Language is the medium through which a text communicates to the society. Or in other words language expresses reality. However it also acts as a manipulative tool, and instrument of control and power: “any language use is a site for power relations” (Venuti, 1998:9). Power can undoubtedly be expressed through ideologies and ideologies are clearly linked to language because its use is the commonest form of behaviour. And over the period of times these ideologies are unquestionably canonized in the form of discourse. The relationship between these three issues may help people understand better how language contributes to the domination of some people by other.
Like other acts of writing, translation is also a form of communication, which belongs to a world of roles, values and ideas. This is especially true because translation is in itself an intently relational act, one which establishes connections between text and culture, between author and reader. Moreover translations, unlike the original works are always governed by ideological compulsions: “Creative art might owe its origin to purely aesthetic reason (the aesthetic principles may however be indirectly linked to social praxis), but the need of translation is more ideological than aesthetic.” (Dash, 2005: 149). And as it is the translator/translatress who codes, decodes the ST and (re)creates the TT, his/ her assumptions, world view, belief, values or in broader sense ‘ideology’ consciously or unconsciously is reflected in the translation. Ian Mason in his essay “Discourse, Ideology and Translation” (2009) says that the translation at various levels both semantic and lexical reflects the translator’s ideology whether consciously or unconsciously. His choi...
... middle of paper ...
...guistic. London and New York: Routledge, 2009. 141-156.
Ruskin, J. (1865). Of Queens’ gardens. Sesame and lilies. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://bartleby.com/28/7.html
Seago, K. “Theorising prefeminist Translation Practices”. Retrived from Jstor.
Simons, Margaret A. "The Silencing of Simone de Beauvoir: Guess What's Missing from The Second Sex." In Jennifer Hansen, Ann Cahill ed. French Feminists.London and New York: Routledge, 2007: 57-66.
Venuti, Lawrence.The Translator's Invisibility: A History of Translation. London and New York: Routledge, 1995.
______________The scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics Difference. London and New York: Routledge, 1998.
Simons, Margaret A. "The Silencing of Simone de Beauvoir: Guess What's Missing from The Second Sex." In Jennifer Hansen, Ann Cahill ed. French Feminists.London and New York: Routledge, 2007: 57-66.
Kinoshita, Sharon. "Cherchez la Femme: Feminist Criticism and Marie de France's `Lai de Lanval'." Romance Notes 34.3 (1994): 263-73.
Throughout history, woman’s self has been Other in discourse, literature, and doctrine. She has been designated this position in the world by those who hold social power. This dichotomy is maintained under a hierarchy that serves to benefit men. I will be attempting to support Beauvoir’s idea of the self as Other under a patriarchal society by looking at statements from philosophers and myths, as well as identifying shortcomings she may have.
In sixteenth century France, women were not independent and treated as equals as they are today. Women didn’t have much of or any identity of their own apart from their husbands, let alone any importance outside of their household duties; meaning, women didn’t have a voice within the home or publicly. Bertrande’s decision to go publicly to trail with the accusations of Arnaud being an impostor was a huge deal to the rest of the family; all of Martin’s family except for his uncle believed Arnaud was none other than Martin Guerre. This was pressure for Bertrande, to no longer go forward with the accusations against Arnaud. Determined, independent, honourable and brave were all qualities that Bertrande had shown through the actions she had taken to fight what she believed was the truth in the process of pursing the impostor. Bertrande proved women could stand up for themselves and not just stand behind their...
In de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, there are many references made to true, verifiable sources. Granted that she makes use of nearly all possible spectrums of existence in terms of beings she chooses to cite, there is an underlying tone of definite truth in her work. She cites these people in packs and lists, using context to categorize her groups. “Some isolated individuals – Sappho [c. 610-c. 580 b.c.], Christine de Pisan [1364-1431], Mary Wollstonecraft [1759-1997], Olympe de Gouges [1748-1793] – have protested against the harshness of their destiny,” (de Beauvoir). “Joan of Arc (1412-1431), Mme Jeanne-Marie Roland (1759-1793), Flora Tristan (1803-1844)…Figures important for their political or revolutionary activity,” (Jacobus: footnote, p 179). In the first case, we see a list of four sure-fire sources, all of whom “protested against the harshness of their destiny.” We find out later in the work that these four people were all authors. In the second case, we see true-life people, all of whom were some how politically involved. De Beauvoir hits us with a rapid-fire bombardment of undeniable truths. When she uses a fictitious character, however, it is usually alone. “The suicide of Lucretia has had value only as a symbol,” (de Beauvoir). Here we see a not-so verifiable citation. It is alone in the text, an island surrounded by a sea of de Beauvoir’s own words. This name is by itself.
