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In the poem “Minerva Jones” by Edgar Lee Masters, the main character, Minerva Jones, is a poet and a woman who is disrespected by the men in her town. Masters was speaking about the men in the town that Jones lived in, all the interactions made were very dishonorable because they would tell her very inappropriate things. Jones was “Hooted at, jeered at by the Yahoos of the street For my heavy body, cock-eye, and rolling walk,” while strolling through town. Through this work, Masters seemed to believe that in small towns men were very dominant, they could get away with anything and women were helpless in many situations. Women in small towns were being continuously told that men were superior to them, they were told to be submissive and follow …show more content…
instructions made by men. Many times in history, women were disrespected by men who believed their opinions about their bodies were needed to go on about their days. In the poem “‘Butch’ Weldy” by Edgar Lee Masters, the person the poem is focused on is someone who is getting a second chance to change their lives for the better.
The poem begins with, “After I got religion and steadied down They gave me a job in the canning works,” this introduced the personality of the character that the poem was going to be based on. His boss's son seemed to be in charge of the workers but he was not blamed and they accused another worker which meant that the main person was severely injured in an accident but was not going to be payed for the help he needed. “The Circuit Judge said whoever did it Was a fellow-servant of mine, and so Old Rhodes’ son didn’t have to pay me. And I sat on the witness stand as blind As Jack the Fiddler, saying over and over, ‘I didn’t know him at all.’” Since the boss did not cause the accident and the worker did, the now injured and blind main character did not receive any financial aid that could help pay for his medication and food now that he could not work with these disabilities. Masters believed that small town life was very unfair in the United States, a powerful figure could sway the authorities and change the law until they saw it was enough to protect
themselves. Edgar Lee Masters wrote the poem “Roy Butler,” which began with a feud between neighbors but then turned into an allegation of rape that everyone seemed to believe was true, when in reality it was not. Both couples did not admirer the other, the males fought about the fence separating them and the females battled over which town was nicer. The main character, Roy Butler, was the bigger man between him and Richard Bandle, the neighbor, because he went over to try and settle the feud that caused a tension between the two. Butler was the responsible one between the two, “I awoke one morning with the love of God Brimming over my heart, so I went to see Richard To settle the fence in the spirit of Jesus Christ.” Butler went over to try and fix their relationship, Mrs. Bandle opened the door and invited him in, but when the door closed she yelled and screamed, accusing him of putting his hands on her. Mr. Bandle came down the stairs trying to find his weapon and aim it at Butler, but before he could, he ran out and was later on accused of rape. Butler learned that people may look and act a certain way but behind closed doors they can be a completely different person. Masters believed that small town life revolved around sneaky neighbors who were two faced, they could be the nicest people to the rest of the town but behind their four walls, their personalities changed. In the poem “John M. Church” by Edgar Lee Masters the voice that is speaking illustrates a person with a high position in law making who has the ability to change and bend the rules in his favor. The speaker is very capable of changing the rules, Masters pinpoints this when he wrote “I pulled the wires with judge and jury, And the upper courts, to beat the claims Of the crippled, the widow and orphan, And made a fortune thereat.” The speaker mentions a widow, an orphan, and a crippled person, he refers to the cases he has used his power to bend the rules and achieve a higher pay in. After the death of the speaker, Masters wrote “But the rats devoured my heart And a snake made a nest in my skull!” The rat is usually represented as sleazy and as a bottomfeeder, the snake represents evil and sneakiness, they were used to represent the speakers morals of dishonesty and corruption. Edgar Lee Masters wrote the poem “Doctor Meyers,” which was focused on a man that was very honorable and helpful to the people in the town. The doctor references Doc Hill and Minerva, who was a poetress. Doctor Meyers tried to help Minerva who came to him crying and needing his assistance but he could not help her in time before she passed away. Masters wrote about the main characters experience with Minerva and “I tried to help her out—she died— They indicted me, the newspapers disgraced me, My wife perished of a broken heart. And pneumonia finished me.” The reaction the town gave to the news of the dead women and the way the doctor received it showed that a reputation in a small town was very important. Small towns are famous for news spreading very quickly, the situation with Minerva may have made the doctor seem as if he did not want to help her and tarnish his reputation. The situation with Minerva was very complicated, it may have been too late for her to survive and the doctor who was trying to help was sadly the one who had the finger pointed at when the time to accuse someone came. Edgar Lee Masters wrote the poem “Mrs. Meyers,” the speaker of the poem is the wife of Doctor Meyers who gives the explanation of how he was trying to help a woman named Minerva. Mrs. Meyers relationship with the rest of the people of the town was very complicated, the whole town was spreading