Traditionally the bible; being a sacred text, is not a text that is often affiliated with Native people due to social location; which makes sense considering that in Genesis 11 it was said that the whole earth speaks one same language. This simply cannot be true based on the various Native tribes and the differing languages within each tribe. Laura E Donaldson; author of The Sign of Orpah: Reading Ruth Through Native Eyes, touches on the concept of social location and how it affects how you interpret sacred text. The effect of socio-economic status on a person's life and their position in our society can determine a person’s beliefs and values on life. An individual born into a family of wealth tends to be more reliant on the support of others whereas a person who is considered middle class normally supports themselves. There is a quote in the text from Rigoberta Menchú that mentions that the men of the Chimel village adopted Moses and the Exodus as a text of liberation, while the women of the village preferred the book of Judith. In the book of Judith, you find that she got the king drunk and then decapitated him, saving all the people of Bethulia from war. Most females find the book of Judith to be empowering because it is a female that shows courage and strength towards Holofernes by killing him and displaying his head to ward off the …show more content…
attackers. Mechú states that the idea of indigenous people worshiping the bible is more a concept of learning to understand Gods reality and his mission to devote himself to others. In this case a person’s social location will effect how they understand the bible. This is due to various customs and what people are used to in general. A Native American is not used to being taught Christian/Jewish texts in a church, so their method of interpretation will be different compared to someone who grew up learning the religion since they were a child. In a section of the article Thomas Jefferson is referenced as an interesting example of interpreting the link between the attitude of the Israelites towards the Moabites. The author compares it to a more modern day example; Christians attitude towards American Indians. Ultimately Donaldson comes to a conclusion that both Natives and Moabite women are seen as evil and impurity. The story of Ruth produces an example of cultural acceptance. Ruth an Israelite accepts a Moabite; Boaz in marriage. Ruth is a symbol of multiculturalism; Donaldson again compares her to a difference ethnic group. She is compared to a well-known Aztec woman; Doña Marina who who played an important role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire as an interpreter and then became the wife of the conquistador- Hernán Cortés. Doña Marina as a child was sold as a young girl to Mayan traders; this gave her the experience of learning a second language- resulting in her being bilingual. The story of Doña Marina is far more complex than the story of Ruth, but they have the aspect of cultural mixing. By relating the story of Ruth to other ethnic groups Donaldson creates a bridge of understanding of the bible stories compared to other stories of women in history. Other than religion, marriage is also affected due to social location. In the traditions of the Cherokee tribe intermarriage between whites and female Native Americans were severely frowned upon due to the genealogy of the family. Ultimately the woman would lose the genealogy of her family that was passed down from her mother and women above her. Donaldson speaks about the story of Pocahontas; right as the Indians were about to lay John Smith’s head on a stone to execute him Pocahontas used her body as a human shield in order to save him. Now, you can imagine that Powhatan was upset by the actions of Pocahontas because John Smith was a white male. Based off of social location race, religion, and customs had a negative effect in the story of Pocahontas and John Smith. Donaldson does an excellent job in providing real and understanding examples of social location in how social location had an effect on history.
She connects stories of different multicultural relationships between a man and a woman, and then continues on to compare the women and men from each story to each other. Social class is also mentioned in the story of Ruth and Boaz. Boaz was very wealthy and Ruth was found in his fields taking food for Naomi and herself. Traditionally, an individual that is born into a family of wealthiness is able to take care of their loved one- which is what Boaz does for Ruth after
marriage. A person’s social location can be determined by gender, race, social class, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and geographic location. Religion an aspect of social location is affected due the customs and beliefs of your family. For example, if you were raised Muslim, then your book of faith would be the Quran. After being taught the customs of your religion with the people surrounding you it is natural to have different interpretations of the books of other religions. Because of your social location, you had faith in the religion that was common where you live. Laura Donaldson explains the many concepts of understanding social location by using real stories from history; being between a man and a woman and how they come from different social locations.
