Stations Of Love

Throughout most of documented history women of all cultures and civilizations have lived under patriarchal circumstances. In almost every religion and civilization women's status was not equal to that of a man's. Women in most cultures are looked at as subservient, obedient creatures that were put on this world for very few reasons, mainly to bear children and do what their husbands require of them. In fact, religions are a big part of the reason of this oppression due to the religion's reinforcement and justification of patriarchal conditions. In this week's selected readings from different aspects of Islamic, Byzantine Christian, and Western Christian cultures, it is very apparent as to how these three religions did reinforce and

Romantic gestures have been seen as a useful motive to win hearts of women for centuries. However, as society constantly changes, the effectiveness of these chivalrous acts has diminished. In James Joyce’s “Araby” and John Updike’s “A&P”, this theory is explored, both telling the story of a boy whose efforts to impress the girl of their desires fail. As said by Well’s in his critical analysis of these stories, “Both the protagonists have come to realize that romantic gestures—in fact, that the whole chivalric view [sic] --- are, in modern times, counterproductive”. These stories, despite the differences between the two characters, clearly show that the character’s world is changing, with chivalry becoming more obsolete.

This is an interesting exception to the stereotypical and usual relationship between a Muslim man and woman. Usually the man would have the majority of power in the relationship, but the protagonist has made the relationship on her terms only. We also learn from the narrator that the protagonist has a strong disposition. We can conclude that she seems to exude some power . We also learn that her father thinks highly of her and feels that she is “intelligent”, “well brought up”, and “obviously knows the value of traditions and respects them.”

Athol Fugard’s play, The road to Mecca introduces a character, Elsa Barlow. She is a complex character with strong opinions. She comes across as confused and troubled throughout the play. Her mood changes from being desperate to openly resistant and then from annoyed to remorseful. She battles with her own depression while also trying to help her old friend miss Helen with her troubles. Within this essay I am going to discuss how the confinement of time, the year 1974, and space, which is Miss Helen’s home, helps readers see deeper into the nature of Elsa’s character. I will discuss how her character unfolds through her perceptions of Nieu Bethesda, how her attitudes and disclosures further reveal the nature of her character and what effects

With respect to the ego boundaries among the female characters in the text, Séllei (2009) suggests "They always stand apart but close, always in relation to each other, always in a mental and spiritual proximity, but as presented by the text, never threatening each other's subjectivity" (p. 180). Séllei then goes on to contrast the text's representation of the maternal with traditional patriarchal

Religion is highly influential throughout A Thousand Splendid Suns and the lives of the characters. The novel’s main focus is on Islam in particular Muslim women - Mariam and Laila. Their stories express how Muslim women were treated and what was expected of them compared to men who were considered in power. Religion also expressed the role of a man – he is the provider, the ruler, and has the freedom to do as he please. for

Love is the common reason that both protagonists undertake their respective journeys that begin with hope and optimism. In “Araby,” the Narrator confesses his adoration of Mangan’s sister: “My body was like a harp and her words and

In a man’s world, women who want must suffer. They are turned away from personal achievement and forced down a path that encourages a devotional, misguided love. The desperation derived from this obsessive love inevitably causes destruction to its bearer in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. In her novel, the protagonist Milkman searches for his personal and communal identity against a backdrop of disenfranchised, lovelorn women, and the reader watches as their inescapable desires for affection bring women to ruin. Morrison’s female characters are constantly wanting, propelled by their quest for intimacy. In this novel, female love is all-consuming and obsessive to reflect age-old oppressive patriarchal values; women are primarily defined by the men in their lives and achieving a home and a husband should be paramount for even nonconforming women. This wreaks havoc on the psyches of Hagar and Corinthians and begets endless anxiety over marriage and commitment. Through the consistent disintegration of her female characters, Toni Morrison examines the repressive, traumatic ‘ideal’ path for women and its prevalence in our and her novel’s society.

Arranged is a beautiful presentation, of the everyday life of women in devoted religions, and really portrays in the way they find choice in their religious devotion. So, while having the freedom to write about whatever we wish upon while watching this film, I decided to base my essay on the cultural relationship of arranged marriages between Rochel and Nasira; just two women and their friendship.

In this case, the female must connect herself to reason and intellectual thought to overpower man’s views of women. Pezan emphasizes the defense of women due to the barriers stemming from teachings of the bible which reiterates the position of the female, social norms which place women in a box, and discrimination. Not only are women facing social barriers on a day to day basis, but due to the slander of men, they now have another issue pitted against them. As a result, there is a need to come to the defense of

Despite their differences in social status, Gabriel and the boy are similar in their emotional makeup. The narrator of “Araby” is a sensitive boy whose romantic notions are easily aroused and

In James Joyce’s short story "Araby," the main character is a young boy who confuses obsession with love. This boy thinks he is in love with a young girl, but all of his thoughts, ideas, and actions show that he is merely obsessed. Throughout this short story, there are many examples that show the boy’s obsession for the girl. There is also evidence that shows the boy does not really understand love or all of the feelings that go along with it.

In this section of the paper I would like to examine character’s relation to and the ways in which they internalize the mythology of their culture. The book displays many elements of mythology which are quite removed from actual experience and yet become a part of characters’ identity and gain a certain power in their minds. The storyteller’s narrations are an obvious example of a sort of mythology. He voices a stream of rumors of the village garnished with religious invocations which lend his tales legitimacy. The love songs (as well as the cinema), which play a particularly key role in Um Saad’s narratives, are another imaginary depiction of a woman’s experience, which guide Um Saad to beliefs of what she may expect from life and love. The recurring

One of the poem’s main premises as to why having sex is superior to making love is that the participants are not giving in to a “false Messiah” (15). People who claim to be in love or fawn over their sexual partners are missing the true point of the intimate act. The notion of a false Messiah, which is love and affection, argues that love is not a true savior for people, and it is more of an imposter of happiness. The poem states that when people extract love from the act of sex, each person does not mistakenly love the mediator of satisfaction, but instead focus on praising the true “God”. If one spends so much time admiring a person, he or she will ultimately be disappointed or lose time with the real goal of sex. In the words of the poem, to be attached to the person one is having sex with would mean to “mistake the lover for their own pleasure” (17). He or she would then fail in their endeavors to reach true satisfaction.

Athol Fugard’s play, The road to Mecca introduces a character, Elsa Barlow, a complex character with strong opinions. She comes across as confused and troubled throughout the play, battling with her own depression while also trying to help her old friend miss Helen with her troubles. Within this essay I am going to discuss how the confinement of time, the year 1974, and space, which is Miss Helen’s home, helps readers see deeper into the nature of Elsa’s character. I will discuss how her character unfolds through her perceptions of Nieu Bethesda as well as how her attitudes and disclosures further reveal the nature of her character and lastly what effects the confinement of time have on the dramatic tension between