Throughout history women have been underestimated. Society as a whole is patriarchal, and even though women have mead great strides in gaining equality, there are still crimes and prejudice against women. Women are capable of great feats, if they are given a chance. Some women ignored all social standards and managed to accomplish incredible things that changed the course of history.
Women who fought in battle are not an uncommon concept. There are stories from ancient history that shows that a woman participating in battle was not completely forbidden. The Amazons were a mythic race of warrior women who appear in Greek texts. They are even mentioned in several of Homer’s epic poems. These women were the antithesis of the typical Greek woman; they practiced archery and swordplay, and they lived away from civilized society. It is a common theme for the Amazons to be subjugated and dominated by men, and scholars view this theme as the evolution from matriarchy to patriarchy (Reinhard).
Another myth that portrayed women as warriors is the tale of the Valkyries. The Valkyries are found in Norse mythology, particularly in the Eddas (epic poems). The Valkyries were warrior-maidens and servants of the god Odin. They rode through battle following g Odin’s commands, which brought victory or defeat. They also selected the warriors who were deemed worthy enough to enter Valhalla. The Valkyries may symbolize the Norsemen’s view of a perfect woman- a woman who is “brave and independent,” but also “beautiful and willing to be a servant to men” (Valkyries).
Not every female warrior was mythical. Joan of Arc is possibly the most famous female warrior. But there were many others who do not receive recognition for their accomplishments. An e...
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...he Queen of Georgia.
Roscoe, W. (2010, November 3). Lozen Apache Warrior and Medicine
Woman. Will's World. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.willsworld.org/lozen/lozen.html
Roscoe explains the life and importance of Lozen in the form of a detailed PowerPoint.
Jennie Hodgers, aka Private Albert Cashier (n.d.). National Park Service.
Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=187
Jennie Hodgers dressed as a man in order to join the Union army. Her secret remained undetected throughout the entire war, and was discovered only after she had returned to Illinois.
Paul, L. (2009, May 24). In Civil War, Woman Fought Like a Man for Freedom.
National Public Radio. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104452266
This article discusses Jennie Hodgers, aka Albert Cashier and her place in history.
Campbell begins by examining the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps in the United States and the “experiments” that the Army General Staff held “to see how well American women could perform” (302). Ultimately, they discovered that “mixed gender units performed better than all male units” (302). Similar British experiences found much the same thing; in fact, it was the model of the British army that the United States “was watching closely” (306). In Britain in 1941, 125,000 women were drafted into the military, while 430,000 more volunteered over the next three years (306). The purpose of these units was to allow more men to fight offensively on the continent while the women protected the defensive lines. Neither country allowed the women to fight, however; in the United States the public was not “ready to ...
Many women have played an amazing role in history. Women haven’t usually been in a position of power, nevertheless, they have often contributed in a plethora of ways. Empress Theodora, of the Byzantine Empire, and Queen Elizabeth I , of England, are two women who impacted their societies and were loved by their people.
Every culture day to day makes stories and legends to preserve its distinctive qualities. Mythologies are one way of doing so, where it features a strong individual who saves the day or sacrifices himself for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, these warriors are usually men. Women on the other hand, are depicted as the feeble and helpless population who have little to offer to society besides being the victims in most situations. In mythology, many women are not given the credit they deserve after they aid heroes in their success. Mythologies also show the hero discarding women after they have fulfilled the hero's individual needs and demands, as they are also perceived to be the weak and helpless gender. For that reason, it is evident
The.. Eggleston, Larry. A. Women in the Civil War? North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2003. Print. The.. Schwartz,
This again enforces male superiority, because the only way a female character is able to challenge a male hero is through non-human powers, suggesting that in the real world it is impossible for women to successfully challenge men. Consider Scylla and Charybdis in the Odyssey, both of whom are females too powerful to be conquered by Odysseus, are obstacles physically in Odysseus’ path, and are described as vile monsters. Scylla specifically is labelled “the bane of mankind” (Homer 12.126) and Odysseus is advised that against her “the best course of action is flight,” (Homer 12.121). This female character is therefore powerful enough to invert the masculine heroic ideals of bravery and warfare, which can only be justified by portraying Scylla as a monster. Likewise, Odysseus states, “The divine Calypso was certainly for keeping me in her cavern home because she yearned for me to be her husband and with the same object Circe, the Aeaean witch, detained me in her palace…” (Homer 9. 29-30); Calypso and Circe are able to restrain Odysseus from continuing his journey only because they possess powers beyond those of human women. Similarly, Ishtar, a goddess in the Epic of Gilgamesh, is a major antagonist with great power who creates an obstacle for Gilgamesh by sending the Bull of Heaven to kill him. When begging her father for the bull, she threatens “I shall smash [the gates of the Netherworld, right down] to its dwelling, to the world below I shall grant [manumission,] I shall bring up the dead to consume the living, I shall make the dead outnumber the living,” (George 6.97-100). The active denotation of these words shows a woman with immense agency taking on the active role reserved for men, and so she is portrayed as a villain. Harris notes “She has…assumed an active, aggressive
The women of these tales, some ideal, some treacherous, others a combination of both hold either an aspiring position in their character or a greatly disliked position. Either way, these women have an effective role in the turns these tales took. Although the roles of each women vary in some ways than other every role that each female portrays has been one with holding feminine power. The hero in these tales performance would be altered and would or would not be able to perform great works. Whether overtly or covertly, women represent a vaguely hidden currency of power in these myths.
