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The portrayal of women in 19th century literature
Portrayal of women in literature in the 1800s
The role of women in the Victorian era
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The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy and Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti The poems that I studied are 'The Ruined Maid' by Thomas Hardy and 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rosetti. 'The Ruined Maid' was published in 1901, and 'Cousin Kate' in 1879. These poems were both written in Victorian times, and they both reflect the attitudes towards women at the time. At the beginning of the Victorian period women's powers were extremely limited; they could not control their own money and were very much under the control of men. Among the few respectable jobs available to women were teaching and taking in embroidery, but these were poorly paid. The attitude towards women at this time was extremely patronizing. Women had not yet been given suffrage: As they could not vote, they had little power and little choice. In the light of these attitudes the poems will be analysed to show how they reflect the Victorian women of the time. The poem 'The Ruined Maid' is about a woman who used to be a country maiden, who was 'tired of digging potatoes and spudding up docks', so has become a prostitute. This poem satirizes the Victorian view of prostitutes as doomed and ruined women, and suggests that they may in fact be happy and refined. 'Melia, 'The Ruined Maid' in the poem, has met an old friend 'in town' and now that she has become ruined she seems to be far better off than she was before. 'Melia left her home 'in tatters, without shoes or socks' and now she has 'gay bracelets and bright feathers'. Since her ruin 'Melia has also improved her language. "At home in the barton you said 'thee' and 'thou' and 'thik oon' and 'theäs oon' and 't'other'; but now your ... ... middle of paper ... ... in society. This tone is conveyed by the use of positive language such as, my 'dear', wearing 'fair garments', such 'prosperity', she has 'gay bracelets' and 'a delicate cheek' and is 'pretty lively' now that she is ruined. In 'Cousin Kate', Kate has all of the material things that 'The Ruined Maid' wants, but in 'The Ruined Maid', 'Melia has all of the material things that the country maiden wants. The poem that best represents the women of the time is 'Cousin Kate' which, coincidentally, is written by a woman. Although Thomas Hardy is more understanding and respectful towards women in his novels, this poem, 'The Ruined Maid', displays a totally different attitude towards Victorian women. Of the two poems I prefer 'Cousin Kate' because it is a more typical and realistic portrayal of the life of a ruined maid.
The Marriage Vow highlights the contrast between the fantasies of marriage and the depressing reality of the ritual, as in the material world, “Woman’s lip to swear the heart away.” As the heart is symbolic of her soul and humanity, Landon has revealed the harsh truth that wedding vows are the catalyst for the bride’s downfall, reducing themselves to a mere possession. This line also expresses the discrimination against women in the Victorian Era. This is supported further as Landon proclaims that women “annul[s] the vow while speaking," highlighting the woman’s acknowledgement of being stripped from humanity, only to be reduced to the possession of the husband. Ultimately, the final line of the poem, “for the grave is rest” emphasizes the miserable nature that the female partner has put herself in, only for death to be the only solemn relief. Landon’s concluding statement is a disturbing one, as she hopes to accentuate the reality of marriage in the Victorian era from the cliché fantasy of living happily ever after that is seen in various literature today. Furthermore, the Marriage Vow has illustrated the changeable nature of attitudes and values within marriage through exploring
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek to find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
From an early age Jane is aware she is at a disadvantage, yet she learns how to break free from her entrapment by following her heart. Jane appears as not only the main character in the text, but also a female narrator. Being a female narrator suggests a strong independent woman, but Jane does not seem quite that.
In the short stories "The Story of an Hour," by Chopin and "A Rose for
In the short stories A Rose for Emily and The Story of an Hour, Emily Grierson and Louise Mallard are both similar women, in similar time periods but they both are in entirely different situations. This essay will take these two specific characters and compare and contrast them in multiple, detailed ways.
In the stories “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, and “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, talk about how two women are experiencing the same emotional situations they have to endure. Both of these stories express the emotional and physical trials the characters have to endure on an everyday basis. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” it shows a woman who is oppressed and is suffering from depression and loneliness. In “A Rose for Emily” it is showing the struggle of maintaining a tradition and struggling with depression. Both of the stories resemble uncontrollable changes and the struggles of acceptance the characters face during those changes.