rumors of her husband being the cause of the death but they did not know what really happened that night. The town was giving it's own personal opinion on the situation, Mrs. Meyers said, “He protested all his life long The newspapers lied about him villainously; That he was not at fault for Minerva’s fall, But only tried to help her.” Mrs. Meyers believed that her husband was innocent and was not at fault for the death of Minerva, the death was unfortunately unavoidable for the doctor tried his best to help her. Mrs. Meyers explained “That even trying to help her, as he called it, He had broken the law human and divine.” The poem written by Masters interprets societies values revolved around every step taken by a person, you were to be watched and your actions were to be concluded as acceptable or not. According to the author, society was very interested on the judgment they could create about others that would affect everyone else's views on the topic. In the poem “‘Indignation’ Jones” by Edgar Lee Masters, the main character reveals an identity that many people would not believe he has due to his exterior appearance. Many believed that the man did not have any type of education, he said “You would not believe that I had been to school And read some books. You saw me only as a run-down man, With matted hair and beard And ragged clothes.” The man speaks about his wife in a very unappreciative tone but when he speaks of his daughter, Minerva, he speaks very sympathetic due to the struggles she had to go through with the people in the town of Spoon River. He says, “With a slattern for a wife, and poor Minerva, my daughter, Whom you tormented and drove to death.” With this epitaph by Masters, small town culture in America is shown as very complicated to keep up with, in just one night, a person can become the topic of the town. In a small town, people can make up the life story of a person they possibly know nothing about and create a bad reputation from the start.
Until the last hundred years or so in the United States, married women had to rely on their husbands for money, shelter, and food because they were not allowed to work. Though there were probably many men who believed their wives could “stand up to the challenge”, some men would not let their wives be independent, believing them to be of the “inferior” sex, which made them too incompetent to work “un-feminine” jobs. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, feminist writers began to vent their frustration at men’s condescension and sexist beliefs. Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers” and Zora Neale Hurson’s “Sweat” both use dialogue to express how women are capable of and used to working hard, thinking originally, being independent
The poem told the story of a man who is inhibited by language, and has never quite had the ability to articulate his thoughts and feeling through words. It is said that his family members have tried
Today, women and men have equal rights, however, not long ago men believed women were lower than them. During the late eighteenth century, men expected women to stay at home and raise children. Women were given very few opportunities to expand their education past high school because colleges and universities would not accept females. This was a loss for women everywhere because it took away positions of power for them. It was even frowned upon if a woman showed interest in medicine or law because that was a man’s place, not a woman’s, just like it was a man’s duty to vote and not a woman’s.
A doctor, a firefighter, a teacher, an astronaut: these are the kind of answers children give when asked the infamous question: What do you want to be when you grow up? As you grow older, this repetitive question becomes annoying because it forces you to confront and decide what exactly you want to do when you have been through adolescence. This conundrum is what plagues two characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams.” In this story, Judy Jones and Dexter Green chase after their own dreams and collide multiple times along the way. Jones wants to continue in her current lifestyle of freedom, power, and fame which seems attainable with her charm; however, Jones’ manipulative tendencies make her unappealing to people after a time.
...xperienced about not being able to eat at the table when guests would come which refers to how White America has been treating Black America. He then comes to the conclusion that this too shall pass and believes that he will be able to overcome his oppression. McKay portrays his experiences by speaking in a more mature tone about the significant events that have occurred and tries to find a way to tolerate the oppression. He lets White America know that what they have done to Black America was wrong. He shows that even though white America has alienated African Americans and treated them with disrespect, he will not stoop to their level although he is angry about it. The writers make it clear that their poems may differ yet they hold the same meaning of that White America has wronged Black America but it shall pass and in the future they will regret their actions.
Gender inequality has existed all around the world for many centuries. Women were seen as property of men and their purpose of existence was to provide for the men in their lives. Men would play the role of being the breadwinners, whereas women played the role of being the caregiver of the family and household and must obey the men around her. The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood portrays how women in society are controlled and demeaned by men, and how men feel they are more superior over women.
Like in the poem, illiteracy leaves a person vulnerable to be taken advantage of. This poor soul unknowingly signed away the rights to his own freedom by leaving his mark.
