Many countries around the world have their own traditions. They are an important trait of humanity as they dictate the actions of every person who live under a specific culture. More often than not, people all over the world follow traditional practices with little regard to how and why they were started. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is centered on colonial Rhodesia during the 1960s where British and traditional African culture is prominent. Women, like Nyasha, struggle to liberate themselves from their culture’s patriarchal society by rebelling against female oppression. Nyasha’s rebellion is achieved through a series of actions that are based on her Westernized mindset, ultimately leading her to develop a nervous condition.
Nyasha’s perspective of the oppressive reality in which her family and country heavily rely on comes to light after she is immersed into Western culture. Nyasha grows up receiving an English education, consequently acquiring western manners and lifestyles that distance her from her native culture. During her time in England, she observes that women are treated as equals and are offered the same opportunity to pursue education and independence. In contrast to the Shona society where women are inferior to men as they live their lives serving men. As a result, she becomes intolerant to men’s overbearing claims of authority and rebels. Since the traditional African culture revolves around patriarchal domination, which “shares an ideological foundation with racism and other forms of group oppression… there is [also] no hope that it can be eradicated while these systems remain intact.” (Haslange, Tuana , and O'Connor) making it much more difficult for Nyasha’s attempts of rebellion to succeed.
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...there are many instances where rebellion is required for change and improvement. Some of these rebellious instances are simple while others are more complex, for instance, standing up to a group of people for what you believe in. Nervous Conditions portrays the struggle of Nyasha, a young girl whose unwillingness to conform to a sexist society has led her to rebel against the norm. Her westernized views have allowed her to see another perspective in which women are set at the same standards as men that strongly contrasts her strict traditional culture. Nyasha’s struggle serves to show that women are not naturally submissive but this attitude comes about because women are brainwashed into believing that they are inferior to men. Nyasha falls victim to anorexia as a last resort of rebellion as it is the only thing she can physically control in hopes to make a change.
In a world where the vast majority of cultures are patriarchal, in response to traditional structures, women often find themselves at war in their minds, hearts and in their own actions. 'Yellow woman' and 'The story of an hour' are examples of how women struggle in a male domintaed society. In these two stories, the women fnd themselves wrestling with thoughts and emotions that our society consider unacceptable. The following statements ,ay be asked and considered of these women:
In the book, “Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman,” written by Marjorie Shostak; is a culturally shocking and extremely touching book about a woman who had gone through many struggles and horrific tragedies in her life. This book also emphasizes the perspective of most of the women in the society. There are many striking issues in this book that the people of the !Kung tribe go through.
Often times, women are treated poorly or unequally. She brings up the issue of interfering with other cultures when we disagree with how they are being treated; it is difficult to interfere because we don’t want to “impose our will”.
It is not surprising why these white women are fighting for their rights to be equal to men if their culture discourages their role as women. On the other hand, the dine culture is making celebrations for those young girls who have just grown up. Tohe said about her experience becoming an adult “When Changing Woman reached puberty she underwent a four-day coming-of-age ceremony that is still practiced among traditional families… The initiate participates in an event that celebrates her transformation from girl to woman.”(2). They celebrate this changing as a whole tribe to help young girls understand how to deal with all the new changes that happening to them. They support each other through this process to value each member of the tribe or as Tohe said, “Throughout this ceremony, my body was acknowledged, celebrated, and made ready for the role of a mature woman. Reaching puberty was not a shameful, dirty, and dreadful experience. Celebrating puberty with the Kinaalda ceremony ushers the young woman into a society that values her.”(3). Within the dine culture, the ceremony that celebrates the transformation from a girl to a woman is called Kinaalda. The second element for the absence of the word feminism in the dine culture is the culture education when reaching
The perception of inequality was evident in the colonial Spanish America, man belief that women were lacked in capacity to reason as soundly as men. A normal day for European women in the new world was generally characterized by male domination, for example marriage was arranged by the fathers, women never go out except to go church, women didn’t have the right to express their opinions about politic or society issues. Subsequent to all these bad treats European women try to find different ways to escape from man domination and demonstrate their intellectual capacities, for example women used become part of a convent, write in secret their desires and disappointments, and even dress as man to discover what was the real world. On the other hand native women were not treating the same way, because their enjoyed economic importances that place them far from being man victims. However, Europeans women were very discriminated and dominated during the colonial times; but little by little women fight for their rights and become free of man domination.
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 were 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. In both Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, we see that there are two types of women who arise from the demands of these expectations. The first is the obedient women, the one who has buckled and succumbed to become an empty emotionless shell. In men’s eyes this type of woman was a sort of “angel” perfect in that she did and acted exactly as what was expected of her. The second type of woman is the “rebel”, the woman who is willing to fight in order to keep her creativity and passion. Patriarchal silencing inspires a bond between those women who are forced into submission and/or those who are too submissive to maintain their individuality, and those women who are able and willing to fight for the ability to be unique.
