C.S. Lewis's "Till We Have Faces"

Women's role in that society is another verification of their modernity. Women are more self-determining and dynamic in Phaeacian culture. They have their proper share in the way of civilization; they are weaving all the time because there is no other way of getting clothing. And their king, Alcinous, is quite broadminded because he let his daughter go far away to wash clothing with other girls (170) and he says, " I am hardly a man for reckless, idle anger. / Balance is best in all things"(Homer, 189) when he learns his daughter and Odysseus have met before but they've decided to come to the city separately lest there may be rumors. Their queen, Arete, is highly honorable and she is the dominant one in ruling. Nausicaa, the daughter of the queen tells Odysseus, " If only the queen will take you to her heart, / then there is hope that you will see your loved ones, <em>reach your own grand house, your native land at last (Homer, 178).

In the book Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S Lewis, the theme presented is that man’s pride, greed, and fear can blind him to the beauty and goodness that God has created. When Weston and Devine first arrive on Malacandra, their fear causes problems right away. They are blinded to Malacandra’s beauty, instead focused on how terrifying everything is because it is different. They misinterpret the intentions of the inhabitants, which are so different from their own, and kidnap Ransom to appease what they have assumed are hostile, sacrifice-demanding monsters. Their fear also prevents them from experiencing the wonders God has bestowed upon Malacandra, something that Ransom is fortunate enough to participate in because he is able to overcome his

In the early days, the role of woman has been confined by a man because their jobs are to get marry, have children, and most depend on their husbands. The men in the early society had bigger roles than women. Therefore, women has to base themselves on and listen to their men. However, in the story “Once Aboard The Lugger,” author Thomeas Qiller- couch presents an intense image of a woman who makes change in woman’s role in the early society. Nance Trewartha, a daughter of a fisherman in Ruan, wants to marry a minister Samuel from Troy. She has fond on him and starts to wonder how would be like if Samuel is her husband. With her lovingness and braveness, she kidnaps Samuel and start to reverse a women role in the courtship. Surprisingly, Nance pursues Samuel by isolating him, and she changes the patterns of courtship, culture, and class.

In Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis uses symbolism to portray character traits of Orual to the reader. Once Orual has received her fate from the gods, that she shall also be Psyche, she made the faint decision to veil herself. She believes it will work to protect her from the fate of the gods and she realizes that she is able to act in different ways and get more things done than she was previously. Lewis uses the presence of the veil to reveal the many qualities of Orual, like her purity, gender, and her insecurities. The veil helps to affect the transformation of Orual to the queen and works to reveal more internal character traits.

The author shows a great example of the power these men had against these women in the village. In the time period this story took place, it was amazing to the author to witness that gender inequality was still a very big issue in some places. The author described how shocked she was when she found out that these women were not allowed to

In the year 1625, Francis Bacon, a famous essayist and poet wrote about the influences of fear on everyday life. He stated, “Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other” (Essays Dedication of Death). Clearly, external surroundings affect perceptions of fear as well as human nature in general. Although C.S. Lewis published the novel, Out of the Silent Planet, over three centuries after Bacon wrote his theory on fear, Lewis similarly portrayed external surrounding to manipulate perceptions of fear. From the first chapter of the novel, Lewis revealed fear to be a weakness that leads to ignorance. It was this

The move from the Republic system to the principate, an autocratic system of government, meant the roles and status of main groups and genders of society would inevitably change. Specifically we see the traditional role of women change, going from the traditional ‘matrona’ to an independent imperial woman with a broadened influence over the state. Agrippina the younger is exemplary of this change and is viewed as one of the most influential women of her time. Ancient sources are hostile towards this ‘power hungry’ figure however modern revisionists give a deeper insight into the woman behind the hostile accounts. Nether less both ancient and modern sources agree Agrippina had a

In Sarah B. Pomeroy's influential monograph, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity (1976), it is pointed out that in the past, when scholars have considered the quality of life for women in classical Athens, they have often subjectively selected the type of evidence to use for their argument. She argues that `optimists,' who are of the opinion that women enjoyed a comparatively liberated lifestyle, focus upon the prominent role that women play within art and drama. `Pessismists,' on the other hand, base their ideas upon Athenian laws and the writings of orators and moralists (Pomeroy: 1976; Just: 1989). The evidence that we have available regarding women `relate to different levels of reality' (Humphreys: 1983; Just: 1989), therefore the sources pertain to different aspects of women's lives and need to be pieced together to provide a clear picture.

