at the peak of the 100 years war, King Henry V, had taken over ruling of France, which was then succeeded to his When she was thirteen, she began to hear voices in her head, attributing them to being the words of God. At sixteen, she was arranged to be married, nothing unusual for her time period, however she successfully convinced the court in her town to allow her to not marry, which was an extraordinarily rare occurrence in the Walker’s book was published in 1982, and unlike many authors before her, she did not have to hid her female characters strength, as the society around her was changing. One of her main female characters, Nettie resembles the modern believes of America, however the tribe she is with in Africa, resemble the past ideals, “The Olinka do not believe girls should be educated. When I asked a mother why she thought this, she said; A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she become something. ‘What can she become?’ I asked. ‘Why, she said, the mother of his children.’ ‘But I am not the mother of anybody’s children,’ I said, ‘and I am something.’ ‘You are not much,’ she said. The missionary’s drudge.” (Walker) The tribe she is with have the same ideals for women as they did when Kate Chopin wrote The
Alice Walker’s love of Zora Neale Hurston is well known. She was the only one who went looking for Hurston’s grave. She describes her journey to get to the unmarked grave in her book, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. During that journey, Walker started to feel as if Hurston is family to her, an aunt. “By this time, I am, of course, completely into being Zora’s niece… Besides, as far as I’m concerned, she is my aunt – and that of all black people as well” (Ong). Walker’s book, The Color Purple, was influenced by Hurston and her works. Walker was greatly influenced by Hurston and her book The Color Purple has similarities to Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God.
...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
An important event that contributed to social change in the medieval period was the life of Joan of Arc. Before Joan came to prominence in France, she had been a mere peasant girl that often wore men’s clothing. At that time, serfs were considered the lowest of the low and were not permitted by the Roman Catholic Church to have a direct connection to God. However, after Joan led the French armies at the siege of Orleans, claiming she was told to do so by God, Catholic leaders felt that because Joan was a peasant she could not be hearing the voice of God and tried her for heresy. Twenty-five years after Joan’s death at the stake, the Catholic Church declared her a saint. Joan’s example was significant for a number of reasons. She proved to women that although she was illiterate and a young woman, she was capable of great feats such as leading the French army. Joan of Arc served as a religious role model for those in the early renaissance years. As well, the Inquisitions also contributed to change during the Middle Ages. Previous to the Inquisitions, people of Europe challenged the Catholic Church and began calling for reform to end the corruption of the Church. The Inquisitions were conducted to punish those who challenged the Church’s authority and intimid...
Shelton, Frank W. "Alienation and Integration in Alice Walker's The Color Purple." CLA Journal 28 (1985): 382-92.
Briefly introducing the background of this book, the time period of this book is in the early 20 century after abolition of slavery. But even slavery was abolished, the issue of slavery had remained in this era. This paper describes the evidence of slavery in The Color Purple after abolishing legacy of slavery.
Character: “Well, next time you come you can look at her. She ugly. Don't even look like she kin to Nettie. But she'll make the better wife. She aint smart either, and I'll just be fair, you have to watch her or she'll give away everything you own. But she can work like a man.” (Page 8, Alice Walker) I chose this quote for this category because it describes the main character, Celie. She’s not stupid but she isn’t smart either, well she isn’t as smart as her sister Nettie because her stepfather took her out of school. In my opinion she would be a better wife than Nettie because she is older and has been through more than Nettie. It says she can work like a man and I’m guessing by that he meant she is a hard worker which is very true. The person speaking about her like this is her stepfather who abuses and rapes her.
Symbolism is one of the major elements in "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker. The woman's search for something she has never experienced is the symbolization of the mankind's search for love and happiness. The meaning of names, occupations, power, pants, cloth, words, eyes, frogs, starts, shell, stamps are only few examples of the symbols used by the author and are very important in understanding not only the characters of the story, but also global values such as love, power, mutual understanding, and authority over another person's life.
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel.
