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Family influence on gender roles
What role does socialisation play in the formation of gender roles
Family influence on gender roles
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The Southern Woman’s Quest for Identity The subject of identity is a very complex one as it encompasses the totality of social experience, much of which is influenced by history. What constitutes as the identity of an individual is not always easy to determine, given the differences in ways individuals are socialized during the course of their lives: as members of different families, neighborhoods, villages, municipalities, professions, social interest groups or religions. Yet, each of these social groups contains a hierarchal structure, particularly those groups that fall into the southern region. Even today, to be born a Southern woman is to be made aware of class distinction, and with it, the rules and expectations. Particularly in the early South, these rules varied some, but all followed the same basic template, which was, fundamentally, that no matter what the circumstance, Southern women were identified through their heritage. Defining one’s heritage requires a range of historical investigation from surnames, and events associated with such, to societal rank and income. However, surnames and societal rank originate from a common source – males. Men provide the surnames. Men are traditionally the primary source of income, which determines one’s rank in society. Therefore, Southern women were ultimately forced to identify themselves by the males to which they were tied. With that being said, what will come of a Southern woman who has no male to provide her with the necessary means by which she may identify herself? More specifically, is identity truly attainable? According to the customs of the old South, the woman should be unable to function on her own in society. Yet, it is this writer’s belief that there is a chance for t... ... middle of paper ... ...ut men, family ties and financial stability would be difficult to obtain, which were necessary to secure an identity in the early south. Early Southern women were ultimately forced to identify themselves by the males to which they were tied. Three female characters from the works read thus far, struggled without men to identify them. For Désirée, her past and family heritage proved too much to overcome. Without the surname provided by her husband, Désirée was without an identity to call her own and gave way to societal code. Yet, due to their internal fight for self-satisfaction, Lena and Janie were able to overcome their lack of identity by establishing their own without the aid of a male. In conclusion, identity is attainable for some women. However, it takes a Southern woman dedicated to her own beliefs to overcome such obstacles and return stronger than before.
Did the five-generation family known as the Grayson’s chronicled in detail by Claudio Saunt in his non-fiction book, Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American deny their common origins to conform to “America’s racial hierarchy?” Furthermore, use “America’s racial hierarchy as a survival strategy?” I do not agree with Saunt’s argument whole-heartedly. I refute that the Grayson family members used free will and made conscious choices regarding the direction of their family and personal lives. In my opinion, their cultural surroundings significantly shaped their survival strategy and not racial hierarchy. Thus, I will discuss the commonality of siblings Katy Grayson and William Grayson social norms growing up, the sibling’s first childbearing experiences, and the sibling’s political experience with issues such as chattel slavery versus kinship slavery.
Women were auctioned off as “merchandise” to the best suitor they could get in town. Beauty, though important, was not as important as the dowry the woman possessed, because it was the dowry the family provided that could exalt a man’s societal status to all new heights. Once married, women were expected to have son’s for their husbands in order to take over the family business. A barren woman was not an option and could have easily been rushed to the nearest convent to take her vows of a nun, for no honor could be brought otherwise. No woman could run from the societal and legal pressures placed upon them. Rather than run, some chose to accept their place, but, like Lusanna, some chose to fight the status quo for rights they believed they
The issue of identity also emerged in her commentary on how many Native American women are forced to prove their ethnicity for equality in health care and school: “For urban Indian women, who are not registered in federal government records, social services and benefits are difficult or almost impossible to obtain” (page 222). This governmental requirement for people to prove themselves as being “indian enough” can be damaging to one’s sense of self, and is proof of ongoing colonialism because the oppressors are determining whether one’s identity is legitimate.
Anna Julia Cooper’s, Womanhood a Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress, an excerpt from A Voice from the South, discusses the state of race and gender in America with an emphasis on African American women of the south. She contributes a number of things to the destitute state African American woman became accustom to and believe education and elevation of the black woman would change not only the state of the African American community but the nation as well. Cooper’s analysis is based around three concepts, the merging of the Barbaric with Christianity, the Feudal system, and the regeneration of the black woman.
JoAnn Marshall - The Roles of Southern Women, Black and White, in Society. Lillian Smith provides a description of the typical black woman and the typical white woman "of the pre-1960's American South" (Gladney 1) in her autobiographical critique of southern culture, Killers of the Dream. The typical black woman in the South is a cook, housekeeper, nursemaid, or all three wrapped up in one for at least one white family. Therefore, she is the double matriarch of the South, raising her own family and the families of her white employers: "It was not a rare sight in my generation to see a black woman with a dark baby at one breast and a white one at the other, rocking them both in her wide lap" (Smith 130). The southern black woman's duties extend far beyond rearing children, as she also serves as a family counselor, confidant, and nurse for the entire white family (Smith 129) and her own if time permits.
