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Relationship between literature and society Pdf
Analysis of out ot poem
Relationship between literature and society Pdf
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Marge Piercy immediately sets the tone for her poem, “A Work of Artifice,” through her clever use of diction in the title. Instead of naming the poem “A Work of Art,” Piercy creates a play on words using “Artifice” in order to give the poem a deceitful context as opposed to the more positive context that would have been garnered from the connotation associated with simply “A Work of Art.” The tone, thus, established by Piercy in the title of the work is one that calls attention to something that is disingenuous. In this case, the subject of disingenuity is what men encourage to be the “ideal” woman. Utilizing poignant symbolism and terse syntax, Piercy furthers the theme of the poem, which is that of the subservience of women to men, or more
Unsatisfied with conventional romantic poetry that overly idolized women, renowned satirist Jonathan Swift exaggerates the vanity of women in his poem “The Lady’s Dressing Room.” Swift consequently insults all women by portraying the female character of his poem as a vain and superficial figure who attempts to hide her more crude activities (such as defecating). Offended by the misogynistic tone of Swift’s poem, Lady Mary Montegu responds with her own poem “The Reasons that Induced Dr. Swift to Write a Poem Called the Lady’s Dressing Room,” which attacks Swift personally; she alleges that Swift’s attempt to embarrass Celia by exposing her messy room stems from his own embarrassment about failing to perform sexually during an engagement with a prostitute. Montegu’s structure parodies Swift’s, and she strategically inverts his form in places to reveal the sexist undertone of Swift’s poem. She thereby discredits his misconstrued perception of women. Through an analysis of these two poets contrasting portrayals of women, one can draw conclusions about the implications of gender in 18th century culture: women were not complacent in their constricted role in society, but instead were acutely aware of the power they possessed.
The way the Gurlesque applies mockery and exaggeration through a feminist perspective is more often than not directly linked with a subverted language, a language that purposefully deviates from what is standardized as “the proper language for a woman”. Refusing such standardization and responding to masculine “high-art”, the poems exhibit a political stance through the Gurlesque which employs the feminist understanding that multiplicities and even conflicting alternatives could very well coexist (Irigaray 28-29). The aesthetics of the distasteful comes into question in that regard and constitutes the third completing element of the Gurlesque. The Gurlesque copies the masculine culture without identifying with it, that is to say, it kitschifies
Archetypal traits demonstrated in this novella consist of mysterious and seductive, misleading, needing rescue, and a heart breaker. Through the use of satire, Louisa May Alcott creates the character Jean Muir into a Femme Fatale. By doing so, Alcott hopes to shine light on the fact that for centuries, women have been criticized, controlled, and taken advantage of by men. Women must prove that they are as fit to undertake tasks that a man would typically undertake. Women are forced to become manipulative and controlling. This jeopardizes the integrity of marriage and undermines the honesty of women.
In the 1930s, who would have perpetrated violent acts against women in the name of sexual gratification yet still hold expectations that women take care of them? By making men in general the placeholder for “you” in the poem, it creates a much stronger and universal statement about the sexual inequality women face. She relates to women who have had “a god for [a] guest” yet it seems ironic because she is criticising the way these women have been treated (10). It could be argued, instead, that it is not that she sees men as gods, but that it is the way they see themselves. Zeus was a god who ruled Olympus and felt entitled to any woman he wanted, immortal or otherwise.
“There are only two types of women— goddesses and doormats.” Pablo Picasso used this quote to describe how he saw the woman of his era, and for the most part, this interesting quote is somewhat correct when looking at the role of women in literature over the years. The woman either goes above and beyond for others without thinking of herself, or she stands firm in her beliefs and is respected for her actions and looks. In sum, the woman is either overlooked or is adored and cherished. There are still many people who continue to belittle and degrade the woman’s role in the twentieth century. Over the many different periods in time and the several eras, the roles of women in literature have changed in the eyes of numerous authors. However,
Like the Good Other Woman, the Evil Other Woman often spends much of her life hidden away in the castle, secret room, or whatever, a fact suggesting that even a virtuous woman’s lot is the same she would have merited had she been the worst of criminals. The heroine’s discovery of such Other Women is in the one case an encounter with women’s oppression-their confinement as wives, mothers, and daughters-and in the other with a related repression: the confinement of a Hidden Woman inside those genteel writers and readers who, in the idealization of the heroine’s virtues, displace their own rebellious
In the poem “The Lady’s Dressing Room,” written by Jonathan Swift, one may say he portrays himself to be a chauvinist by ridiculing women and their cryptic habits. However, others may say he wants to help women from the ideals placed upon them by society and prove to be an early feminist. This poem written in the 18th century represented women to be fake and sleazy at first. Then during the 20th century, the feminist movement used it as an attack against women, depicting the poem’s meaning as not valuing their rights and freedoms. The truth far hidden from these points of views became uncovered recently. This essay will explain both sides of the views and using critical thinking will uncover the real message the author intended to portray.
