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Voice in Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah
In "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourse," Chandra Talpade Mohanty suggests a fundamental flaw in most western feminist analysis: the presupposition that women, "across classes and cultures, are somehow socially constituted as a homogenous group identifiable prior to the process of analysis." It is a flaw in thinking that results in "the assumption of women as an always-already constituted group, one which has been labelled 'powerless,' 'exploited,' 'sexually harassed,'etc., by feminist scientific, economic, legal and sociological discourse." For Mohanty, such erroneous thinking results in feminist discourse "quite similar to sexist discourse labelling women as weak, emotional, having math anxiety, etc." In such feminist discourse, "the focus is not on uncovering the material and ideological specificities that constitute a group of women as 'powerless' in a particular context. It is rather on finding a variety of cases of 'powerless' groups of women to prove the general point that women as a group are powerless" (200).
Furthermore, Mohanty suggests that there exists a "claim to authenticity," a claim, in her view, too often ignored by Western feminists--the idea that "only a black can speak for a black; only a postcolonial subcontinental feminist can adequately represent the lived experience of that culture" (201).
Mohanty's arguments are well worth considering: the stereotyped categories of oppression that Mohanty notes as being typical of western feminist analysis (women as victim of male violence, women as universal dependents, married women as victims of the colonial process, etc.) can indeed be nearly as reductive, co...
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... Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourse." Feminist Review. 30 (Autumn 1988): 65-88.
Nnaemeka, Obioma. "Gender Relations and Critical Meditation: From Things Fall Apart to Anthills of the Savannah." Challenging Hierarchies: Issues and Themes In Colonial and Post colonial African Literature. Society and Politics in Africa. Vol 5. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1998. 137-160.
Opara, Chioma. "From Stereotype to Individuality: Womanhood in Chinua Achebe's Novels." Challenging Hierarchies: Issues and Themes In Colonial and Post colonial African Literature. Society and Politics in Africa. Vol 5. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1998. 113-123.
Podis, Leonard A. and Yakubu Saaka, eds. Challenging Hierarchies: Issues and Themes In Colonial and Post colonial African Literature. Society and Politics in Africa. Vol 5. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1998.
One major theme in the novels Counselor Ayres’ Memorial and The Sound of the Mountain is love. Both novels present relationships with different types of bonds between the characters. There is the theme of romantic love shown through the recently established relationship
One of the foils important to the play is Laertes. Although Laertes does not appear often in the play, he brings much to the plot and to Hamlet's character. These two are similar in many ways. They both seem to be about the same age, are well educated, and gentleman. One main thing that they have in common is they both are seeking revenge for their father's deaths. Both of their fathers were unnecessarily killed. Hamlet's father was killed by his father's brother for the crown and his wife, and Hamlet killed Laertes' father over mistaken identity. It was the revenge of these two that made up the plot of the story. Because of Laertes, the two could finally fulfill their revenge in the battle at the end that killed both Hamlet and the new king. If Laertes had not challenged Hamlet, the king would have died by some other way; however, the king died by poisoning just as he had killed his brother.
The first store the group visited was Belk. The well-known department store is operating more than three hundred stores in sixteen states. Thomas Belk Sr., the original store owner reported that, “Each Belk store is unique by catering to the community and the personality of the people there, unlike JC Penney or Sears, which tend to be the same everywhere.” Belk stores offer customers services including gift wrapping, alterations, and a Belk Rewards credit card that earns a customer one point per one dollar spent, or charged, on the card.
Jeyifo, B. (1993). Okonkwo and his mother: ‘Things Fall Apart’ and issues of gender in the constitution of African postcolonial discourse. Callaloo, 16(4), 847-859 Retrieved from http://www.ucd.ie/english/articles/balzano1.htm
Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.” Feminism without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity. Durham, NC: Duke University Press 2000. 333-358.
Africans unlike the Irish or the Chinese did not come willingly to America, in which they were captured and brought to America by slave ships then sold as slaves. Slaves were in high demand in which having indentured servants became less valuable in which the institution of slavery was strengthened overtime after Bacon Rebellion because the planter class now fear to have white workers for fear the social order would be disrupted (Takaki, pg. 59). Slavery helped to shape the history of the United States in which this institution made possible for the formation of the American Revolutionary ideals because slaves were running the nation through the work they were doing. This gave time for the leaders to formulate and plan the revolution. It also helped to fuel early globalization and the global market, the nation economy and capitalism through the slave trade. All these things gave rise to modern industry, modern finance, modern investment, new system of banking, in which it helped to give rise to the creation of wage laborers, in which this helped to finance the Industrial Revolution. With the rise of the cotton production, slaves became more valuable, in which cotton accelerates the value of slaves. Although slaves were an important source of labor for the Market Revolution, Industrial Revolution, and
Chinua Achebe analyzes a culture he is not accustomed with. The Madwoman in the attic theory comes into play as a westerner writing about “savage Africa”. Things Fall Apart provides an important understanding of Africana identity and history for those in the West who may be unfamiliar with African culture. Achebe tackles female identity within this book with delicacy keeping with the Ibo view of female nature in the background of the story but the forefront of the reader’s mind. A discussion of womanhood must touch upon manhood because they operate as a complementary, opposing, and equal entity.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are multiple times where the protagonist, Hamlet, is portrayed as Laertes, the antagonist. Although, while every character is almost a foil to Hamlet, only a couple stand out over all the other characters. Amongst Laertes, Fortinbras, and Claudius, I’ll be focusing my essay on how Laertes functions as a foil to Hamlet. Laertes is presented with similar catastrophic situations that Hamlet encounters. This is observed when both of them left home, faced the death of their fathers as well as Ophelia’s death. During Act 1, Scene 2, it is acknowledged that Hamlet is returning to England and Laertes asking for consent to France in Act 1, Scene 3. Polonius sends his man, Reynaldo, to Paris to spy on Laertes in Act 2,
