Frye's Conception Of Oppression

Before the second segment begins, where a modern case study is applied to Marilyn Frye’s theory of oppression; it seems necessary to briefly mention a few ways that Frye believes that oppression can be surfaced unknowingly between men and women. The first example touches on the simple actions that men do for women such as opening a door, “The arresting of vision at a microscopic level yields such common confusion as that about the male door-opening ritual. This ritual, which is remarkably widespread across classes and races, puzzles many people, some of whom do and some of whom do not find it offensive. Look at the scene of the two people approaching a door. The male steps slightly ahead and opens the door. The male holds the door open while the female glides through. Then the male goes through. The door closes after them” (12). This particular quote receives a lot of backlash, as many people feel that this act is simply a helpful gesture between a man and a woman. This type of gesture is often times defined as chivalry. Frye argues that these “chivalrous” gestures are condoned oppressive behaviors, “The gallant gestures have no practical meaning. Their meaning is symbolic. The door-opening and similar services provided are services which really are needed by people who are for one reason or another incapacitated – unwell, burdened with parcels, etc. So the message is that women are incapable. The detachment of the acts from the concrete realities of what women need and do

In “Oppression,” what Frye is trying to argue is that oppression and being miserable are two different things, which is why she believes that men are not oppressed when they are told not to cry and be masculine. What she wants the readers to understand is that oppression double binds the oppressed. In addition, Frye wants us to understand that the forces and barriers that oppressed people experience are systematically related to each other. It immobilizes them and makes them similar to birds in a cage. The last thing that Frye wants us to understand from her article is that we need to stop seeing oppression at a microscopic level and start seeing it at a macroscopic level. I think the article relates to GSW 100 due to the fact that it talks

In the poem "Oppression" by Jimmy Santiago Baca, the author gives readers an understanding of oppression, its psychological impact upon endurance, and one's ability to seek emancipation. Within the first stanza of the poem, Baca defines oppression as "being trampled under" and expresses that those who endure oppression "are human". Baca continues to explain that the act oppression "[i]s a question of strength" of the oppressor, and a question "of unshed tears" of the individual enduring oppression. In this stanza, the author is stating that oppression is a fight for power in which the oppressor uses fear through the form of violence or terror to oppress individuals, while the individuals being oppressed show their strength by remaining calm

In “Oppression,” Marilyn Frye uses a birdcage as a metaphor to describe the invisible and visible effects that oppression can have on society (151). Frye further argues how an observer failing to see why the cage is a prison to the bird is like someone failing to treat oppression as a “whole” (151). The author’s creative approach spurred me to think of other “bird cages” presently in our society. Specifically, I wonder how the people within the “bird cages” I present become invisible in the cage.

When working to determine the causes of oppression, one must first establish a definition of the word. Oppression can be perceived as being a broad, which can lead to disempowerment of the term. For the purposes of this paper, oppression is defined through the lens of both institutional and internalized oppression. Institutional oppression is define as the occurrence of established laws, customs, and practices systematically reflecting and producing inequities based on one’s membership in targeted social identity groups (Cheney, 2012). In regards to institutional oppression, oppressive consequences such as classism, prejudice and discrimination are typically attributed to institutional laws, customs, or practices. Internalized oppression is internalized oppression is the

I would describe my father’s assumptions about gender as signs of oppression against me Frye views gender oppression as building barriers to restrain someone from mobility. A person could mold an individual based on what he/ she wants. My father has molded to be his perfect daughter. I have to dress properly to be characterized as a woman in his eyes; but if I am too proactive, he assume my intentions of having relations with a man. I have been confined in an insignificant space that restricts me from the real world. “It is perfectly obvious that the bird is surrounded by a network of systematically related barriers, no one of which would be the least hindurance to its flight, but which, by their relations to each other, are as confining as the sold walls of the dungen” ( Frye, Oppresion).

In Frye’s view, which I support, men often have legitimate complaints of limitations but not of systemic oppression, but she also uses the bird cage as a metaphor for women being oppressed by society, men and themselves. Society’s rules, like wires of the cage, construct women’s behaviors and characters, pushing women to act and restricting their functions.

