Maybe Rape Is Not Always so Bad

948 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rape and consent essay

“He held her as if his flesh had cut through hers and she felt the bones of his arms on the bones of her ribs, her legs jerked tight against his, his mouth on hers” (Rand 216). The narrator begins the scene by describing every detail and giving insight to the current situation of Dominique and Roark, which lingers on the sexual tension between them. Scenes leading up to this clearly show that both these people want each other. Although that does not necessarily make the sex consensual, while the sex is needed. If Roark had not raped Dominique she would have never been able to become free.

Despite the common thought that it is not rape if it is enjoyed, Roark did rape Dominique. This is because rape can be defined as forced or unwanted sex, to gain power. However, this inaccurate phrase about rape not being rape when it is enjoyed is often used in situations when rape is occurring, and the victim first protests, but then starts having fun; which is is exactly what happened in this scene. “She lay still in his arms, in the first instant, in the shock of feeling his skin against hers, the thing she had thought about, had expected, had never known to be like this, could not have known, because this was not part of living, but a thing one could not bear longer than a second” (Rand 216). Dominique was scared by these forceful actions and was left unsure what to do; because of this many individuals place the blame on Dominique stating that she did not fight against it, which makes the sex consensual, but they are mistaken. “She fought like an animal. But she made no sound. She did not call for help” (Rand 216). She did fight and struggled with it, even if she did not call for help its does not matter because if she did call for help, there is a good chance that no one would have heard her. Besides not calling for help, she did everything that she could to not submit herself to him. Letting him take control of her was something she did not want to allow, so should fought as long as she possibly could. “She tried to tear herself away from him” (Rand 216). As she did continue to try to tear her self away it was not effective, so rather than continuing to struggle by putting up a fight she just submitted herself to him.

Show More
Related

  • Literary Analysis Of Stuart Dybek's 'We Didn T'

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dybek doesn’t clearly state what the two characters didn’t do but he is clear about everything they do do like, “…the pinch that springs a bra strap; behind the lilac bushes…where you first touched me through my jeans…we’d been kissing all day-all summer-kisses tasting of different shades of lip gloss…(43).” Dybek draws the reader in by creating a tension in the story that keeps the reader and the narrator wondering when or if the “act” is going to happen. The tension in the story illustrates to the reader the struggle the narrator is having by almost but not quite being able to have sex with his girlfriend. The step by step encounters create even more tension when the narrator and his girlfriend attempt to have sex at the beach because at this point both the reader and the narrator are convinced what’s going to happen there.

    Read More

  • Rape - The Plague of the Modern World

    2187 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Before the rape I felt good. My life was in order. I was getting ready to get married. Afterward everything changed. I kind of lost who I was as a person…

    Read More

  • Rape Myths

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rape myths are false, biased or cliché convictions about assault, assault casualties and attackers which may have the impact of preventing many examples from claiming constrained sex are really assault. To get a better understanding of rape myths, one should first comprehend the lawful meaning of Rape. The Sexual Offenses Act (2003) has given a definition of Rape, which is:

    Read More

  • Gratification In Sleeping Beauty

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...(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).

    Read More

  • Pornography Does Not Cause Rape

    2740 Words  | 6 Pages

    Pornography Does Not Cause Rape It started by way of messengers and scribes, evolved through the presentation of newspapers and radio, brought us together with television, and now serves us world-wide via the ever-popular Internet.   It is the mass media, and even from the earliest days of its existence, it has contributed greatly in ways that both enlighten and enrich society, and ways that deteriorate and perplex it.   It is not a surprise to learn, then, that the mass media is the most powerful source of information we have, and nothing else in today's world influences public perception quite as heavily. Unfortunately, however, most of what is broadcast or transmitted in the news today is with reference to the chaotic condition of our planet, or something else that society as a whole sees as detrimental or damaging.

    Read More

  • Rape Culture: How Society Reacts to Rape

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    What do you think and feel when you hear the word rape? Do you feel uncomfortable? Maybe even angry? Your certain feelings and emotions towards this word is a result of rape culture. Rape culture, essentially, is how a society as a whole sees and reacts towards rape or instances of rape. In 2013 rape was defined by the FBI as, “Penetration… of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” (Division’s Crime Statistics Management Unit 1). The definition was finally changed after the old definition deemed inappropriate by today’s standards, which beforehand, stated that physical force needed to be used for rape to be considered rape. This is good news for men and women who have been fighting for the definition to be changed, but unfortunately this does not mean that state laws are being changed the same way. Even though the FBI may acknowledge the older inappropriate definition, most states do not. Sexual assault is a commonly unreported crime, where only an average of 36% of sexual abuse is actually reported to the authorities (Planty 7). Some forms of rape can include physical harm, threats, and even death of the victim, and most victims do not want to tell others for fear of criticism, self-blame, or even the fear that their attackers will carry out on their threats. In many cases, victims do have a reason to be afraid. When someone is brave enough to come forward and say they were sexually assaulted, they are putting themselves in the position of being in not only a long legal process, but also having their motives questioned and misunderstood, which is the last thing they want after their experience. The legal system in the United States...

    Read More

  • Rape Culture

    1619 Words  | 4 Pages

    The myth that men who rape women are sexually pathological has begun to be dispelled and replaced with an understanding that rape is an act of anger, power and control rather than lust. When people think about rape, they usually think of a stranger with a knife hiding in the bushes. He waits for a woman to walk by and then attacks. But that is not the only kind of rape. The majority of victims are raped by individuals they know or acquaintances.

