The Harem – A Rare a Privilege of the Rich
Harems conjure up images of belly dancers moving through smoke in exotic settings. Religious justification of subjugating women to be servants and sexual slaves is a common misnomer as are the images of belly dancers. Descriptions of harems by writers and society may be misleading for they hold the forbidden fruit, women cut off from society existing for man’s sexual pleasure. In actuality, harems were a privilege of those who could afford them and while not outlawed by religion, not required either.
The common conception of a harem that is true is the seclusion of women. The Sultan’s harem in Ottoman society during the latter part of the eighteenth century shows how segregated the harem was from society. In Moslem society, secluding women became prevalent and the harem was used to describe the part of the palace in which the women were secluded. Only the Sultan, eunuchs, and women were allowed in the harem.1[1] The harem “was the sphere of the women and the eunuchs that guarded them. Its centre was, of course, the Sultan’s family—his wives and concubines, and their children.”2[2] To adequately house all the people and provide for their needs, the harem was not a confined room or small are but a large place containing gardens, courts, the Sultan’s pavilion, and many other rooms among them housing for the women.3[3]
The harem itself was stratified into different levels; as only certain people could enter, it needed its own governing system. The higher your level in the harem system, the more privilege you had and the more respect you received. Kadins were the top ranking women in the self governing harem.4[4] Bowen and Gibb describe the structu...
... middle of paper ...
... One. (London: Oxford University Press, 1950), 72.
2[2]Bowen and Gibb, 73.
3[3] Ibid, 75.
4[4] Bowen and Gibb, 73.
5[5] Ibid, 74.
6[6] Siddiqi, Mohamad. Women in Islam. (Ranjit Nagar: Adam Publishers & Distributors, 1988), 144.
7[7] Siddiqi, 145.
8[8] Bowen and Gibb, 75.
9[9] Hasib, Laila. 1996. Exotic Western View of Muslim Women [online]. Muslimedia. Available from World Wide Web: (http://www.muslimedia.com/archives/special98/women.htm).
10[10] McCurdy, David W., and James P. Spradley, ed. Conformity & Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. (London: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1990), 242.
11[11] (Tucker, Judith. Gender and Islamic History. (Washington, D.C.: American Historical Association, 1993), 22.
12[12] Ibid, 33.
In conclusion, “Slaves No More” helps examine the destruction of slavery and the redefinition of freedom in the midst of the nation 's chaos. The book addresses an important aspect in the study of the Civil War; it also helps to analyze how slaves gain their freedom and what freedom meant to them.it also helps emphasize the effective role of slaves in the country. The book demonstrates how the emancipation changed the lives of all Americans, including both white and black.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising refers to one of the marketing strategies in a pharmaceutical industry. As pharmaceutical products directly affect people's lives and health, many industrialized countries ban DTC advertisements; the United States and New Zealand are the only industrialized countries that allow DTC advertising of prescription medicines. However, there is a controversy over whether DTC advertising, as one of the most effective forms of mass communication, should be more regulated than it is now. This debate is ongoing. This research argument, however, contends that people need stronger regulations against many DTC advertisements in the pharmaceutical industry because they are usually manipulative and misleading to people.
Goldman opens our eyes here to the idea that advertising is something required for the free-market to function properly. One of the biggest things in the market affected by advertising is media which would not exist at a fair market price today if it were not for advertising. Goldman continues to justify this argument up by pointing out that, at its core, advertisement is just a way to provide information, nothing more and nothing less. It is there to make people aware of their options and show them what is available on the market. Goldman also points out that there are multiple arguments for and against advertising as a whole and what it is meant to accomplish, this in itself allows for one to conclude that advertising is exactly like any other product of the free m...
Welling, G. M. (2005, 11 07). From Revolution to Reconstruction . Retrieved 07 07, 2010, from From Revolution to Reconstruction : http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/tj3/writings/slavery.htm
Is advertising the ultimate means to inform and help us in our everyday decision-making or is it just an excessively powerful form of mass deception used by companies to persuade their prospects and customers to buy products and services they do not need? Consumers in the global village are exposed to increasing number of advertisement messages and spending for advertisements is increasing accordingly.
