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The portrayal of women in 19th century literature
Females in 20th century literature
Different status of women in the society
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Woman: Individuals or Possession?
We live in an extremely patriarchal society, and the Eighteenth century and Restoration period was the point in history where this became more of a constant and authoritative reality. Woman had no rights. The only way to accomplish their goals was going in opposition to men and doing as they wanted, writing literature or behaving as prostitutes, they had no real opportunities, but doing this would mean having a hectic life. In consequence, many would just marry and continue living as objects dominated and controlled by society, a society that was subjugated and proscribed by men. Women in this period were not taken very seriously, they were just an additional possession in a man's collection.
These female figures were isolated from society due to their gender. While they were single women, they were targeted and had to behave strictly as society wanted them to. While in their houses as dependents, they were subsumed to what their fathers had to say, and after being married they were then to act as subordinate women and be willing to please their husbands at all times. The house needed to be clean, the children needed to be watched and fed and of course the women needed to be capable of doing all of the chores without ever complaining, they were expected to be the perfect domestic housewife. After married they were not seen as individuals any longer, but as a property of their husbands. His and her properties were automatically his, so in fact, she had not anything, and she did not even own herself because she belonged to her husband. Husbands were the authority and treated wife similar as slaves were treated, with no freedom of speech, no privacy, alto...
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...women are individuals posing as possessions to men's authority. Men have dominated society since there has been knowledge and still today they pose as the upper hand.
WORKS CITED AND CONSULTED
Addison and Steele.”The Aims of the Spectator”. Norton Anthology English Literature.Ed.8th. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 2006. 2473-2475.
Addison and Steele.”The Spectator’s Club”. Norton Anthology English Literature.Ed.8th. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 2006. 2470-2473
Johnson, Samuel.”Rasselas”. Norton Anthology English Literature. Ed.Steven Greenblatt Et. Al.8th. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 2006. 2680-2743
Reynolds, Bridget. "Patriarchy." Norman Rockwell. 10 Apr 2000. Ithaca College. 6 Sep 2008
"Woman in the Eighteenth Century." 27 Aug 2008. Miami University. 8 Sep 2008 {http://www.units.muohio.edu/miamimoo/images/thompsj9/wmn.html}.
Women were only second-class citizens. They were supposed to stay home cook, clean, achieve motherhood and please their husbands. The constitution did not allow women to vote until the 19th amendment in 1971 due to gender discrimination. Deeper in the chapter it discusses the glass ceiling. Women by law have equal opportunities, but most business owners, which are men, will not even take them serious. Women also encounter sexual harassment and some men expect them to do certain things in order for them to succeed in that particular workplace. The society did not allow women to pursue a real education or get a real job. Women have always been the submissive person by default, and men have always been the stronger one, and the protector. Since the dawn of time, the world has seen a woman as a trophy for a man’s arm and a sexual desire for a man’s
Today, women and men have equal rights, however, not long ago men believed women were lower than them. During the late eighteenth century, men expected women to stay at home and raise children. Women were given very few opportunities to expand their education past high school because colleges and universities would not accept females. This was a loss for women everywhere because it took away positions of power for them. It was even frowned upon if a woman showed interest in medicine or law because that was a man’s place, not a woman’s, just like it was a man’s duty to vote and not a woman’s.
Jokinen, Anniina. "Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. N.p., 1996. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. http://www.luminarium.org/
Women in the 1800s were completely controlled by the men in their lives, first by their fathers, brothers, or any male relatives and later in life by their husbands. Back then, women were made to believe that their only purpose
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willingham. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. 125-156.
Before the 1900s women had few rights. Women could not vote, could not own property after marriage, or if married could not keep their own wages. They could also be beaten by their husbands. Their place was to maintain the house, care for the children, cook, and work if needed. Women were considered physically and emotionally weak but artistic, moral, and refined. This is basically stated in Document A where a woman converts another woman to show how good and moral women are. As time went on many women did not get married so they could have some type of freedom.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 1c. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print. The.
Every decade brings new rights and opportunities for women. Specifically, in the Elizabethan era between 1558 and 1603, women were given little freedom due to the common idea that they were weak and needed a man to care for them (Thomas). Imagine you are an Elizabethan woman in 1560; you are in an arranged marriage with two children, a boy and a girl. Your daughter is growing up to become a mother and devoted wife just as you did while your son attends school to become anything he desires whether it be a doctor or even a lawyer. As time grew on, society discovered the true potential of women, and today, women play a large role in politics and in everyday life, but they still carry the stereotypical role as homemaker and mother. Elizabethan England was a male dominated society ruled by a powerful woman, Queen Elizabeth I. She made powerful decisions, such as establishing the English Protestant Church, while most other women made little to no decisions in their life. Besides being a mother and wife, English drama and poetry was an outlet for their restrained social life. Women had a strenuous everyday life due to their few rights, arranged marriages, and inferiority in politics, education, and their occupation.
In the past the traditional concepts of what it means to be a woman were taught in the early stages of development. Parents encourage outdated roles in the way little girls are dressed, the toys they play with, and the books that are read to them. As pointed out in "X: A Fabulous Child's Story" by Lois Gould, girls were treated a distinct way. In the late 1800s, women did not play an important role in society at all. Their job was mainly to cook, clean, sew, take care of the children, and keep the house in order. They were treated as a material possession rather than a human being that could think and act for themselves and looked upon as a decorative member of the household. Women were treated just as sex objects , alive just to satisfy a mans needs and desires. They were robbed of their true identity. The male always dominated over the women and it was not viewed as "unfair." The history...
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.
Women and men are nestled into predetermined cultural molds when it comes to gender in American society. Women play the roles of mothers, housekeepers, and servants to their husbands and children, and men act as providers, protectors, and heads of the household. These gender roles stem from the many culture myths that exist pertaining to America, including those of the model family, education, liberty, and of gender. The majority of these myths are misconceptions, but linger because we, as Americans, do not analyze or question them. The misconception of gender suggests that biological truths no longer dictate our gender roles as men and women; they derive from cultural myths. We, as a nation, need to do severe critical thinking about this delusion of gender, how has limited us in the home, media, and education, how it currently limits us, and what the results of the current and future changes in gender roles will be.
Abrams, M. H., et al., The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1986.
Women have always been essential to society. Fifty to seventy years ago, a woman was no more than a house wife, caregiver, and at their husbands beck and call. Women had no personal opinion, no voice, and no freedom. They were suppressed by the sociable beliefs of man. A woman’s respectable place was always behind the masculine frame of a man. In the past a woman’s inferiority was not voluntary but instilled by elder women, and/or force. Many, would like to know why? Why was a woman such a threat to a man? Was it just about man’s ability to control, and overpower a woman, or was there a serious threat? Well, everyone has there own opinion about the cause of the past oppression of woman, it is currently still a popular argument today.
A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine,Business and Law. Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have attained power and have been growing in political office.