A Feminist Perspective of The Lady of Shalott In an essay on feminist criticism, Linda Peterson of Yale University explains how literature can "reflect and shape the attitudes that have held women back" (330). From the viewpoint of a feminist critic, "The Lady of Shalott" provides its reader with an analysis of the Victorian woman's conflict between her place in the interior, domestic role of society and her desire to break into the exterior, public sphere which generally had been the domain of men. Read as a commentary on women's roles in Victorian society, "The Lady of Shalott" may be interpreted in different ways. Thus, the speaker's commentary is ambiguous: Does he seek to reinforce the institution of patriarchal society as he "punishes" the Lady with her death for her venture into the public world of men, or does he sympathize with her yearnings for a more colorful, active life? Close reading reveals more than one possible answer to this question, but the overriding theme seems sympathetic to the Lady. By applying "the feminist critique" (Peterson 333-334) to Tennyson's famous poem, one may begin to understand how "The Lady of Shalott" not only analyzes, but actually critiques the attitudes that held women back and, in the end, makes a hopeful, less patriarchal statement about the place of women in Victorian society. As noted in the Norton Anthology of English Literature, the Industrial Revolution provided women with opportunities to work outside the home, but it also "presented an increasing challenge to traditional ideas of woman's sphere" ("Role of Women" 902). The idea of "public and private life as two 'separate spheres'... inextricably connected either with women or with men" (Gorham 4) had emerged as... ... middle of paper ... ...ian woman existing, albeit briefly, within the bounds of patriarchal society. References Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993. "The Role of Women in Victorian Life and Literature." Abrams 902-904. "The Woman Question." Abrams 1595-1597. Gorham, Deborah. The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982. Martineau, Harriet. "Autobiography." Abrams 1601-1604. Mulock, Dinah Maria. "A Woman's Thoughts About Women." Abrams 1604- 1606. Peterson, Linda H. "What Is Feminist Criticism?" Wuthering Heights. Ed. Linda H. Peterson. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992. 330-337. Tennyson, Alfred, Lord. "The Lady of Shalott." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993. 1059-1063.
Recreational therapy works with populations such as mental health, gerontology, pediatrics, veterans, and many more populations that involve individuals with and without a disability, allowing their scope of practice to be very broad. Recreational therapists work with clients to restore motor, social and cognitive functioning, build confidence, develop coping skills, and integrate skills learned in treatment settings into community settings. Intervention areas vary widely and are based upon client interests and needs. Examples of intervention modalities include creative arts, sports, adventure programming, dance, movement, and leisure education (The Recreational Therapy Professional, 2012). Recreational therapy services are recognized in some health care fields, as well as throughout the community depending on the population they specialize in. Through the use of recreational therapy, individuals receiving treatment would be able to reach a better quality of life through the facilitation of activities that are designed to benefit the individual in all aspects of his or her
Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York; W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
This is done to make sure the risk of meltdown is minimized. The nuclear waste is so toxic that every precaution is taken to make sure of is disposed of safely to keep it from poisoning the environment. In an article titled 11 Facts about Nuclear Energy we find out that, “Every 18 to 24 months a power plant must shut down to remove its spent uranium fuel.” Nuclear Power plants can have a meltdown that releases extremely toxic waste into the environment. The reason some people are opposed to nuclear power plants, some estimates say that there is a 50% chance of a meltdown in a U.S. reactor in the next 20 years (“55 Interesting Facts about. Nuclear Energy”). These meltdowns can be small or large, both of them take a lot of money and time. The Three Mile Island disaster alone took 975 million dollars and 14 years to clean up (“55 Interesting Facts about. Nuclear
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
The four-letter type and temperament traits are measured by the Myers Briggs Personality Assessment. The assessment is a list of questions that is rated to determine your personality traits. This paper will discuss the validity of my four-letter type and temperament traits according to the Myers Briggs Personality Assessment. I will discuss each letter of my personality type and how they work together. There are different weaknesses that exist with each personality trait. We can use our personality traits to improve our overall performance on a day to day basis, as well as within our work life. The terminology used to describe each type and temperament is very broad and vague, resulting in a greater chance for people to conform and believe
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 1c. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print. The.
Abrams, M.H., et al. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. 2 Vols. New York: Norton, 1993.
Katherine Mansfield belongs to a group of female authors that have used their financial resources and social standing to critique the patriarchal status quo. Like Virginia Woolf, Mansfield was socioeconomically privileged enough to write influential texts that have been deemed as ‘proto-feminist’ before the initial feminist movements. The progressive era in which Mansfield writes proves to be especially problematic because, “[w]hile the Modernist tradition typically undermined middle-class values, women … did not have the recognized rights necessary to fully embrace the liberation from the[se] values” (Martin 69). Her short stories emphasized particular facets of female oppression, ranging from gendered social inequality to economic classism, and it is apparent that “[p]oor or rich, single or married, Mansfield’s women characters are all victims of their society” (Aihong 101). Mansfield’s short stories, “The Garden Party” and “Miss Brill”, represent the feminist struggle to identify traditional patriarchy as an inherent caste system in modernity. This notion is exemplified through the social bonds women create, the naïve innocence associated with the upper classes, and the purposeful dehumanization of women through oppressive patriarchal methods. By examining the female characters in “The Garden Party” and “Miss Brill”, it is evident that their relationships with other characters and themselves notify the reader of their encultured classist preconceptions, which is beneficial to analyze before discussing the sources of oppression.
Abrams, M.H. and Greenblatt, Stephen eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Seventh Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
Queen Elizabeth I was the most remarkable leader in English history. She was born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace. Her birth was not celebrated; instead it was a bitter disappointment to her father King Henry VIII, who was highly anticipating the birth of a son. Her mother was executed for treason shortly after her birth, and as Aninna Jokinen states in her article, “Elizabeth lost all heredity to the throne” (Jokinen 1). After Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour died, however, Elizabeth was placed back in the order of succession after Edward and Mary by act of parliament.
The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ninth Edition. Stephen Greenblatt, eds. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 2308. Print.
A society run through the means of a dominant government is bound to have rebels. These rebels go to extreme measures in order to prove their self worth and individuality. In George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948), the Party acts as a supreme power and portrays Winston Smith, the protagonist as a rebel. Terry Gilliam’s film, Brazil (1985), has a government that works behind the scenes, authenticating authority through various propaganda posters and technological techniques, all of which Sam Lowry rebels against. Examples of government rebels in the real world are quite evident; in New Mexico a resistance group arose in attempts to save their village from the hands of the government only to have the leader murdered. “Unsilenced” written
The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition Volume1. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 1993.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the eighteenth century feminist philosopher, Mary Wollstonecraft. Specifically, it explores her vision and critique of the relationship between the genders by explaining her position and her prescription to remedy the deficiencies she identifies with regards to gender inequality. Additionally, this evaluation asserts that at present, we have partially achieved the realization of Wollstonecraft’s vision of women in society, which dates back two centuries. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of the continued of study of Wollstonecraft’s philosophical ideas in society today.
There are a great number of issues in our society, dated back even further than 1800’s to present day. The struggles of today’s women are presented in Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott.” A vast majority of women are held back by society’s judgmental thought. Not just in third world countries like, Pakistan, India or Afghanistan, but also in first world countries, like America. Society should stop oppressing women by how they should dress, their freedom, and their love affairs in these countries and all over the world.