In the Middle East it was male-dominant, male’s had all the control in the family. Women’s rule in life was to give birth too many children to continue the family blood line and take care of them, while the men go to work and come home find something for them prepared to eat. Men were the head of the house, whatever they said, had to be obeyed. Women were limited in their rights, even in marriage they weren’t asked for their opinion, “Would you like to marry this guy?” But rather they were forced by their family members to participate in arranged marriages. In this story we see that the slave woman had no rights, this woman obeyed them without saying a word. In addition, to this she was a slave, and slaves had no rights when it came to their master’s commands. She didn’t have a choice but rather obeyed what the master said even if she didn’t agree. Women were mistreated sometimes by men. "Bring the mule’s nose-bag along with you," he added to the groom; "she has not finished her feed, I think; when we get to the palace, put the bag on her again—she can eat the rest of her fodder while I am with the caliph. “Hear and obey," said the groom "(Portland, Maine: Wheelwright, 1955, p 310-313). One can see in this quote that they placed a bag over the girl and limited to when should she eat. The woman was treated as if she was a toy, played with for a while and then placed to the side when they were
To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...
Spradley, James P., and David W. McCurdy. "Ethnography and Culture." Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. New York: Longman, 1997. 7-14. Print.
Most recognizable for its impressive conquests and formation of a powerful empire, the Ottoman Empire’s achievements are repeatedly attributed to the successes of powerful male figures. As a result, the main focus of discussion concerning the Ottoman Empire is exclusively on men, while the issue of Ottoman women is often overlooked. Echoing the words of Carole Pateman, a British feminist and political theorist, in a patriarchal society like the Ottoman Empire, the topic of “women, womanhood and women’s bodies represent the private; they represent all that is excluded from the public sphere” . Hence, one questions why Ottoman women are often concealed and why it is difficult for them
The Duke of Ferrara was made jealous by everything the duchess did, no matter how unimportant it was. He was especially jealous of Fra Pandolf, the man who painted the duchess in the poem. A woman should be pleased only by her husband, as was not the case with the duchess and Fra Pandolf. She was “too easily impressed'; by the painter (line 23). Fra Pandolf was not the only man that made the duke jealous. Everyone who passed the duchess received “much the same smile'; as the duke (line 44). The duke expected to be the only man to receive a smile from his wife.
The author supports her argument by providing evidence and giving different examples. She compares her own culture with western cultures and describes the invisible harem of western women. She expresses her feelings to convince the audience that women have to stay in harem in all the cultures. By comparing the two cultures she shows how degrading it can be for women to feel as though they must stay thin in order to keep men happy. .
Advertisers and corporations are liable for using modern and sophisticated forms of mind control to the extent level of brainwashing consumers, in order to manipulate their choices and their spending habits. Our society is being negatively impacted, by becoming a consumer driven society constantly distracted by overwhelming persuasive advertisements, as opposed to ideal informative advertisements. The most vulnerable and negatively impacted targets of persuasive advertising are the younger, less mature, and/or less knowledgeable and self-directed consumers. Ironically, it was once said “An advertising agency is 85 percent confusion and 15% commission” (Allen). It is quite clear that social benefits are not part of this equation. The harm and severe social related costs far outweigh any economic growth and benefits deemed necessary for advertising and marketing companies.
In today’s difficult economy who can afford to spend their hard-earned money carelessly? Americans want good quality and low prices, and businesses that advertise their product make saving money possible. Advertising was created for one reason, so businesses could make known their product (Black, Hashimzade, and Myles). Some consumers may argue that advertising is not informative, but that it is manipulative because some advertisements make false claims. Fortunately, there are regulations and consumer rights that promote truth in advertising. Consumers must embrace their rights to keep advertising the way it is meant to be. Advertising is meant to be informative and not manipulative, and consumers play a great role in promoting truth in advertising.
All men expect to marry a girl in order to continue the family lineage, and children are considered a blessing, male are considered more valuable, because at a young age they are taught to respect their elders and to help their father to work and have responsibilities, while girls usually help their mother in the house’s tasks. Children of wealthy families have the luxury of focusing primarily on their education and they live with their parents until they get married. (Arab Academy, 2013)
...maintain that advertising exists primarily to create demand among consumers. People have certain types of wants and needs, and they are perfectly capable to discover it for themselves. People today just need food, clothing and shelter everything else is superfluous and additional stuff. Advertising are able to create demand that would not exist just by manipulating people’s min and emotions. Advertising is master in manipulate reality and fantasy, by creating “magic show.” It is true that advertising has been a powerful mechanism that distorts our whole society’s values and priorities. On the other hand, advertising educate people about several issues. In political terms, it moves mass of people and persuade them to vote for a candidate. And, of course, in terms of economy, contributes in the development through the consumption of the costumer.