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Florence Nightingale and her contribution to nursing
Florence Nightingale and her contribution to nursing
The Victorian era and gender roles
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Women, although many a times not as powerful as men physically have long been a strong force in society, especially in the Victorian Age, where they had obvious contributions in ways that have seen positive effects to this present day. Prominent, among many other successful women of the Victorian age who departed from their usual roles assigned in the hierarchy of society were Florence Nightingale, Madam Curie and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The Victorian age is seen as a period of questioning of a woman’s traditional role in society as established by nature and religious tradition. These questions and striving for more independent roles in society from the norm led to the arrival of a much - debated phenomenon called the “New Women” (Besant 1583). Although Victorians started bringing forth the questions about what really was a women’s status in society and their traditional roles as a caretaker of the family and home, they many a times hindered to think that women could make these decisions by themselves or that they could exist independent of a man. To make decisions for women and consider them just as an object of worship or an “angel in the house” was disgraceful to them as they did not even have dominion over themselves and moreover this was just a way to not allow women gain a higher status by assuming women were not capable of a man’s intellectuality (“Woman Question” 1581). In the Victorian Age, women were considered as an object of worship rather than considering her as an equally intellectual to man. The Victorian woman did not have much or any choices in her life, but the “woman question” led to much realization of the capabilities of a woman beyond her home and lead to many women crossing the boundaries of their trad... ... middle of paper ... ... of their homes, but as they started to ponder the question of what really was a women’s role, it led to many prominent women gaining fame and contributing greatly to society. It was this awakening and realization among men and women that women could also greatly contribute and be independent of men that helped erase the great burden of hierarchical disparity and helped bring them closer towards equal status. Works Cited Greenblatt,Stephen,ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. Print. Parkman, Francis. “The Woman Question Again.” The North American Review 0130. 278(1880):17.Cornell.Web.18 Feb. 2012 Tyrrell, Alex. "Samuel Smiles and The Woman Question In Early Victorian Britain." Journal Of British Studies 39.2 (2000): 185-86. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
Upon hearing the term, “The Victorian Woman,” it is likely that one’s mind conjures up an image of a good and virtuous woman whose life revolved around the domestic sphere of the home and family, and who demonstrated a complete devotion to impeccable etiquette as well as to a strong moral system. It is certainly true that during Victorian England the ideal female was invested in her role as a wife and a mother, and demonstrated moral stability and asexuality with an influence that acted as her family’s shield to the intrusions of industrial life. Yet despite the prevalence of such upstanding women in society, needless to say not all women lived up to such a high level of moral aptitude. Thus, we must beg the question, what became of the women who fell far short from such a standard? What became of the women who fell from this pedestal of the ideal Victorian woman, and by way of drunkenness, criminality, or misconduct became the negation of this Victorian ideal of femininity?
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Throughout most of recorded history, women generally have endured significantly fewer career opportunities and choices, and even less legal rights, than that of men. The “weaker sex,” women were long considered naturally, both physically and mentally, inferior to men. Delicate and feeble minded, women were unable to perform any task that required muscular or intellectual development. This idea of women being inherently weaker, coupled with their natural biological role of the child bearer, resulted in the stereotype that “a woman’s place is in the home.” Therefore, wife and mother were the major social roles and significant professions assigned to women, and were the ways in which women identified and expressed themselves. However, women’s history has also seen many instances in which these ideas were challenged-where women (and some men) fought for, and to a large degree accomplished, a re-evaluation of traditional views of their role in society.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
The industrialization of the nineteenth century was a tremendous social change in which Britain initially took the lead on. This meant for the middle class a new opening for change which has been continuing on for generations. Sex and gender roles have become one of the main focuses for many people in this Victorian period. Sarah Stickney Ellis was a writer who argued that it was the religious duty of women to improve society. Ellis felt domestic duties were not the only duties women should be focusing on and thus wrote a book entitled “The Women of England.” The primary document of Sarah Stickney Ellis’s “The Women of England” examines how a change in attitude is greatly needed for the way women were perceived during the nineteenth century. Today women have the freedom to have an education, and make their own career choice. She discusses a range of topics to help her female readers to cultivate their “highest attributes” as pillars of family life#. While looking at Sarah Stickney Ellis as a writer and by also looking at women of the nineteenth century, we will be able to understand the duties of women throughout this century. Throughout this paper I will discuss the duties which Ellis refers to and why she wanted a great change.
Reagin, Nancy. “Historical Analysis: Women as ‘the Sex’ During the Victorian Era.” Victorian Women: The Gender of Oppression. Pace University, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
M.H. Abrams, et al; ed., The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume I. W.W. Norton & Company, New York/London, 1993.
In addition to gender roles, social classes were incredibly important in Victorian life. The typical woman’s life was framed mostly by her interactions with men of equal social standing. For Vivie, this means the middle class. Because the prototypical Victorian woman was most common in the middle class, a New Woman like Vivie encountered resistance to her way of life. The resistance was often passive, though, a result of men who are unable to comprehend a more independent woman. Mr. Praed is a f...
Abrams, M.H., et al. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. 2 Vols. New York: Norton, 1993.
The Victorian Era had lasted from the years 1837-1901. People in this era were known through their social class and how efficiently they were able to present themselves. Those who were obligated to carry themselves is such a proficient manner, were the women of Victorian Era. Although they had been expected to perform and execute many tasks, they were never recognized just as equal to the men in society. They were never acknowledged to make judgments or decisions, rather were best known for marriage, prostitution, and motherhood. As the men, dominated and took control of every decision possible. They were known for their aggressive and independent attitude. This led an extraordinary women named, Charlotte Brontë to begin a revolution of change and improvement in the social standings. As her living in the Victorian Era, set her upon a journey of many hardships but her well-known classics, Jane Eyre, depicted her strength and courage to step up for women equality and portray who she truly was in society.
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology Of English Literature. 8th. A. W W Norton & Co Inc, 2006.
Gorham, Deborah. A. A. The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982. Martineau, Harriet.
Abrams, M. H., et al., The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1986.
The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ninth Edition. Stephen Greenblatt, eds. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 460. Print.