The American Woman Vs. the Chinese Woman

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Across cultures, many times similarities lay within them that go unnoticed. It is true that obvious differences set them apart; but if a closer look is taken, it is surprising what can be found. The Chinese culture is obviously different from the American culture, but underneath the surface there are similarities. One of them is how the treatment of women has evolved and changed. Anti-feminism in China has been present since ancient times, and has just recently decreased. Anti-feminism in America has never been as severe as it was in China; however, instead of the value of women gradually increasing over the years - it has reversed. The value of women in America has decreased. There are many similarities between the ancient Chinese women and the modern women of America. Women in China and women in America have both gone through evolutions of how they are treated and looked upon; it is just that women in China have evolved, where the women of America have devolved.

In early America, women in the Paleolithic Era were looked upon as life's sustenance. They provided life by giving birth and were respected for that. They were valued greatly as well, and they were considered too delicate and worth too much to allow to do any type of manual labor. There was a great respect for the American women in this time period, and in China it was quite the opposite. In the story "The Lady Knight Errant," the subject of birthing children comes up. In China having an heir to carry on the name was a very important, and it was necessary for the men who wanted to be considered to be a man of honor and dignity. In order for Ku, who was an unmarried man, to have an heir, the lady knight errant chose to have a love affair with him, and he very much ap...

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...pon, as if they had no feelings attached to any of the situations in the stories of the time.

Early Chinese women and modern American women have more in common than one may think. Unfortunately, they both sell themselves short, not realizing the potential that they hold and by letting men control the world that they live in. Unlike the earlier times in America when women were appreciated for their contributions to the world, women in these stories and modern America try to please men and be equal to them. Like Lady Han is portrayed in the story "The Boot Reveals the Culprit," a silly woman after silly dreams. There is no credibility to the actions of women in these two time periods in these two different places. They are only objectified instead of personified, given little thought to what they think or feel - which is the worst case of anti-feminism there is.

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