The intersectionality in the identity of Ruth displays layers of societal truths in the demoralizing of and dehumanizing of women as the other human, which is also presented throughout the Hebrew Bible. Societal norms are reflected in Biblical text, including The Book of Ruth, and provide the reader with insight of social laws. Issues concerning intersection of race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and nationality, and the economic status of foreigners are prevalent in today’s society and critical in the examining and interpreting any Hebrew Bible scripture. In fact, The Book of Ruth is an excellent example of the intersecting of these societal settings and the discrimination that stems from interwoven oppression. Historical reference related to sociology, post-colonial biblical criticism, and feminist criticism can be used as a means to construct the identity of Ruth. Thus, Ruth’s identity is developed through nationality, gender, and sexuality, all of which demonstrates the intersectionality of her identity and the many layers of interlinked dehumanization that continues today.
Intersectionality is found all throughout the Hebrew Bible, including in the
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Such recent work, in feminists critique, the commentaries of H .W .Hertzberg, W. Rudolph, and F. Campbell has highlighted the pronounced sexual imagery in Ruth 3. The imagery used in describing Ruth’s encounter with Boaz present levels of submission. As the text elaborates the dialogue between Ruth and Boaz the literature presents gender concerns. The setting at midnight, at his threshing-floor, after he has eaten and drunk and is merry, lies down beside him and uncovers his feet. With Campbell, the argument is found in the rhetorical structure in Ruth; to lie down, to know, and to come (toward), to go into. In which he argues that this rhetorical wording is intended to reinforce their double meaning and direct attention to the sexual
One value Ruth instills in her children is the vitality of education in ultimately bettering their lives. When expressing her opinion about the lengths to which some white people go for money, she insists, “You don’t need money. What’s money if your mind’s empty! Educate your mind!” (McBride 33). As her prioritization of education over money shows, she is serious about raising her children to surpass the average. She sees a one-way road on which good education leads to money but not vice-versa; education’s permanence outweighs money’s ephemerality. This prioritization of wisdom over wealth mirrors Tateh’s raising of Ruth when she was a child: “‘That gentile school won’t teach you anything you can use[.]’ […] He paid for us to take private lessons in sewing and knitting and record-keeping[.] […] He was tight with his money, but when it came to that kind of thing, he wasn’t cheap” (80). Although Tateh emphasizes the importance of money much more than Ruth does, he is willing to pay more money to have his children take private lessons about what he considers important, textiles and organization. Likewise, Ruth states that she does not mind her children not having much money as long as they receive a good education. Both Ruth and Tateh hold e...
Sebold portrays the 1970’s by developing the character of Ruth Connors who represents the rise of the feminist movement. From the beginning of the novel, Ruth is described as a closed-off and intelligent girl whose love of art and literature makes her stand out from all the other student. It becomes apparent to readers that she holds unconventional views over the gender roles of men and women when Susie observes how one day, Ruth was carrying “feminist texts and...held them with their spines resting against her stomach so that no one could see what they were” (Sebold 39). This suggests that Ruth did not want anyone to notice what she was reading as feminist books were not popular since they questioned the traditional gender hierarchy that
Women and men shared similar roles; however, men had more rights while women had limitations. For instance, male slaves were freed after six years of service while female slaves (Ex. 21:7) were freed only if their master failed to provide clothes, food, and marital rights. Furthermore, the book of Judges (19:24) portrays how a concubine and virgin daughter were offered to satisfy a group of men who wanted to sexually assault another man. As a result, the group of men rape and abuse the concubine leading to her subsequent death. This story illustrates how women’s lives were regarded less valuable than men’s.
Although the purpose of the Bible is to teach us the right way to live with its numerous rules, the book “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs, exposes the less publicized rules and how contradictory some of them can be. The main propose of the author of this book is not to criticize or make fun of religion in his quest to “follow the Bible as literally as possible”, but to demonstrate that he enjoys the learning experience. A.J. Jacobs suggests that people claim to be religious when in fact, they only take the rules and ideas they want, this is the reason why I think gender inequality continues to penetrate society today.
