Literary prizes are often a source of controversy, the majority of which revolves around what should qualify or disqualify a novel in regards to its award nomination potential. Lately there has been a push towards novels that convey politically correct themes, but this does not prevent authors from winning with less than moral works (Geason). For example, the French author Michel Houellebecq recently won a coveted French literary prize (the Prix Goncourt) without straying from writing novels that are hotly debated. He goes as far as to be “overtly controversial” within his works, including disparaging comments on women and Islam (Keaton and Barchfield). This win will surely lead to an increase in publicity, as every time a novel wins a literary prize the sales increase dramatically. An upsurge in sales leads to an increase in the consumption of their message. (Fein) For this reason, authors who publish novels intended to spread a sexist viewpoint should be disqualified from winning literary prizes – a win encourages the spread of the ideas contained within their works.
The first example of an author that is explicitly sexist being honored despite the fact is Norman Mailer. Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, one for Armies of the Night (1968) and one for The Executioner’s Song (1979), Mailer suffered from a severe fear of homosexuality (Academy of Achievement) (Snyder). This manifested in both his novels and his everyday life with over exaggerated displays of masculinity. In his personal life Mailer accepted sex and violence as his “gods” (Jones). He also expressed opinions such as “a little bit of rape is good for a man’s soul” (Jones). Women were used as a sort of expendable prop in order to maintain Mailer’s image of masculinity –...
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...nd anti-Muslim views presented in his earlier texts.
Mackenzie, Suzie. "The Man Can't Help It." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 31 Aug. 2002. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. This is an article written about the life of Houellebecq that elaborates on his treatment of women in his personal life.
Schaefer, Richard T., and Robert P. Lamm. Sociology. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print. This is a sociology textbook that talks about feminism and the impact of mass media on how people interact.
Snyder, Michael. "Crises of Masculinity: Homosocial Desire and Homosexual Panic in the Critical Cold War Narratives of Mailer and Coover." Academic OneFile. Gale Group, 2007. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. This is a paper discussing the fear of homosexuality present in the literature written by Norman Mailer. It contains quotes on the rise of homosexuality as the “feminization” of America.
Women have faced oppression in the literary community throughout history. Whether they are seen as hysterical or unreliable, women writers seem to be faulted no matter the topics of their literature. However, Anne Bradstreet and Margaret Fuller faced their critics head-on. Whether it was Bradstreet questioning her religion or Fuller discussing gender fluidity, these two women did not water down their opinions to please others. Through their writings, Bradstreet and Fuller made great strides for not just women writers, but all women.
Feminism is one of the most prominent areas in contemporary sociology. By linking sociological theory and political reform, feminists aim to end inequalities between men and women in both public and private environments. Feminist theory is where things such as gender, class, and race meet. Emphasis is placed on masculine versus feminine
Much discrimination and misogyny still permeate our social stratosphere, but while reading written words one cannot help but to be placed in the author’s shoes, and therefore accept their words as our own. Cain writes, “Many of the texts written by women during this time reflect the idea that there are natural differences between the sexes. Usually a female narrator…privately addresses a mainly female audience about issues that might seem mainly to concern women” (825). Because the text is written in a female voice, the reading adapts themselves to that voice, and gives credit to the
There are many examples of which European religious music have been borrowed by black Americans, the key characteristics of their African-heritage were never forgotten such as improvisation, vocal slides and shouts, call-and-response style singing can all be found even in modern day gospel. Many of the lyrics and texts are performed in a half sung, half spoken manner which became a signature vocal technique. Vowel sounds like “ah”, “oh”, “yeah” etc. are mixed within the melodies as prolongations and or ornamentations to the music. Some words could form an entire melody with such elongations on its own. (Roach 24) Musicians can often alter the melodies and improvised vocal riffs in addition to the main melody which is an extension of the purpose
Gendered strategies, in the criticism of early fiction, made feminine fiction incapable of excellence. By using conventional heterosexual relationships in their prefaces, authors only succeed in supporting the masculine control over fiction. The appraisals women gained only reinforced their inferior status. "Criticism placed female authors in a specific and confined critical sphere, while it located male authors in an other, more respected field" (375). By aligning their works with popular male literature, women inadvertently strengthened male authority. Women were only granted recognition in terms of their limited social stature. It is these gendered values and strategies that makes the history of the novel and feminine achievement difficult to assess.
