Dylan Madden Word Count: 406
Thiebaux Writings of Medieval Women:
Chapter 1/5 Response
16 October 2017
Thiebaux, in her book, appear to explain the events involving women but on a more religious matter. The first chapter in Thiebaux’s book discusses a woman named Vibia Perpetua. She is another woman from our past whose actions on being subjective based on religion, not only leads to her death but also spread inspiration and encouragement to the minds of other women. For example, her and four other women were considered martyrs, but Thiebaux called them “the first heroes of Christianity” (Thiebaux 4). From what I read about Perpetua, and the sections from within the chapter, they basically explain how she lived with her life which leads to her death. She and her friends were sentenced to death based upon their faith in Christianity, though Perpetua had a chance to save herself but she chose to remain faithful; “refusing to worship the Emperor and honor the religion of the Roman state” (4). Roman religion and its emperor had a law to ban Christianity but her faith in her religion led Perpetua and her companions to be executed. Her death was by the hand and sword of a gladiator, all because she chose to remain faithful to her religion.
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The first was Radegund who married a man named Clothar who like I’ve read about other men in the past, has a way of treating women like objects much like he does with Radegund who considered to be “more nun than queen” (86). Like with Perpetua, she had a path to follow to ensure a more monastic life for woman-kind; a path that would lead her to the two other women in the chapter: Caesaria, sister of Bishop Caesarius whose rules gave women (nuns) their rights and separation from men, and Baudonivia who was a nun and also took part in Radegund’s
Women were auctioned off as “merchandise” to the best suitor they could get in town. Beauty, though important, was not as important as the dowry the woman possessed, because it was the dowry the family provided that could exalt a man’s societal status to all new heights. Once married, women were expected to have son’s for their husbands in order to take over the family business. A barren woman was not an option and could have easily been rushed to the nearest convent to take her vows of a nun, for no honor could be brought otherwise. No woman could run from the societal and legal pressures placed upon them. Rather than run, some chose to accept their place, but, like Lusanna, some chose to fight the status quo for rights they believed they
When she was younger she wanted to become a nun. Her mother taught her that religion was always important. She was always a “goody two shoes”. Patria set standards for her younger sisters that were too high to meet. They always felt as if they didn’t do enough.. She treated them all
Medieval England was considered to be a Patriarchy, due to the serious gender roles which cast men as superior to women. Margery Kempe attempted time and time again to break the boundaries of the gender roles put in place by society. The men in her life tried to stop her, and bring her back to the social norms of what it meant to be a women living in the time period: John Kempe, her priest, Christ etc. To analyze Kempe, it is first important to note what was expected of medieval women; “the classical females are portrayed as vessels of chastity, purity, and goodness” (O’Pry-Reynolds, 37). She was not your typical female; she wanted to break free from the strict expectations of women; “Men and women of the medieval period and medieval literature
Caroline Walker Bynum raised several thought-provoking claims in her book Holy Feast and Holy Fast, but her main argument of the mindset of medieval women with regards to their status in society was the most intriguing. Rather than simply agreeing with most traditional medievalists, she analyzes the male/female difference in terms of which symbols each gender used, and how these symbols tied in to their distinct religious concerns. She maintains that women accepted their place in society and religion, and instead of succumbing to the misogyny, they used their association with the flesh and humanness to connect themselves to the humanity of God. Her arguments regarding medieval women and their practices also implies that she is accepting of the idea of gender as a valuable category of historical analysis.
At first glance, the reader sees the women shown as malicious, conniving adulterers. But, if one looks deeper into the stories, in reality, the women are rather clever and tactful. In the Prologue, a women who is the prisoner of a jinnee threaten Shahriyar and Shahzaman to do her bidding
submissive, powerless objects of their husbands. Equality and balance within their marriages were of no
This paper will discuss the well published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomerory uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomerory uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses. She then talks about some common roles, the whores, wives, and slaves during this time. Pomerory enlightens the audience on the topic of women, who were seen as nothing at the time. Men were seen as the only crucial part in history; however, Pomerory’s focus on women portrays the era in a new light.