The Color Purple depicts the struggle within the life of the female protagonist, Celie. Celie, a clear victim of abuse, narrates the story through a collection of writings that starts with her confession of “Dear God.” Celie’s story encompasses around her life and the characters that breaks the common gender depiction. The story heavily addresses the subject of social and behavioral standards for either men and women. It raises an issues on traditional marital subjects, family patriarchy, and social topics. In a traditional take of the family structure, the man often exhibits the dominant male figure head with the final say. The father provides the money and security for the wife and children as well as claim authority over the family. He becomes very work oriented and cares for the children only in times of need. On the other hand, the woman acts to be passive and pleases her husband. She plays a major role in raising and educating the children in every way possible. Often times, the woman takes a small part in maintaining a profession; although, she holds responsibility for all house work. The societal perspective of the patriarchal family system relies so heavily on gender roles that it becomes an expectation and the regulated norm. The Color Purple disrupts this gender norm by introducing characters that faces marital issues due to being the opposite of the typical gender role. Because they embody the opposite gender’s likely attributes, it becomes a questioning issue that leads to striving to live up to social norms or dealing with society disapproval. Within the progression of the novel, the women possess a sense of empowerment while as the men accept how things are in the world. The introducti...
Women have battled for centuries to be equivalent to men. In “The Color Purple," Alice Walker illustrates the theme of women’s heartache, racist acts, and complications of a day to day woman. The Color Purple took place during a demeaning era to not only African American women but African Americans in general were treated inhumane. African American women submitted themselves to controlling men due to the belief of that’s how it should be. During this time, women were used for manual and sexual labor. They were referred as one’s property, hardly spoken of or treated like human-beings. Women faced lack of self-love and identity therefore the definition of love was clouded.
Change is the law of life. A person goes through different stages of life, and at every stage there is transformation in the personality of the person. This new individual is entirely different from the previous one. For this change, different circumstances and events are responsible. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Monica Ali’s Brick Lane are two texts of feminism in which we find the theme of evolution among the life of the characters like Celie and Nazneen who, happened to highlight the oppression of women in universal phenomenon irrespective of caste, creed, culture and nation. My paper is an attempt to study these two characters and see how their personality is evolved because of the different circumstances of life.
Racism is deeply rooted in our culture and history. It is the belief that another person is less than human due to the colour of their skin, language, customs or place of birth. Racism can be seen throughout history and all around the world it has influenced wars and the forming of nations. In the novel ''The Color Purple'' by Alice Walker the author explores the theme of the cynical nature of racism and it's affect on society. In the novel, it is clearly stated that racism is used has a form of control by Caucasians over the African-Americans and other minorities. In our culture and in the novel racism is used has a form of control to dominate and oppress minorities. The oppression and domination of minorities is made possible by using certain tools such has xenophobia, the law and different branches of racism.
The Color Purple is an epistolary novel written by Alice Walker. This novel displays the growth and development of an average African-American woman. This novel demonstrates the everyday hardships that were placed on blacks, and how they battled to overcome them. It is a very controversial novel, and touches on a variety of sensitive topics, from spousal abuse, incest, to even lesbianism.
Throughout The Color Purple, Alice Walker conveys the importance and the power of female friendship in all forms. It shapes and forms the strong bond of female companionship as means of refuge from oppression, male dominance and a world full of violence perpetrated against woman which the female protagonists wish to break free from. Walker constantly reminds the reader of the gruelling pursuit of identity that all are in search for, both in Africa and America; for females to gain equal recognition as individuals who deserve fair and just treatment in a patriarchal society where as Albert states “Men suppose to wear the pants" in soceity. In conclusion, not only leading Celies personal growth as independent woman but also to the extraordinary establishment of a female solidarity network within the novel. It is this network of female friends that wages a potent challenge to dominate over the patriarchal structure in the text.
Alice Walker's use of characterization in her novel The Color Purple depicts her main theme of female empowerment and the importance of maintaining an assertive voice. The tyrannical male characters, the victimized female characters, and the development of the protagonist, Celie, express Walker's firm views of female independence in a male dominated society. Her feminist views have been influenced by her experiences with discrimination as an African-American woman as well as her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. These experiences serve as an inspiration for developing the character Celie, a young black woman discovering her own sense of self while battling a male dependent environment. The progression of civil rights for black women that existed throughout the twentieth century mirrors the development Celie makes from a verbally debilitated girl to an adamant young woman. The expression of racism and sexism that evidenced itself during the postmodern era presented Walker with an opportunity to compose a novel that reveals her strong animosity toward discrimination. Without these outlets, Walker would not have had the ability to create a novel with such in-depth insights into the lifestyle of an immensely oppressed woman.