Gertrudis: The Role Of A Woman

One of the first reasons why Joan of Arc should be considered great is that she pioneered the idea that women can be strong. She was a powerful young woman in a time when her gender was expected to be meek and delicate. In the fifteenth century, most women would be expected to marry or become a nun. (6) Men would typically go off to do the fighting as the women stayed home with the children. However, Joan had a different idea as to what she would do with her life. Instead of accepting the marriage her father arranged for her she refused the match. She then continued to defy social norms by cropping her hair, dressed in men’s clothing, and riding to her king to offer herself up as a military asset. (4) She committed her life to serving her

Imagine being a woman in an ancient society. A society where are considered weak and vulnerable, females aren’t allowed to work outside of the house, have no education, and continuously get disrespected by men. This was the reality for all women in Greece no matter their social class. Ideas like feminism, or equality amongst all genders were not heard of. It goes to show that when in Ancient Greece, men had more power within the government, inside the household, and in society compared to women.

The role of women in traditional societies was to tend to the house and the children. Women in those societies had no say in anything or in most cases men took away their voices. Now in our society women are able to speak out and do as they please. Men in those society’s wanted money, power, food on the table and for their women/wives to just be quiet and to sit back and be pretty. Although these women were from different backgrounds they were both dominated by the men and their family members. Leonce Pontellier (Edna’s Husband) dominated Edna by being a “good” husband and showering her with gifts and valuables. “Mrs. Pontellier was always very generous with the contents of such a box, she was quite used to receiving them when away from home…And the ladies selecting with dainty and discriminating fingers and a little greedily, all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world. Mrs. Pontelier was forced to admit that she knew of none better.” (Chopin.18-19) The fact that she’s

In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin portrays an image where someone shifts from one phase to another one. We find the protagonist go through a shift from patriarchy to feminist resistance. As this story continues to unfold, Edna goes through feminist resistance where she doesn’t want to still rely on her husband anymore and want to live by her own rules. Edna Pontellier’s “awakening” takes place in Grand Isle and New Orleans during the late 1800s. It is an important factor of the book because during this time period women were fighting for their rights. Usually before this time, women would only stay home and follow the orders of their husbands. Women during this time period needed to stay home and care for the house and the children. They always had to live for their children almost are like a slave to their husband. Women would be often seen as a property and not an actual human being. In this novel, we find restrains at the beginning and later see the shift to wanting freedom of expression.

The encapsulating, heart renching stories behind each womans history is one that is effervescent, and resounding today in every ethnic culture, and understatedly in tomorrows society. Stories of thirteen year old girls, and wives being raped, tradgedy of husbands dying, never ending struggles for social equality, the felonies of racial disparagies, predudices, and abuse. These women also alternated between provider roles of cook, launderer, companion, housekeeper, child bearer, educator, councilor, and fought for the Revolutionary cause wether via a social voice or, physically in battle, and much much more. Ironically, some of the women were abused by their companions and raped by opossing armies (and these women

This theme can apply to many women of there time.Woman did not really have much power or say in anything that went on. Women where really the ones that stayed at home. They took care of the family and tend to the house while the husband was out working. Woman 's opinion in that time did not matter, nor were they considered. Although they had desires and feelings or equal rights, it was just not heard of that time paid.Woman really lived life in silence.

The world we know and live in today is ever changing. Not just in physical appearance, but also in manmade ideas such as women’s rights. Women today are mostly accepted as equals. There are those who refuse to change with the world and hold on to the former opinions of women’s rights. Back in the Puritan society, it was common knowledge that a woman was inferior to a man. Most all believed this because the church had prescribed the roles of both women and men. Three women of that time became well known public figures for doing not what was expected of them but much much more.

In the time era of the 1800s, women were regarded as the weaker sex to society. Gender equality wasn’t the focal point of society as yet, leading to the oppressive mindsets of women. Men were viewed as “superior” because of their masculinity and righteousness that society had implanted into our view of social norms. Women were supposed to be submissive at all times but deep down inside there was hindrance that they couldn 't grow from. During the time era of which the “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin was written shows derogatory incidents where it

As the millenniums pass and years go by, the world continues to evolve each day. Across the world, in every society, men and women have specific roles that they carry out. During ancient times, in most cultures, women were inferior to men. This is still true in many countries today. It has taken American women many centuries to have gained the rights and privileges they have today. Women have made many immense achievements, fought for their rights and stood up for what they believed in during the past century. It is very important to understand the role of women in history because they have played an imperative part of how each society functioned. In Classical Athens, women and men were citizens however men were superior to the women.

