Adam and Eve were intended to be perfect, or as perfect as any non-God character can be. But there was never a sense of equality between them. Adam was created first, and in order to quench his loneliness, God created Eve from a mixture of earth and Adam’s rib. Adam in that sense was reliant only on God, Eve, however, needed both God and Adam to be created. Already the Bible is indicating, both from the fact that Adam was created first, and by virtue of the fact that Eve was created from a piece of Adam, who the superior being was. It is of no surprise then that Eve was the first to be deceived by the snake. The punishment in many ways was also uniquely feminine. God in his punishment to Eve, said “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; …show more content…
Saints and Nuns in particular, are often extremely careful in preserving their virginity and purity. The legend of St. Ursula and the eleven thousand virgins that accompanied her on her trek is one such example. Ursula and her maidens were massacred and martyred by the Huns in an effort to preserve their purity. Saint Hildegard of Bingen immortalized this legend in her 11,000 Virgins, Chants for St. Ursula symphony. St. Agnes, the patron Saint of Virgins, was similarly killed protecting her virtue. Agnes was a beautiful young girl of wealthy family and therefore had many suitors of high rank. Details of her story are often unreliable, but legend holds that the young men, slighted by her resolute devotion to religious purity, submitted her name to the authorities as a follower of Christianity. The Prefect Sempronius condemned Agnes to be dragged naked through the streets to a brothel. Various versions of the legend give different methods of escape from this predicament. In one, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. An early account of Agnes' death, stressing her young age, steadfastness and virginity is given by Saint …show more content…
In fact, it is often seen as strange if a man is still a virgin, while the woman is expected to retain her virginity until marriage. Why is this? Is it just because there was much more of an emphasis on the woman’s body? Merriam- Webster defines virginity as “an unmarried girl or woman.” Has the idea of virginity become so irrelevant within men that it is now solely a women’s phenomenon? Furthermore, did this cultural stigmatization even exist before the time of the Virgin Mary, the modern epitome of the pure woman? Laura Carpenter, of Johns Hopkins University, says that this stigmatizing of virginity did began to change in the 1970’s as women began to pursue pre-marital sex with men whom they had no intention of marrying. Still, the emphasis that women placed on pre-marital sex and their loss of virginity was often linked with love, whereas men had sex out of curiosity and the desire to simply lose their virginity. Jessica Valenti, a feminist writer, wrote in her book The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women, of a time in which her mother found an empty condom wrapper in her bag. Her mother told her “if you keep having sex, no one will want to marry you.” And yet, Valenti cites Hanne Blank, one of the foremost experts on virginity, who explained that there is no
of Father Damien, a persona that she inhabited for the rest of her life. Therefore, Agnes
Throughout history there have been many cases of women who possess strong powers and a passion for God, especially in the Middle Ages. One woman that fit into that category was Margery Kempe, a fifteenth-century visionary, who was a controversial figure in the Christian faith. Margery insisted that Jesus talked to her, while many people thought that she was being possessed by the devil. During the time of The Middle Ages many stories of women saints were being exposed with many differences from Kempe’s life, however there were some surprising similarities as well. Medieval female saints and martyrs were intended to be chaste if they were single and virtuous if they are married. They were also extremely devoted and pure to Christ, not giving in to any temptations. Kempe seems to be tempted by men, but then immediately followed by shame. On the other hand she posse’s qualities the saints share like, visions, passion, a desire to be chaste and, commitment. Saint Margaret of Antioch is one of the saints that appear often in “The Book of Margery Kempe”. She is a martyr who death occurred sometime in the late thirteenth century. Unlike the
While Agnes was cleaning her sisters room she found her sister’s journal and her curiosity compelled her to find out more about her and
Caroline Walker Bynum raised several thought-provoking claims in her book Holy Feast and Holy Fast, but her main argument of the mindset of medieval women with regards to their status in society was the most intriguing. Rather than simply agreeing with most traditional medievalists, she analyzes the male/female difference in terms of which symbols each gender used, and how these symbols tied in to their distinct religious concerns. She maintains that women accepted their place in society and religion, and instead of succumbing to the misogyny, they used their association with the flesh and humanness to connect themselves to the humanity of God. Her arguments regarding medieval women and their practices also implies that she is accepting of the idea of gender as a valuable category of historical analysis.
Agnes of God is about a young, simple-minded nun Sister Agnes who gets pregnant and her newborn child is found dead in a wastebasket in her room. Sister Agnes claims to not remember the conception or the birth so psychiatrist Dr. Martha Livingston is appointed by the court to determine whether Sister Agnes is fit to stand trial for the murder of the baby. When it comes time to question about who the father is, who is never mentioned in the play, it becomes a mystery of it all as that the nuns lead a sequestered life and so it seems there are no men who could possibly have been the father other than old Father Metineau. Dr. Livingston a lapsed Catholic is determined to get to the bottom of this. She meets her match in the convent's mother superior, Mother Miriam Ruth, who seems determined to protect the fragility of Sister Agnes and the story she says of her immaculate conception. Agnes is not concerned with the solution to the gruesome murder; it merely uses the suspense generated as the backdrop for a much wider debate between science and rationality on one hand, and religious faith on the other.