The narrator and her husband’s interactions shows her as submissive in terms of gender equality. Although John perceives the narrator as a child with no volunteer ideas, it is shown in her journal that this theory is not valid because she was shaped to comply by the society and the norm. The narrator’s inferiority negatively impacts her mental and physical health to the point she had to rip off the wallpaper to break free. Nevertheless, when read critically, the story also unveil the women’s suffrage movement and its struggle. Since this story was published, women are slowly breaking away from men’s suppression and gaining more rights. In short, society and culture define gender roles; however, the changing economic, social, and education environment open up a new path for women. Nowadays, women are given the chance to prove themselves and can act beyond their gender roles. However, the equality between genders has not been achieved yet. Therefore, women should continue to fight for their rights and freedoms until they are treated with respect and enjoy
The journey into a new or strange environment in Northern Lights by Philip Pullman and Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is an essential part of each plot. It is the physical journey of both Lyra and Tambu that allows them to gain knowledge, learn about the world through experience and grow as individuals. Both protagonists are female, and because of this we see the theme of gender inequality developed in each novel, most profoundly in Nervous Conditions. Education is restricted, for the most part, to males in both novels, Tambu being one exception and Lyra’s education being virtually non-existent. Lyra’s curiosity if fuelled by her own disregard of rules, which leads her on her journey where she gains knowledge. Tambu’s journey begins with the breaking of tradition, as she is given the opportunity to be educated. Each novel focuses on how the characters journey from their home place, by breaking with traditional values replacing them with progress, the journey forces each character to grow and develop as characters. While both novels are set in entirely different times and places, the journey of both Lyra and Tambu is similar in outcome, as both protagonists grow as individuals and learn truths about the world.
The nervous system is the most complex part of the body, as they govern our thoughts, feelings, and bodily functions. It is an important factor in science because it can lead to new discoveries for cures or diseases. The studies of the nervous system helped lower death rates from heart disease, stroke, accidents, etc. The nervous system is a network of neurons (nerve cells that sends information to the brain to be analyzed.
The experiences of the women of the African diaspora are as diverse as the regions they have come to inhabit. Despite the variety in their local realities, African and African-descended women across the planet share in many common experiences. Wherever they have made their homes, these women tend to occupy inferior or marginalized positions within their societies. Whether in the United States, Europe, Latin America, or even Africa itself, black women must confront what Patricia Hill Collins describes as a “matrix of domination” which has, for centuries, perpetuated their subjugation and oppression. According to Collins, a matrix of domination is a comprehensive social organization in which intersecting oppressions are created and maintained (Collins 246). Although these systems are manifested differently depending on the cultural context in which they were birthed, most have similar origins. In the cases of both Africa and the United States, the most salient factor in the development of oppressive orders is the widespread European colonization which took place from the sixteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. This historic domination of Africans and their descendants, combined with the near-universal presence of patriarchy in human cultures, have worked together to place black women among the most oppressed groups worldwide.
In the past women have suffered from inequalities where women have been stopped from achieving their goals and dreams. One can argue that this is not true, they can simply say it was a different time period, a different set of social norms, different traditions, but the reality is that women back in the days compared to today are still facing many issues with inequality it can also be seen in the way female characters are displayed among television and film. For instance, in the film “Fifty Shades of Gray” Anestia is a female character that is portrayed as a female who has no voice for herself and has to learn how to be submissive just so she can remain by the side of the man she claims to love which is Christian Gray. Anestia eventually learns to not have a voice as to what she truly wants and desires from him, and becomes okay with the idea of following his orders. This film has sent a message to young females that it is okay to not take a stand and not have a voice for themselves with situations they are not happy with. This film is a perfect example to demonstrate how female inequality is still being persuaded among our society through films and television. But films like Amelie are changing females life into encouraging females to take action and follow their
In conclusion, freedom seems to come in the form of pledges made by leader. As time goes on Aminata learns that her gender is what makes her strong. She is able to use society’s view of her to advantage to become a caring leader. She has a constant goal from the start to finish which is to be free. She is very independent. She is only ever has true relationships with women equal in strength. Aminata keep learning and never lose herself in that dangerous criminal society. People are educated it is easier to lead them because they know the directions.
The nervous is considered to be the master controlling the systems of the body. The way it does this is to communicate through nervous impulse which is very rapid and very specific. The nervous system consist of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). The peripheral nervous system consists of the cranial nervous, spinal nerves and ganglia. The peripheral nervous system can also be broking down into two categories which are somatic nervous system and parasympathetic system. On the other hand the central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. (fleming-Mcphillips, 2011)
Central nervous system: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002311.htm
In this short story the protagonist is a newly married Indian woman who is attending a party with her husband’s western friends. Throughout the short story the reader senses her anxiety of being introduced to people who are not as conservative as her. “She longed for the sanctuary of the walled home from which marriage had promised an adventurous escape. Each restricting rule became a guiding stone marking a safe path through unknown dangers” ("The First Party"). In this quote, the narrator explains how the Indian woman did not feel comfortable or at ease with this new world she had been introduced too. She fiend to be back home but because of her tie that she made to this man through marriage she is in her mind, stuck with him. In addition to her anxiety of being with non-conservative woman, who drank, smoked, dressed provocatively, and had painted nails, the protagonist grew angry in her own head. “She had been so sure of herself in her contempt and her anger, confident of the righteousness of her beliefs, deep-based on generations-old foundations” ("The First Party"). Is this the way that the Indian people reacted to British colonialism? The things that western people found normal, was this disrespectful to the Indian people. The protagonist surely thought it was and was certain that her anger was not misplaced. She felt as her anger was a sign of her strong faith. She came to the realization that her husband was someone who would challenge her beliefs but above all she knew that her beliefs state that her life must be one with his (“The First Party”). This realization must be heartbreaking, to realize that one 's comfort is not found in their life partner. The protagonist was raised to believe that her life must be one with her husband, that she is