One value Ruth instills in her children is the vitality of education in ultimately bettering their lives. When expressing her opinion about the lengths to which some white people go for money, she insists, “You don’t need money. What’s money if your mind’s empty! Educate your mind!” (McBride 33). As her prioritization of education over money shows, she is serious about raising her children to surpass the average. She sees a one-way road on which good education leads to money but not vice-versa; education’s permanence outweighs money’s ephemerality. This prioritization of wisdom over wealth mirrors Tateh’s raising of Ruth when she was a child: “‘That gentile school won’t teach you anything you can use[.]’ […] He paid for us to take private lessons in sewing and knitting and record-keeping[.] […] He was tight with his money, but when it came to that kind of thing, he wasn’t cheap” (80). Although Tateh emphasizes the importance of money much more than Ruth does, he is willing to pay more money to have his children take private lessons about what he considers important, textiles and organization. Likewise, Ruth states that she does not mind her children not having much money as long as they receive a good education. Both Ruth and Tateh hold e...
Females in both texts, Gilgamesh and Genesis/Exodus, are not talked about very much at all and I think that in its self says a lot. When women are brought up they are either being used or doing something great. Even though they are only talked about a few times, when they actually are talked about it makes an impact on the story. Women are put into this story to make a difference to one of the other characters in the story.
Growing up, Ruth had a rough childhood growing up in a very strict jewish household. Her family was poor, her mother was physically handicapped, her father was verbally and physically abusive, and she faced prejudice and discrimination from her neighbors and classmates because she
The story also focuses in on Ruth Younger the wife of Walter Lee, it shows the place she holds in the house and the position she holds to her husband. Walter looks at Ruth as though he is her superior; he only goes to her for help when he wants to sweet talk his mama into giving him the money. Mama on the other hand holds power over her son and doesn’t allow him to treat her or any women like the way he tries to with Ruth. Women in this story show progress in women equality, but when reading you can tell there isn’t much hope and support in their fight. For example Beneatha is going to college to become a doctor and she is often doubted in succeeding all due to the fact that she is black African American woman, her going to college in general was odd in most people’s eyes at the time “a waste of money” they would say, at least that’s what her brother would say. Another example where Beneatha is degraded is when she’s with her boyfriend George Murchison whom merely just looks at her as arm
Cecilia was diagnosed with cancer while Ruth was in high school and the day before her daughter’s graduation, she passed away (Salokar & Volcansek, 1996). One of the greatest influences on Ruth’s life was her mother and the values she instilled in her from a young age. Two of the greatest lessons that Ruth learned from her mother was to be independent and to be a lady, and by that she meant not to respond in anger but to remain calm in situations (Reynolds, 2009).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Ruth has an intriguing personality. She is very loving towards her family. She will do all in her power to improve the lifestyle of her family. When it appears that the deal for the house in Clybourne Park will fall through, she promises to dedicate all of her time to make the investment work. “Lena-I’ll work… I’ll work 20 hours a day in all the kitchens in Chicago…I’ll strap my baby on my back if I have to and scrub all the floors and wash all the sheets in America if I have to-but we have to MOVE!” she pleads to her mother-in-law (Hansberry140). Her plan is unrealistic and idealistic, but the well being of her family is more important to her than anything. Ruth is also witty and sarcastic at times. She cracks jokes to lighten the mood of her family when they’re worried. “Well that’s the way the cracker crumbles. Joke. (121)” When Beneatha and Mama are stressing over the neighborhood they are moving into, Ruth makes a witty joke to improve the mood. Ruth supervises the daily routine and well being of her family. She makes sure that everyone does what they are supposed to and stays on track. ...
This report is based on the like history of Ruth A White. I am going to talk about her life journey from young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. Ruth who is 70 years old and she live with her husband. As she was growing up try to fit into the roles she desire to fit into. And at the time she was seeking from her partners but also fear rejection and tends to start feeling isolated. All she wanted was for someone to love and care for her. She said that during this time she eager on meeting people and establishing a solid group of friends as well as a network that will boost her careers. She was able to find identities and was willing to enter committed relationships and that is how she met Richard White her husband. As Erikson projected in his theory once identities have been established, marriage and close relationships are entered into, and emotional bonds develop that can ask for sacrifices and other demands. And that is what happens to this two loving couple.