During her travels, Joan dressed like a man to disguise herself and to avoid getting caught by the enemy. According to Williamson (n.d.), If a woman’s identity were to be discovered, she faced the chance of getting raped. Joan also wore this clothing for its security and because she was surrounded by male soldiers, Joan felt she should wear the clothing for modesty’s sake. she promised the saints who spoke to her that she would keep her virginity and called herself “La Pucelle,” the maiden or virgin (Williamson, n.d.). ...
In Burial Rites Agnes undergoes extreme abuse and wakes up with seemingly no reason to live. Regardless of this situation, Agnes remains unyielding in her values, identity and beliefs, refusing to be dehumanised by society; “I will hold what I am inside, and keep my hands tight around all the things I have seen and heard, and felt.” It is through this stoicism and self-empowerment that Agnes emerges as an unsuspecting role model in the text. Kent establishes how it is also the kindness and generosity of others that ultimately gives Agnes a reason to live. Specifically, Agnes’ passion for life is renewed through her cathartic, confessional story-telling to Toti. Toti, unlike the biased majority of society, does not “pluck at [Agnes’] words like birds” and instead is an empathetic, understanding listener. Furthermore, despite initial hostility, Margret and her family grow to understand and empathise with Agnes and ultimately become very close with her, becoming “tearstreaked” in the days leading up to her death. Kent uses symbolism in the form of a brooch given to Agnes by the Jonsdottir family to illustrate the final, compassionate acceptance of her humanity. Overall, the author demonstrates to the reader how women like Agnes can stay strong in the face of adversity by remaining resolute in their beliefs, as well as the importance of treating others with understanding and
As a girl, St. Teresa strived to be worthy of God, as did her siblings whom she loved. Instead of acting like she was a princess with the other girls, she and her brother Rodrigo would pretend to be hermits in the back yard.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Kiefer, J. a.
Gozalez-Lopez interviews people about their personal stories and how they dealth with situations similar to such. One of the people she interviews, Diego, talks about what he had to do to save his girlfriend from public shame because she had sex with him. “I married her because of honor. I had to come out and face the bull, to protect her image and her name” (Gonzalez-Lopez, 98). If a woman looses her virginity before marriage she can be seen as a whore, slut, or not properly raised. Many women are forced to marry men that they would never consider husband mate...
A look at Joan of Arc’s early life and visions is essential to understanding her early life as a repressed female and unlikely mystic. Author Mary Gordon, in her examination of Joan, writes about an event that took place long before Joan’s visions ...
In There Will Be Wolves, Ursula, which is the protagonist, is a healer. But due to the old Christian rules, women were not allowed to heal, but Ursula did. So they say Ursula was a witch and wanted to punish her. The bishop was a powerful person. He sentenced Ursula and brought her to the trial and tried to burn her, but her father Master William saved her. They then brought her to the cell. Until one day, her father came to the cell and released her, she was pardoned by the god, she had a chance to compliment her sin, as long as she help the Crusade free Jerusalem.
Joan of Arc was born in the village of Domremy in 1412. Like many girls her age she was taught like many other young girls her age not how to read or write but to sew and spin. but unlike some girls her father was a peasant farmer. At a inferior age of thirteen she had experienced a vision known as a flash of light while hearing an unearthly voice that had enjoined her to be diligent in her religious duties and be modest. soon after at the age fifteen she imagined yet another unearthly voice that told her to go and fight for the Dauphin. She believed the voices she heard were the voices of St. Catherine and St. Margaret and many other people another being St. Michael. She believed they also told her to wear mens attire, cut her hair and pick up her arms. When she first told her confessor she did not believe her. When she tried telling the judges she explained to them how the voices told her it was her divine mission help the dauphin and rescue her country from the English from the darkest periods during the Hundred Years’ War and gain the French Throne. She is till this day one of the most heroic legends in womens history.
In Heroines of the Medieval World Connolly mentions “Agnes deliberately allowed herself to be besieged to give the Scottish forces time to rally and organize a resistance to the English invasion. Even so, it must have been a terrifying sight for the countless to look out from the battlements and see an army approaching… they could beat the countess and her reduced garrison” (175). This shows how Agnes participated in battle and even sacrificed herself for the greater of the nation. Moreover, Anges was a women warrior because she was determined and didn’t want to surrender. Connolly writes “The struggle against the English continued for several more years … Black Agnes passed into legend, her tenacity and stalwart defense of Dunbar Castle a shining example of what a mere woman can be capable of achieving” (177). This line emphasizes that due to Agnes determination she became an example of what women can
Many common women were raped. Most of the time it was noblemen who committed these crimes who either covered it up, went to prison for very short periods of time, or paid small fines. Theft was considered a worse crime than rape. An unmarried girl, a "virgin", raped was far worse than a married women. Such girls were considered "used property." A rape was only considered outrageous if it was the rape of a noblewoman.
Adam and Eve’s initial creations are described as “Hee for God only, shee for the God in him[Adam]” (4.289). They is an initial inequality in their creation since Adam when created was done soley for God, while Eve was created for Adam and in part for God as well since she is not “only” for Adam. Eve was created after Adam, but this does not mean that she is inferior to Adam, it merely means that during their initial creation, their purposes were different. When created Eve knew nothing the world for which she was created as is seen with her confusion with what the water was since it “to her [Eve] seemed another Skie”(4.459). Eve was vulnerable and innocent when entering her relationship with Adam and as time passes, she was able to grow and better understand her role in their bond, when Eve is able to make decisions on her own as is seen in book 9 of paradise lost with her decision to separate from Adam. Their relationship grows and eventually they are able to function as