There was a time (not so long ago) when a man's superiority and authority wasn't a question, but an accepted truth. In the two short stories, "Desiree's Baby", and "The Yellow Wallpaper", women are portrayed as weak creatures of vanity with shallow or absent personalities, who are dependent on men for their livelihood, and even their sanity. Without men, these women were absolutely helpless and useless. Their very existence hinged on absolute and unquestioning submission…alone, a woman is nothing.
Throughout history women have learned to find a voice against men through writing. Writing has been a medium where women have learned to speak their minds and allow their ideas to be broadcasted to the world. Women have used writing to discuss issues, such as discrimination, inequality, sexual frustrations, and many more that they have dealt with. In the poem, “A Loyal Woman’s No”, written by Lucy Larcom. She gives power to women to say no to men. Her poem discusses the issues that many women face. They face issues of men taking advantage of them, men objectifying them and using them. However, Larcom’s poem shows a clear progress of women standing up against men, and being firm in saying no to them. Larcom has given women the ability to stand up to man and show the true power that women have over men. Many women fear standing up to men due to the repercussions of their actions, however, Lucy Larcom uses the symbolism of nature and her rhetoric to show a woman’s true power against men and say no and to free themselves of the rigid grasp that so many men have over women.
In many of her stories, Freeman “invests the women with power and yet simultaneously limits their power'; (http://www.georgetown.edu/libraries/ 2). Old Woman Magoun has a mysterious command over people, but it doesn’t help her when it comes to keeping Lily. She still has to relinquish her control over the child and she has no power to change the circumstances. Freeman makes the old woman suffer the “realities of nineteenth-century New England'; (2). These realities are that a woman must abide by her socially defined and accepted role and if she does not abide, she will suffer the consequences that result.
What is it about a woman that defines them, by default, as the weakest gender? Whether it is by a father, boyfriend, or husband, there have been many accounts of women being overshadowed by men in literature and history. In many cases, men feel obligated to protect females, which makes them think they are superior or have power over women. However, men are not aware of the negative effects their "superiority" can have on women: alienation, low self-esteem, incompetence, and even insanity. Two women, from two different short stories, are classic examples of what can happen when women become victims of a patriarchal society. Although these women have their differences, both Emily Grierson, from William Faulkner 's "A Rose for Emily", and the narrator, from Charlotte Perkins Gilman 's "The Yellow Wall-Paper," are related as they are both held back by their dominant patriarchal societies, and in turn are forced into insanity.
Throughout history society has been controlled by men, and because of this women were exposed to some very demanding expectations. A woman was expected to be a wife, a mother, a cook, a maid, and sexually obedient to men. As a form of patriarchal silencing, any woman who deviated from these expectations was often a victim of physical, emotional, and social beatings. Creativity and individuality are dirty, sinful and very inappropriate for a respectful woman. By taking away women’s voices, men were able to remove any power that they might have had.
Women were only second-class citizens. They were supposed to stay home cook, clean, achieve motherhood and please their husbands. The constitution did not allow women to vote until the 19th amendment in 1971 due to gender discrimination. Deeper in the chapter it discusses the glass ceiling. Women by law have equal opportunities, but most business owners, which are men, will not even take them serious. Women also encounter sexual harassment and some men expect them to do certain things in order for them to succeed in that particular workplace. The society did not allow women to pursue a real education or get a real job. Women have always been the submissive person by default, and men have always been the stronger one, and the protector. Since the dawn of time, the world has seen a woman as a trophy for a man’s arm and a sexual desire for a man’s
Gender inequality has been a disadvantage for women in society for many centuries. Women have always had a disadvantage in society, even though there's been many years of time for improvement. Women in the time of Shakespeare, were treated like possessions and how a man treated a women and how he controlled his women, was how masculine he was. Women in some work places get paid less than men do. In 2011, for every $1.00 a male worker earned, a women worker earns 74 cents. In today's society, people who are called Feminists, stand up for the rights of women and the issue of women being treated as equals compared to men. This topic of gender inequality, is very prominent in the play Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare. Even in the title
Women have always been essential to society. Fifty to seventy years ago, a woman was no more than a house wife, caregiver, and at their husbands beck and call. Women had no personal opinion, no voice, and no freedom. They were suppressed by the sociable beliefs of man. A woman’s respectable place was always behind the masculine frame of a man. In the past a woman’s inferiority was not voluntary but instilled by elder women, and/or force. Many, would like to know why? Why was a woman such a threat to a man? Was it just about man’s ability to control, and overpower a woman, or was there a serious threat? Well, everyone has there own opinion about the cause of the past oppression of woman, it is currently still a popular argument today.