Many women who were part of the middle classes were often not sent to school and so didn’t usually learn a skill that they could use to make a living. Consequently, as they were women and so were often not left much, if any, inheritance when their parents died, women found that they must. marry in order to have money and to keep their place in society. Charlotte takes advantage of her situation to marry purely for money. and not for love, this is what many women do and what society.
Ruth is Walter's wife. Her dream is to have a happy family but she also wants to be wealthy.
... a merely a reflection of Hebrew society of the time (Stanton). Jesus Christ, being a reformer, should have improved the status of women with his message of love and acceptance. However, there is no denying that the stigma is carried with women into the present day. Women’s position in society can be greatly attributed to their depiction in religious text. Holy word is still a factor in making women more susceptible, more culpable, and more sinful an impure than men. Even as women move up in the social order, religion is timeless and ever bearing on the struggle women fight for sexual equality.
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
According to Gender doesn’t Matter by McCormack, Jan states that “Judith was not a warrior, yet she beheaded the Assyrian king 's general (71).” According to Gender doesn’t Matter by McCormack, Jan states that, “Deborah, a prophetess and a judge of Israel, guided her people during peace and war. When war and oppression came, she battled against the superior Canaanite army herself and led her male troops to victory (71).” According to Gender doesn’t Matter by McCormack, Jan states that “Sierra, the enemy general, then fled the battlefield towards Kedesh, where he was received by his ally Heber 's wife, Jael. After he fell asleep, Jael killed him with a tent peg. She was hailed a heroine by the pursuing Israelite forces (71).” All these women have had victory and success bestowed upon them not because of their sex but because of their skill, leadership, and taking action, not waiting on a man to approve there
As Ruth’s mind flashes back to events in her childhood, she begins to understand her mother’s actions were designed to protect her, encourage her, and give her the best in life. ...
Although Judith is characterized as a strong, independent women, she maintains her faith in God. For example, directly after defeating Holofernes, Judith says a prayer in order to thank God for giving her the strength to save her hometown. After asking for forgiveness from God, the public thanked Judith by giving her strength and encouragement. This further developed her character as a hero while showing that keeping god in mind helped Judith accomplish her goals. While the Bible teaches this, the author of Judith maintained this theme in order to show people that strength and courage come from maintaining faith in God.
As a lower-middle- class, atheist, hispanic, woman who lives on her own (but with a roommate), can agree and disagree with some of the points made from the Sarojini Nadar reading. Unlike Nadar, I believe Ruth is submissive to Naomi. According to the “I am going to the fields to glean” section, Nadar states “ it is clear that Ruth is portrayed as a strong-willed, independent thinker; if a situation arose in which she could take care of her mother-in-law, then she would, whether her mother-in-law granted permission or not. Therefore, Ruth is not asking her mother-in-law whether she can go to the field; she is telling her that she is going,” (165). I think this is a stretch of an interpretation because the way I see it is that by asking Naomi if she should go could be taken as a sign of respect or a way to confirm their plan to seduce Boaz. Furthermore, in the same section, it states “Naomi told her to lie at Boaz’s feet and to wait for him to tell her what to do. Ruth doesn’t wait,” (168). My theory believes that the only reason why Ruth doesn’t follow through with Naomi’s plan is because Naomi wasn’t there watching her and Ruth’s action wasn’t to intentionally not listen to Naomi but rather found a better way to get Boaz’s attention. Plus afterwards in chapter 4, Ruth never speaks, she is only spoken about when she gives birth to the son she had with Boaz it states “The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi,’” (4:17). Since having a son is the ultimate prize I think Naomi won it over Ruth. On the other hand, I don’t think her submissive attitude dismisses she survivor quality. Ruth is very clever, resourceful, determined, daring, and caring character that took initived in choosing to provide and help her mother-in-law, while also helping