As Nelson Mandela once said, “for to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” The citizens of the United States are privileged to be apart of a society in that allows for individuality, and it is a social norm to respect those who are different from you. However, others have not always had this privilege. Specifically, the Nazi regime and Communism in Czechoslovakia, limited the rights of the Jews, as evident in Under a Cruel Star. On the other hand, women’s lives under political Islam were particularly hard in Persepolis 2. Both novels shed light on the ideologies that effected both men and women differently through their lack of identity based on their role in society and struggle to survive. Heda Kovaly, in her memoir Under a Cruel …show more content…
Austria’s ideology was very liberal and progressive, and women had it easier. In the West, she became exposed to sex, drugs, and parties; something not evident in Iran. Life was difficult for her in Austria, she specifically says, “the harder I tried to assimilate, the more I had the feeling that I was distancing myself my culture, betraying my parents and my origins, that I was playing a game by somebody else’s rules” (Satrapi 39). She manages to deny her true identity to her peers, something Heda also did, while signing for an apartment. These two did not want to face anymore struggles because of their origin, it was better for them to lie then assume the burden. Her acts of assimilating took a toll, as she faces racial prejudice. She too, struggled to survive. More specifically, she “spent more than two months on the street in the middle of the winter” (Satrapi 35). Just like Heda, her struggles forced her to become extremely ill. She never truly feels included in Austria, and again feels a sense of isolation when she returns to Iran, due to both worlds she has been exposed
In conclusion both short stories were great at allowing us the reader to see the way that women were repressed in their society in the 1900s. We don't hate the men; we just wish women did not have to be so subservient. Freedom is achieved in very unconventional ways in both of these stories, but the kind of freedom these narrators achieve is not available to most women of this time era.
...hile African Americans went through journeys to escape the restrictions of their masters, women went through similar journeys to escape the restrictions of the men around them. Immigrants further strived to fit in with the American lifestyle and receive recognition as an American. All three groups seemed to shape up an American lifestyle. Today, all three of these perceptions of freedom have made an appearance in our lives. As we can see, the transition of freedom from race equality to gender equality shows that freedom has been on a constant change. Everyone acquires their own definition of freedom but the reality of it is still unknown; people can merely have different perceptions of freedom. Nevertheless, in today’s society, African Americans live freely, women are independent, and immigrants are accepted in society. What more freedom can one possibly ask for?
It’s known that in some areas of the world, girls as young as 14 years old can get a child. This fact, although it’s disturbing, can become meaningful according to the setting of a story. The locations, the culture and the historical context can sometimes clarify some events that have taken place in a book. It’s the case in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini and published in 2007 in which the setting clearly impacts the plot and the characters. First of all, let’s take a look to the setting itself.
The setting of both stories reinforces the notion of women's dependence on men. The late 1800's were a turbulent time for women's roles. The turn of the century brought about revolution, fueled by the energy and freedom of a new horizon…but it was still just around the bend. In this era, during which both short stories were published, members of the weaker sex were blatantly disregarded as individuals, who had minds that could think, and reason, and form valid opinions.
Both novels are masculine narratives, where the male protagonists (Jay Gatsby and Tyler Durden), and the narrators (Nick Caraway and an unnamed Narrator) run toward or away from one of two versions of hyper-masculinity. One version is the wild, angry, sexual and raw fighter who uses the brute power of his body to cru...
...re many similarities when it comes to technique, characterization, themes, and ideologies based on the author's own beliefs and life experiences. However, we also see that it appears the author herself often struggles with the issue of being herself and expressing her own individuality, or obeying the rules, regulations and mores of a society into which she was born an innocent child, one who by nature of her sex was deemed inferior to men who controlled the definition of the norms. We see this kind of environment as repressive and responsible for abnormal psyches in the plots of many of her works.
Our nation seems as if it is in a constant battle between freedom and safety. Freedom and security are two integral parts that keep our nation running smoothly, yet they are often seen conflicting with one another. “Tragedies such as Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombings may invoke feelings of patriotism and a call for unity, but the nation also becomes divided, and vulnerable populations become targets,” (Wootton 1). “After each attack a different group or population would become targets. “The attack on Pearl Harbor notoriously lead to Japanese Americans being imprisoned in internment camps, the attacks on 9/11 sparked hate crimes against those who appeared to be Muslim or Middle Eastern,” (Wootton 1). Often times people wind up taking sides, whether it be for personal freedoms or for national security, and as a nation trying to recover from these disasters we should be leaning on each other for support. Due to these past events the government has launched a series of antiterrorist measures – from ethnic profiling to going through your personal e-mail (Begley 1). Although there are times when personal freedoms are sacrificed for the safety of others, under certain circumstances the government could be doing more harm than good.
...hetypes of these primary characters, both of these novels make a parallel statement on feminism. The expectations of both themselves and society greatly determine the way that these women function in their families and in other relationships. Looking at the time periods in which these novels were written and take place, it is clear that these gender roles greatly influence whether a female character displays independence or dependence. From a contemporary viewpoint, readers can see how these women either fit or push the boundaries of these expected gender roles.
...ave brings them out of their protective and secluded shells. In both stories the theme of oppression, one mental the other physical, resulting in a victory, one internal the other external, prove that with determination and a belief in a higher power you can survive any situation.
This essay has compared the differences between the societies in these two novels. There is one great similarity however that both make me thankful for having been born into a freethinking society where a person can be truly free. Our present society may not be truly perfect, but as these two novels show, it could be worse.
In Bright Star, Keats utilises a mixture of the Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet forms to vividly portray his thoughts on the conflict between his longing to be immortal like the steadfast star, and his longing to be together with his love. The contrast between the loneliness of forever and the intenseness of the temporary are presented in the rich natural imagery and sensuous descriptions of his true wishes with Fanny Brawne.
Although America has come really far when it comes to the civil liberties and rights of its citizens, there is still a lot of room for improvement. We have yet to achieve the goals expressed by the Constitution because there continues to be several cases brought to court of people’s rights being taken from them and many more where people are being discriminated against. Once a person is settled into a certain lifestyle it is difficult to change their mindsets. True civil rights and liberties will only come once America and the citizens that reside within change the way that they see the world, and realize that everyone was created equal with certain undeniable rights – the way it was intended to be.
...ft in the same state. When freed they were left with nothing and had to find how to live in the world. Men in this book had complicated relationships such as Paul D, Stamp Paid, and Halle. Sethe summed up how both genders were as, “freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another” (Morrison 95). Both genders felt oppressed dealing with slavery and had to find how to rediscover their humanity. Regarding gender the books are different with one oppressing women and the other oppressing both genders.
Humans have established their own rights in society for many, many years now. However, because some humans differ from the norms that are built in society, they are shunned and denied their rights until they conform to society’s norms. There have been numerous groups of people who have been denied their rights in America. African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans, and gays have been isolated simply because that is the way they were born into this world and others do not find them “normal”. There is another group that has also been mistreated though: people who identify themselves as transgender.
Both stories show feminism of the woman trying to become free of the male dominance. Unfortunately, the woman are not successful at becoming free. In the end, the two women’s lives are drastically