    Read More

  • Rape is NOT the Victim's Fault

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    The question is unthinkable given the conditions: “Did you ever have a sexually transmitted disease?” This is one of the first questions to which a rape victim must respond. In what way does her sexual history play any role in her case against a defendant? We have “double jeopardy” to protect people from unfair prosecution, but rape victims are repeatedly put on trial over and over for crimes perpetrated against them. Prosecutors are allowed to judge rape victims in a critical light, aggressively emphasizing many factors related to her personal life, her appearance, or her action just prior to the rape that she endured. These factors are brought out to influence a jury’s perception of the victim creating doubt about whether the crime may not in fact have been the victim’s fault. Did she deserve it? Was she asking for it? There are cases in which rape victims are treated differently due to the lack of understanding and prejudice which can be brought to bear against victims. Prejudice is the act of forming an unreasonable judgment against another. These prejudgments can affect a victim’s emotional status, actually leading some victims to end up asking themselves if the transgression was their fault. Three cases will reveal the complexity of what is at stake.

    Read More

  • Rape and Sexual Violence

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")

    Read More

  • Rape As A Deviant Behavior

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviant behavior is defined as a behavior or action that is against the social norms of society. Rape is a deviant behavior that is a type of sexual assaults that usually involving sexual intercourse. This happens when one person or more initiates sexual acts against another person without that person's consent. The act can be sometimes carried out by physical force, coercion, or a person not being able to give valid consent. Someone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or below the legal age of consent would fall under that category. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault. According to R.A.I.N (Rape, Abuse and Incet National Network, 2009) 44% of rape victims are under age 18 and 80% are under age 30. It is sad to report that every 2 minutes another American is assaulted which leaves an average of 237,868 victims, age 12 or older of sexual assault each year (R.A.I.N 2009). So who is to blame for this growing problem? It would be surprising to hear that many times people blame the victims. This is a growing concern for us all because it has led to a tremendous amount of unreported incidents which leads to the perpetrator roaming the streets waiting to strike again. Rape can lead to have severe traumatization and victim can suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder along with causing psychological harm and has been shown to cause physical injury, or have additional effects on the victim, such as acquiring of a sexually transmitted infection or becoming pregnant. Sadly following a rape, a victim may face violence or threats thereafter from the rapist.

    Read More

  • sex offenders

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anger rape is characterized as a rape done out of anger the rapist has a lot of bottled up and needs to find a way to dispose of it. These men would look for the perfect victim during episodes of frustration usually someone alone and nearby. An offender may report approaching his victim in an acceptable manner but then changing and becoming violent, they feel they need to knock their victim off their pedestal and that rape was the best choice since it is the worst thing that c...

    Read More

  • Game Of Thrones: Rape Myths Between Men And Women

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The question Graves overlooks, however, is whether a nonconsensual sexual act can “become consensual,” especially when one partner is physically overpowered by the other (Ferreday, 29). The scene also reinforces the idea that consent is not willfully given by a woman, but “must taken from them by force or coercion” (Yarde). Jaime’s actions in the show also spark confusion because the audience believes he thinks rape is abhorrent. In season three, he saves Brienne of Tarth from gang rape, and in the same episode professes that if he too were a woman, he would fight to the death before being raped (“Walk of Punishment”). Most consensual sex depicted in the series is between a heterosexual man and a prostitute, implying that “money, power, and social advancement” are the “dominant reasons for a woman to consent to sex” (Ferreday). However, throughout the series’ five seasons, there is a lack of men threatening each other with sexual violence, aside from Theon’s mutilation, yet female characters “endure rape threats, and actual rape” constantly (Gentry). When approached on the subject of noncanon rape scenes, George R.R. Martin had no comment, claiming the show is an adaptation of his books, and are thus “in the hands of others” (Flood). Game of Thrones is known for being one of the most shocking and unpredictable television programs, but as of late,

    Read More

  • Rape: A Living Nightmare

    3121 Words  | 7 Pages

    Is anyone truly a stranger to nightmares? Has anyone not woken up in a feverish sweat with a racing pulse or pounding heart? Whose eyes have never wildly searched their room for the phantoms of a dream? Now, what if the familiar consolation of learning it was all in your head never came? How do you wake up from a nightmare that is, in fact, a reality? I think I’m getting ahead of myself. What I mean to say is, I was raped, and rape is a nightmare.

    Read More

  • The Physical and Psychological Effects of Rape on Women

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people think that rape is about sex but it is not. If rape was about getting sex the person would just go and have sex with someone who wants to give it to them. Paying for sex is better than going out and raping someone. Rape is also called sexual assault. Rape is about having power and control over someone. Rape is defined as one person forcing another person, without his or her consent and using violence or threatening violence, to have intercourse or other forms of sexual activity. Usually when people hear about rape they think of a man raping a woman, but rape can happen to anyone. It is one of the worst things that can happen to someone. Some people think that rape is just physical but it also has psychological effects. Sometimes it takes victims awhile to get over it but some never do. It messes them up really bad. In this paper I’m going to talk about the physical and psychological effects of rape on women.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Rape On Women

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.

    Read More

More about Maybe Rape Is Not Always so Bad

Open Document