King's The Beekeeper's Assistance

They live in a bright pink house, a very feminine color. The woman in the household have names pertaining to seasons. “These names span a time frame of both sowing and reaping, spring to late summer.” (Emanual, Catherine B. 2). Appropriately, August (a mature season) champions and befriends Lily providing the wisdom and security she so desperately needs. She gently guides Lily but allows her to find her own way. Under Augusts’ wing, Lily finally finds a place to nest. She

As the perception of women changes constantly, society is the only factor in creating their ideal image. These societal views are the basis of their treatment, with the expectation that it is beneficial for them. However, societal expectations of women in the Elizabethan and Victorian eras severely limit their freedoms and rights. William Shakespeare’s Othello and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein portray most women in their typical roles. Both authors depict the level of injustice in society’s treatment of women through the passivity of women causing their deaths, the silencing of vulnerable women and the portrayal of women as more humane than men.

The advancement of women in society is a remarkable achievement, and the first step to true equality in the world. Despite the tremendous progress, oppression faced in the past should not be forgotten, largely because it is present modern society as well. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, both female relationships and identities are explored to determine the purpose of women. Society's historic tendency to undervalue women is seen more in The Handmaid's Tale than in The Color Purple.

Two-hundred years is a sizeable gap of time that allows plenty of room for change. American society had been rapidly changing from the early seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century, but despite this, the roles and rights of women have remained locked in place. There were many factors to consider as to why women were not allowed to flourish in their time and exceed these boundaries, and while some accepted it, there were many that opposed and faced these difficulties head on. Two female authors, one from colonial times, and one from nineteenth century America, have written about the obstacles and misogyny they’ve overcome in a male dominated literary career. Despite the two-hundred-year gap between the lives of Margaret Fuller and Anne Bradstreet, they both face issues regarding the static stereotype that women are literarily inferior and subservient handmaids to men.

Mary Shelley brings attention to feminist issues simply by exposing the speaking limitations, the level of control men have, and suppressed decision making.

When it comes to Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, people will tend to think about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Laurie R. King wrote a book that introduced a new apprentice to Sherlock Holmes, Mary Russell. Together the two solve cases that would make them grow as person and enrich their life. The book, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King, followed the theme of the the journey of apprentice and master and how it changes them was supported and shown through the characters and setting.

Kesey highlights two distinctions between the roles of women in his novel ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’. He places women in two categories, the ‘Ballcutters’ and ‘Whores’ . The ‘Ballcutters’ are presented to have a dominant role over the men within the ‘Combine’ and challenges their masculinity, resulting in them being personified as machines. This is demonstrated when Bromden describes the ‘tip of each finger the same colour as her lips. Funny orange. Like the tip of a soldering iron’ of Nurse Ratched. Bromden compares the complexion of her fingers and lips with a metal iron, suggesting not only is she machine like, but also has the physical appearance of a metal machine. The ‘Whores’ are Candy and Sandy who are submissive and this stems from the introduction of the contraceptive pill, as ‘feminists encouraged sexual exploitation with multiple partners and claimed sexual pleasure as a woman’s right’, Thus, resulting into them being presented as sexual beings fulfilling the sexual appetite of men.

Most students’ outlook on summer reading is negative, a waste of time. I believe that this can be proven untrue with exciting and well-written novels. Stories should be fun to immerse yourself in, and those types of books should be what makes up the 5 book list for the incoming students to this class. The novel The Beekeeper’s Apprentice is such a book, and should be included on the reading list, and 1984 should not be on the list.

The nineteenth century is popularly known for its traditional view of gender roles, especially regarding women. The term “True Woman” refers to what society at that time thought to be the ideal woman, carrying qualities of “modesty, submissiveness, physical weakness, limited education, and complete devotion to husband and home” (White, 2009, p. 1). Women were restrained in terms of sexuality, dress, language, and economic decisions. In Amy Gilman Srebnick’s The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers, Mary rebels against these standards by being a single women that is also sexually active, however, her actions are what seemingly lead to her demise. Similarly, Fanny Fern’s Ruth Hall also goes against gender norms. In her case, she earns her own economic independence through her writing and lives a more unconventional life as a mother, but faces repercussions from her family. Through the novels Ruth Hall and The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers, the main female characters revolt against being “True Women” through their daily actions and behaviors, however they’re each punished with consequences for trying to deviate from society’s path.

