Gratification In Sleeping Beauty

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Nick Sorantino Mrs.Micale Fairy Tale Research Paper January 17th, 2014 Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty is a literary folk tale written by Italian poet Giambattista Basile. In Italy during the seventeenth century, a husband, regardless of his status in life, was expected to be the superior head of the household and show appreciation to his wife and child. A wife was expected to adhere to her husband, and the children were expected to be respectful and heed to their parents. Women were also wonted to be culpable for the family’s health and make home remedies for a wide variety of ailments. Defined, weakness is the likelihood of mutual gratification, and gullibility, the art of being over-trusting, are noted traits of women of medieval literature. Masculine presences are bourgeois and universal throughout literature, through the thought that they are essential to the female figure, despite women who stride against this belief. Male dominance has maintained its position throughout history, as portrayed in the original and modern form of Sleeping Beauty. In the original Sleeping Beauty there once lived a great lord who birthed a child by the name of Talia. Due to Talia’s horoscope, a splinter of flax was significantly dangerous to her wellbeing. Thus, her farther forbid her from coming in contact with a flax, hemp, or any related fabric (Basile 1). One day Talia saw a woman spinning flax and she became curious. Talia took the distaff from the woman, and unintentionally ran a splinter of flax under her nail, causing her to instantly fall dead. Upon mourning, her father laid her corpse in his country mansion, and abandoned it, vowing to never return to the treacherous sight of his beloved daughter, deceased (Basile 2). One day, a renow... ... middle of paper ... ...(Yarrowplace 2). According to many feminists, their theory is said to focus on a expansive picture for women who live in a society which is prominently prevailed by men. Rape and sexual assault is viewed as one of the ways men in which achieve dominance over other men, women, and children, through potent actions. This evidently dismisses the concept that rape results from sexual attraction or the behavior and or fashion of the victim/survivor (Yarrowplace 2). When looking at human society, it is noted that men possess the most high ranking positions in political, social, religious, economic and military organizations globally. The dominance of men sequentially contributes to more fatherly societies in which the men develop the decrees and laws. The laws and decrees are indeed structured in methods that justify the status quo and thus the prevalent positions of men.

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