Being a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomena that are unique to the African-American Culture. Another goal is to identify nursing interventions that are important for the nurse to consider in caring for this population. These phenomena’s include variances in social organization, communication, space, perception of time, environmental control, and biological variations associated with the African-American culture. (Giger, 2013 and South Carolina minority, n.d.)
In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that “the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas” (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African American history. Of course we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold which will take more than a month to learn about.
In "Where the girls are: Growing Up Female With the Mass Media," Susan Douglas analyses the effects of mass media on women of the nineteen fifties, and more importantly on the teenage girls of the baby boom era. Douglas explains why women have been torn in conflicting directions and are still struggling today to identify themselves and their roles. Douglas recounts and dissects the ambiguous messages imprinted on the feminine psyche via the media. Douglas maintains that feminism is a direct result of the realization that mass media is a deliberate and calculated aggression against women. While the media seemingly begins to acknowledge the power of women, it purposely sets out to redefine women and the qualities by which they should define themselves. The contradictory messages received by women leave women not only in a love/hate relationship with the media, but also in a love/hate relationship with themselves.
Feminism is a word that is stock-full of implications, and has many misconceptions. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti attempts to give a broad overview of what feminism is, and how you should feel about it (hint: it’s positively). The book is directed primarily towards the younger generation, and talks about a variety of issues relevant to the feminist movement today and in history. The weaknesses of the book include the casual writing, the assumptions Valenti makes, and the contradictory statements that are consistently made. The strengths include providing an entertaining, broad overview of feminism, and discussing ways to contribute to gender equality. Overall, the book is more likely to be a positive experience for high-schoolers that identify as women then college-aged individuals looking for a critical analysis of issues society faces in regards to gender inequality.
conceptualizations of gender in literature are situated in a culture and historical context ; the
During my early years of school, I remember being taught white accomplishments and wondering if blacks and other people of color had made any significant contributions to today's world. I noticed that television consist of all white people. Throughout my research paper I hope to cover certain aspects of African American heritage. Aspects such as blacks making up the largest minority group in the United States, although Mexican-Americans are rapidly changing that. The contributions blacks have provided to our country are immeasurable. Unfortunately though rather than recognizing these contributions, white America would rather focus on oppressing and degrading these people. As a consequence American society instinctively associated white with light and all good things; while black is associated with darkness or evil.
Over the course of history, the definition of manhood has changed and morphed according to society’s rules. In his essay “Masculinity as Homophobia,” number four in The Matrix Reader, Michael Kimmel tackles the truth about what manhood has become and how society has challenged the meaning of homophobia. He begins with an analysis of history, and then proceeds to relate masculinity and homophobia to power, women, and violence. Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity has a different meaning.
Traditions are practices/beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. In traditional African societies, a kinship ties people through birth or marriage. There are two kinds of relationships in customary African tradition; those bound by blood, which are called consanguine, and those constructed by marriage, called affilial. There are four key descents that determine inheritance and marriage. However, the most common descent is patrilineal, which traces ancestry through one's father. While in America, we are vary tolerant of tracing our descent from both parents.
I am a woman. Without the feminist understanding that my education has afforded me, mainstream media portrayals of woman in relation to man would burn holes through the fabric of my mind and dismantle my ambitions. Ignoring the infraction that media portrayals impose on naïve minds gives the impression that it is acceptable to be inappropriately cultivated in gender equality. Television media continues to pose a grave threat; but worse is the deceitful attempt to find something attributable to women, the attempt to lure them with admiration, only to smack them with the patronizing undertone of being incomparable to men.
5) Lumby, Catherine. Bad Girls: The Media, Sex & Feminism in the 90s. Australia: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd. 1997.