Moses, Claire Goldberg. French Feminism in the 19th Century. Albany: State University of New York Press: 1984.
As insinuated through her poem’s title, “A Double Standard,” Frances Harper examines a double standard imposed by societal norms during the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the different effects this standard foisted upon those of different genders. Harper’s poem is narrated by a woman who has been derided by society for her involvement in a sexual scandal, all while her male counterpart experiences no repercussions. By describing how her situation involving the scandal advances, delineating the backlash she receives for her participation, and reflecting on the ludicrously hypocritical nature of the situation, the speaker discloses the lack of control women had over their lives, and allows for the reader to ponder the inequity of female oppression at the turn of the 19th century.
Murray, Judith Sargent. "On the Equality of the Sexes." Ed. Paul Lauter.The Heath Anthology of American Literature, third edition. Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1992. 1058-1064.
Tyson, Lois. "Feminist Criticism." Critical Theory Today: a User-friendly Guide. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
Kinoshita, Sharon. "Cherchez la Femme: Feminist Criticism and Marie de France's `Lai de Lanval'." Romance Notes 34.3 (1994): 263-73.
(6) Simone deBeauvoir, The Second Sex, translated by H.M. Parshley (New York: Random House, 1972) p. xxx
Doctor Robert Parker of Yale University identifies three major waves of feminism. First wave feminism was driven by a goal of establishing women’s rights. I like to think of this wave as our Humanization wave. Women were fighting for the right for basic human rights such as the right to vote, opportunities for education, and entitlement to property. The driving factor of this wave was to look to women as a human being not anything less. Women that are embedded in this wave were confined to the rules of their husbands thus being docile bodies of the home. They cooked, cleaned, did their husbands dirty laundry, and made babies. De Beauvoir would consider these women under the unessential “other” the women who have very little voice and say in
There has been a long and on going discourse on the battle of the sexes, and Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex reconfigures the social relation that defines man and women, and how far women has evolved from the second position given to them. In order for us to define what a woman is, we first need to clarify what a man is, for this is said to be the point of derivation (De Beauvoir). And this notion presents to us the concept of duality, which states that women will always be treated as the second sex, the dominated and lacking one. Woman as the sexed being that differs from men, in which they are simply placed in the others category. As men treat their bodies as a concrete connection to the world that they inhabit; women are simply treated as bodies to be objectified and used for pleasure, pleasure that arise from the beauty that the bodies behold. This draws us to form the statement that beauty is a powerful means of objectification that every woman aims to attain in order to consequently attain acceptance and approval from the patriarchal society. The society that set up the vague standard of beauty based on satisfaction of sexual drives. Here, women constantly seek to be the center of attention and inevitably the medium of erection.
de Beauvoir, Simone. "The Woman in Love." The Second Sex. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. . Print.
First, nature of power argued in Discourse Analysis is related to the nature of language. Using language in life is accompanied by using its power. Different conditions vary the power and the language. Language functions change and maintain power relationship. How to negotiate, resist or change that relationship is case study in itself. Whenever power is an issue, there are two sides. Those sides never come to an equal position. There is a reason why we say what we speak or write; there is always a reason behind spoken or written text. People need to be aware on language use and never underestimate the condition of language use. “Discussing the categories of definitions for discourse and discourse analysis, the author is careful to distinguish between formal and functional approaches to the topic” (Stoehr 53-54) by that language is essential to choose appropriate linguistic rules. Each person is at some point the dominate side and at another point he is the weak link. Therefore, being aware of power of language and how the use of it can achieve your goal is essential to resist and change of others’ domination. Linguistics have no relation to the power of language, they only study language...
In the late 1970s, the focus of translation studies shifted to the process of translation as well as the receivers. Hans Vermeer is the founder of Skopos theory. As the Greek word skopos indicates, this theory stresses that translati...