Men where the decision makers. Women’s whole lives were set up to marry a man and be controlled by them, I soon came to find that the men ruled everything they did. They controlled where they went, what they wore, even if they got divorced if the man didn't want her to see her kids she couldn't, in the 1850s the industrial revolution changed women's lives they had more freedom and got their own money, but this little freedom they got, had some consequences. Berengera was one example of the women who left their families to get their own jobs and make their own money, she was just a young Canadian girl who came down with her sister from their family farm in lowell Massachusetts to working the textile mill. When she was there she met a man and had an affair. They decided to split up, she went to Manchester mass and he went to Biddeford and Saco area. She soon found out that she was pregnant, so she decided to follow her boyfriend and tell him. After she told her boyfriend, he said he didn’t want to marry her and set up an illegal abortion. Berengera she knew if she didn't see the doctor she'd be a disappointment to her family so she went to Saco to see Dr James Harvey Smith but during the operation something happened leading her to die. The doctor panicked and decided to strap her on a board and put her in the brooks to lead to the ocean, but his plan got screwed up and the board got stuck in a brook and a young boy found her and once it got out, she got her name Mary

Men had far more power than women and took advantage by making them do everything from cooking, to cleaning, taking care of the children, and much more. This demonstrates the struggles women faced during this time period due to men acting more superior than women. Leonce “looks at his wife like a valuable piece, with suffered damages” (p33). He only holds on to Edna because he views her more like a possession than caring about her true self. Leonce uses Edna to make himself look better, rather than helping her with the damages she faced with. Woman require “psychologist to deal with” (p220). To men, women received impossible to deal with and for someone to understand them they need a medical professional. Men think they come off much more superior than women. In the role of society, “Mrs. Pontellier, not a mother-woman” (p43). A mother-woman someone who constantly there for others in time of need, they only worship their husbands and the holy spirit. But Mrs. Pontellier does not fit this role in society; She refuses to occupy the role and rather put herself above her family. She fights back towards the rights that women supposedly supposed to do. She does not appreciate only to do a couple things when she could do so much

The story “The Crucible”, Explains some excellent similarities with the current role of women back from the 1840’s. Women were really referenced as small, Vulnerable, Sexually desired, dependent, And useless Human beings, As shown during the 1840’s. The women were viewed as Second-class Citizens. However, they did not own land, nor pursue a professional career in their lifetime. As they always were used as sexual appeal, reproduction, and Slaves. And they also couldn’t vote because of their limited rights given to them.

Then in society, men were portrayed as “dominant figures” and women were the “nurturers”. Men not only filled the fatherly role but they also usually earned the “breadwinning”, went to work all day, and financially provided for the wives and

Have you ever wondered what women were like before the liberation movement of the 1970s? In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, women are represented as weak, underlings to men. However, both protagonists in the play, Antigone and Nora, show their strength and courage when they go against society. Antigone shows how strong she is when she goes against the King’s decree and buries her brother who is a traitor. Nora, to save her husband’s life, takes out a loan which wasn’t allowed for a woman to do in the 1800s. Both these actions show these two women were strong enough to go against society’s belief, and do what needed to be done. It’s important for men and women to give their opinions and feelings in a

Gender played an enormous role in shaping Nora, Torvald, Ivan, and Praskovya’s identities. Society had very clear views of what a man should be and what a woman should be. The men were to be the providers for the family, they had to have a respectable job and take care of all the family’s financial needs. The women were to stay at home and tend to her husbands and children’s needs, whatever they may be. Nora and Torvald were the perfect example of this. Nora stayed home with the children and the nanny and decorated the house and made everything comfortable for everyone while Torvold worked at the bank. When Nora took the loan out from the bank she had to hide it from everyone because that was a very disrespectful thing to do in society’s eyes at that time, which is why when Torvold found out he was infuriated. When Torvold realized that if anyone found out their reputation would be destroyed and everything he worked hard for would be gone because it would have seemed that they have stepped out of their gender roles and gone against society, he said to her, “Now you have destroyed all my happiness. You have ruined all my future.” (Ibsen 77).