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Feminist literary criticism essay
Gender in literature
Feminist literary criticism essay
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Death to Feminists in Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat
For any scholar, the feminist method of criticizing literature is something that can no longer be pushed under the carpet and ignored. But before this modern idea overruns literary society and causes many great pains, one should read a simple, yet subtle, poem by English poet Thomas Gray. In "Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes", Gray gives a solemn warning to those who would use Feminism too freely and without checks to guards its attempts to overrun literary criticisms.
Feminist critique is a relatively new method. It has its origins in the 1950's and 60's but did not really take shape until the feminist movements of the 70's and 80's. Only in the 90's has it become standard in textbooks. This triumph of feminine thought has come to a head, and many authors seek to use this technique to criticize society. Authors such as Eleanor Wilner, for example, have used their feminist poetry to slander the "male-dominated" society in which humans currently reside.
Before this method runs amuck, however, one should consider the fate of one who aims for the triumph of feminist thought, or "gold" as Thomas Gray phrases it, too hastily. Thomas Gray exemplifies this in "Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat" by using the cat as a symbol for the females who seek to use the method for their own ends, such as Eleanor Wilner. In line 23, Gray notes, "What female heart can gold despise?" This 250-year-old question serves as an ominous warning for those who see it.
Using the feminist method again and again can also lead to trouble. With time, people may become so fed up with the idea that everything views women as inferiors that it may become an idea on its own. Without a following, the idea will cease to be practiced. The following Gray points out are Dolphin, Nereid, Tom, and Susan, but none came to save their drowning comrade for "A fav'rite has no friend!" (Line 34-36)
Just War Theory has three components jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and jus post bellum. Each of the components can explain what makes a war just and moral. Jus ad bellum or just initiation of war is achieved if a state has a just cause, uses armed conflict after all other means are exhausted, if it has a right intention to go into war, if there is a chance of success, and if it the ends of the war are equal to the means of war. The
Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structure. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society. Writing based on their own experiences, had it not been for the works of Susan Glaspell, Kate Chopin, and similar feminist authors of their time, we may not have seen a reform movement to improve gender roles in a culture in which women had been overshadowed by men.
John “Binx” Bolling is a 1960s version of Dante, a man awoken in the middle of his life beginning a desperate and philosophical search for meaning. Like The Inferno, The Moviegoer is set in a Catholic liturgically important time and spans the length of a week. The reader meets Binx on Mardi Gras, the last day of Epiphany season, and on Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance and reassessment in Catholicism, he begins his search. The meaning of Binx’s search is questioned from the onset of the book. He addresses the reader by saying, “The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. To become aware of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.” Binx’s search
Bill utilizes his joke telling to ease the tensions surrounding his hearing loss, a common issue for the elderly. It allows him to remain a part of the conversation and maintain his position in social interactions, while deflecting from his physical deficiencies. Ann practices what Loe calls “painful self disclosure” by telling funny stories that happen in her personal life to talk about some of the experiences of discomfort and embarrassment in her personal life, and create a dialogue about them in a smoother, more digestible way. For example, she told a story where she was surprised that someone gave her his cell phone to make a call, and that someone the day before gave her bus fare so she could get home. She was most likely embarrassed from not having what she needed to get through her day two days in a row and certainly felt discomfort from receiving the help of strangers in the process. She dealt with the experience subconsciously by turning it into a funny story. She is using humor to expose her vulnerabilities as she ages and is increasingly unable to care for herself, but in a much smoother and easier to handle way. Both Bill and Ann utilize a sense of humor to address or deflect away from the various deficiencies they experience and as a result the vulnerabilities they
What is Feminism? How does feminism affect the world we live in today? Was feminism always present in history, and if so why was it such a struggle for women to gain the respect they rightly deserve? Many authors are able to express their feelings and passions about this subject within their writing. When reading literary works, one can sense the different feminist stages depending on the timeframe that the writing takes place. Two such works are ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by, Charlotte Gilman and ‘Everyday Use’ by, Alice Walker; the feminist views within each story are very apparent by the era each author lives in. It is evident that a matter of fifty years can change the stance of an author’s writing; in one story the main character is a confident and strong willed young woman looking to voice her feminist views on the world, while the other story’s main character is a woman trying to hold on to her voice in a man’s world which is driving her insane.
