Akkamahadevi

During this part, we saw another example of female oppression. For instance, “ ‘We would love to help you, but we can do nothing. Sultan decides,’ they say” (p. 232). This showed how little power women have in their household. Furthermore, the book also said, “In the families, tradition is all – the men decide” (pp. 89-90). Seeing all of the ways women are oppressed, we may wonder: why are women so oppressed in this society? One reason would be tradition. For example, “In the families, tradition is all – the men decide” (pp. 89-90). As a result, the women of a household were pushed aside and had no say in family decisions. Another major reason would be for the safety and purity of the females. For instance, “Women must not make it possible to attract the attention of evil people who look lustfully upon them… If women dress fashionably, wear ornamented, tight, seductive clothes to show off, they will be damned… and can never expect to go to heaven” (p. 83). Another example is “It is not good for a young girl to walk around without company. Who knows where she might be going? Maybe to meet a man, maybe to commit a sin” (p. 171). This revealed how the society was afraid of women committing sins so they decided to prevent women from going outside and dressing improperly. Lastly, the environment did not favor the evolution of women without a burka. For example the book stated, “However, the underdressed

This group of activists, advocates, donors, lawyers, students, academics, politicians and ordinary citizens have developed an awareness of untouchability as an issue of civil and human rights law. This group of people have brought a major change in our society over the last few years and the caste system has been removed from many places because of which there has been a dramatic change in the viewpoint of society. Instead of treating a particular caste group differently, people have taken a new approach to understand each other and adopt a society where there is

The role of women stood the same to everyone till the years of 1400’s when a new thinking process began, for people embarked a new role for women. During the years of 1400’s to 1600’s in Europe, the Renaissance sparked knowledge that spread to everyone and precipitated ideas that included individualism the belief that humans were thought to be just as important as God. Humanism established these beliefs, for it is studying the literature of the past and the faith of the past. The renaissance generated these humanism and individualism convictions, which caused men to begin to have confidence in themselves and build new innovations in the belief of their own power. With these influences, women started to be impacted and many people started to have several views of the role of women. These views commenced the debate over women that were analyzed with the belief of women empowerment, humanist thinkers, and religious leaders.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel, The Palace of Illusions is the epitome of feminism. It retells the story of Mahabharata from the view point of Draupadi, the daughter of King Drupad. The delicate threads of her life have beautifully been interwoven to bring forth a grasping story. Chitra Banerjee has herself written “I would uncover the story that lay invisible between the lines of the men’s exploits. Better still I would have her one of her tell it herself, with all her joys and doubts, her struggles and her triumphs, her heartbreaks, her achievements, the unique female way in which she sees her world and her place in it.”(XV).

Ihara Saikaku’s Life of a Sensuous Woman written in the 17th century and Mary Woolstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman written in the 18th century are powerful literary works that advocated feminism during the time when women were oppressed members of our societies. These two works have a century old age difference and the authors of both works have made a distinctive attempt to shed a light towards the issues that nobody considered significant during that time. Despite these differences between the two texts, they both skillfully manage to present revolutionary ways women can liberate themselves from oppression laden upon them by the society since the beginning of humanity.

In all areas of life and society the treatment and well being of women have always been challenged. In many religions the role and status of its women are usually overwhelmed by the actions and roles of its men this inequality of religions between male and female allows these feelings and ideology of which sex is superior or inferior to bleed into a society’s culture thus shaping their treatment of their men and women.

Nonetheless, within the Hindu religion, women’s roles have evolved over time and women are going against the social norm of their tradition and their way of life in hopes of being treated in the same manner that Sikh women are within Sikhism (Desai, et al., 1995). Hindu women’s traditional roles in the household in India have changed over the past century. The influence of Western scholars as well as Sikhism views on women has brought change to the overall status and role of women in Hinduism so that Hindu women can be recognized in the same way that Sikhism women are. Western scholars who have studied Hinduism have written many books and articles on the sacred scriptures including reviews on the Vedas (hymns and ritual texts) and other religious scriptures that at one point were restricted from Hindu women.

In Shankara’s Crest-Jewel of Discrimination, many themes of liberation are illustrated to show and expose the different aspects of liberation. Shankara was an incredible Hindu philosopher from the 7th century who wrote about his beliefs and liberation. Through this book, Shankara connects many themes and ideas to show the power of liberation and what it means to an individual.

When Sripathi’s sacred caste system is opposed by one of his own, he struggles to cope with the consequences. Firstly, when hearing the

Upon evaluation, Watson’s argument is compelling. She attempts to tone down the case for inclusion of the feminine voice from the negative connotations associated with the feminist movement and calls for a more balanced approach that is beneficial to all, even pointing out that feminine qualities can exist in males as well as females. Two of the most persuasive parts of the argument are that society has misconstrued the role of women in Buddhism based on the context of male-centric cultures and that the core of the Buddha’s teachings call for androgynous interpretations, due to Buddha’s

Fisher, M.P. (2005).Hinduism, 3, 69-115, Retrieved March 6, 2007, from the University of Phoenix Web site: https://axiaecampus.phoenix.edu [Online course

In the Hindu tradition, their texts give little to no attention to women and devote the dominance to the father, husband, or sons. Women who lived in the fifteenth century in Rajasthan rejected marriage, grew in their spiritual life, and tested the limits of the caste system. Meanwhile, in today’s world Hindu women are gaining leadership roles in India and are beginning to be inspiring spiritual teachers. Hindu women in South Asia and Southeast Asia are seen as the guardians of beliefs and rituals for their families (133).

One of the main disputes in the battle of Islamic women’s rights is the conflict over dress. According to a popular Islamic leader and Egyptian television personality, the sight of women is so alluring that it can be “intolerably distracting to men” and can “even

            The internal divisions and complexes hierarchy of the Indian society served an important social function.  The system provided each individual with a clear identity and role and offered the benefits of group solidarity and support.  Certain interactions and behaviors were appropriate only between those of equal status. The system assured that the religious, political, and financial powers were all separated into four different social classes (Bulliet, et. 2011).

This is a significant aspect of the course because the article examines the strengths and weaknesses of femininity through a cultural Muslim perspective and the reading is a prime example of how ideologies regarding race affect those involved. In class we have discussed the significances of social constructs and how assumptions are made on the basis of physical characteristics. In this situation, identity is related to gender as Muslim women are categorized as both good/respectful and rebellious/evil individuals because they are apart of a culture where they are both oppressed and liberated simultaneously.