A Feminist Reading of Galatea 2.2
There is one common thread linking all novels written by males; their female characters are always depicted as the stereotypical female: weak, indecisive and emotionally unstable. The feminist approach to analyzing literature provides an explanation for this phenomenon. In this patriarchal society, women are viewed as the weaker sex, inferior. This can be the result of socialization or some negative interactions with women in the past. Richard Powers employs this standard for female characters in his novel, Galatea 2.2, made evident through the application of the feminist approach and the dialogical method; however, its semi-autobiographical nature blurs the reasoning behind Powers' conformity.
One of the central female characters in Galatea 2.2 is C., a former student of Powers with whom he develops a long-term relationship. Obviously his depiction of C. is swayed by the resentment he feels towards her for ending their relationship and also by the typical qualifications for a female character in a novel. Traditionally, the female gender is viewed as submissive, inferior intellectually and physically, and emotionally unsound. Powers' portrayal of C. is consistent with this model. Throughout the novel, she is referred to as being uncontrollable emotionally, possessing almost erratic behavior, and not having any definitive grasp on her wants and needs. For example, Powers writes, " C. read Buddenbrooks and Anna Karenina. She reread Little Women. Everything made her weep. Everything." (96). He also places C. into another characteristic of the stereotypical role of the female, a woman who is completely dependent on a male. He depicts C. as a woman who needs him in order to thrive and feel comfort...
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... Clearly, she is the rational male and Powers has become the hurt female.
By applying the feminist approach it is apparent that Powers himself is not a unique male author. He, like most of his colleagues, has been given by a male dominant society a mental image of a typical female, weak, indecisive, emotionally uncontrollable, in desperate need of a male to help her live her own life. This subconscious opinion of women is reflected in his portrayal of his female characters in Galatea 2.2. This opinion may be influenced by his placement into the female role in his relationship with A., which would cause him, in retrospect, to paint a negative picture of his female companions. Whatever his reasoning, it is evident through the feminist approach and enhanced by the dialogical method, that Powers, himself is a stereotypical male author writing for a patriarchal society.
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Kindred by Octavia Butler is an incredible book that leaves the reader hypnotized. This story educates people on the first hand abuse of slavery. Butler took a woman of the modern era and transferred her back into a period
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...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
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People Need to Recycle In the United Sates, where the population is inflated every year. The amount of space for landfills decreases every day. The need for recycling should not be asked, it should just be done out of habit. Everyone in America needs to recycle, to help the lamdfill problem, help the environment, and help produce new products from recycled goods. In America there is about two-hundred and eight tons of residential and commercial trash generated a year, 4.3 pounds per person a day (Prichard 1A). This is an overwhelming amount of trashed produced yearly. When people recycle this number can be drastically cut. But many people do not practice and use recycling. Consumers and businesses should use the three R’s; recycle, reuse, and recharge (Prichard 1A). Consumers and businesses are producing more garbage than ever before. As a result, we are rapidly running out of landfill space. In 1979 America had close to 18,500 landfills, and by 1991 that number was nearly cut in half (Prichard 10A). Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois will reach their maximum limit on landfills by the year 2005 (Prichard 10A). This whole garbage problem has forced us to try other options. Many of these options have been very unsuccessful. People have tried burning their garbage, that cause pollution to the environment. Some states even resorted to dropping their trash in the ocean, only to have the very same trash float ashore later. Dumping it on other states leads to feuding neighbors. Indiana passed a law to block imports of out-of-state trash, but a federal court ruled the law illegal (Prichard 10A). Instead of trying to find new ways to dump our trash, we need to find b...
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