Phases Of The Phallus '

Symbols are a primal medium of communication used today and convey different meanings depending upon one’s cultural background. Hence, the significance of a symbol is not inherent in the symbol itself but is rather cultivated in society. Both Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Yasunari Kawabata’s Thousand Cranes explore the significance of such symbols, focusing on the basal reader of Dick and Jane and the ritualized practice of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, respectively. These two symbols, while disparate on the surface, share fundamental similarities and define their roles in the modern world by signifying a departure from antiquated views regarding race and tradition. Not only do both Dick and Jane and the Japanese Tea Ceremony include

The sexual interactions between males and females had always occurred. It was not a new phenomenon when men and women started participating in premarital sex, necking, petting, or kissing. It was the norm of the society. The emphasis on necking and petting arose from the renaming of the two acts. The older generation tended to have a different definition for these actions than the younger generation. The same actions were occurring, but there was a miscommunication about the definition of the words used to describe those actions.

According to Halperin, “the 'sexuality' of the classical Athenians...was constituted by the very principles on which Athenian public life was organized” (Halperin 419). By this he is referring to the fact that sexuality in the Ancient Athens society was socially constructed, but not in the way that it is understood to be socially constructed in modern thought. The so-called sexuality of the Ancient Greek peoples in Athens was directly related to how the society worked, how it was built and how it was understood. Halperin provides a quote from a French anthropologist who is named Maurice Godelier in order to make this point more apparent. This quote states that “it is not sexuality which haunts society, but society which haunts the body's sexuality” (Halperin 419). This statement re-emphasizes the fact that sexuality is a socially constructed concept, entirely dependant upon the society in which it is created in order to be best understood. The history of sexuality, therefore, is a brief history in the sense that the idea of sexuality is constantly being rethought and changed. Halperin sums up the concept of sexuality very well when he says that “[it]...is not a cause but an effect” (Halperin).

As a society, we feed off of each other for what a proper response to something may be. As children, we first look to see our mother’s reaction after falling down; if she is calm, I should also be. We look to each other for what a definition of things should be, as well. In the 1950’s, it was generally obscene for a woman on television to show her belly button, whereas today we will show nude breasts on primetime programming. This follows the sociological theory of symbolic interactionism, where society and individual social interaction provides a subjective meaning to deviant behavior. Many social definitions change for the better, however some change for the worse. One such example was once viewed as normal, with no second thoughts given to it, but now is seen as an actual social problem affecting some groups aversely. This is the topic of homosexuality, a subject that has been on the receiving end of both accepting and discriminating cultures for thousands of years.

The governing legal, moral and religious codes of ancient civilizations were written and enforced by a minority that exercised power and authority over the majority. This minority consisted of priests, rulers and elites with established power and influence in society. In these codes of early civilizations, there was an overarching emphasis on maintenance of structure and order in society. Simply put, while these codes reflect the conditions, needs and values of the times in which they were formulated, they also unveil the authors’ agendas to preserve their power by maintaining the status quo. Therefore, these codes acknowledge and uphold the prevailing social, gender and racial inequalities as natural conditions of human existence and reveal the manifold biases present in early civilizations.

Symbolism is a way we can express our beliefs or ideas through physical objects; however, they also divide people into groups. A paragon of this situation is the

The ancient Egyptian existed in the time before Christianity and had an extensive empire in this northeastern region of Africa. They believed in a system of gods and goddesses that explained certain aspects of life, especially in accordance to gender and sexuality. In this culture, both gods and mortals alike engaged in sexual acts. Excerpts of this have been presented in artwork left that has stood the test of time. The following paper will be discussing depictions of gender, how sexaulity was demenstrated in both culture and society, and sexual oddities in the culture. The ancient Egyptians were a sexually diverse group, it is reflected in both their culture and artwork.

Furthermore, Bordo’s writing suggests another angle of masculinity by discussing the history of the development of the phallic object. In a period of the attempt to understand the phallic object, sexuality became an issue and embarrassment for the soul. An erect penis became the symbol for the lack of self-control and irrational desires. Bordo states, “Not surprisingly, the penis began to be seen as an object of shame, a rebellious little piece of flesh that kept pursuing the body’s irrational desires,” (Bordo, 90). This depiction ceased male superiority from paralleling sexual capabilities. This argument counters Kimmel’s by suggesting that the penis does not give power to a male-bodied person, but instead, the penis needs to be hidden from view to suggest intellectual potential and respect of an individual. This type of view can be considered “masculine shame”; however, this view

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

Known as the Two Sex theory, devised by historian Thomas Laqueur, female sexuality would be characterized purely by a woman’s reproductive potential, where the concept of an innate maternal instinct would become the new prioritized ideal. The female orgasm was renounced by a new essence of masculine superiority. This notion can be asserted with the Phallocentric inclination of the late 18th century, examined by historian Tim Hitchcock, as period characterized by penetration and precedence of the phallus. This “both encouraged and made possible the denigration of female sexuality and perceived passivity.” Consequently this caused the de-emphasis of female sexual pleasure and desire. However, female sexual identity would reemerge with potency, attributed to social flux, the emerging field of sexology and disposition of the interwar years.

The movement of Purity balls is a very interesting and prevalent movement in our society. Many women choose abstinence at a very young age. This choice is made with the encouragement of their fathers. Throughout this essay I will examine religion, as an institution, that governs women’s bodies and sexuality. I will first, describe my opinions on purity balls, secondly, analyze the patriarchal dominance between a father and his daughters, and finally look at some of the redeeming aspects and the consequences of limited knowledge of sexual education.

Different reiterating views of its importance and the way it should be displayed are used to reflect upon the views of women of the time and life in society in general. At times, it is near-worshipped as a sign of sexuality, or as a sign of nourishment. Other times it is restricted down,

The historical psychological view of the female orgasm has been debated throughout the past on its true value and importance. “But really, it may as well have never been discovered at all because there's still such ignorance when it comes to the female body"(Mosbergen 1). As women were not really as anything except tools of pleasure at the time, their bodies were not examined for important reasons, such, that the clitoris, the main pleasure powerhouse, was not discovered. Rather, the female genitalia was just something to please men and was used to give birth to future generations. The woman’s vagina was seen as a tool for sexual pleasure for men and not for women. The significance of the female orgasm was only achieved through a man’s perspective.

Another important reading that is imperative to the project is Foucault’s work titled The History of Sexuality: Volume One, as his analytics are applied to the female body as the hysterical woman, an important distinction as Foucault covers this form of body, as well as many other types of bodies, such as the masturbating child, Malthusian couple, and perverse adult since these are regarded as prototypical unities. Sexuality as the intersection between power and knowledge plays a key

This classification is constructed by discourse with the objective of recreating hegemonic paradigms and perpetuating current power relations. Defining Women and Men as universal categories disguises the interests it serves. Therefore, anything that is defined as natural or universal should be studied critically. She writes, “Signification is not a founding act, but rather a regulated process of repetition that both conceals itself and enforces its rules precisely through the production of substantializing effects” (185). The assumption that there is a pre-discursive body with a pre-determined sexuality and gender sustains oppression against subjugated and marginalized subjects. Disconnected from the body, she suggests, gender can include more than two versions. The analysis of these concepts--or deconstruction-- provides tools to the socially oppressed to fight against the existent social