English Tyler Bliss
Pygmalion Paper
The traits men want in our women can never and will never be attainable by any person, no matter who they are. For many years, love has been kind of a lost cause. Men might look for a woman that could satisfy their needs in the present, but they had no thought of what she might be like in the future. Male and female relationships in the myth Pygmalion, the book Pygmalion, and in “real” life have many similarities. All the men look for the most desirable traits in women, and sometimes we don’t always get what we want. But with those similarities, comes a few differences.
In the book, myth and in real life, the men aspire for traits in women that they could never have or aren’t worthy of. In the myth, the beauty of the goddess Aphrodite enchanted Pygmalion. And it was this enchantment that made him make the sculpture of her. In the book, Higgins wanted Eliza’s strength. In a weird way, he got what he wanted when she finally stood up to him. In real life, all men want traits in women that we think will suit our needs. We want to marry a woman that can meet all of our desires. Men from all different times and walks of life, dream of the woman that they want, but can never have. Perfection is unattainable, even in the stories passed down from generation to generation.
With the changing times, the men look for different traits in women. In the times of the myth, men probably looked for a woman that could cook, clean and mother his children. Where as, in the harsh times of the book, men probably looked for women that could be strong and loyal. Now, men all over the world look for women that are athletic, beautiful, and smart and have a unique attitude towards life. Men now a-days men still look for traits that the men long ago wanted in their women.
In all three examples, the men don’t really get what they want; instead they get what has always been in front of them. The may have to settle for “the next best thing”. In the myth, Pygmalion didn’t get to marry Aphrodite; instead he married his sculpture that was brought to life by Aphrodite.
Behind every great man lies a great women. In some cases the women herself may not always be good or ideal according to society. Nevertheless it seems to add character to
In considering the relationship between the meanings of myths and their representation of women, we learned that the major role in shaping the narratives was played by men.
The last heroic couplet provides no hope and leaves only frustrating thoughts for the lover: "All wayes they try, successeless all they prove,/To cure the secret sore of lingering love". The speaker even argues that though Nature provides satisfaction for physical urges (e.g. hunger and thirst), Nature does not give Love the same satisfaction. The speaker describes a lover as a type of Sisyphus, enslaved in a vicious cycle of trying to accomplish the task (of fulfilling love's desires), only to have the problem roll back down and having to start over again.
The problem we find in this story, and in puritanism, is that it presents contrasting views of love. Attachment to earthly possessions, to other people in fact, is discouraged, because everything physical leads to temptation and damnation, and ultimately hell, while the road to salvation of the individual wanders through a spiritual discipline, rigour, austerity. A man should not love his wife more than he loves God; in fact, it is recommended that he not derive pleasure from his wife, but rather seek suffering, in order to redeem himself from his earthly condition, his impure state.
...whereas the ideal man would be one of high rank, faithful and had a tenderness and eloquence. The main trait discussed that would still apply personally as an ideal man and woman though would be one who was faithful. Though appearance is still a factor, what is considered beautiful has changed and a social hierarchy in the United States does not exist today. All in all, a relationship between a man and woman is an important aspect of anyone’s life, regardless of the place in history, and studying these aspects from a great novel like The Tale of Genji, plays a vital role in understanding Japanese culture.
David Grazian’s study builds on Quinn’s research on men and women's interactions and Grazian finds similar results as Quinn did in her study. In the study of Grazian the performance of both men and women was driven by both genders trying to prove that they are as the audience (society) says they should be. Society has men believing that all women want only one type of man, a masculine man and society has woman believing that men want women who are quite, pretty and live to make their man happy. Both parties in both studies have been fooled by society and they don’t realize or understand
The society in which classical myths took place, the Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal one. By taking a careful gander at female characters in Greco-Roman mythology one can see that the roles women played differ greatly from the roles they play today. The light that is cast upon females in classical myths shows us the views that society had about women at the time. In classical mythology women almost always play a certain type of character, that is to say the usual type of role that was always traditionally played by women in the past, the role of the domestic housewife who is in need of a man’s protection, women in myth also tended to have some unpleasant character traits such as vanity, a tendency to be deceitful, and a volatile personality. If one compares the type of roles that ladies played in the myths with the ones they play in today’s society the differences become glaringly obvious whilst the similarities seem to dwindle down. Clearly, and certainly fortunately, society’s views on women today have greatly changed.
