The law of the levirate was a standard male-centered practice in ancient Israel. It also was the only way that Tamar could ensure her dependent status within her late husband’s family and evade the shame of returning home. The WBC explains her predicament precisely, “Even more anomalous is the young childless widow who has no hope of becoming a fruitful member of her husband’s clan once the husband is dead. Indeed, she has altogether lost her tie with that clan. Yet she, like the barren wife, no longer belongs in her father’s household.” So even though the law of the levirate was superficially misogynistic, it benefited women almost, if not more than men (WBC 25).
After two of Judah’s son’s died while married to Tamar, he was especially wary of subjecting his youngest and last remaining son to the misfortune of Tamar so he commanded her to “Remain a widow in [her] father’s house until [his] son Shelah [grew] up” (NRSV 50). Tamar returned home with nothing to show for her loss of virginity, making her less than nothing status-wise. It is apparent that Judah has no intentions of letting Tamar marry his son Judah, therefore defying the law of the levirate and effectively sealing Tamar’s fate.
Tamar took matters into her own hands at this point. When she heard that Judah would be passing her town to go shear his sheep she posed as a prostitute and solicited sex from him with intentions of becoming pregnant. In exchange she was to be paid a sheep, however, as collateral she took his signet ring, its cord, and his staff, which were all marked with Judah’s seal (WBC 26). Tamar, now impregnated, resumed her position as widow and was nowhere to be found when Judah returned.
This is point at which her dichotomous situation is most apparent. It is obvious that Tamar accepted the levirate policy; this submission was the only way she knew how to regain her status. However, as it was designed, the execution of the policy was in the hands of the father. Judah was not following through and Tamar took her salvation into her own hands. Her acceptance only went so far, she was willing to accept her submissive status as a possession of Judah’s clan because it was guaranteed. In the desperate position that she was forced into Tamar made the decision to subversively regain her guarantee.
Women were auctioned off as “merchandise” to the best suitor they could get in town. Beauty, though important, was not as important as the dowry the woman possessed, because it was the dowry the family provided that could exalt a man’s societal status to all new heights. Once married, women were expected to have son’s for their husbands in order to take over the family business. A barren woman was not an option and could have easily been rushed to the nearest convent to take her vows of a nun, for no honor could be brought otherwise. No woman could run from the societal and legal pressures placed upon them. Rather than run, some chose to accept their place, but, like Lusanna, some chose to fight the status quo for rights they believed they
Her only option was to move back into her childhood home with her parents. Her father was very disapproving of Jordan because she was once again an unmarried woman, and, to make matters even worse, she was pregnant. This abuse from her father is the second river that she must cross. Her father believes that women should marry and stay married, serving their husbands and taking care of the children.
...ed to “Greater Learning for Women” (Document 11). Women in those times weren’t allowed to go to school or learn. In some cases they couldn’t own property or go anywhere without their husbands. There were many different things that boys were allowed to do, but girls weren’t. For example, the Document states, “The great lifelong duty of a woman is obedience….When the husband issues his instructions, the wife must never disobey them. In a doubtful case, she should inquire of her husband and obediently follow his commands…. A woman should look upon her husband as if he were Heaven itself, and never weary of thinking how she may yield to her husband and thus escape celestial castigation.” Obviously, this was very different from the mortality book taught how to treat boys. Even though these Documents are very different in topic, they can be compared in many ways.
John Kempe, the husband of Kempe, was a relationship abuser. Although that term was unknown at the time, there is evidence that he had complete ownership over his unwilling wife. However, it is important to note what some of the laws were of marriage at the time, so they can be applied to the text. “It seems clear, however, that women, then as now, were most vulnerable in the home, at the hands of their own kin. Legislators gave great leeway to the men of the household to discipline their women…” (Bennett, Karras 107). Discipline, at the time, was legal to be given by the man of the house, and there were no repercussions for him to face; “Corporeal punishments of the wife and children were considered natural privileges of the father figure who acted as the king’s and ultimately as God’s proxy within the small family unit” (Classen 195). After giving birth to fourteen children, Kempe wanted to stop having sex, and stop having children. Without taking her wishes into account, John told her that she was not allowed to deprive him of sex. This is an example of how Kempe was used, in order for John to get what he wants:
Moira had herself sterilized before the time of Gilead. This meant that when she became a handmaid they didn't know she was sterilized because it would defeat the object trying to get Moira pregnant. This shows that Gilead is not perfect. The technologies that they made unlawful stopped them finding this out.