They form a close bond; consequently, making it that much more difficult when Enkidu passes away. In tablet seven of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Shamash hears Enkidu cursing Shamhat and tells him how Gilgamesh will acknowledge his death saying, “He will have the people of Uruk go into mourning and moaning over you, will fill the happy people with woe over you” (Line 86-87). A statement like this shows how much Gilgamesh has changed into a man who cares deeply for Enkidu. Gilgamesh will use his power to make people grieve over Enkidu’s death. Enkidu was troubled that once he died everyone would forget about him, but Gilgamesh would not let that happen to him. Once Enkidu perishes, Gilgamesh tumbles into a deep spell of depression. So distraught after the death, Gilgamesh leaves behind his precious city or Uruk to go on a quest to help him heal. On the journey, Gilgamesh tells Utanapishtim, “The gate of grief must be bolted shut, sealed with pitch and bitumen!” (Line 174) By spending time alone and going to find his ancestor, Gilgamesh is closing the gateway of anguish to come into his
For many years in United States, equal salary pay for women has been a major issue that women have been fighting for decades. This began back in World War II, when the National Labor Board urged equalize the salary rates for women with the same rates that males were getting of the same professions. (Rowen) Although, traditionally most women do not work to provide for there family and there are not so many independent women during World War II. After World War II more women lost their jobs to veterans returning to the workforce. Women in the workforce after the war have been discriminated ever since. The idea of women as weak and cannot perform there jobs
To determine the strengths and weakness of Samsung, the resources and capabilities of Samsung must be assessed. The opportunities and threats is a combination of customers’ reactions, competition, and external market environment. Samsung has many resources and capabilities. The company is always on the front line of new technology. The company has the financial strength backing for the new product and facilities to product the product. We already have the robot vacuum line that is doing well. So Samsung has many strengths and few if any weaknesses. The company’s opportunities are a large customer base, who prefer Samsung brand over others. The economy is still rising from the last recession, so the external market environment is right for releasing the RobotMop. The opportunity type will be product development, since we know the present consumers market needs from our robot vacuum. The main threat to the new product is the competitors. Competitors will create a similar product not long after we release our Samsung robot mop. So we will develop a differentiation marketing mix to insure the success of our
In many countries around the world women still find themselves limited from education, employment, health care, political influences, wage equality, and rights solely due to their gender. Whereby, violence against women is regarded as unfair treatment towards women and it reflects the inequality which still exists in our society today between genders. However the invention of modern feminism has been the naming and exposure of the violence women endure. Modern feminism would argue that violence against women is not just related to men in power, nor that women enjoy violence and domination, and or that victim of abuse invited the violence on themselves but rather rape and any other act of violence against women is a social and societal, historic and cultural, and economical issue that is rooted in the relationship of power and dominance between men and women which is infused in a patriarchy society.
His father was killed by Hamlet and his sister was driven insane due to the series of events that took place because of Hamlet. Like Hamlet, Laertes wants to avenge his father by killing the man who killed Polonius. As described earlier, Hamlet is slow to act. Laertes, on the other hand, acts quickly and with precision, wasting no time in acquiring his target and formulating a plan. Robert Palfrey Utter, Jr., puts it best, Hamlet and Laertes both come to the same conclusion that murder must be carried out, but Hamlet reaches that conclusion only “after he has had a few minutes to think it over.” (140) Once Laertes finds out that the man who killed his father was Hamlet he is ready to charge in and kill him as soon as possible. He is only stopped by Claudius, who advises him on a more subtle approach. Straight off the bat it is clear how efficient Laertes is compared to Hamlet. Hamlet wastes a large amount of time scheming up complex ideas on how to get a confession out of Claudius and how to kill him. Laertes on the other hand wastes no time in getting a straight and to the point plan that he can execute immediately. After spending more than half the play watching Hamlet squirm around on the stage getting almost nothing accomplished, the audience would be acutely aware of the stark difference between Hamlet and Laertes even though they share the same motivations. Laertes has his speed but he shares in Hamlets lack of critical thinking when he gets hot headed. He is in such a blind rage that he doesn’t think on what he is agreeing to do with Claudius. Just like Hamlet, his brash actions cost those around him his life. In carrying out the plan, the King, the Queen, Hamlet, and he all die to the poison that was used in the duel. Hamlet was slow and reckless while Laertes was quick and reckless. Wilds sums up the relationship between Hamlet and Laertes perfectly, “Laertes and Hamlet have been foils to each other
Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, was based on a story and the culture in Nigeria, Western Africa. Women’s roles and responsibilities have transitioned over several of years. The book arises a situation of how the Ibo women were treated and looked upon. In the Ibo culture, the women did not only suffer a great loss of their dignity, but also their pride as women. The whole role of women in the Ibo culture is different in various ways compared to the female race in modern society. The modern society in Nigeria, women are not so powerless, and also have the opportunity to work alongside the opposite gender.
In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Achebe which was written in order to respond to the stereotype of Africa by Joseph Conrad in his text “Heart of Darkness” it viewed women as powerless, second-class citizens and were irrelevant to the