Essay #1 Society often projects the ideal ideas of what is acceptable according to its standards formed by time and trends. Gender inequalities along with stereotypical representations from society are presented as themes among Sandra Cisnero’s and Junot Díaz’s short stories. While society may present and project an accepted view among the gender norms, each person is unique in his or her opinions and experiences. Though society often portrays the stereotypical dominant role of the male and the submissive female and an accepted view on heterosexuality, not all people classify under these categories. Women are sometimes perceived as feeble-minded but sometimes underrated in actuality. One example is “Anguiano…” by Sandra Cisneros, the …show more content…
While the mother is working and trying to maintain the household while dealing with the absent father, this demonstrates that sometimes women are not as feeble as they may be perceived, especially in cases such as having an absent significant other. Another example is Cisnero’s “Bien Pretty” where the female narrator finds herself quickly falling in love with Flavio Manguía and feels emotionally weak, but ultimately discovers that he commited an infidelity with two other women (Cisnero, “Bien Pretty” 138). While the narrator may be emotionally weak in terms of having feelings for her significant other, she concludes that she could happily live alone without a significant other; society sometimes does not approve of this necessarily, but expects women to be submissive to a man. While society portrays men are portrayed as dominant and the leader of the household as and may determine the idea of masculinity, men may be susceptible to the same hardships as women as well. One example is Díaz’s “Fiesta” where the boy narrator and his brother, Rafi, withold his father’s infidelity a secret from their mother for favor of keeping the family together. While acts of infidelity are frowned upon and the father may be described as a toxic figure to the household with child abuse, the boy narrator suffers from emotional and physical
Recognizing personal strengths and weaknesses is part of the ongoing process of bettering ourselves. In the novel, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, she explains the strengths and weaknesses over the character named Tita De la Garza. Within the context, Laura Esquivel develops Tita’s emotions through feminists. Tita is the novel’s protagonist, struggles her needs for belonging and security. As well as her desires for adventure, sex, and liberation. In Like Water for Chocolate, it simply explains that there is no such thing as a good or bad woman. Every woman in different in their own unique way. Laura Esquivel explains that women are capable of a variety of complex and often contrary emotions and
Gender refers to the socially constructed categories of feminine and masculine. It is one of the major factors in social difference and inequality in today’s society. Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Using a paragraph based approach I intend to individually analyse various aspects of gender differences referencing to the theory of socialisation and also making links to the works of Marx, Durkham and Goffman. My essay will cover different aspects of gender inequalities still present in today’s contemporary society.
Does deviating from one’s gender norms inevitably doom one down a spiral of moral corruption? Tim O'Brien, author of “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” and Ernest Hemingway, author of “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, certainly seem to hold this view, as evident by the fates of the major female characters in their respective works. The deviance of the major female characters in both works appears to corrupt not only themselves, but also pollute their partners, causing them to suffer injury or harm as a result. The degree of injury ranges from negligible, like Fossie’s demotion and broken heart, to fatal, like the bullet that rips through Macomber’s skull. It begs the question, are these stories meant to serve as cautionary tales for their female readers, or possibly for their husbands, so they may recognize gender deviance and stop it in its tracks before their wives transform into Margot Macomber or Mary Anne Bell? This essay will analyze what such characters say about pervading views of women, both in society and in literature.
Conventional sexual normative values for males typically include an emphasis of attributes that include self-reliance, dominance, assertion, and a healthy appetite for heterosexual behavior. By contrast, those that apply to females usually include a submissiveness and dependency that is all too oftentimes easily exploited by men. In this respect, the body of literature analyzed within this paper--Sandra Cisneros' "Bien Pretty" and "Anguiano Religious Articles" in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, as well as Junot Diaz's "Drown" and "Aguantando"--is demonstrative of these truths as an examination of the characterizations and storylines readily demonstrates. However, what is most noteworthy about Cisneros and Diaz's tales is that these authors also have a penchant for deliberately subverting the typical gender roles associated with each sex, particular those of male characters. In these instances, male characters forsake their traditional assertiveness and dominance and become objectified in ways that are usually reserved for female characters and women in general. In these instances, the authors present a fascinating dichotomy that appears incongruent in its depiction of manhood, for the simple fact that these portraits of male characters combine conventional male attributes with an objectification that is usually reserved for women.
Gender inequality plays a critical role when it comes to social progress. As a woman,
Although they adamantly strive to be independent and liberated individuals, women “are not liberated at all” because “[they] talk about it too much” (Hansberry 64). Women themselves divulge their own weakness because they formulate a false notion of autonomy. Their error is that they prefer a feeling of liberation rather than liberation itself. Despite being subject to men’s mistreatment and life’s suffering, a woman will sacrifice and do “anything for her family” (Hansberry 75). Men have at many times verbally abused women and suppressed their opinions, but that does not impede women from sacrificing everything for the people they love. Women are portrayed positively because they display strength and perseverance. In contrast, Willy Loman considers his wife a burden when he expresses the idea that “the woman has suffered” (Miller 99). Women are now portrayed negatively because they are described as weak and fragile. This portrayal is unjustified because Willy Loman has had more lamentations while Linda Loman has defended his social standing. Although providing a portrayal for women is largely a subjective evaluation, one cannot deny a woman’s character and sacrifices.