The central characters in both “The Yellow Wallpaper” and A Doll’s House are fully aware of their niche in society. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator’s husband believes her illness to be a slight depression, and although she states "personally, I disagree with their ideas,” she knows she must acquiesce their requests anyway (Gilman 1). She says, “What is one to do?” (Gilman 1) The narrator continues to follow her husband’s ideals, although she knows them to be incorrect. She feels trapped in her relationship with her husband, as she has no free will and must stay in the nursery all day. She projects these feelings of entrapment onto the yellow wallpaper. She sees a complex and frustrating pattern, and hidden in the pattern are herself and othe...
Before she marries, well, she is dirty, unkempt, and a tomboy, unlike the beautiful women that hold themselves properly and keep themselves groomed in her time. But, when she finally cleaned herself up, she started getting noticed by all of the village boys.
Through attention to detail, repeated comparison, shifting tone, and dialogue that gives the characters an opportunity to voice their feelings, Elizabeth Gaskell creates a divide between the poor working class and the rich higher class in Mary Barton. Gaskell places emphasis on the differences that separate both classes by describing the lavish, comfortable, and extravagant life that the wealthy enjoy and compares it to the impoverished and miserable life that the poor have to survive through. Though Gaskell displays the inequality that is present between both social classes, she also shows that there are similarities between them. The tone and diction change halfway through the novel to highlight the factors that unify the poor and rich. In the beginning of the story John Barton exclaims that, “The rich know nothing of the trials of the poor…” (11), showing that besides the amount of material possessions that one owns, what divides the two social classes is ability to feel and experience hardship. John Barton views those of the upper class as cold individuals incapable of experiencing pain and sorrow. Gaskell, however proves Barton wrong and demonstrates that though there are various differences that divide the two social classes, they are unified through their ability to feel emotions and to go through times of hardship. Gaskell’s novel reveals the problematic tension between the two social classes, but also offers a solution to this problem in the form of communication, which would allow both sides to speak of their concerns and worries as well as eliminate misunderstandings.
In the novel, My Antonia, by Willa Cather, society seems to govern the lives of many people. But for the others, who see past society's stereotypical values, had enough strength to overcome this and allowed them to achieve their dreams. Throughout the book, everyone seems to be trying to pursue the American Dream. While they all have different ideas of just exactly what the American Dream is, they all know precisely what they want. For some, the American Dream sounds so enticing that they have traveled across the world to achieve their goal.
other from Mr Darcy. Mr Darcy is a wealthy man who is a friend of Mr
Memories are a stockpile of good and bad experiences that are retained of a people, places. How do you remember your childhood memories? Do certain people, places or things trigger these memories to the past? Does the knowledge of these experience still affect your life today? Throughout the novel My Antonia, Jim's nostalgia for the past is represented by nature, symbolic elements, and above all Antonia.
Even so, she understood the impossibility of any such personally ideal world. The poem illustrates this realization by including the Goblin men, who seem to haunt the female characters. The Goblin men’s low-pitched cries follow the girls. Laura and Lizzie constantly hear the goblins in the forest: “.Morning and evening / Maids hear the goblins cry.”
The Madonna and Child, created by Cenni di Francesco di Ser Cenni between 1410 and 1415, is an iconographic painting of the Virgin Mary (left) and a chubby baby Jesus (right). The panel is painted with tempera and the halos around Mary’s and Jesus’s heads are made from goldleaf. La Toilette, painted by Richard Miller in 1910, is an Impressionist painting of a woman putting on her make up. He uses this subject to compare putting on makeup to applying oil paint on a canvas. In order to create the desired impact on the viewer of their paintings, Cenni and Miller use similar stylistic techniques to portray their female subjects.
Societies pride themselves for their open-mindedness and forward-thinking, but when put to the test, these ideals are quickly forgotten. No one has the courage to stand up for what is right because of a fear of the consequences. Citizens choose the path of least resistance- turning a blind eye- because they believe that someone else will take control of the situation. However, ignoring the problem is more involved than people want to believe. Not choosing to take action is a choice in and of itself. When the majority decides to not to step up for what is right, the situation will never be solved and the victims will be trapped indefinitely. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, no one takes a risk to stand up for the creature’s integrity and ability to be a productive citizen. Everyone pushes the creature away, including the people closest time him. It is only a matter of time before the creature reaches his breaking point. Although Victor Frankenstein may seem to be directly at fault, ultimately society is the driving force behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus.