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The role of women throughout English literature
The role of women throughout English literature
Gender roles in the Victorian era: men and women
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It is difficult to cull a satisfying thematic interpretation from Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market." Obvious themes might be "that one should be careful of temptation," or "that little girls should not talk to strange men." One might even go on to the end of the poem and decide the theme is "that sisters should love one another." These are rather trite ideas, however, and while the poem definitely supports them (and they are easily defended with quotations from the text), a more careful look at "Goblin Market" reveals that the poem is fairly complex, and able to support a more revolutionary reading than the ones put forth above. Rather than saying that "Goblin Market" has a particular theme, I would put forth the notion that it attempts to deal with certain problems Rossetti recognized within the canon of English literature, and specifically with the problem of how to construct a female hero.
There are no signifecant female heros in English literature up to the time of Rossetti. Female protagonists exist, of course, like Elizabeth in Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but they have no outlet for heroic action. They are constrained by the gender-roles into which a male-dominated society has placed them. Elizabeth must spend a good deal of her energy waiting for Darcy to take action; she herself is hobbled by the cords of decorum.
In "Goblin Market," Rossetti creates a rudimentary framework of behavior in wh...
(Rossetti, 1713). Even while the characters were alone or in the exclusive presence of women, the presence of the Goblin men existed as reminders that the presence of men is socially necessary.... ... middle of paper ... ...
One of the strongest emotions inherent in us as humans is desire. The majority of the time, we are unable to control what we crave; however, with practice, we learn not all things we want are necessary. As a result of this mature understanding, we are able to ease our feelings and sometimes even suppress our desires. Something even more mature is understanding that when we give in to our desires, we become vulnerable. In a harsh, brutal world, vulnerability will not work to our advantage. In Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” she writes about a sister who succumbs to her desire and pays dearly for it while the other sister resists her desires and receives the ultimate reward of her sister’s life. By creating such a spectacular tale, Rossetti stresses the importance of being in touch with one’s desires and being able to prevail over their strong hold because in the harsh world we live in, we cannot afford to let our desire get the best of us.
There are no significant women heroes in British literary works up to plenty of duration of Rossetti. Female protagonists are available, of course, like Age in Austen's Pleasure and Tendency, but they have no store for brave activity. They are restricted by the gender-roles into which a male-dominated community has placed them. Age must invest a great cope of her power awaiting Darcy to take action; she herself is hobbled by the cables of decorum
Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. Whenever a female character is introduced, however, the assumption is that she will be a strong lead that challenges the patriarchal values. The authors of The Thousand and One Nights and Medea use their female centered stories to prove their contrasting beliefs on the role of women not only in literature, but also in society. A story with a female main character can be seen as empowering, but this is not always the case, as seen when comparing and contrasting Medea and The Thousand and One Nights.
Westerns connote images of dirt, dust, guns, horses, cowboys and heroes: physically strong, iron-willed, independent, resourceful, quick-witted men. Although the modern Western (the writings of Louise L’Amour, Zane Grey and the numerous films starring John Wayne, Roy Rodgers, Gene Autry) seems to focus on this ideal hero, the genre actually also provides women with strong, self-reliant, active roles. In fact, many texts that precede the typical modern Western had females as the main characters. However, the role of the heroine still differs from that of the hero; the role does not defeminize women but gives them depth as characters. These women still retain their femininity and domesticity, but they also rescue those around them, take care of themselves, and have a relationship with the land. The Girl of the Golden West, a play written by David Belasco around 1905, perfectly demonstrates this idea. The heroine, the Girl, speaks frankly, carries a gun, takes care of herself, protects the miners’ money, and actually rescues the villain. At the same time, she comforts her boys, desires to recreate the home she remembers, and, epitomizing female virtue, converts the road agent with her love. Other earlier works also provide examples of active, strong women. These earlier works laid a foundation and created a tradition from which the modern-day Western evolved. The tradition began in the earliest days of the colonies with the captivity narratives and eventually blossomed into stories such as The Girl of the Golden West, undoubtedly a Western with a heroine.
In historic Greece, the characteristics of a hero were for the most part left only for men to achieve. Heroes were viewed as those who were kind to friends, vicious to enemies. They were also men who risked their lives regularly everyday, fighting for not only their country, but also treasures such as women, gold, and armor, among other things. Women, however, rarely accomplished such things, for what made a good woman was her obedience to her husband, her loyalty to her family, and, for the most part, other functions that a housewife is usually considered to perform. In order to win renown, however, a woman was forced to commit actions normally left to men. Antigone, Electra, and Medea, do not attempt to be what was considered a “good” women in ancient Greece; rather, their actions become masculine, instead. This is why they were known in the ancient world.
