Injustices By Margaret Atwood, Doris Lessing And Geraldine Brooks

The way women are presented in ‘Of Mice and Men ' differs in comparison to ‘Macbeth '. Upon analysing the two texts, I have differentiated the two female protagonists, Curley 's wife and Lady Macbeth, and came to a conclusion that one is dissimilar from the other. Yet, both are supposedly speculated to be the stereotypical woman. In Shakespeare 's play Macbeth, feminism and society 's injustice towards women are two of the main themes that assemble the well-known play that was ‘fit for the Kings '. In addition to this, in both books the females are known to not have an identity. This, furthermore, highlights society 's opinion towards women, in which they 're considered as nothing. In these two texts, Lady Macbeth and Curley

In the Shakespeare written play ‘Macbeth’, Lady Macbeth, the wife of Macbeth, is the leading lady of one of the most well known plays in time. Lady Macbeth was the stereotypical portrayal of feminism in the 17th century, to “look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” is her personal motto. The characterisation of Lady Macbeth leads us to see both the good, bad and extreme sides of her, a three dimensional character, at her absolute best we see her strengths in determination, manipulation and persuasion, however these strengths ultimately lead to a psychotic, power-driven beast after the effects of certain events take its toll on her. Her strengths only serve to instill the idea that unchecked ambition is the root of all evil, an ever present idea that lasts the play.

These women are strong in that they can see the future and manipulate the will of men, but to have such a power, they too like Lady Macbeth are “unsexed”. The witches are hideous, more resembling creatures than women. Due to their withered nature and beards, the Weïrd Sisters “look not like th’ inhabitants o’ th’ earth” (1.3.42). The witches androgynous features and facial hair helps them display physical masculinity, which allows them to convey their power. Much like Lady Macbeth, the Weïrd Sisters must rid themselves of their feminine nature, one that is considered weak, in order to succeed. This toxic stereotype, that powerful women must be unattractive and manly, is still one that plagued women today. Women in all career paths are ridiculed and shamed for something as trivial as their appearance, and it is writers and influencers such as Shakespeare that have enforced this harmful

“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” Nelson Mandela’s quote speaks volumes toward injustice in the world today. Racism, gender bias, unfair treatment, and false assumptions all contribute to the concept of injustice. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird novel demonstrates many forms of injustice, and while some may seem petty, they still have a massive effect on a person.

Throughout many pays and novels, women have had important roles of helping form the main characters, in the way they think, move or change the story. Women have always been subordinate to men all through history, but in plays, novels, short stories, etc, they have been given large enforcing roles, showing the power within women. William Shakespeare and Sophocles use guilt, pride, and influence to demonstrate the importance of the women’s role to support the main characters in both the plays of Macbeth and Antigone.

Women are presented in similar ways in The Woman in Black and Macbeth, both writers use their female characters to create contrasts and raise questions about women. Susan Hill’s use of typical women of the time helps to contrast with the main female character, sets the scene for this novel and also helps to bring some normality to it. Susan Hill being able to create that image near the beginning of the novel of what a good mother looks like using the archetypal mothers makes the personality of Jennet Humfrye even more outrageously different. Furthermore, the Woman in Black’s powerful, commanding and dangerous character juxtaposed with the subservient typical women such as Isobel, Esme and Stella and the emotional and affectionate Jennet Humfrye establishes the variances between the types of women Susan Hill explores.

Being a writer in the sixteenth-century was an extreme academic feat; of all sixteenth-century writers, William Shakespeare is, perhaps, the most commonly-known. This English prodigy fathered the highest- regarded story of star-crossed lovers, in addition to tragedies that shook audiences to their very core. One of these tragedies, Macbeth, is a commonly performed play in the world to this day. As a writer, William Shakespeare tackled multiple social stereotypes and issues; in Macbeth, he directly attacked sexism and gave the audience something that was unheard of at the time: a female villain. The wife of the title character, Lady Macbeth, is one of the biggest dynamic characters ever written into existence. Her character is sadistic and

It is interesting to note the importance of gender in the personifications of evil in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is as obsessed with her gender as her evil. When she implores evil to "unsex" her, to take her "woman's breasts for gall" she reveals the sense of powerlessness and weakness she feels. Being a woman makes her dependant on her husband for her social

The categorisation of female characters as heroines is often less obvious than the one of male characters as heroes. In a lot of contexts, “women and men are left with the impression that women are not heroic”. In other words, sometimes people tend to regard fictional women as inferior characters to whom the traditional notion of heroism cannot be applied. Yet, with the purpose of proving such a thesis wrong, this essay will examine the historical romance The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Hungarian novel Colours and Years written by Margit Kaffka. Indeed, the two texts will highlight the evidence that female characters can be heroic precisely because of their

“Above all, as a woman of ambition living in a patriarchal world that allows no outlet for her intelligence, she becomes motivated to seize power through her husband. Thus, Lady Macbeth must act and think “like a man” because good women are by definition subservient, and can exert no recognizable authority.” (Klett 1). Klett showcases the classic female gender role with examples of how an average woman is supposed to act in a patriarchal world versus how Lady Macbeth behaves in Act 1. For

Lady Macbeth’s failure is owed to the fact that she portrays extremes on the gender spectrum, neither being hypermasculine nor hyperfeminine

The role women play in Macbeth is complicated because they seem to symbolize a weakness in

I think that Mrs. Maureen’s story is very emotional. I can imagine the fear Mrs. Maureen felt every time her daughter was in the pool. I understand the hard work parents of children with any kind of disability have to go through. I admire them because they overcome every challenge they have face in order to give their children a better quality of life.

It is the 21st century and people continue to struggle for equality. We as society have failed and will continue to fail to acknowledge the rights each human deserves. However, during these difficult times, there are always writers and motivational speakers who inspires people to keep fighting for their rights. Some examples are Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 speech, “I Have A Dream” speech, Claude McKay’s 1919 poem, “If We Must Die,” poem, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr's short story from 1961, “Harrison Bergeron.” Although, these three pieces of texts are not current, all of the pieces of writing have created a massive impact for generations and continue to do in our generations.

The Witches are often seen to be of great importance in Shakespeare’s Macbeth; not only are they the first characters to speak, but their prophecies lay the foundation for Macbeth’s ultimate spiral into madness. However, their prominence does not necessarily entitle them to be labelled the ‘heroines of the piece’ that Eagleton describes. In order to evaluate Eagleton’s classification of the Witches, we must underpin the true conventions of a literary hero, both to an Elizabethan and contemporary audience.