In “Ain’t I A Woman,” Sojourner Truth makes an impassioned case about how being black, a former slave, poor and a woman was formed at the intersection of her various ascribed group identities. On one hand, some argue that social definition such as race, religion, sex, and academic major defines who a person really is. From this perspective, one’s identity defines who he or she really is. It defines what he or she can do and what he or she cannot do. On the other hand, however, others argue that social definitions do not define a person and his or her abilities. In words of Sojourner Truth, “…[intellect] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights?” (Truth 148) The controversial issue is the fact that a person’s
The lives of men and women are portrayed definitively in this novel. The setting of the story is in southern Georgia in the 1960’s, a time when women were expected to fit a certain role in society. When she was younger she would rather be playing ...
Southern hospitality is the best in the world. People that live in the South are very nice and are always willing to help another person in any way they can. If someone is from out of town and needs directions to a certain place southerners will make sure he or she knows how to get there before he or she leaves them. Southerners are very polite. Every time we pass someone on the rode, we are going to wave at him or her. Towns in the South have fewer people and everyone knows everyone. The people in the South are nicer than anywhere else in the United States.
... of equality in marriage. When Nora began to understand Helmer didn’t love her, he loved the idea of her as a pretty woman he was married to, Nora realizes how degrading her role as a woman in the household was. She saw the freedom of Mrs. Linde to be able to obtain a job in her husband’s bank, and the freedom of being a single woman to think, act, and do what she wanted to do, not what her Father wanted her to do, or her husband. Nora realized her identity was solely in her Father, and in Helmer, and the unhealthiness of this reality. Nora wanted to be treated as a human being and not as an object. To be accepted as such would be the struggle of women in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Nora thought in leaving Helmer she was leaving the problem of feeling like an object all together. Little did she realize she was going to have to face the other Helmers in society.
Pauline Hopkins’ novel “Of One Blood” was originally published serially in a magazine called Colored American, from 1902-03. Within this novel Hopkins discusses some of the prominent racial and gender oppressions suffered by African Americans during this time. Following the Emancipation Proclamation of 1849 which resulted in African American freedom from slavery, but unfortunately not freedom from oppression and suffering. One of the minor characters, and the only dominant female role, within the novel is Dianthe Lusk. Within the novel Dianthe has many identifiers, which limits not only the readers but Dianthe’s understanding of her identity. Some of these identifiers include: women or ghost, black or white, sister or wife, princess or slave, and African or American. However, the most prominent of these juxtapositions in the novel is the racial identity. This paper will argue that the suffrage of Dianthe through her experiences with racial identity and rape serve to locate racial identity as an agent of politics, rather than of one’s color.
Imagine living in a family that struggled and strained to support itself. Any efforts to improve the lives of strangers and acquaintances would seem futile and unobtainable. People in the United States of America had to live with these hardships during the Great Depression. A series of stock market crashes during the 1930’s was the main cause ot the Great Depression. As a result of the Great Depression, many regulations, orders, and government organizations were created. The livelihoods of people living in the U.S. were changed drastically due to a drop in job availability and education. People across the country tried to improve the way they lived, specifically southern women. Though the lives of southern women were changed during the Great
The themes of identity and intimacy were difficult to define when analyzing the social dynamic between African Americans and White Americans. When evaluating their interactions with one another, it was interesting to observe the many complexities of human beings. Slavery created the need for identification. As the slave trade increased, ethnic sub groups’ exposure to one another and to Europeans resulted in the reinterpretation and acculturation of cultures. Identity persisted as an entity of importance from the African-based communities to their descendants as identification could emancipate black slaves from the shackles of slavery. Even though slavery was a shared success for global markets, the relationship between slaves and slaveholders
Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's, 2002. 65-71 Truth, Sojourner?Ain?t I a Woman? The Presence of Others, 3rd ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz.
When we talk about Southern Culture, we think about three main things. The south is known for its good recreational areas, tourist attractions and food. Because the south is primarily rural, many wild games make the south their home. Therefore, there is a variety of opportunities to participate in one of many hunting or fishing activities. In the south, there is an abundant of deer, rabbits, opossum, raccoons and squirrels. Those who like these games come from miles to participate in this sport when the seasons open. Often, there is a season in which each of the games is in season. You must have a license and obey by the different rules and restriction for each season. In the lower states especially Louisiana, there is a sport season which involves hunting alligators. Even though it is a dangerous sport, it is enjoyed by many. This sport has also transferred into a profitable business. The South is also a wonderful place for fishing. In the South, we fish for
For the most part, the women of this novel are only secondary characters, bearing little significance or influence over the plot. Almost all of them have no first names: for example, Absalom’s girlfriend, Mrs. Lithebe, Mrs. Mkize, and Mrs. Ndlela. In another instance of female namelessness, Absalom tells his father, the minister Stephen Kumalo, that if his unborn child is a boy, he wishes him to be named Peter. But when asked about a daughter, Absalom says, “No, if it is a daughter, I have not thought of any name” (206). In this subtle but noticeable technique, Paton reveals that the native women of South Africa have no definition in themselves, but for the men in their lives, with one notable exception. This exception is a scarlet woman, a woman with a sullied reputation, a woman notorious for engaging in the forbidden “careless laughter” (119). She is Gertrude, Kumalo’s sis...