When the 1890s hit Japan and the country was being polished and renewed by every political and economic change, the government then decided to create a civil code so that Western nations would move forward with treaty revisions. As the years passed, the civil law changed with the people it affected and what their social standing was in society. Of course, women as wives still had obligations to follow. "Once wed, a woman could not testify in courts of law, bring legal action without her husband's permission, or initiate a divorce except in cases of desertion or extreme cruelty" (McClain 257). McClain also states that if a marriage were to fail then the women is to leave the house and the child stays with the father. This is where Some Prefer …show more content…
"He thinks it's a surface you cultivate, and underneath you're a chaste wife and a virtuous mother" (Tanizaki 87). This statement from the book and Misako reactions to Takanastu words show that maybe he was spot on. In the beginning when Kaname would withdraw from her sexually, Misako shed tears for the loneliness and stopped. The tears, however, would return when Aso came into the picture. In chapter eight of Some prefer Nettles, Misako affair is brought to light and shows how Kaname has hoped for someone to come along and give Misako what Kaname himself could not. All things considered, it seems that maybe Misako's modern tendencies stem from the fact that Misako needs to cover the embarrassment and pain of not having Kaname's affection after years of marriage and a child between the two. "The new laws treated a "wife" as a useful but replaceable module" (McClain 257). With Kaname he feels a women should either be a goddess or a plaything and Misako is neither in Kaname's eyes which sets Misako out to find someone who can give her the pleasures that she desires. Kaname and Misako's relationship is based more on the traditional marriage then they think. Kaname treating Misako with respect but sees no use of her in a sexual or emotional level. Following this evidence, Misako seeks the satisfaction of her needs with Aso. While the social standards of this agreement …show more content…
This part of the novel gives a perspective of the Bunraku puppet theater and the appeal of this art back in the 1950s, where Some Prefer Nettles takes place. Although Kaname only agrees to attend the play as to satisfy Misako's father. Kaname finds himself drawn to one of the puppets named Koharu, where the puppeteer handled this puppet like a treasured child. Kaname focused on Koharu movements and face itself. With this focus of this particular puppet he starts to see the traditional beauty of Japanese culture. The way Koharu somehow represented a "doll-like" women where people would see "classical beauty was withdrawn, restrained, careful not to show too much individuality" (Tanizaki 25), as the ideal woman. A modern women would be the complete opposite; a modern women would be too opinionated, too colorful. As Kaname starts spending more time with Misako's father and O-hisa, Kaname starts to view himself as an old soul as well. The beauty of O-hisa and the old fashion clothing that O-hisa was forced into by Misako's father starts to change Kaname's opinions on the beauty of a woman. Ideally Kaname's affair with Louise and the sudden interest in O-hisa and the puppet theater does show the battle between traditional and modern playthings. On one hand O-hisa does poise as the controlled and well restrained woman of any
The characters in the comedy are not realistic, and those that could have been were transformed throughout the course of events depicted. The most trouble with the play, however, seems to come from the representation of the female characters, particularly in comparison with the males. It seems almost that the female characters are written off, rather than merely written out. The male characters of the play are given higher roles, and their characters are followed more faithfully, further proving its chauvinistic composition. The title of the play even suggests a sexist nature in its possible Elizabethan reference to the female genitalia. The play seems to reflect the common thought of its era concerning the social stat...
Gerda Weissmann Klein is a Holocaust survivor that was born in Bielsko, Holand. She went through the misery of knowing what pain and suffering is. When she was 15, the Germans took over Bielsko and that is when everything started happening. On April nineteenth of 1942, the Jews were asked to move to the ghetto. Then they were forced to work in work camps and Gerda and her parents got separated. Later she went to a concentration camp, a 5 month death march. Stating of what this teenager (now woman) went through, Gerda was very qualified to write this book, knowing what actually happened inside the camps.
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
In a sense, Geismar accuses Cather's heroines of sacrificing their marital roles for their art (172). However, marriage is not the only aspect that raises the subject of sacrifice for Cather's protagonists - there is also the issue of family. This is because a woman artist, or any woman, is judged not only on her art but also on her personal life, especially by her submissiveness to man in the role of daughter, wife and mother. If a woman is unable to commit towards one of these roles, she is blamed for renouncing her expected role for something that is associated with a man's world talent. Many readers judge Thea Kronberg and Lena Lingard according to their female roles, and hence place the accusation of sacrifice upon them.
Markus Zusak reads as, Death, he watches over everyone during the time of World War Two, taking souls when the time comes for them to be set free. He tells us a little inside scoop of what's going on in the destruction that was happening outside of Liesel's story.