Women have played a significant role throughout history in many ways. although women haven’t usually been in a position of power, they always rise above the occasion and do what's best for the rest humanity. They have often contributed in significant ways.Empress Theodora did not care that she was a girl ruling and she carried on to be one of the best queens.
When the war began men had to leave their families and jobs behind. World War I was a complete war because all of the world’s assets had to be used and the entire nation’s population was involved. Anyone that had the ability to work had to work. The women had to take up jobs and went through a lot changes in order to support their families during the war. World War I gave women with the chance to have a significant part in the victory of the war which had an impact them and changed the lives of all women forever.
Phrases such as “she is a such a strong woman,” and “I am a strong woman” are very popular, because women still esteem women who possess great strength — whether it be physical or mental strength. Women may not be conquering land and enemies like Semiranis, but women are still conquering other fierce battles, such as abuse, addiction, illness, death, inequality, and so much more. Therefore, think not that women do not possess the strength and fight in battles like from the times of old, but instead understand that women still do have that amazing Amazon strength, it just that for many the battles are depression, divorce, et cetera. Women may not be creating alphabets like Nicostrata or inventing sciences like Minerva, but women are still channeling the same intelligence that the ancient renowned women channeled. Thousands of women are involved in science, technology, literature, and arts. Like Semiranis who was a leader and warrior, there are countless female politicians and females soldiers. In conclusion, one should not read this text in awe that women were able to do incredible things, but instead one should read this text in astonishment that women are
When someone thinks of the Civil Rights movement they picture Martin Luther King Junior giving his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Someone might also think of Malcolm X and sit-ins held by those a part of the movement. Ask someone if they can name three female leaders of the Civil Rights movement and they might mumble out a single name, Rosa Parks. Looking through manuscripts, thesis’s, and reports there’s a common reoccurrence of male lead groups being the center of all the attention. Behind every man is a great woman proves true during the Civil Rights movement as well. These women who helped shape American history are some of the strongest that have ever been, unfortunately they are also some of the most forgotten. During the Civil Rights
In considering the relationship between the meanings of myths and their representation of women, we learned that the major role in shaping the narratives was played by men. Myths reveal to us the experiences of women living in the patriarchal society and we gain the symbol value accorded to women and we come to realize what the term "Woman" meant to the ancient Greek man. Reading through the various stories on Goddesses and queens, monsters and more. Princesses, we learn that there are three major levels of women in Greek mythology. The first level is composed of the divine beings known as the goddesses.
I found the answer of this in two articles. One of which was titled Warrior Archetype, and it stated, ¨Do you have a strong sense of justice, loyalty, and a willingness to defend what you see as just and right? Are you goal oriented, know what you want, and how to get it? Do you have the patience to stay with a task until the end? Do you have the ability to see problems with clarity, to strategize, and use tactical means to overcome them? Are you motivated by the belief that strength and power can be used to defeat whatever threatens freedom or any injustice? These are the traits of the warrior. This archetype may bring up images for you of warfare or aggression. However, the warrior is often reluctant to go into battle. This archetype’s overriding motivation is not to fight for the sake of victory at all costs (which would actually be a shadow attribute of the warrior), but to instead fight to defend what is just¨ (Carol A. Coronis Into the Tangled Garden). The other was titled Archetypes: THE WARRIOR and it stated, ¨The warrior is a masculine archetype, but this does not mean that women can’t express the characteristics of a warrior. From what I've seen women are just as likely as men to fall under the influence of this pattern. The word warrior contains the word “war”, which is what this archetype is about. Conflict is the name of the
Fog covered forests, heat blasted deserts, mortar destroyed landscapes. These are just a few of the scenarios encountered on the modern day battlefield. The present day warrior needs to be decisive, emotionally stable, physically immovable and a natural born killer. Do women fit any of these descriptions? Should a woman be permitted to enter into combat situations? Some argue that it is a woman's right to be fighting along side other men. Others agree that by not letting women in ground troops her rights are being taken away. A woman can be anything that she wants but when she tries to prove that she is just as good as a man in combat she could be putting herself in very dangerous situations that could effect her and her unit.
Guiding principles for battle are centered on generally masculine traits such as honor and courage. In fact, any man who is not willing to fight is seen as weak and not worthy of respect, as Diomedes told his army: “I know only cowards depart from battle. A real warrior stands his ground,” (11.432-435). Additionally, an obvious detail, but one that is important to note, is the fact that all of the warriors in The Iliad are men, and all of the women are portrayed as secondary characters that exist either to support or to enable the men as they go off to fight. Not only is the strong and fearless warrior-like image important in times of war, it is in fact the distinguishing factor between masculinity and
Many people have heard or read Greek and Roman goddess myths in literature classes or as part of modern fiction. Yet many of us are completely unaware of the thousands of goddess stories that have been told in cultures around the world from a few millennia ago to current day. These stories have persisted because they have important lessons about basic human needs and conditions. They also open our hearts to recognizing the importance of the divine feminine spirit in a world often dominated by masculine energy.