In today’s society, we as women often take for granted the rights, freedoms, and equality we share with men that women in the ancient world were not granted. As all civilisations in the ancient world exercised different treatment towards, this essay will illustrate a few comparisons in the status of women during ancient Egypt with women during ancient Rome. Academic sources will be relied on to provide the necessary actualities when one considers ancient civilizations. The legal status of women in society, the domestic atmospheres and roles that each unique region’s women held, and the possible occupations available to these women, will be discussed.

She is, in the barbarian land of Glome where the story is set, the maternal, earthy fertility goddess corresponding to the Greek Aphrodite. Orual frequently mentions the sort of "holiness" that was associated with Ungit: the smell of blood and sacrifices, the darkness of her temple and the smoke of incense, and all the mystery and fear of Glome's barbarian religion. Originally, Ungit has no statue to show her face: only a misshapen black stone, which the old Priest asserts is, in a mystery, Ungit herself. Towards the end of the book, Orual considers the stone. She finds that rather than having no face, Ungit has a thousand of them: the unevenness of the stone makes it truly multifaceted, just as Ungit is intricately bound up in every detail of life in Glome. Orual imagines that one might see a different face every time one looked at the stone; but the face she sees herself is "such as you might see in a loaf, swollen, brooding, infinitely female." It is an ugly face reflecting the ugly, cruel nature of the goddess, yet maternal, as Ungit is a fertility goddess--though she is a devouring mother.

It is a biography about the idea of Helen throughout the ages and touches upon different versions of the woman within history. Hughes documents the political and spiritual power of women in the Hittite power and compares it with classical Athens. She produces an in depth portrait of Helen, is she were to exist, and the many guises that the woman offers. The book produces a clear picture of Helen and the different representations that she stood for. It will help in the understanding of Helen, her values, her status within classical society.

Psyche violated the prohibition of the goddess of love, opened the lid and was enveloped in a magical dream. She was brought back to life by the kiss of Cupid and this scene depicts great tender (Albrizzi, Cicognara & Missirini). Canova showed Cupid at the moment when he, having descended from heaven, had just touched the ground (“A closer Look at Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss”). His wings, as if supporting the god in the air, crown the composition. The wings seem to hold the god in the air, and Psyche, still half-asleep, is raised to meet his lover.

As he ventures deeper, the beauty of the maidens ascend accordingly with their wealth, which leads to his selection of last maiden with the greatest fortune and beauty. The tale tends to glorify ancient values associated with women, such as passivity and self-sacrifice. The maidens’ curiosity of who the stranger is must make way for imminent patriarchal needs, such as food and hospitality.

Often literature will create a character who searches for justice. Sometimes the search is successful; other times it is not. In the novel Till We Have Faces written by C.S. Lewis in 1956, Lewis illustrates the story of a woman who hopes to find justice. Maia, as she writes out her story, hopes to find justice with the gods. The author uses this search for justice in order to convey the theme that the fault often lies within ourselves.

A woman pushes as hard as she can for the last time. “It’s a baby girl!” the man announces, as the new mother hangs her head in sight of the hardships her baby, Elizabeth, will face. Miles away in a hospital, another woman gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Marley. As she sees her baby for the first time, she smiles knowing all the great adventures this baby will experience in her life. The polygamous mom takes the little girl home to her family, a family where she has more than one mother and many brothers and sisters. As she grows up she lives her life trying to be “proper” and “sweet” in the eyes of the prophet. Somewhere far away, Marley is outside playing with her mother and learning how to be a kid. At the age of fourteen, young girls like Marley are innocent and should be going on dates, having fun with friends, and living their life, but for a fourteen year old Elizabeth, she is married to a man twice her age to be his second wife. As she begins her life with her husband, she sees the jealousy of the first wife and the neglect she feels by her presence. Shortly after, the young girl is replaced by another new wife after having a child. Ever since the day she was born, she had no control over these stages happening. Her fate was determined from time of birth and is determined by men until the day she dies. Her fate will be ruled by the religion of Polygamy.