In many literary works women are constantly oppressed by their husbands but always show respect toward them. For instance, men in literature usually play the stereotypical role of a husband that is dangerously violent toward their wives, possessive and controlling over his wife, the financial provider, and the obligation of having children. These gender stereotypes can be demonstrated by these three different literary works: A Streetcar named Desire, Desiree’s Baby, and As I lay dying. Although many literary works have been more liberal over the decades, commonly held notions of what it means to be a man usually harms women in many aspects.
Themes as self-reliant women as protagonists, post Civil War racism, male/female relationships and what would eventually become known as male chauvinism are common. These were difficult times for many women because of the domination of men over them. A woman was expected to act and behave in ways that were submissive to men in every aspect of their life. Indeed, a woman’s life revolved around her husband and his needs and desires. Women had very little say in their own ambitions or desires. Behaving in non-conventional ways would mean being shunned from society. However, one woman’s world revolves around and for her husband while another dreams of a life free of marital boundaries.
“The Chrysanthemums” Reading the short story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck made me realized that society as a whole has not change when it comes to the equality among men and women. Even though, today women are allowed to perform many tasks and activities that was in the past only performed by men; men are still given authorities over females. This short story is about a woman named Elisa who was not valorized by her husband because she was a female. She was treated more like a child rather than grown up woman. Moreover, due to her husband’s negligence to acknowledge her abilities, Elisa become really unhappy in her marriage.
Throughout the history of society, specifically during the years prior to the era of feminism, people have place women as the weaker gender. In literature , there have been many instances where women have been outshined and neglected by men because their works or contribution s are deemed to be inferior and noncompliant in the eyes of men. Men are seen as “autocratic ruler” of a household and thus they feel it’s their responsibility to constantly overlook and protect women due to their inferiority that society has placed on them, as a result, men feel superior to women. Nevertheless, men are not mindful of the effects and outcomes of their patriarchal domination on women: depression, losing touch of reality, isolation, and worst of all, losing their sanity. An example in literature that displays this type of structure of society where women can become victims of patriarchal conditions takes place in the short stories “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Yellowpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Both women, the main character Emily Grierson from Faulkner’s story and the narrator from Gilman’s story, though they have different circumstances, are similar in a unique way as they are both held back by the male figures in their households within the patriarchal society, and as a result, they lose touch within each of their societies and are forced to insanity.
Junot Diaz, the author of “A Cheaters Guide to Love” writes his short story with many different references to anti-feminism. He writes about women in different ways to show them as powerless, and un-superior to the main character in the short story. From this short story, Diaz conveys the main characters ways when he shows the him talking about, the girl he calls to have sex with, the women at the yoga class, and the files read at the end of the story that show the fifty girls he cheated on his fiancé with. Diaz creates his main character and puts him in the second person to relate to the reader, but show his anti-feministic signs.
Once a parent finds out they are having a baby girl, they go decorate the nursery with pink butterflies and the book shelves stocked with fairytales. You will raise your daughter to be a polite young lady. She will be well groomed and play dolls with the girl next door, hoping that in the future she will be able to find herself a husband and have kids. Also, not having to work, but to stay at home raising her children. Women do it best when it comes to cooking and cleaning and looking pretty for company, but there is more behind a woman than just looking that. Stereotypes lead to inequality between men and women.
Authors all around the world can affect people’s view of life through their writing. Whether it is something little as changing someone thoughts on food or something major as changing their thoughts about a women and man. Men’s in this society typically are portray to take it easier than women based on certain beliefs or even based off an article spread all through social media. For example, the famous author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling in her books she portrayed people to have these magical power and people who are fans can start believing that others in the real-world may have them. In the same way, throughout the book “Hundred Years of Solitude” Gabriel Garcia Marquez introduced so many men’s and woman characteristics, some are so shocking it can make readers look at life or even genders differently.
The intelligence of women is a controversial matter which has been debated for centuries. Although recent feminist movements have allowed for more equality between men and women, traits such as “emotional” and “worrisome” are perceived in a manner that allow women to be viewed as inferior. In To Build A Fire by Jack London, the independence of man is tested as he tries to survive through excruciating cold weather. The man fails various attempts at starting a fire, eventually leading to his death. Although the short story does not evidently introduce a female character, To Build A Fire exemplifies the discrediting of woman’s intelligence as a result of perception.
As we are all birth equally throughout the world, there is still contingency that causes a barrier between human kinds. What barriers are we talking about that can’t be changed through our DNA? That is our gender. When each of us are born into the world, we are labeled as male or female due to our genetical DNA and different types of organs (WHO). Yet, society still isn’t as balance enough and there are still so much discrimination in gender in even today’s society.