A recurring motif throughout the novel is that women are resented for being in positions of power, opposed to more traditional, subjugated roles. Any female character in a powerful, influential, or otherwise controlling position are demonized as a “ball-cutter... – people who try to make you weak so they can get you to toe the line, to follow their rules, to live like they want you to.” (Kesey

Presenting literature to the public that is meant to be a commentary on social or political issues, masked under the guise of entertaining and fictional, is a tool implemented by authors and activists for centuries. While not all satire is as overt as Jonathan Swift’s suggestion that we eat the babies, it does not diminish the eyebrow raising suggestions that are conveyed once the meaning has been discovered. In Aphra Behn’s The History of the Nun and Eliza Haywood’s Fantomina, the established expectations of the female role within society are brought into question then directly rejected. These expectations establish that women should be deferential to men, morally unblemished, and virtuous at all times. Men, however, are not held to these expectations in the same way. The masculine roles assumed by Isabella and Fantomina demonstrate a private rebellion against the established patriarchal society as it warns against the under-estimation of women and proves that women exist independently.

Throughout history, a system of patriarchy and sexism has over time replicated itself across the world. From this system of male-superiority, emerged misogyny. Referring to the hatred or dislike of women, misogyny has taken many different forms throughout William Shakespeare’s published works. In specific, Shakespeare’s play Hamlet features various examples of misogyny, portrayed by the tragic hero Hamlet and his relationships with the women in his life. This underlying theme of misogyny heavily influences his course of action, and contributes nothing but conflict between his female counterparts and himself.

In a novel set in 1920’s patriarchal society dominated by the obsession of wealth, power, chasing dreams and an enigmatic narrator, just how independent can a woman really be? This is the context for the characters in ‘The Great Gatsby’ where, in the aftershock of a world war, there is celebration and the incarnation of women left at home into ‘flappers’, but it is debatable how far they have really changed from traditional housewives. For Jordan this is an exciting transition but more traditional characters such as Tom cling to the past. When a threatening situation looms over them will they run and hide or confront the problem head on, the only way they know, as in ‘No Country for Old Men’? These contrasting reactions could be a result

Upon reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice I began to ponder whether the novel reinforces or erodes sexist stereotypes of women. The story was written near the end of the 18th century, a time where women were viewed to be reliant on men for social acceptance and economic survival. They were treated as possessions, born only to marry, have children, and manage the household. This essay will discuss the sexist stereotypes of the era and how Austen uses Pride and Prejudice characters to highlight and challenge those stereotypes. During the period Pride and Prejudice was written, there were strict social standards on how women should dress, speak and act.

In Gertrude Atherton’s Black Oxen, a man named Clavering falls in love with a woman who is not what she appears to be. When Clavering first sees Madame Zattiany, he views her as an object. He refers to her as “it” rather than “she” when he describes her at the beginning of the book. He states that, “in spite of its smooth white skin and rounded contours above an undamaged throat, it was, subtly, not a young face” (Atherton, page 45). Atherton is using Clavering as a vehicle to argue that men tend to see women as objects. It is easier to defend injustice if one can dehumanize the opposing side. It seems as if he is taking stock of her features, as if she were a cow being sold at a market, Clavering is observing her in the hopes of later devouring her. Clavering sees her and knows she is different because she draws attention to herself, she doesn’t just sit in silence. She simply isn’t behaving as Clavering believes a woman should. There is an uncertainty that comes when Clavering sees Mary disregarding the manners of the time. Then he observes her in great detail. His inspection reveals just how superficial Clavering is. He examines her so thoroughly, as if she was a prized mare at auction: “ her forehead was perhaps too high, but it was full, and thick hair was brushed back from a sharp point. Her eyebrows, thank Heaven, were many shades darker than her hair” (Atherton, pages 44-45). It is through these observations that Atherton emphasizes men’s obsession with the