Essay On Courtesan

In Spain and the Spanish colonies in South America in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, gender roles were distinct and the opportunity gap was enormous. Catalina de Erauso compares the two roles through her memoir, “Lieutenant Nun,” where she recounts her life as a transvestite in both the new and old world. Through having experienced the structured life of a woman as well as the freedom involved in being a man, de Erauso formed an identity for herself that crossed the boundaries of both genders. Catalina de Erauso’s life demonstrates the gap in freedom and opportunity for women, as compared to men, in the areas of culture, politics and economy, and religion.

In this essay, female oppression in La Casa de Bernarda Alba will be discussed and analyzed. However, in order to be able to understand the importance of this theme and the impact it has had on the play, one must first understand the role of female oppression in the Spanish society in the 1930s.

The Courtier, originally written as a “courtesy book”, can now be considered to provide significant insight into the norms and practices associated with courtship and gender during the Renaissance era. The book’s third volume is a particularly insightful window into 16th century romantic ideals. Throughout Book Three, Baldassare Castiglione builds an elaborate perspective on what makes the perfect court lady, what sexual and social behavior is acceptable, and how an ideal couple (both courtier and court lady) should function.

In “Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Transvestite in the New World” by Catalina de Erauso, a female-born transvestite conquers the Spanish World on her journey to disguise herself as a man and inflicts violence both on and off the battlefield. Catalina discovers her hidden role in society as she compares herself to her brothers advantage in life, as they are granted money and freedom in living their own lives. Erauso decides to take action of this act of inequality by forming a rebellion, as she pledges to threaten the social order.The gender roles allotted to both men and women in the Spanish world represent the significance of societal expectations in order to identify the importance of gender in determining one’s position in the social order in the Spanish World.

This allowed the men to “disavow responsibility for their erotic adventure.” In other words, it was customary for men who engaged with courtesans to behave as though they were submitting to the inevitable, and for courtesans to be the dominant ones in the relationship. Poppea, the courtesan, must behave, according to social norms, as though she is dominant to Nerone. Now that the socio-historical context of this unusual power hierarchy has been explored, it is possible to explore, in an informed manner, the musicals means by which it is expressed.

This paper deals with the concern of celebrating feminism. The representatives of this act with the causes and effects are discussed in detail with a special reference to the novels of Maya Angelouand Toni Morrison. African American women’s writing and its impact in the society are immense. The twentieth century has been a revolutionary era for the African American literature because many women writers contributed to the growth of feminist writings during this century. These black writers expressed themselves and created a deep impact on the African American, literary arena. The works of these women writers reflect

In the story “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” by Feng Meng-long, courtesans appeared to be kept imprisoned and generally wanting to escape the life of prostitution. There are several contrasting perceptions of women and their work. Often times prostitution can be viewed as a practice of unclean or even immoral activates but in this story, prostitution displays a much more positive illustration than in most other stories. Men and women such as Li Jia, Sung Fu, and madam portrayed these women as inferior and as seen, Du Tenth had been just another commodity to them. By contrast, the author appears to show an alternate side of courtesans, as women of worthiness opposed to what most people assumed they already knew about the life of courtesans. Feng Meng-long wants to demonstrate that even though courtesans work in a non-respectable occupation doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be respected.

Sor Juana again demonstrates her superior knowledge and capabilities in employing complex Latin language into her argument. As suggested by Stephanie Kirk, “Latin wielded a symbolic power throughout the early modern period” (Kirk 83). Therefore, Sor Juana’s use of Latin language when speaking directly to the patriarchy is ironic as she flaunts her immense knowledge to those who originally restricted her from pursuing education. Ultimately, Sor Juana’s “To the Gentleman in Peru” is a poem filled with critical language and addresses issues of gender roles and the limitations of “woman” in Colonial Mexico.

Women’s Escape into Misery Women’s need for male support and their husband’s constant degradation of them was a recurring theme in the book House on Mango Street. Many of Esperanza’s stories were about women’s dreams of marrying, the perfect husband and having the perfect family and home. Sally, Rafaela, and Minerva are women who gave me the impression of [damsel’s in distress].CLICHÉ, it’s ok though. It’s relevant They wished for a man to sweep them of their feet and rescue them from their present misery. These characters are inspiring and strong but they are unable to escape the repression of the surrounding environment. *Cisneros presents a rigid world in which they lived in, and left them no other hope but to get married.

Not only did these women find a place in society other than by the stove, they won the appreciation and respect of men and women around them. Two of the most extraordinary of these women were Dolores Jimenez y Muro, who was an important political writer, and Hermila Galindo, who was a political speaker and advocate for Carranza’s campaign and regime. Dolores Jimenez y Muro's importance is evident in how she was able to have her voice heard and listened to by high-ranking revolutionary officials. Hermila Galindo's prominence is shown by her distinguished political career and feminist movements.

The call for feminism marks the beginning of an extensive journey with the quest to inspire women and to advocate women right in a male governed the world. Gloria Anzaldúa and Maxine Kingston both scrutinize feminism in the framework of “Borderland: La Frontera: The New Mestiza” and “The Women Warrior” encouraging women to occupy a strong position in the post-colonial male led civilization. The author both traces the journey of women struggle to achieve rewarding role within the structure shaped by men. The alliance of different voice from disregarded women gestures a strong theme that inspires Maxine Hong Kingston and Gloria Anzaldua to write enthusiastically within the feminist topic to dispute the patriarchal society.

The seventeenth century in Mexico didn’t know anything about equal rights for women. Women devoted their lives to the building of families and marriage or instead gave their life to God and became nuns. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz chose to live her life as a nun for different reasons, must specially because of her desire for the opportunity to study. She expresses this choice in her Reply to Sor Filotea. She defends her own right, as well as women’s rights in general, to pursue a life of education in this response to one of her critics Sor Filotea, whom is believed to be the bishop of Puebla. Maria Luisa Bemberg also portraits her point of view of Sor Juana’s life in the film “I, the worst of all”.

The society always queries about the role of women and for centuries, they have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. The treatment of women was remarkably negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfil the domestic duties. Literature of that time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society (Lecture on the Puritans). But, slowly and gradually, situation being changed: “During the first half of the 19th century, women 's roles in society evolved in the areas of occupational, moral, and social reform. Through efforts such as factory movements, social reform, and women 's rights, their aims were realized and foundations for further reform were established” (Lauter 1406). Feminist poets like Emily Dickinson and Anne Bradstreet talked substantially about feminism in different lights in the past two centuries. They were very vocal and assertive about their rights and the ‘rights for women’ in general. While they might have been successful at making a good attempt to obliterate gender biases but still there are lot of disparities between the two genders. Nevertheless, their poetry reflects a deep angst.

During the Middle Ages, Courtly love was a code which prescribed the conduct between a lady and her lover (Britannica). The relationship of courtly love was very much like the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege. The lover serves his beloved, in the manner a servant would. He owes his devotion and allegiance to her, and she inspires him to perform noble acts of valor (Schwartz). Capellanus writes, in The Art of Courtly Love, “A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved”. The stories of Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes illustrate the conventions of courtly love.

As soldiers we are taught to live the seven Army values defining the basics of what a soldier is all about. One of those being respect. Relying on the golden rule, “How we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional organization.” I believe this is an extremely important value to live by each and every day. As a soldier I pledged to treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same. Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in others. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is an important ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best