Drivers who speed often do not realize the enormous danger they are creating. When someone is speeding they have a higher braking time and are often going too fast to notice all of their surroundings, and fail to take all of the safety precautions a driver should use. Road conditions play a large role in the effects of speeding. Choosing to speed can also get a person’s license taken away, cost a fortune, or both.
The feud between Apple Company and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) started after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California on December 2015. The FBI named the man responsible for the Massacre as Syed Rizwan Farook along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik. The police killed the couple during the shootout and found an iPhone (Apple product) used by Farook which later the FBI learned was given to him by his employer from the government. In order to trace others involved in the killings, the FBI requested Apple to help them crack the phone because they don’t want to risk deleting the possible information they need. “Cracking the phone” is a process of making a backdoor or breaking into the secured computer system with certain software which enables illegal copying of data (techopedia). I thought it was absurd to know that during the House committee hearing on March 3, 2016, Apple dismissed the FBI request to crack the mobile phone used by Farook in the San Bernardino Massacre on December
What competitive pressures must Oliver’s Market be prepared to deal with? What do we learn about the nature and strength of the competitive pressures Oliver’s faces from doing five-forces analysis of competition? Which of the five competitive forces is the strongest?
During the 1800s, society believed there to be a defined difference in character among men and women. Women were viewed simply as passive wives and mothers, while men were viewed as individuals with many different roles and opportunities. For women, education was not expected past a certain point, and those who pushed the limits were looked down on for their ambition. Marriage was an absolute necessity, and a career that surpassed any duties as housewife was practically unheard of. Jane Austen, a female author of the time, lived and wrote within this particular period. Many of her novels centered around women, such as Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, who were able to live independent lives while bravely defying the rules of society. The roles expected of women in the nineteenth century can be portrayed clearly by Jane Austen's female characters of Pride and Prejudice.
When you send your children off to school, you might worry about bullying or about their academic performance, but you generally don’t consider their lunch-time meal to be a potential problem. Now imagine, for a moment, your son or daughter is given the option between a juicy cheeseburger with greasy French fries and a healthier chicken salad. It’s a no-brainer what choice they will make. Now, stop imagining because you don’t have to. Instances like this are a reality everyday in many school cafeterias. In 2005, John Esterbrook, a writer for CBS News, reported on a government survey showing that junk foods are in competition with healthy counterparts in nine out of ten schools (par. 1). Today, although four years later, little improvement has been made to ensure students in schools are eating healthy.
Junk food can be very appealing because of taste, price and convenience, but most children do not understand the health risks they are indulging in. Junk food is bad for many reasons the most significant is the risk of obesity and obesity related illnesses; a study published in Pediatrics in 2004 that “children eating junk food was linked with many dangerous risk for obesity.” According to this study, kids who ate junk food were more likely to consume a large amount of carbohydrates, fats, and sugar when eating junk food. The children were also less likely to eat as much dairy, fiber, and fruits and vegetables as children who did not eat junk food. Another, reason junk food should be avoided by young children would be that it causes chronic illness. According to the Prevention Institute, researchers fault junk food for the growing rates of high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Chronic illness rates are sky rocketing for children who eat junk food regularly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts if this trend of unhealthy eating continues; “…one in three U.S. adults will have diabetes by the year 2050.” I...
The FBI and Apple had a difference in opinions when it came to the privacy of criminals.The FBI wanted the device that can decrypt the cell phone and let them check the information they need to check. The federal court even sent a court order for Apple to help the FBI. The FBI wants to examine the iPhone to see if it was involved in the planning of the mass shooting. To see if they could get some physical proof. The user was Syed Farook, who was another suspect involved in the shooting. Apple is
We hear it on a daily basis. It is posted on the sides of the roads. We see it on the ads in between our favourite TV shows. We even hear it while we are committing the crime. Don’t speed! But it’s still not enough to make a difference. How can speeding be beneficial? Perhaps only in a very desperate emergency is it called for. But that doesn’t account for the number of incidents on our roads. It really does destroy lives. We need to make a change before it is too late. More than 1200 people die each year from speeding on our Australian roads. 4000 people are injured in speed-related incidents. 40% of these injured people weren’t even the driver behind the wheel. Speeding occurs in 33% of all fatal crashes. The careless drivers are punishing
...e, his physician told him that was the same reaction drug users have while taking drugs. So, by feeding your child fast-food you’re setting them up for a lifetime of fast-food addiction. Is that good parenting?This addiction has not come without a price though; adults and children are becoming obese at a rapid rate. But who do we point fingers at? The people who choose to purchase the food or those who prepare it? Most importantly what solutions can we find?