On various occasions, the girl is depicted as having an almost toy-like quality, in which she can only be controlled and manipulated by her husband. On page 10, the text remarks, “he had invited me to join this gallery of beautiful women” (Carter 10). Such is only one instance in the story when the female character is being demonstrated as an object simply for show and display to the rest of the world. When the couple is about to have sex, the description of the wife in terms of her husband’s actions, corresponds to the qualities of other objects. For example, it is described, “as if he were stripping the leaves off an artichoke,” and that “he closed my legs like a book” (Carter 15). Both of these examples are in regards to inanimate objects, which can be utilized and controlled. This mimics the assertive and manipulative quality that the husband male figure has over the objectified woman. Nevertheless, in both stories, the classic by Perrault and the modern by Carter, this idea of objectification reaches it’s culminating point in the sense that the husbands’ murders of their wives are a way of literally collecting them and holding them in a room for their
In fact, women’s sexuality is controlled socially by men and women calling non-virgin women by whores and politically by stoning women who are found committing adultery. Moreover, Sex is also restricted to solely between men and women who are not sex workers in the Hebrew Bible. I also think of the important role sex workers play in society. Prostitutes or sex workers are at the bottom rung of the capitalist Israeli society and work to promote the ideals of gender equity and sexual agency. However, it is the work of the Hebrew Bible to villainize their bodies and work to police sexual freedom and economic power for all sexes. Sex work for both working-class men and women broadly is a means of self-empowerment and greater socioeconomic
In the debate between Christine and Reason, Christine represents the misogynistic notions that are embedded in each citizen’s mind. For instance, a commonly accepted misconception of the time was that “women are by nature fearful creatures, having weak, frail bodies and lacking in physical strength” (De Pizan 33). Reason refutes Christine’s widely accepted viewpoint by arguing that “it doesn’t necessarily follow that a fine, strong body makes for a courageous heart” (De Pizan 34). Such a didactic exchange allows De Pizan to directly communicate with the women reading her book. Subsequently, as Reason gradually disproves the sexist arguments of Christine, the prejudice that exists in the readers’ minds is also logically deconstructed. The ultimate purpose of the didactic dialects is to encourage readers to initiate an acceptance for the novel feminist doctrine that De Pizan is presenting in the creation of the City of Ladies because it is not based on passion nor emotions alone, but logic and
The topic of sex, sexuality, and gender in the Old Testament is a topic that is getting more traction in recent days due to the rise in feminism. The social changes that came with the women’s liberation movement over the last few decades have led to much confusion when it comes to understanding a woman’s place in the Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible serves as a guide that provides basic definitions for gender and the roles of men and women in society. In the Old Testament women were viewed as lesser than her male counterpart. The body or virginity of a woman was viewed as property of her father, her slave owner, or her husband; the
Looking back through history, women and men were treated differently. There was a common belief back in the days that men were superior to women. Aristotle, for instance, “assumed that male domination was the rule in all natural species” (Rigby). Due to this Greek Philosopher’s words, people believed this idea as well. Men of course, are physically superior to women, but that is not the only case pertaining to this idea of predominance. Many believed that men were “morally, intellectually and physically” superior to women (Rigby). S.H. Rigby is a history lecturer who explored many texts to support the idea of this gender superiority. Aristotle was just one example of the textual evidence throughout time; another comes from the bible itself. In G...
Did you know that in the ancient country of Moab if you were a woman you had to have the protection of a male authority or you would be killed in public. It is very similar in the region today. As Barack Obama said - “The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued this region for centuries.” The book of Ruth in the KJV Bible portrays that perfectly. Also it shows a good example of friendship and loyalty. Walter Winchell was a famous Newspaper and radio gossiper. He once said that - A friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. The book of Ruth is a biblical narrative that portrays examples of characterization. It is the eighth book of the old testament in the KJV Bible. It is about a recently made widow trying
It is a fact that when the novel was first published in 1962, it was already infused with a view on women which was quite ahead of its time (Schneebaum, 1990). The predominance of women and the inclination of the entire plot towards the glorification of womanhood can be confirmed by the fact that the central protagonist in the novel is a female who is motivated ...
The Lord has a plan for all of his Children, which he sets in motion years before their birth. Evidence of this is how he foreshadowed Jesus Christ’s life in the Old Testament, years before Jesus became flesh! This specific type of foreshadowing is called typology. Typology is a person or thing that is a type of Jesus, or someone who foreshadows Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Saint Thomas Aquinas was speaking about the typology in the Bible when he said “The New Testament is lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.” This explains the Bible perfectly as Jesus’ life is underlying in the Old Testament in the lives of people like Moses, and we are able to see these connections in the New Testament.
Two weeks a month a woman was considered unclean and unable to partake in certain religious ceremonies. This part of a woman’s physicality is overlooked when the men need woman for child bearing and the immense role they play in creating life, which is referenced similar to what God does with humanity. Woman not being allowed to achieve higher religious statuses has not allowed another perspective on the scripture as well as it has permanently kept women second to men within the religion, even is the society around the religion has changed to include women
It is true, perhaps, that women are the subset of humanity whose rights had been the longest stripped of them, and who had been abused the worst and for the longest time. Even today, many people believe that women still do not have the equality that ought to be afforded them. Since women first started making steps to approach that ideal equality, they have used various means, including literature, to further their cause. Both Mary Prince’s The History of Mary Prince, as well as Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen, use language of Christian rhetoric to simultaneously cast their characters and themselves as sinners and the redeemed and righteous as well as portraying the journey of redemption between one and the other. This subconscious wording engenders fellowship in their readers, who can relate to the story of the redeemed, and who exist in an overwhelmingly moral and Christian society.
The challenge has come not from social movements but from the biblical texts themselves. It is essential that we as students look beyond the hermeneutical value, to that which is ingrained in the text not because of truth but rather because of tradition. Professor Trible's research on Adam and Eve notes that the Fall created an inequality in the family relationship that had not existed before. And if Christ has become a cure for us (Galatians 3:13), that curse of inequality is undone in Him as well as in the text in which she refers our attention. Feminist theologians have also recovered the neglected feminine references to God in scripture (noting: the word for Spirit, Ruach, in Hebrew, is feminine) and pointed out the roles of women in the Bible as deacons, co-laborers with Paul in ministry, judges of the nation (Deborah), and possibly even apostles (Junia of Romans 16:7). There are, of course, other things going on in Professor Trible’s writing, but the subtext of theological issues gives each story its texture as the abstract ideas intertwine with the actual plot.