The Battle of the Sexes Continue in The Revolt Of Mother
"Unsolicited opportunities are the guide-posts of the Lord to the new roads of life." This quote from Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's "The Revolt Of 'Mother"' exemplifies the independent and rebellious spirit of the main character, Sarah Penn. Because Sarah Penn's behavior is unorthodox for a woman of the nineteenth century, the author constantly compared her to similar historical figures.
When Mrs. Penn is baking her husband's favorite mince pies, we become aware of the first historical relationship. The author described her face as "full of meek vigor which might have characterized one of the New Testament saints." The author continues to express that "however deep a resentment she might be forced to hold against her husband, she would never fail in sedulous attention to his wants." These statements show that Sarah is as loyal, passive, and loving as a pious saint. The comparison also points out her forgiving nature which allows her to be loving and cooperative with her husband despite any differences they may have.
The second reference to a historical figure comes when Sarah calls to Adoniram, her husband, to stop his work and speak with her. When he repeatedly refuses to talk with her, she exclaims, "Father, you come here," in a voice which booms with authority. Even her stance is as regal as her inflections, for she stands in the doorway holding her head as if she were wearing a crown. Despite her original intentions, this dignified behavior doesn't last long. As she is expressing her feelings about her husband's new barn, her stance turns to that of a humble woman from Scripture. This sudden change in behavior represents her volatil...
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...the man's world, she continues to do her feminine, domestic chores and tries her best to make Adoniram happy. This proves that she has fought the battle and was now ready to make peace. However, the peace making has to be on Adoniram's part. After Adoniram finds out about his wife's defiance, he goes out into the twilight and looks out over the fields. By observing nature, Adoniram is acknowledging the power and beauty of women, which enables him to decide to put up the partitions to make a more suitable house for Sarah. By respecting the feelings and opinions of his wife, he unites the woman's home and man's technology, and in a sense makes peace between man and woman in the battle of the sexes.
Work Cited
Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins. "The Revolt of 'Mother.'" Responding to Literature. Ed. Judith A. Stanford. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1996. 555-567.
Sarah was a woman who had gone through many hardships in her life. She thought she was doing well, but believed that the devil still had it out to get her. She even believed that it was impossible to be saved at this point in time. No matter what she did, she was going to perish in Hell. It was then that she felt the spirit of the Lord come down and help her banish the devil. This is what drew her to the religious revivals because they validated her testimony of the help from God. Her testimony was as good as any man’s and would not be questioned. This is what drew many women to the religious revivals. Their public testimony of the grace of God was just as good as any man’s. In the eyes of the Lord, a testimony was a testimony. It did not matter the gender of the person testifying. This was different from the old ways of the church because women were seen as quasi-equal to men. Whereas in the old ways, women were always below
Harmon, William, William Flint Thrall, Addison Hibbard, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Society continually places restrictive standards on the female gender not only fifty years ago, but in today’s society as well. While many women have overcome many unfair prejudices and oppressions in the last fifty or so years, late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were forced to deal with a less understanding culture. In its various formulations, patriarchy posits men's traits and/or intentions as the cause of women's oppression. This way of thinking diverts attention from theorizing the social relations that place women in a disadvantageous position in every sphere of life and channels it towards men as the cause of women's oppression (Gimenez). Different people had many ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities amound women, including expressing their voices and opinions through their literature. By writing stories such as Daisy Miller and The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic that took a major toll in American History. In this essay, I am going to compare Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” to James’ “Daisy Miller” as portraits of American women in peril and also the men that had a great influence.
Sarah was the sixth child. Even at a young age she showed great independence and focused many of her efforts on justice. She was very intellectual and because of this, her father paid particular attention to her over the other children. He is said to have frequently declared “if she had been of the other sex she would have made the greatest jurist in the land” (Birney, 1970, p 8). Sarah was also very personable, empathetic and car...
is most commonly a house pet, like the cat. But a dog has more of an ability to
American Literature. 6th Edition. Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 2003. 783-791
Dorris, Michael. "Mothers and Daughters." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 59. Ed. Roger Matuz. Detroit: Gale, 1990.
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
...xed. Additionally, to protect the breed's ‘gentle image' owners need to securely contain their dog when at home and be cautious when in public. In spite of being friendly and docile it is mandatory that every canine undergo obedience training to avoid accidents.
Creighton, Joanne V. Contemporary Literary Criticism Volume 19. Pgs. 348-51. Gale Research Company. Detroit, Michigan. 1981.
of the atoms, so if there are more or larger atoms then there must be
A woman of Renaissance-ian nature was stereotypically linked to the male dominant in her life. In contrast, the women that were powerful – and there were plenty – were subject to the idea that the female body was not strong enough to live up to a male counterpart. Rarely is the support of feminism and feminine sexuality seen in a time ruled and respected by powerful males. John Webster, however, presents a character of social prowess and sexual determination in his play The Duchess of Malfi, juxtaposing the social views of a woman with his characterization of the Duchess. The Duchess exudes autonomy in all of her many forms: as a ruler, widow, wife, and sister. Even in her death she
Investigating the Effect the Thickness of a Wire has on Its Resistance. Equipment:.. Nickel Wire cut into 10 pieces of 30cm length (Ruler, Pliers). Two crocodile clips Five Pieces of Wire Power Source Variable Resistor Ammeter Volt Meter Method: The.. =
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