Heloise And Abelard Gender Roles Essay

1. Why did Cato object to repealing the Oppian law? What was the basis of his objections?

A woman’s alternative would be becoming a nun, giving up all social freedoms and dedicating your life to serving the poor and God. Women who were subject to this life received a much more thorough education than other women, in order to properly learn religious concepts and theory. Otherwise, a woman’s education was limited to basic reading abilities paired with instruction on how to do homely activities. A woman of this time period had utterly no voice in politics. Law was man’s law. The life of these women were controlled by the men who surround them, their opinions meaning little to nothing. The life of a woman in medieval times was bleak and varied little. Romantic literature was on the rise, full of damsels in distress that only further perpetuated negative stereotypes of women during these times. These romances were full of helpless women in situations only a man could get them out of, or else they would be doomed. Despite this cultural oppression of women in this time period, some strong female characters were erected in medieval romances. A perfect example of an abnormally strong and independent female main character would be Enide from Erec and Enide written by Chrétien de

Throughout the history of society, women and men both have faced the constricting roles forced upon them, from a young age; each gender is given specific social and cultural roles to play out throughout their lives. Little girls are given dolls and kitchen toys, little boys are given dinosaurs and power tool toys, if one was to step out of this specified role, social conflict would ensue. Contrast to popular belief, sex is a biological construct, and gender is a social construct specifying the roles men and women are to follow to be accepted into society as “normal”. The effects of gender roles have had on women have proved harmful over the decades. Although the woman’s involvement in society has improved throughout the decades,

Gender roles of diverse cultures have differed immensely throughout history. The evolution of gender roles first began in the Paleolithic Age and then began to transform with the transformation of the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age. Women in Mesopotamia, India, Greece, China, and Rome were not treated as equals and viewed as inferior to men. Cultures like Egypt and Persia had similar laws for women and treated them with more respect out of any of the other cultures.

The medieval church taught that women were inferior to men and that they should be compliant and obedient to their fathers and husbands. Men look down to women as their respect for their ladies are limited as in Canterbury Tales were these women start out as beneath men. These same men who feel the need to arrogate women of their dignity find their fate is later put into the women’s hands. Although a women is taciturn and does not speak out to the men and talk of their animadversion toward the men’s behavior, these same ladies have the power to then decide how these men should serve their punishment for their sacrileges and unruly decisions as in the “Wife of Bath’s Tale”, were after his life was saved by an old lady, in return this old women requested to him to “take me as your wife” (p.138). A women’s love and passion should be approached with appreciation and admiration otherwise being inconsiderate and impassionate will turn a women against a man.

Throughout history women were always seen as inferior to men as they were thought to be more fragile, less educated, and only useful for childbearing and household care. Even women of a elite status were seen as less than males as Jeanne d’Albret ( mother of future king Henry IV) proved this when she said in a letter to the Pope that should she be found wrong that she should be excused simply because she is a woman (Doc 4). Jeanne d’Albret being the mother of a future king and wife of a current king means that she was of a higher status than any other woman in France yet she still felt the need to excuse herself for being a woman on behalf of her ignorance. Others argued that God commands that women be subordinate to men in every way as they were weak and men were Godly (Doc 3). Women were allowed to be apart of religious ceremonies and partake in the possession of God but were not allowed the same status or privileges of man (doc 5). The idea that women were secondary to men continues throughout the Reformation in Europe as they were still seen as weak and

In this session, I will discuss the gender roles in my family. The definition of gender role is the degree to which a person adopts the gender-specific behaviors ascribed by his or her culture (Matsumoto, D. R., & Juang 2013, 156). For example, traditional gender roles recommend that males are aggressive, angry, and unemotional. It goes further and explains that the male should leave the home every day to make a living and be the main wage earner. The traditional gender role for the female purpose is to stay at home and care for the children. It explains that the female is to be nurturing, caring, and emotional (Matsumoto, D. R., & Juang 2013, 156). These traditional roles for female and male are the opposite of one another. It is believed that the culture is likely to influence our perception about gender role in a family. In my family, my parents utilize the traditional gender role. Growing up, my father went to work every day and my mother stayed home with me and my sister. I believe my parents were influence by their parents and their culture to be traditional gender role parents. My father explained to me that they chose traditional parenting role because both sides of the family utilized traditional parenting gender roles. I believe my parents felt pressure to obtain the gender roles of the mother staying home with the children while the father worked. However, when my younger sister was old enough to go to school, my mother started to work. It was believed that when

Gender roles have been changing throughout the centuries with both men and women. The most and drastic change has occurred in our 21st century to women. Women are now viewed as equals in the work and home, they are able to achieve just as much as men and no longer have limits suppressing them. There have been limits put on women since the beginning of time, women were to attend to the house and children but never other responsibilities beyond that. This change in gender roles has shaped our society in numerous ways making new jobs for women and breaking through social norms. Throughout history the role of women has dramatically changed, first with women being primary caregivers and up keepers of the house to women being able to have their own careers and lastly to being equal to men and no longer being inferior to them.

