From The Antique And Christina Rossetti's Not Your Way

Despite the achievements of women in many different fields, society still attempts to limit women to certain roles. Furthermore, in the poem, women “… are defined […] by what [they] never will be,” (lines 19 - 21); once again, the author claims that women are defined by what they are unable to do because of gender bias. Instead of being given the chance to be influential, they are continually limited to staying at home or doing jobs “meant for women.” Finally, Boland tells the tutor that women “…were never on the scene of crime,” (lines 27 - 28). This serves as a metaphor for how women are never allowed to do important jobs; instead, they are left at the sidelines due to the repeatedly ignored restrictions placed on women by our gender-biased society.

her place in life and the movement in general. The poem begins unifying women across

Whether it is the past or the present, there have always been gender roles in society. In most homes, it is the woman’s responsibility to take care of the house. This includes cleaning, meal preparations, raising and taking care of the children as well as the husband. Compared to the men who take care of the more physical activities, such as yard work. It was known throughout many years that it was a woman’s responsibility to stay in the house while the man would go out and look for work to provide money for his family. Although the intensity of gender roles has changed, it still exists.

While social change has brought on more changes than what women are a custom too, at one point in history women actually felt a form of importance in fulfilling their roles not only in the home; but outside as well. “These demographic shifts account for many new or altered roles, such as increased number of duel-earner families, later and fewer marriages, fewer children, increased life expectancy, and the massive migration shifting employees across a nation and across the globe” (Lindsey, 2011, pg. 275).

The women of the story are not treated with the respect, which reflects their social standings. The first image of the women that the reader gets is a typical housewife. They are imaged as “wearing faded house dresses and

However, this can be seen as the speaker acknowledging the overwhelmingly true fact of her being dead while her husband lives. The speaker asks her husband not to waste his time honoring her memory or trying to make gestures of love for her when they cannot be received. She also allows herself the freedom to focus on herself and her afterlife. The speaker is revolutionary in her autonomy and her acceptance of the ever-constant change that pervades human existence. Through this poem, Rossetti highlights the emerging feminist movement of the time and provides a stark contrast to the usual male-driven

She states that women need and have the right to have as much or more opportunity to thrive is society just asn men rather than being belittled and thrown by the side. She goes on to write, “these hips have never been enslaved, they go where they want to go they do what they want to do” (8-10). These lines exemplify the unbridled freedom from guidance and censorship that enable women to lead their own lives. In the end of the poem, what is mentioned is the

The initial answer is that women today can not simply give up their roles of motherhood and wife because they have gained ground outside the home. Household and child care responsibilities still apply to women even if she wakes early to start her 9am job and doesn't return home until 5pm. Yet, this answer is inherently problematic. The responsibilities discussed above should not mean an inequitable amount of time spent on her children and family as compared to her husband. House-hold responsibilities should not result in less sleep than her husband and having less time

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.

The poem “Women” seems to be a poem against women or in my view a poem that describes in the way that females have been seen throughout the years. The first four line of the poem describe women to be ignorant and conceded in a way. “Women have no wilderness in them, They are provident instead.” In the first two lines the speaker goes straight into a judgmental stage of women. The speaker gives a feeling of ignorance in the first line as he says, “women have no wilderness” meaning that women are not daring, they are not venturesome in other words women are boring.

The argument that Rossetti’s confidence ‘coincides’ with the characters, or is almost portrayed through them, is almost counteracted by the idea that the voice is impersonal. It could be argued that with the use of a third person narrative, Rossetti was attempting to portray the impression that despite women’s attempts to act upon certain elements of their curiosity, there is always something, or someone dampening their excitement or thoughts. The third person narrative therefore could in fact represent society, and that there is some form of oppression constantly lingering over their lives. Contextually, within the Victorian period this would have been a common feeling within most women, and could also still be relevant in past and present societies. Even without proof, the slightest here-say could shame a woman within Victorian culture, and therefore women were wary of their actions. If the poem was from a different perspective, it would become more personal to the reader, and may also portray the females as more of an independent and strong character. Their curiosity could have been deduced as some form of bravery. However due to the particular perspective of this Rossetti poem, the females are conveyed as lingering characters, unsure on whether to act on their curiosity and overcome the demons of society. Through this perspective we are able to gain insight into the direct thoughts of the characters, and understand how they would be perceived within society.

Women for years have been automatically given the role of the domestic housewife, where their only job is to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Men have usually taken the primary responsibility for economic support and contact with the rest of society, while women have traditionally taken the role of providing love, nurturing, emotional support, and maintenance of the home. However, in today’s society women over the age of sixteen work outside of the home, and there are more single parent households that are headed by women than at any other time in the history of the United States (Thompson 301.)

While Domesticity was an enticing and exciting change for the role of women, not all women

Women’s role within the household has changed considerably over a period of time. In the later days in the United States women were to attend to the children and to the house and not do much more than that. Children are now being raised by stay at home dads instead of the stereotypical stay at home moms. According to Gardner, "Real-life families have changed considerably since 'Mr. Mom ' appeared, with more men sharing child-rearing and household chores." (Gardner 2010) This is occurring because women’s jobs are no longer labeled as being just for women. Men have gotten a lot of criticism for being stay at

The role of women in the society is always questioned and for centuries, they have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. The treatment of women was extremely negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfill 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.