Exploration Of The Failure Of Femininism
When looking through Newsweek, the article "The Failures of Feminism" grabbed my attention, and I reacted to it strongly. My immediate response was one of defensive disgust, but the more I realized that I might actually understand and argue with the author on some points. This essay is an exploration of my own beliefs and reflection of my growth as both a writer and a person.
There are many women, like Kay Ebeling, that feel that feminism has failed them, that the promises of Gloria Steinem and others remain unfulfilled, or are false altogether. In an angry and discontented voice, Ebeling employs her personal experience to mold and create "The Failure of Feminism," a vote for return to traditional patterns of interaction between men and women in order to recapture the "American Dream" family of the 1950's.
Feminism is multi-faceted, each face containing an important idea or plan that strives to empower all people. Examples of this empowerment are presenting improved opportunities and environments for both genders; distributing equal bargaining power; expanding the boundaries of sharing and expression; and placing value on the flexibility of choice. All of these are necessary to break with tradition in order to achieve the ideal of a happy, stable family, where both partners are satisfied. Feminism is neither a cure for societal ailments, nor a crystal ball for unexplainable phenomenon, nor a simple recipe that can easily result in a sensational masterpiece of the kitchen. It is a complexity, one that is explained by many people in many ways. It is a conglomeration of ideas that can serve as inspiration for change, but change requires investments of time, energy, and emotion by ind...
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... and enlightens me. With every review of my beliefs, challenge to my present knowledge of myself, and experience of new environments, I grow emotionally, my commitment to feminism grows, and my acceptance of my own mistakes as building blocks for the future grows.
If Kay Ebeling had been willingstagnation and encourages me to continuously grow, each day learning new ways to deal with my frustrations and improve my relationships. to invest in feminism, feminism would have given her a new way to deal with her experiences. Instead of disillusionment, she could have gained new, positive opportunities and understanding Ebeling's complete repudiation of feminism takes away her enthusiasm to achieve goals, while my commitment allows me to be continuously inspired toward mine. Feminism directs me away from personal The complexities of feminism have endless possibilities.
Arguably William Shakespeare’s great tragedy, and perhaps his greatest work overall, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a gripping tale of betrayal, insanity, and grim horror that captures the imagination of the reader. This tragic play centers around the titular character, Hamlet, and his quest to kill his Uncle, Claudius. Although it sounds to the common ear to be merely a story of revenge, the play contains vivid characters that bring the play to shocking light for the reader or the viewer. Controversy is common in discussion of Hamlet due to the choices of the main character to reject his love, spare his traitorous uncle for a brief moment in the pursuit of a ruthless revenge, and the accidental killing of an innocent man, having mistaken him for the aforementioned uncle. These actions can be seen as mere plot devices, or sloppy writing on behalf of Shakespeare. They can also be seen as the literary genius that enriches Hamlet, depending on the point-of-view of the reader or the viewer. This essay will be an examination of the idea that, while these actions may not be genius, and they are in-fact simple plot devices, the actions taken by Hamlet in this play are deliberate, as the author intended them. Hamlet’s actions during this play, sparing his uncle and banishing his love, and also killing an innocent man, are a masterful portrayal of justified retribution turning into hate-driven revenge and its consequences.
It amazes me how a few decades ago can seem like a whole different world. A course of time can impact our lives more than we know it. In the article, A Day Without Feminism by Jennifer Boumgoidnei and Amy Richntds, both of these authors created this piece to inform their audience that although women have gained more rights over time, there was still more progress to be made. These authors gave many examples of how life for women had been, the obstacles they had to overcome, and the laws women had to break for equality.
In the essay “The Failure of Feminism,” by Phyllis Chesler, that was first published by The Chronical of Higher Education on February 24, 2006. The author emphasizes how “feminism may not be existent anymore (Chesler, 2006).” Chesler describes the word feminism itself, and how others may interpret the word. “The Failure of Feminism shows how feminism has evolved over time.
The blending of terror and romance in Gothic Literature was used in a unique combination to attract and entice the reader into the story. The terror in the literature helps the reader explore their imagination and form their own picture setting of what is happening. Using romance in the story also keeps the reader's attention because of the unknown and the curiosity of what happens next. The Gothic writing became popular after the Romantic period because readers were still a...
The Prince of Denmark – Hamlet – is the leading character in the play of Shakespeare. He is the nephew to Claudius, the present king and son to the late king who is later revealed to have been murdered. Though in the play of Hamlet, the leading character is not entirely related to the death of the courtiers Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, the play of Stoppard has an entirely different story to speak about. The play begins with Hamlet displaying the signs of grief and sadness that reveals the prime tones of his character as pale and intense. He shows the signs of a tragic hero in spite of the fact that his character has the shades of brutality, indecisiveness and hasti...