Usually I have a natural affiliation to viewing texts as a feminist, but recently this has been turned around. Masculinity is often perceived as the ideal trait for a man and this masculinity can be explored through the aspects of dominance, objectification, ownership and the space this dominance has in our society. The masculine lens puts most of its emphasis on strength and dominance, the idea of being able to control others. The epitome of a man's man can assert himself over others often by controlling physical and conscious space. This frequently violent type of masculinity has a huge influence over the feminine as well as creating a feeling of insignificance for men who do not fulfil this type. “Taking a ‘gender perspective' is often assumed to mean highlighting the roles, needs and rights of women and girls – vital to addressing persistent gender inequalities in access to power, influence, resources and security.

Discuss and critically analyze the “simultaneity of oppression” if one group is oppressed, can anybody be free? In the schematic hierarchy of race and sex, is the dominant group “free,” at the expense of the oppressed groups, or unfree, even if materially empowered? Does it make sense to argue that “white women” are freer, or less free, than “black men”?

Our textbook also discusses the theory of Male Hegemony which describes the way in which men take power over women in society. It goes on to describe the way in which many males will feel insecure if placed subordinate to a women and thus constantly strive to regain power. With this is also explained that often times women who fall victim to this mentality often begin to believe it. When women do so they may even avoid success in their life as to not surpass the male dominance that has been established. (Kornblum, W. Julian, J., Smith, C. D.

The concept of gender oppression relays the idea that particular groups, centrally women, are disadvantaged and hindered simply due to their gender identity. The advancement of women’s rights has progressed greatly over time, however, there are still many barriers that women face today. A great barrier is the notion of what a woman actually is and the gender biases applied to it. As Beauvoir states in her piece, “[women] are urged, ‘Be women, stay women, become women’” (Beauvoir, 1949, p. 23). The concept of woman is often condensed into the abstraction of femininity, which is often met with a negative connotation (Beauvoir, 1949, p. 23). This connotation revolves around poor representations of the personification of woman, which include traits such as submission, fragility and sensitivity. Man asserts himself as the essential being, leaving woman as the other, or “Second Sex”, in which she is seen as subservient to men due to the construction of misogynistic social structures. These social structures assist in the creation of these negative traits as man is able to define himself with more affirmative attributes leaving negative attributes, such as the aforementioned ones, for woman to define herself with. As a result, man profits off the alterity of woman, which prevents woman from fully achieving an authentic life. Beauvoir further elaborates on this point stating that woman is confined as the Other due to man and is doomed to immanence, as man will always transcend the

Rather than saying that individual men oppressed women, most feminists saw that the oppression of women came from the underlying bias of a patriarchal society. It is a concept designed by the radical second-wave feminists who define it as “a system of social structures, and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women” (Wolby, 1990). This use of the concept of patriarchy has enabled the development of some of the most significant

All agree in recognising that fact females exist in the human species; today as always they make up about one half of humanity. And yet women are told that feminity is in danger; they are exhorted to be women, remain women, and become women. Very often privilege depends upon inequality of members majority impose its rule upon the minority or persecutes it. But women are not a minority; there are as many women as men on earth. Again, the two groups concerned have often been originally independent; they may have been formerly unaware of each other’s existence or perhaps they recognized each other’s autonomy.

The battle for gender equality has long been a heated issue plaguing men and women all around the world. But what exactly constitutes gender equality, what does it mean to be equal? Why does gender equality matter so much in the first place? After all, are we not all human beings? The issue surrounding gender equality is a complex issue because the concept of gender in itself is a social construction. This makes the notion of gender dynamic and volatile. How one is perceived and categorized in society’s gender binary determines whether the system works in their favor or not, and there in part lies the problem. Sexism, patriarchy, misogyny, misandry all describe notions in which one gender group is favored over the

Throughout history, men have continued to hold the position of power and authority in society. Generally, men disregarded what women had to say and believed that women were incapable of making decisions on their own. Rather than creating a society, which established equal and fair power, the men wanted to control everyone including women. Some men even abused and manipulated women in order to get the power they desired. Men held more dominant positions in society and therefore had a higher social ranking. Men were granted the jobs that involved having a large amount of power as well as making influential decisions. Men were the leaders of society while women were forced to abide by the rules. If women were to resist or oppose the demands of men, they would likely face harsh punishments. Some men discouraged movements that supported women’s freedom and their right to lead an independent life. Men wanted to keep a society that would allow them to maintain their power and authority over women. Some women believed that men were granted undeserved privileges solely due to their gender. Although many individuals may argue that the male dominant society only existed in certain cultures, it is evident that such authority and ideas spread throughout the world. Till today, society tends to give the males more authority and power than the females. Many individuals still