I no longer saw my father before me, but a tyrant from the Old World where only men were people. To him I was nothing but his last unmarried daughter to be bought and sold. Even in my revolt I could not keep back a smile. “It’s no use talking to you. I see to my sorrow that my words won’t help you. He who loses his understanding is like one spiritually sick. Right is wrong to him and wrong is right. It says in the Torah: What’s a woman without a man? Less than nothing- a blotted-out existence. No life on earth and no hope of Heaven.” He drew himself back like a deposed king who had been wounded and dishonoured. There was a hurt, a sorrow in his eyes that hurted me and made me weak with guilt against him. “It bleeds in me my heart when I …show more content…
We see how Sara, the main character, has changed since the beginning of the book. She is planning on getting an education and becoming a teacher. Her future plans do not involve getting married young to a man that her father picks out or even staying with her family. She sees herself alone, striving for something better to do with her life. Her father, the holy man, who strictly keeps up with his old Jewish traditions and customs, greatly disagrees with her. To him, his religion and what other people think of him is more important than his daughter. Sara has brought money home to support him and the family and has been there for him for a very long time, but she doesn't get any support or love from him. Her future plans disappoint him and he even tries to bring her down. He starts saying things from the Torah and that women are nothing without a man in this world. To me this seems as a shock. This is the first time that I came around this idea and it seems to be new to me. One thing that I don’t understand is, how can the father say that a woman without a man is nothing if it is actually the opposite. According to the father's religion, he does not have to work or do anything, his only goal is to study. But how can man survive if he does not eat or have anything? This is where the woman come in and do everything for him. They are the ones who bring wages home, who cook, and clean the …show more content…
He believes that while the women is still young and pretty that it’s important to get married and to have a man to support you. The father mentions many times that his daughters are getting old and that they should be married by now. Not all of the girls agree with this belief and they also do not like the idea of their father choosing their men for them. After the father marries off three of his daughters, we see how unhappy they are and what problems they are facing. The concept of getting married at a very young age also relates to me. I was born in Ukraine but for over ten years I have been living here, in Chicago. I still keep up with my ukrainian beliefs, traditions and background. In Ukraine, it is normal and expected for a girl to get married at a young age, typically around 18 to 20. My family, that still lives in Ukraine, is expecting me to get married and start a family early. After living here for such a long time, I’m becoming more Americanized and some of my beliefs are changing, for example when I get married. I have decided that I would like get married when I’m a bit older than 25 and after I’m done with college. After mentioning this to my family, they were surprised and shocked to hear this from me. To them, a woman's number one goal is supposed to be to start a family and have kids. And since in Ukraine you finish college by the time you are 18 or 19, that is
He is explaining how a wife’s life is that of her husband. No matter what condition or temperament her husband comes home in, she must tend to his every need no questions asked. This is a very unfair way for women to live their lives seeing as she has hardly anything in her life that is her own.
... while she still has time (257). She fails at first, thinking her father is “bereft of his senses” in his second marriage (258). She believes this despite the Torah saying, “a man must have a wife to keep him pure, otherwise his eyes are tempted by evil” (259). Gradually, Sara begins to understand her father: the only thing he has in life is his fanatical adherence to traditions; “In a world where all is changed, he alone remained unchanged” (296). Reb has a deep and true fear of God, to expect him to change beliefs that he believes have been handed down by God, beliefs that have persisted for thousands of years, is illogical. It is impossible to reconcile fully the New World with the Old, and it is the responsibility of the New to be the more flexible, unfair as it may be.
Perhaps the best example of Sara’s deviation from her Jewish heritage and her attempt to assimilate was her refusal to allow the undertaker to tear her suit during her mother’s funeral service. The clothing that she wears is a symbol to her of wealth and of being an American. For Sara the ripping of her clothing had become an “empty symbol,” a cultural construction with only symbolic meaning that could help to identify her ethnicity, and does not serve any logical purpose. After being distanced from her family and immersed in American culture for so long, she no longer understands the purpose of the action, and posits verily that “Tearing [her only suit] wouldn’t bring Mother back to life again” (Yezierska 255). This represents a clear distinction between volunta...
Sara. traditional Jewish upbringing exposed her to a life dominated by patriarchal control. When she arrived in New York to seek out the American Dream, she. found that once again her gender would stand in the way of such desires. In Despite these cultural barriers, her mother understood Sara's burning quest.
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry has many interesting characters. In my opinion, the most fascinating character is Ruth because of her many emotions and captivating personality. She goes through extreme emotions in the play such as happiness, sadness, anger, stress, and confusion. Ruth is very independent, firm, kind, witty, and loving.
Often viewed in several different ways, the division of labor of the home is never easy to assign. Willingly taking on their assigned roles, numerous families abide by these assignments, still; other marriages want equality in this division of household chores. Countless of these tasks can be strenuous and demanding. The responsibilities that come with these daily routines can also be life threatening if not carefully performed. A few of the duties in the day-to-day trade of maintaining a household include tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for children. Division of labor among races is also different. These cultures influence how family roles come about and transpire. First, traditional Mexican American women undertake the
Finally, the movie says that women, first of all, should rely on themselves and not submit to any kind of domination. They should simply support themselves by their own efforts instead of letting someone else arrange and control their lives. The movie also demonstrates how a girl possessing the virtues of honesty, patience, prudence, industry, and obedience can be rewarded with a husband and the attendant better life and higher social position.
AP English Literature and Composition MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET Title: A Raisin In the Sun Author: Lorraine Hansberry Date of Publication: 1951 Genre: Realistic Drama Biographical Information about the Author Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19, 1930. She grew up as the youngest in her family. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a real estate broker.
Sara's father also feels that he should get to pick the man that his daughters will marry. This is so old world, and Sara is not going to have it. She has watched her sisters who are so unhappy with the husbands that the father picked for them. Her father believes, "No girl can live without a father or a husband to look out for her," "It says in th...
Her father, Mustapha, ended up remarrying a traditional Lebanese woman to fulfill his needs. Sarah was subjected to two different cultures. Therefore, she was having problems with her religious
robbed her, as people will ” (417) Due to that fact that her father has driven all the men
...autiful creatures and deserve everything life has to offer. When gathered together, nothing can destroy the strength of a woman. Guidance from parents, at a very young age, can help mold the minds of the young children in today’s society. This world has become overpopulated with greed and hate. The only way to get past the hatred and violence is to love thy neighbor, and protect our young from the unnecessary violence that can be eliminated with love for one another.
given a home and food for nothing, while they have to work all day and
In Carter’s “Tiger’s Bride” masculinity plays a bigger role than femininity does and showed in many ways. The father of the narrator in this story gambles his daughter on a deck of cards to the Beast. He has a very bad gambling addiction and when he loses his daughter, he then becomes concerned. He does not have his priorities straight because he was willing to gamble his own daughter. This shows society how females are just objects in a male’s life and that they value them close to nothing. He only becomes concerned after he loses his daughter and then says the line about how she is his pearl … He shows no fatherly characteristics, he cared more about other things then his own family. He also shows how the only women in his life, since the mother is absent that he has possession over her. He owns her therefore he was allowed to put her up when he was gambling. He shows his lack of caring and loving his daughter. This demonstrates to society ho...
..., but no trace of tears. I suppose, then, your heart has been weeping blood?’” (344).