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Understanding sex and sexuality in the South is beyond a challenge. Those wanting to explore these concepts are met with rigid, religious traditions and ignorant, bigots who perpetuate the ideals of the stubborn South. This is especially difficult for the youth of the South who are still trying to find themselves and navigate the trials and tribulations of life.The protagonists of both Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones and Jim Grimsley’s Dream Boy come from two contrasting backgrounds yet, both share the same struggles of understanding themselves and their sexuality and coming to terms with their sexuality. Sex and sexuality plays an integral part of the stories of the novel as a taboo that many of the characters refuse to address. For Dream …show more content…
This is taboo for the South for both religious and social reasons. Parts of the South are nicknamed the ”Bible Belt” because of the population’s fervent belief and faith in their Christianity. In Christian tradition, having intercourse before marriage is considered a sin, so for Esch to become pregnant is beyond a taboo for many in the South. In addition to the religious aspect of Esch’s taboo, the social aspect has two factors to the taboo. Though teenage pregnancy is a common occurrence in today’s society, it is still considered a taboo. Many believe that the young girls are not capable and mature enough to raise a child when they are still children themselves. Also Southern traditions stresses the need for Southern women to behave like ladies and being a lady prohibits sexual promiscuity. The Southern tradition believes that the Southern lady must be the upstanding example of purity, meaning that in order to be pure a lady must be a virgin by the time of her marriage and not be sexually active with men other than her husband. In a moment, Esch explains her sexual activity by saying, “ I think back to all the times I’ve had sex, and it seems like every memory has gold and silver condom wrappers, like chocolate covered in golden foil to look like coins , that the boys leave behind once they get up, once we pull apart (Ward 30).” At the end of Salvage the Bones, the reader sees that neither the sexual …show more content…
Some are met with verbal abuse, harassment, or even physical violence if they challenge the South antiquated traditions when dealing with sex and sexuality. The characters of Salvage the Bones and Dream Boy mirror what many budding adults in the South face when exploring sexuality and the outcomes of that exploration. Just like Esch, Nathan, and Roy, many young adults differ in their sexuality and their sexual experiences. The next generation of the Southern population and the characters share the commonality that they were brave enough to challenge the traditions of the South. All are able to come to terms and accept who they are as people and seuxal beings as they come of age in the
When the authors begin to discuss these children as being sexual individuals it make its somewhat difficult to read as in society we often view children as innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection from adults. However the authors make it clear that children are not asexual, they do experience arousal and engage in sexual practices. This from of adult understanding still remains taboo in s...
Robinson, Charles F. Dangerous Liaisons: Sex and Love in the Segregated South. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2003. Print.
Have you ever realized that the world you live in was not the same anymore? Like something is wrong, but you can never quite figure out why? This is what I felt after reading “America’s War on Sex” by Dr. Martin Klein. While reading this book I learned many different things about organization that do everything in their power to stop freedom of sexual expression.
In the graphic novel Fun Home, by Allison Bechdel, sexual self-discovery plays a critical role in the development of the main character, Allison Bechdel herself; furthermore, Bechdel depicts the plethora of factors that are pivotal in the shaping of who she is before, during and after her sexual self-development. Bechdel’s anguish and pain begins with all of her accounts that she encountered at home, with her respective family member – most importantly her father – at school, and the community she grew up within. Bechdel’s arduous process of her queer sexual self-development is throughout the novel as complex as her subjectivity itself. Main points highlight the difficulties behind which are all mostly focused on the dynamics between her and her father. Throughout the novel, she spotlights many accounts where she felt lost and ashamed of her coming out and having the proper courage to express this to her parents. Many events and factors contributed to this development that many seem to fear.
Unsurprisingly, the novel is a classic coming of age story which centers on a young man who is confused about himself and his sexual identity in his early twenties. This confusion about himself and his sexual identity is the driving force of his interactions with his friends and lovers. Moreover, this confusion about himself and his sexual identity also facilitates the conflict and unforeseen consequences which occur during the novel.
During the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth-century women’s sexuality was dictated by the family and society as there were specific rules put in place for each gender. This became problematic for women in the century, as they could not express their sexual identity. However, the protagonist in both Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899) and Angela Carter’s The Magic Toyshop (1967) demonstrate the consequences of going against the family for women. Jeffrey Weeks states, “The very idea of sexual identity is an ambiguous one. For many in the modern world-especially the sexually marginal-it is an absolutely fundamental concept, offering a sense of personal unity. Social location, and even at times a political commitment.” (Capaln, 1989:
The main story focuses on three women characters and their underlying search for their identities as sexual women in small town America. Allison Mackenzie is the bastard daughter of Constance Mackenzie who had an affair with a married man. She illegally changed Allison’s birth certificate and lied to the Peyton Place locals that her husband died. Connie didn’t want any of the town folk to find out the truth that the father of her child was a married man because she would become the town gossip of ridicule. She kept this secret to herself, and only to herself until an argument between her and Allison occurred when Connie thought Allison was having sex with one of her friends, and so she lashed out the truth to Allison.
Sex in today’s world can be seen anywhere. It is on billboards, radio stations, personal books, school books, magazines, peers, movies, songs, and the most famous is televisions. Commercials use seductive images, sounds, and music grabbing the attention of the audience. Movies and television are proof of the sickness of sexual addiction in society. This disease spreads across the country, infecting the way people think and live their lives. Ultimately it is destroying society and what America holds to be morally correct. Two such sources of writing, “Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades” and Countering the Culture of Sex, give examples of what effect culture play in the way of living. Today’s culture pumps out messages of sexual immorality and the idea of sexual relations outside of marriage are fine. Sexual immorality can destroy families and create dysfunction in the sacred vows of marriage.
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
Let’s talk about sex! Sex is primarily for the survival of our species. It satisfies our urge to reproduce and leave generational legacies on the world. Everyone does it; everyone is here because of it. Yet in society, it 's considered to be a taboo subject to discuss. Most people are uncomfortable openly talking about it, but those who do are often criticized because of their differences. As a result, the effects of the sex being such a private topic are more harmful than simply being open about it. However, in today’s society, it not that everyone cannot be open about their sexuality, it 's mostly unacceptable for women to be open, thus posing double standards on women. I wonder if the connotation of sex is a result of society’s morals
From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.
Throughout Western civilization, culturally hegemonic views on gender and sexuality have upheld a rigid and monolithic societal structure, resulting in the marginalization and dehumanization of millions of individuals who differ from the expected norm. Whether they are ridiculed as freaks, persecuted as blasphemers, or discriminated as sub-human, these individuals have been historically treated as invisible and pushed into vulnerable positions, resulting in cycles of poverty and oppression that remain prevalent even in modern times. Today, while many of these individuals are not publicly displayed as freaks or persecuted under Western law, women, queer, and intersexed persons within our society still nonetheless find themselves under constant
Dream Children is a fascinating story of a young woman who only dreams to be free because she lives within a society where women are looked upon as lesser than men. While using mainly the Feminist criticism but also the Marxism criticism, the story evolved into this passionate story of a women going through her own life trying to escape from society and its patriarchal ways.
... decades ago. This book is one that will allow the reader to view many aspects of sexuality from a social standpoint, and apply it to certain social attitudes in our society today, these attitudes can range from the acceptance of lesbian and gays, and the common sight of sex before marriage and women equality. The new era of sexuality has taken a definite "transformation" as Giddens puts it, and as a society we are living in the world of change in which we must adapt, by accepting our society as a changing society, and not be naive and think all the rules of sexuality from our parents time our still in existence now.