in how men view them. To join the men’s world, women must become accepted by the group of
For years, women have had to fight for voting rights, equal pay, and equal work opportunities. What this suggests, is that women have had to prove themselves to be accepted. Through the use of two interviews, the role of gender and power in love relationships was examined. The first interviewee, Monica Robles, is a 33-year-old, married woman and a mother of two. Monica describes herself a family oriented, powerful, independent, ambitious woman. She is a Relationship Banker at Bank of America, where she advises and guides highly valued customers with their financial needs. The second interviewee, Leonel Mendoza, is a 25-year-old married male, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and is currently an aircraft mechanic. Therefore, based on the two
“Love is magical, and it can last, if we remember our differences” (Gray 14). Gender communication differences are very complex, yet somewhat remarkable. Dr. John Gray explains that it is as if men and women come from different planets. Unfortunately, many times men and women forget that they are supposed to be different (10). In addition to the biological natural differences between males and females, society treats and values each gender very differently, all of which plays a big part in how they communicate (Papadopoulos 2). Dr. Gray states, “When you remember that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, everything can be explained” (10). If a man and woman do not take the time to understand, respect, and become aware of their differences,
...nd great intelligence. Both in “The Beauty and the Beast” and “Fowler’s Fowl”, men do not play the part of redeemer as women expected in fairy tales. On the contrary, the female protagonists who are brilliant and persistent acquire happiness. These similar kinds of fairy tales thus admonish women for relying on men and marriage by taking risks with their future. Women should believe in their own abilities and strive to achieve a wonderful future.
Women have given birth to new generations for centuries and have the common stereotype of being caring and gentle. But in the creation myth, women were given to man as a punishment. In the book of collected Greek tales, " Mythology Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes", by Edith Hamilton, women take up important roles that shape each story. Although women are usually characterized as being helpful and motherly, Greek mythology, on the other hand, portrays them to cause distress, fear, and anxiety to numerous men. Women’s actions are shown to be influenced with jealousy and vengeance which gives them an evil nature.
Throughout history, time has created and shaped the ideal type of men, while society chooses what it means to be a real man..The ideal real men needed to be strong, provider of his family, decision maker, economically, educationally, physically, and politically dominant (Myers). The difference between the masculinity of the 20th century and the 21st has changed significantly. The ideal men status in 1900’s was rich, educated, powerful, and successful. In today’s perspectives, men needs to be strong, tall, handsome, capable, and unemotional. The contrast of these two centuries are mostly about men’s social status and appearances. Before, it was all about what a man is capable of doing and how powerful he could be compared to today’s ideal,
(E) In “The Gift of The Magi”, Both James and Della´s sacrifices are their greatest gifts to each other. The most valuable treasures this young couple has are selflessness and dedication for each other. This symbolism of their most prized possessions is principal when saying that their relationship works due to of their magnanimous ways because in today’s society, people are insincere and avaricious. (C) Often hiding behind and insincere relationship, people mask their faults which shows their greed. They do not want to give up things they love in order to strengthen their relationship which is why relationships often fail. (A) O.Henry wanted to show how a true relationship should work, and that in order to demonstrate the magnitude of true love, both sides of the relationship should be willing to make sacrifices. (P) Think back to the needle in a haystack; it is true that sincere love is not an easy task, but it is not inconceivable. This one in a million chance to find the one you love can effortlessly be solved if young people listen to the wise teachings of O.Henry and learn that selflessness is the most important part of any relationship. By taking heed of this reasonable advice, the odds of finding that one needle among the infinite sea of hay will be in the favor of true
R.K. Narayan’s translation of The Ramayana brings out the characteristics of an ideal Indian woman and everything that these women shouldn’t be. The women of respect and those that should be looked up to have beauty that is both physical and spiritual. The good women make loyal, thoughtful wives and have a sense of maternal instinct. The bad women are those that rely solely on their physical beauty and are manipulative. They do not respect men and in fact go against all the advice the men in their life give them, even if it is good advice. The ideal Indian woman is beautiful, respectful, and puts the men in their lives above all other individuals. The women in The Ramayana portray everything about society’s ideals about Indian women, both the good and the bad characteristics.