In the fifth letter Heloise refers to women as "the weaker sex." Regardless of whether or not she believed that herself, that was the common thought of the Middle Ages. It was believed that the female mind was "inadequately equipped," compared to that of a males, and it was frowned upon for a woman to show that she might be more intelligent than any male. According to Williams and Echols, women physicians were often charged as witches by male physicians or tangled up in legal issues because they competed with the males. Heloise was very careful to never challenge Abelard's intelligence. She always addressed him as if he were above her, and appealed to his position in the church regardless of the fact that in contrast to Heloise ,"Abelard had failed miserably in monastic

Robertson discusses the representation of women in the Lais of de France and how they were constructed around the feudal society and were meant to represent the female agency. Robertson goes on to explain the feudal society and how it is a social ladder where everyone gets their opinions from who is on the very top—this being the “Church and the aristocracy” (Robertson 68). Robertson makes the point that these are two facets that are least acquainted with women. Robertson notes that medieval people also elevated the status of women at the same time as decimating it. Women—ladies—were compared to the Virgin Mary, who represents all things a woman should be: chaste, delicate, beautiful, modest, and so on. Marie de France wrote her lais so they could be enjoyed by both men and women, but she did explore the gender inequalities that existed in her time and still exist today!

When recalling his decision to seduce Heloise, Abelard boasts, “I considered all the usual attractions for a lover and decided she was the one to bring to my bed, confident that I should have an easy success…” (Abelard 66). In other words, Abelard does not initiate a relationship with Heloise because he is fond of her; instead, he chooses Heloise because she is his best option compared to other potential lovers. Furthermore, Abelard does not think Heloise has enough self-worth to abstain from his charm. To illustrate his plan of seduction, Abelard states, “I was amazed by his simplicity- if he had entrusted a tender lamb to a ravening wolf it would not have surprised me more” (Abelard 67). Abelard’s metaphor indicates a predatory nature to his intentions. With this behavior in mind, Abelard focuses more on the physical, primal aspects of his desires, and he does not consider or emphasize an emotional connection between him and Heloise. After Heloise joins the convent, Abelard’s lustful desires shift to a desire for salvation. In his fourth letter to Heloise, Abelard writes, “And so I have increasing confidence that you will plead for us both before him and, through your prayer, I may be granted what I cannot obtain through my own; especially now, when the daily pressure of dangers and disturbances threaten my life and give me no time for prayer” (Abelard 154). Surprisingly,

Throughout the letters, Abelard and Heloise’s perspectives on gender roles were strictly based upon the traditional views on sexuality. For instance, in the egotistical mind of Abelard, women in the medieval society were viewed as a weaker sex who need help of the a stronger male since there were certainly things that “cannot be carried out by women”5. Moreover, Heloise, despite her being a woman, did not seem to be shocked at the idea that men are superior to women. Instead, she instinctively acknowledged the weaker nature of women indicated by her discussion of her abbey which she called “feminine”; she also described it as weak, frail, and needing a more careful attention6. Throughout the first four letters from Abelard and Heloise, they both held congruent views regarding masculinity and femininity, and this dichotomous way of looking at gender indeed did not deviate much from the conventional thinking of the medieval society.

In fifteenth century France, women had little to no rights. They were allowed to live at home, get married, or go to a convent. If they stayed at home, they would not be able to work. If they decided to get married, it would be based on community relationships and crops, rather than love. If they joined a convent, they would cook and clean for upper-class nuns.

Throughout today’s society, almost every aspect of someone’s day is based whether or not he or she fits into the “norm” that has been created. Specifically, masculine and feminine norms have a great impact that force people to question “am I a true man or woman?” After doing substantial research on the basis of masculine or feminine norms, it is clear that society focuses on the males being the dominant figures. If males are not fulfilling the masculine role, and females aren’t playing their role, then their gender identity becomes foggy, according to their personal judgment, as well as society’s.

Gender socialization and gender roles have always existed in society. When analyzing gender roles, they are not always equal or consistent when comparing cultures, however, the expectations of females and males are often times clearly defined with a little to no common area. The Japanese culture is an example of the defined gender roles that change over time. According to Schafer (2010), because “gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females”, they must be taught (p.357). These roles define how females and males are viewed in society, their household, and workplace. When examining gender socialization in the Japanese culture, it is important to analyze how gender roles are