During the 1890’s married women had little to no freedom or rights, the men controlled
Women in most cultures have been designated as second to men and in some instances, considered below male children as well. With the passage of time women gained respect and the right for equality. Although gender discrimination remains, a lot of progress has been achieved. Literature is a one of the facets of the human race that reflects the culture change of people. William Shakespeare’s King Lear portrays the patriarchal system of the Renaissance era, which leaves women completely dependent on the male head of household. In Henrik Ibsen’s Doll House, set in the modern era, there is still a patriarchal system but women have just a little more freedom. The article, The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen by Joan Templeton, analyzes the gender subordination in A Doll House. Comparing and contrasting the themes of the two plays followed by consideration of the article’s research on the theme in A Doll House, assists in developing an understanding of the gradual progression of women’s freedom to be their “true selves” through equality with men. The “true self” is a person's character that is masked by a false portrayal designed to appeal to others.
Though its primary function is usually plot driven--as a source of humor and a means to effect changes in characters through disguise and deception—cross dressing is also a sociological motif involving gendered play. My earlier essay on the use of the motif in Shakespeare's plays pointed out that cross dressing has been discussed as a symptom of "a radical discontinuity in the meaning of the family" (Belsey 178), as cul-tural anxiety over the destabilization of the social hierarchy (Baker, Howard, Garber), as the means for a woman to be assertive without arousing hostility (Claiborne Park), and as homoerotic arousal (Jardine). This variety of interpretations suggests the multivoiced character of the motif, but before approaching the subject of this essay, three clarifica- tions are necessary at the outset.
Which is caused by the narrator having a male perspective. The narrator does not give the women and credit or redeeming qualities. All the women follow a general stereotype. If they tried to break away from the stereotype, they would me more important and influential characters. Paquette, a chambermaid in the Baron’s castle, is described as “a pretty and obedient brunette” (5). She is identified obedient not because of her job as a chambermaid, but because she is willing to exploit her soul and body to the men around the castle. In regards to the old woman, she doesn’t even have an actual name, which does not matter since is ugly and useless. The old woman has the mindset that she is; an object; a mistake; a disgrace. That her time has passed as a beautiful useful woman. All the rape and abuse has physically affected her and she is out of luck. In fact, she is lucky if men talk to her, or even look at her without
The laws that began to be passed in the 1700's were decidedly un-religious, designed mostly to protect patriarchy and wealth. Much of the marriage laws passed during this period reflect the prevailing opinion of women as childlike, frivolous, and simpleminded. As Rousseau put it, "little girls always dislike learning to read and write, but they are always ready to learn to sew." Custom made man "undisputed lord of the home" (Murstein 220) and laws were passed to solidify this position: "Upon marriage, husband and wife became one- and that one was the man. Her land became his, as did her debts."
Gender roles and inequality are still evolving and continue to change. It has only been not that long ago that women started to break out their outlined roles and looked at about the same or- almost the same level- as men on a wide scale basis. Indeed, some women in certain parts of the world are still represented in the same way as in both plays that will be compared in this essay. The characters in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll's House highlight the challenges of gender roles. The attention focused on points of comparison and contrast of men vs women's reactions in the course of both plays, which, allow the audience to think about gender identity and role conflicts. The other common shared view in both plays is that they are both showcased from a female perspective.
2. The title of this book relates to the story, because in the book, Ponyboy and Johnny are “outsiders.” They can be thought of as Outsiders because they are labeled Greasers although they do not act like hoodlums, like the rest of the Greasers. They are thought of as Greasers just because they live on the East Side of town, and because they slick back their hair. But Ponyboy and Johnny are different then all of the other Greasers because they show their emotions, and are sensitive.
In conclusion, this study shows that there are traditional differences between the U.S and Japanese cultures when it comes to views on marriage and the family unit. The U.S usually follows love and family more casually than the Japanese due to the amount of pressures placed on individuals by the status quo and past generations. Such pressures such as honor and responsibility for the family could lead to fewer divorce rates among Japanese, whereas Americans are ultimately about individual happiness, regardless of the blending effect of American marriage.
The first thing that the reader will notice regarding gender is the title of the play “A Doll’s House”. This reveals to the reader, Nora’s and possible Torvald’s status within the play. Nora is unable to be herself as she is not seen as an equal in her marriage. Instead, she is something to be admired and flaunted. This need for her to be something that Torvald can show off. Both Nora and Torvald are living lives based on illusion. Torvald has made Nora his perfect little doll so that he can look good. She thinks that he is a person with incredible strength, she becomes disillusioned with him at the end of the play when he exposes himself as just a man. This paper will look at the way that society’s expectations of gender roles are perceived
The nineteenth century was truly a different time for women and what their assumed roles in life would be. Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s House” is an examination into those assumed roles and a challenge to them. It was a time of obedience and inequality and in the first act each character is shown to portray these qualities. However, the characters in this play have multiple layers that get peeled back as the story progresses. As each new layer is revealed the audience is shown that even with the nineteenth century ideals, the true nature of each character is not quite what they appeared to be initially.