Helga feels most out of place when she has to confront the eroticism of the clubs in Harlem and her disassociation from sexuality. For example, Helga realizes how the music moves her in the club, “… the music died, she dragged herself back to the present with a conscious effort; and shameful certainty that not only had she been in the jungle, but she had enjoyed it…” (Larsen, 59). Helga also feels social disconnection from Anne Grey who’s hypocritical of the culture she participates in. Anne Grey makes her hypocrisy clear when she says, “That’s what’s the matter with the Negro race. They won’t stick together. She certainly ought to be ostracized”, while at the same time participating in white society and even enjoying the music and other cultural products (Larsen, 61). Due to Helga’s alternative views to that of the Harlem and New York City society she leaves for Denmark where instead of feeling appreciated she’s fetishized and put on display like a freak show. Helga realizes she’s being made into an eroticized version of herself when Herr Olsen says, “…You have the warm impulsive nature of Africa, but, my lovely, you have, I fear, the soul of a prostitute. You sell yourself to the highest bidder, I should of course be happy that it is I…” (Larsen, 87). For this and other reasons, Helga leaves Denmark and moves back to New York City but this is not her final
For hundreds of years, women are fighting a war of inequality in the male dominated society. Heather Savigny addressed a very important question in her article, what is Feminism? By definition, “Feminism” is a moment started by women to end inequality in all fields of society. Women in the society started this protest to gain rights that were deprived by the males in the society. A feminist can be a normal person who fights against the discrimination on based on sex, age and gender. The feminist movement is very important in our society, to protect women for sexual harassment and violence. To fight this problem, and to find a possible way to end it, many great writers wrote very influential poems and stories. A very few writers who chose to
Vaark does not consider his farm a plantation, he sees it more as an orphan home. This is a recurring idea throughout the novel, as the reader learns that he was an orphan himself. He has a kind heart, and does not even mistreat his animals. Although his wife Rebekka has had children, none of them survived except for one, and the one that survived was killed. After the child was killed, Vaark then acquired another slave close to the age of the deceased child. He did this not only to please his wife, but to save her from the
started out as a movement for total equality for all humans, yet it has become a philosophy (largely promoted by Stanton and others) based on animosity and condemnation against men. The rise in feminism has led to (not necessarily caused) an exponential increase in discrimination against men, as many feminists blame men for the injustice against and oppression of women through out the ages, and not without cause. Women throughout the ages have been considered sub-human at best, and property as worst, little more than chattel, and while it is still true that women are still oppressed in some places of the world, in America (home of feminism, equality, and freedom) women are reversing the balance of power. Rather than moving fprward with ideals of freedom and equality, feminism has become distorted and history is repeating itself; but with a twist. Now the women are on top and men are being oppressed.
One of the most important concerns that not only the certain region or country but the whole globe is facing with is the societal aging. Societal aging refers to the “social and demographic process that result in the aging of a population” Aging of the population would impact different aspect of social life. For instance, as the baby boomers aging, the evolvement of those generation in different community would increase. Also, the expectation of better healthcare and ethical issues around the aged people has grown (Morgan & Kunkle 2016: 6).
156. The 158. Driscoll, Kerry. A. The "Feminism" - "The 'Feminism' American History Through Literature, 1870-1920. Ed.
Virginia Woolf, one of the pioneers of modern feminism, found it appalling that throughout most of history, women did not have a voice. She observed that the patriarchal culture of the world at large made it impossible for a woman to create works of genius. Until recently, women were pigeonholed into roles they did not necessarily enjoy and had no way of
Peterson, Linda H. "What Is Feminist Criticism?" Wuthering Heights. Ed. Linda H. Peterson. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992. 330-337.
Leadership is a wonderful quality for anyone to have because not everyone possesses leadership qualities and skills; however, a person can learn to have leadership qualities if he or she has the desire. A good leader has many excellent qualities such as; a leader has followers, knows how to encourage the workers, can get results by implementing strategies, can create a vision for the company, and communicates the vision clearly. These are not the only qualities a leader must have but they are some of the most important qualities a person must have in order to be successful in a leadership position. "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Druker, Peter F. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2005 from http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/leadership-quotes.html. Another excellent quote about leadership is "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." Roosevelt, Theodore. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2005 from http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/leadership-quotes.html.
…My idea in Orientalism is to use humanistic critique to open up the fields of struggle, to introduce a longer sequence of thought and analysis to replace the short bursts of polemical, thought-stopping fury that so imprison us in labels and antagonistic debate whose goal is a belligerent collective identity rather than understanding and intellectual exchange…