An Alzheimer Patient needs proper medical care. A common concern of the family caregiver is about the longevity of the patient dwindling. Peterson, Fillenbaum, Pieper, and Heyman, in their study, concluded there are many factors as to why an Alzheimer’s patient should be placed in a nursing home; however, longevity should not be a factor since there is no change in the patient’s life span (2008). In the facility, the patient would have trained medical s...
Feminism is a word that is stock-full of implications, and has many misconceptions. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti attempts to give a broad overview of what feminism is, and how you should feel about it (hint: it’s positively). The book is directed primarily towards the younger generation, and talks about a variety of issues relevant to the feminist movement today and in history. The weaknesses of the book include the casual writing, the assumptions Valenti makes, and the contradictory statements that are consistently made. The strengths include providing an entertaining, broad overview of feminism, and discussing ways to contribute to gender equality. Overall, the book is more likely to be a positive experience for high-schoolers that identify as women then college-aged individuals looking for a critical analysis of issues society faces in regards to gender inequality.
The term ‘Gothic’ is highly amorphous and open to diverse interpretations; it is suggestive of an uncanny atmosphere of wilderness gloom and horror based on the supernatural. The weird and eerie atmosphere of the Gothic fiction was derived from the Gothic architecture: castles, cathedrals, forts and monasteries with labyrinths of dark corridors, cellars and tunnels which evoked the feelings of horror, wildness, suspense and gloom.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a complex play regarding the kingdom of Denmark, and the unusual stage it is going through. The main focus of the play concerns Hamlet, prince of Denmark, and his feeling of ambiguity toward his recently lost father and his remarried mother. Hamlet is a complicated character who plays assorted roles in order to manipulate people. These various roles make it problematic to develop a sense of the real Hamlet. Only during the soliloquies is the reader given a chance to understand Hamlet, they allow the reader to attempt to decipher who is the real Hamlet and what is an act. The first soliloquy allows the reader to initially delve into the character of Hamlet, by showing his anger and distaste towards his mother. The soliloquy also shows that, even through his anger, he is in a coherent state of mind.
Throughout the play Hamlet, there are many symbols, characters, themes and motifs which have very significant roles. Within the context of characters, those with the greatest impact are more often the major characters than the less significant. However, in the case of one pair of characters, it is rather the opposite. The use of the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet is for more than just comic relief. They are a representation of the betrayal and dishonesty that runs deep within the play.
The interconnectedness of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tom Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead extends the identities of the characters. While Hamlet gives a limited view of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the opposite is true for Stoppard’s play. Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead contain similar themes, and Stoppard’s play presents a new perspective to the one-sided story. The common themes of fate and chance, and uncertainty and meaninglessness are compared between the two plays.
As women, those of us who identify as feminists have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at what cost do these advances come with?... ... middle of paper ... ... Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/whatisfem.htm Bidgood, J. 2014, April 8 -.
Throughout history, women have remained subordinate to men. Subjected to the patriarchal system that favored male perspectives, women struggled against having considerably less freedom, rights, and having the burdens society placed on them that had been so ingrained the culture. This is the standpoint the feminists took, and for almost 160 years they have been challenging the “unjust distribution of power in all human relations” starting with the struggle for equality between men and women, and linking that to “struggles for social, racial, political, environmental, and economic justice”(Besel 530 and 531). Feminism, as a complex movement with many different branches, has and will continue to be incredibly influential in changing lives.
Hamlet is one of the most historically remembered plays identified among the numerous credible works by the world renowned William Shakespeare. The author has utilized a wide range of reactions and tones for the leading character – Hamlet – who is keen on avenging the death of his father by his uncle – the new King Claudius. Though Hamlet is not aware of the fact earlier that Claudius killed his father, as soon as it is revealed to this through the ghost, he engages on the journey to seek revenge and ends up being portrayed as a tragic hero. The play in itself is a tragedy that explains in detail the path taken up by its lead character in avenging the death of his father and how his friends turn against him and end up with the killer of his father – the king Claudius. The aim of my essay is to read into the details of the play Hamlet and compare it with that of the play written by Tom Stoppard to identify that common factors that link them together.
Michael Levin, a professor of philosophy and author of the book Feminism and Freedom, faults feminism for trying to impose an inappropriate equality on men and women that conflicts basic biological differences between the sexes (Levin, Taking Sides, 42). Women are not the same as men, neither physically nor psychologically. In the past, men tended to be the stronger more powerful gender, while women have traditionally been viewed as the weaker, more feeble one. The untrue assumption that men and women are the same in their ways of thinking and physical capabilities leads to the failure of the feminist message. Their agenda of eliminating all observable differences between men and women is doomed to fail and will inflict more pain than gain in the process. Recognizing the differences between the sexes and allowing each to do what they are strongest at will in the long run make society stronger, more efficient, and more effective.