The majority of names throughout the story are based on biblical characters. Many of which were predominantly from the Old Testament. All of the women were subdivided into different categories, which would explain their function in society. Some of these names were “Unwomen” “Econowives” “Handmaids”, “Wives”, and “Marthas”. Marthas’ function was too practice chores in the household. Much like Martha in the Bible, who instead of listening to Jesus talking to the other people in the household, simply felt her calling was to wait on the guests and work on the household chores. Martha felt that work was her calling in life. (Luke, 10:38...
Violence against women is not a new social issue and Pamela Copper-Whites’ book The Cry of Tamar does well in bringing this to light not only as a social issue but as a religious issues as well. Tamar’s story sheds light on the violence and degradation of women in the biblical times.
...m played a role in ending practices such as human sacrifice, slavery, infanticide and adultery. Christianity in general affected the status of women by condemning infanticide, divorce, incest, polygamy, birth control, abortion and marital infidelity. While official Church teaching considers women and men to be equal and different, some modern activists of ordination of women and other feminists argue that the teachings by St. Paul, the Fathers of the Church and Scholastic theologians advanced the impression of a pleasingly ordained female subordination. Nevertheless, women have played prominent roles in Western history through the Catholic Church, particularly in education and healthcare, but also as influential theologians and mystics. The important status of the Virgin Mary gave views of maternal virtue and compassion a place at the heart of Western civilization.
In modern day society, female gender roles are defined in several of forms; ranging from the stereotypical concept of women being the primary caretakers to women being the dominant sex. After analyzing two sources of past literature, two iconic women represent personas of both social standings. In the literary works “Genesis” of The Hebrew Bible; along with, “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes, impactful phenomena take place in the era of these women.
...n their stories at first, but by the end they both praise them for their ability to act with the virtues that every Roman woman should strive to act with.
The two major examples from the period examined are Danielis and Zoe Karbonopsina. Danielis is a woman Basil I encounters when he is traveling in the Peloponnese with his master Theophilos before he was emperor. While there, a monk randomly greats Basil as if he is an emperor and disrespects Basil’s master. Danielis, described as “ranked first in that region, by both her way of life and her high-birth,” heard the story of the monk’s behavior and knowing he had the power of “foretelling the future,” asked the monk why he acted so. The monk told her Basil would one day be Emperor and those chosen by God should be revered. This causes Danielis to summon Basil and gift him considerable favors and gifts, the only thing she requested in return was that he formal bond with take her son. Basil agrees and also promises Danielis that if he does become emperor he would make her “mistress of all that area.” Years later, once Basil is emperor, he has kept his word in having a bond with Danielis’ son, who was a protopatharios, and sends for Danielis to come to Constantinople. When she arrives after being “carried in relays by three hundred strong young servants of her choosing,” Basil holds a reception for her in the Manguara, which is usually reserved for very distinguished guests. The last description of Danielis is when she visits Leo VI once he is emperor and names him heir to all her worldly goods. In Synopsis, Danielis is not defined through her marriage, her children, or through participation of a malevolent act. Danielis has agency, something few women in Synopsis exercise and she uses it for purposes that are not murder or seizing power. Danielis is the true outlier of all of the women reviewed in this paper as she is a relevant and revered woman, who acts on her own accord for purposes that are not outright evil. Danielis’ unique status is more than likely a result of the fact that she
The time is the sixth century, the place is Rome and the person is Lucretia, a woman who contributed to one of the biggest parts of Roman history: the creation of the Roman republic. The rape of the virtuous Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of Tarquinius Superbus' (an Etruscan king) was the final straw for the Roman people and pushed them to want to change from a monarchy to a republic. From the accounts of the rape of Lucretia from ancient historians like Livy, Cicero and Dionysius, it is clear that Lucretias rape not only spurred the roman people to want to get rid of the Etruscan King and his family, but also revealed the important role of virtue in women in roman society.
The hierarchy of women goes as such: Commander’s Wives, Aunts, Marthas, Handmaids, Econowives, and Unwomen. Commanders are at the head of their household. Every woman within these ranks has settled into their roles as part of the Republic except for the Unwomen, those who refused to become a part of their society under any circumstances--those who are sent to work camps and separated from the rest of the world. Aside from them, the rest of the Republic's women all serve men in one way or another. Women are made to believe that the roles assigned to them are to be seen as a great honor. Outwardly, women accept these roles with little to no retaliation, but inwardly and amongst each other, many perform small acts of rebellion against their overseers. One woman who partook in many of these acts is referred to as Offred throughout the story; however, her real name is never revealed.