Violence against women is not a new social issue and Pamela Copper-Whites’ book The Cry of Tamar does well in bringing this to light not only as a social issue but as a religious issues as well. Tamar’s story sheds light on the violence and degradation of women in the biblical times.
Ideas on social and gender hierarchy are evident in this religious text. The Qur’an states that both men and women are spiritually equal and equally rewarded by God. But, as it continues, it goes on to state that, “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because God has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means.” Men and women are said to be “spiritually equal”, yet men are still seen as stronger and women should be “devoutly obedient” to their husbands. Women subordination during the Middle Ages was shaped mostly by local culture, which varied with time and place. In early communities, women had more liberty, but by the mid 700’s, women began to be subordinated, especially elite women. Though the Qur’an guaranteed woman more rights than the Bible, it also subordinates wives to their husbands, and women’s inheritance to
We are all familiar with the creation story in Genesis of the Bible—a rib was taken from Adam (man) in order to create Eve (woman). Did this set the tone for women’s submissive role in society? History shows us that this is not true, since women dating as far back as the 6th century had power and were taken seriously. Strong women, such as Perpetua of Carthage, used their faith as a means of helping others and asserting their power in a male-dominated culture. As the years went on, though, women experienced a loss of power and control. A woman’s worth was directly associated with h...
Offred’s journey is a prime example of the appalling effects of idly standing by and allowing herself to become a part of the Gilead’s corrupt system. This woman is a Handmaid which was recently placed within a new
First of all, women are considered inferior to men and are more of a burden than a convenience for them. During the time of this novel, fathers were expeditious when it came to selling their daughters away to be married. Having to take care of their daughters became too much for them when there was another man available who could make her a priority, so the solution was easy. Rebekka, for example, is sold by her father and sent from Britain to America to marry Jacob Vaark, despite of how Rebekka feels. Without ever considering Jacob’s looks or personality, since he is looking for a wife, and Rebekka is available, her father immediately takes the
She already, at eighteen, had a “good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic and religious woman” (209). She was a devout Christian. Considering that her piety was the source of her good reputation, it is safe to assume the people in her village were also religious. Communities as such could pose as an obstacle for a strong, independent woman, as it was religiously customary for the woman to be submissive to her husband.
J. Daniel Hays debates two avenues for us to take in interpreting and applying the Old Testament Law. The first view is called the traditional approach (Hays 2001, Pg 22). This approach suggests the Bible reader can selectively choose the moral laws, while practically ignoring the civil and ceremonial laws. The problem is the distinctions into these three types of laws can be personally random; like the saying goes, “to each their own”. The author brought up a very good point in quoting Leviticus 19:18-19: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18) “Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material” (Lev 19:19)
This article can be important for understanding more possible side effects that accompany an intellectual disability. It would be useful for people to be knowledgeable on the differences that people with mental disabilities have to deal with. In the article they discuss a study that was done when they use the two cognitive functions vocabulary and arithmetical reasoning to measure the children’s mental abilities. They attempt to match the children who have an intellectual disability to their mental and chronological age based on how well they do. With the information they gather they can find out what kind of role the disability plays on the children’s working memory. In the article they state “The children with ID did not show the same kind of pattern as their same age mainstream peers, and this implies that they were using different working memory resources to carry out the same cognitive tasks. (Henry, MacLean, 2003, p.19)” This is just another example of how people no matter their age struggle having an intellectual disability and will have to live their lives in a much different way than most seemingly normal people. The article discusses how children with mental disabilities cannot use their stored memory as other children can when trying to solve a problems, instead they will have to start the problem
Contingency theory though developed by some researchers in Ohios University in 1940s but, it was popularized by Fiedler in 1967. The theory according to Fiedler (F1967) saw leadership behavior as a functions of three situational factors: leader–member relations which is the degree of confidence, trust, and respect members have in their leader; task structure which is the degree to which the job assignments are procedurized (that is, structured or unstructured); and position power which is the degree of influence a leader has over power variables such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.
by her father and his choice of husband for her - she could run away