“I, being born a woman and distressed/ By all the needs and notions of my kind/ Am urged by your propinquity to find/ Your person fair, and feel a certain zest/ To bear your body’s weight upon my breast.” Edna St. Vincent Millay was an openly-bisexual female poet in the 20th century who wrote about the female experience in regards to love and sex, which is evident in poems like “I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed”, “Thursday” and “First Fig.” Edna St. Vincent Millay shows us how we can use tone to redefine the relationship between gender and power.
We live in a society where being an ugly woman is the greatest sin. In today’s world, it is every woman’s job, or duty, to be beautiful. It does not matter if a woman is intelligent, delightful, or strong because no matter what, she will be judged on her looks. In Susan Sontag’s article, “A Woman’s Beauty: Put-Down or Power Source?” she uses the rhetorical devices ethos, pathos, and logos to argue the claim that women are seen as nothing but decorative objects who’s personalities are irrelevant.
Zizek, Slavoj. Richter, David. "Courtly Love, Or,Woman as Thing." The Critical Tradition Classic Texts and ContemporaryTrends. 3rd ed. Boston (Mass.): Bedford / St. Martin's, 2007. 1181-197. Print.
Marianne Moore’s most popular poem, which is also her most ambiguously titled poem, is called “Poetry.” In this poem Moore decisively strayed away from her conventional writing style of contrariety and the bizarre, but it does seem to share other characteristics of her earlier poetry. Moore’s apparent purpose in writing “Poetry” was to criticize the present social outlook on the entire idea of poetry, to come up with a universal definition of poetry and of genuine poetry, and ultimately to convince those who dislike poetry of its benefits. She attempted to present this criticism and definition by means of blatant irony, and even though she desperately wants to describe the seemingly trivial activity of poetry, she fails to provide a definition that is not caught up in the negative.
Virginia Woolf’s fulsome poise and self-worth proves that she is worthy of being admired and looked up to by other women. She shares her beliefs of willingly going against what society has in mind for women and encourages women to be who they please to be. In doing so, she hopes to open up the sturdy doors that keep many women trapped away from their natural rights. All in all, Virginia Woolf’s speech, “Professions for Women” encourages women to ignore the limits society sets on them and be who they wish to be and do what they desire. Virginia Woolf’s rhetorical strategies in addition to her use of metaphor contribute to the overall effectiveness in fulfilling the purpose of her essay.
Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth is an affront to the false social values of fashionable New York society. The heroine is Lily Bart, a woman who is destroyed by the very society that produces her. Lily is well-born but poor. The story traces the decline of Lily as she moves through a series of living residences, from houses to hotel lodgings. Lily lives in a New York society where appearances are all. Women have a decorative function in such an environment, and even her name, Lily, suggests she is a flower of femininity, i.e. an object of decoration as well as of desirability to the male element. We see this is very true once Lily's bloom fades, as it were, a time when she is cast aside by her peers no longer being useful as something to admire on the surface. The theme of the novel in this aspect is that identity based on mere appearance is not enough to sustain the human soul physically or metaphysically. Once she is no longer able to keep the "eye" of her peers, Lily finds herself with no identity and dies. This analysis will discuss the theme of the objectification of women in a male dominated society inherent throughout the novel.
“The Poem as Mask” by Muriel Rukeyser is used as a protest to the myths and masks of the female goddess. The myth of the female goddess essentially places a woman on a “pedestal,” this “pedestal” tells women that they must conform to the standard actions and behavior of society, which in return removes them from society itself. When a woman is placed on a “pedestal” it is an elevation that comes with a higher power. The elevation, however, can also be restricting in the sense that those women are upheld to a higher standard and have guidelines for how they are expected to behave to conform to the way that society is set to perceive them.
Marge Piercy uses “The Secretary Chant” to explain the thoughts and feelings of women in the workforce as they entered a new era with new rights. Piercy uses metaphors and imagery to entice readers to dig deeper into the meaning of her words. When quickly reading the poem, one would simply imagine a person made up of office supplies, but there is a more profound message to be heard. “My hips are a desk,” (Piercy 1) creates a foundation for the poem, while symbolizing the foundation of the speaker’s body. The secretary in “The Secretary Chant” describes each part of her body as a different office supply found at her workstation.