Throughout our world’s history we have encountered situations revolving around gender roles and even today they are an influential part of our society. As we look back at our past we can infer that people appealing for equality rights and equal privileges are fighting a losing battle against governmental institutions. Cecilia Ferrazzi was publicly declared to be wrong to the Venetian Inquisitions therefore she was inspired to write an autobiography to acquire an opportunity to support herself through a remarkable presentation of her personal experiences and life story. Ferrazzi’s main objective throughout her life was to pursue holiness and regardless of the humane service she was providing everyone believed she was a madwoman due to the visions …show more content…
Only men were citizens, only men bore arms, only men could be chiefs or lords or kings. There were exceptions which did not disprove the rule, when wives or widows or mothers took the place of men, awaiting their return or the maturation of a male heir. A woman who attempted to rule in her own right was perceived as an anomaly, a monster, at once a deformed woman and an insufficient male, sexually confused and, consequently, unsafe (Schutte xxiv)".
As a reflection to the previous quote we can infer that even today gender norms are unfair, and people who attempt to make them fair are suppressing women instead of introducing them to the same choices men have. It is obvious that our society has come a long way in the 21st century specially in the western hemisphere however there are still several women across the globe from different cultures that can relate to Ferrazzi’s experience of being vulnerable as an independent female during the Inquisition. Ferrazzi had encountered many visitations throughout her life and during her fourth interrogation she was asked if she recounted any of her experiences. Ferrazzi spoke by stating the following advice she received by Father Orandi,
“He said this: that it was temptation and that I should keep myself low in my nothingness, as I always have, and that the Devil could dress himself as an angel of light (Schutte
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However the one and only reason to why Ferrazzi didn’t get praised amongst her society was because she was a woman and the gender norms during that era strongly restricted her from gaining any support. Another factor that played a huge role in Ferrazzi’s time period was religion, and it certainly impacted the development of the youth. Since Ferrazzi was strongly against sexual abuse she developed refuge houses for young women who were being enticed into prostitution, therefore many people arose against her. In Ferrazzi’s testimony she stated how many people disagreed with her because she was protecting innocent young
Women were always excluded from decisions, public decisions, especially in politics and the choosing of leaders. When people did not have the right to vote, and kings were chosen by divine right, women in the nobility
Throughout this course, we learned that women’s studies originated as a concern at the time that “women and men noticed the absence, misrepresentation, and trivialization of women [in addition to] the ways women were systematically excluded from many positions of power and authority” (Shaw, Lee 1). In the past, men had more privileges than women. Women have battled for centuries against certain patterns of inadequacy that all women experience. Every culture and customs has divergent female
Women were considered to be the “weaker vessels ,” not as strong physically or mentally as men and less emotionally stable. Legally they could neither vote, hold public office, nor participate in legal matters on their own behalf, and opportunities for them outside the home were frequently limited .
He feels that because women have been in this position for so many years, it would feel irregular to deviate from it. “The subjection of women to men being a universal custom, any departure from it quite naturally appears unnatural” (Mill 1157). As he continues, he reveals his thoughts on the matter to the reader: “this relic of the past is discordant with the future, and must necessarily disappear” (Mill 1159). Mill explores many aspects of the issue. He attempts to uncover the differences between the sexes to provide maybe another solution to the problem, but to no avail, “nothing final can be known” (Mill 1162); nothing is as strongly stated as when he places the blame on custom. Later in his essay, while exploring the systems of past societies, he comes to the same conclusion as earlier. Only this time, he states that there has been some improvement in the system as time went by; however, equality has not yet been reached. He believes that the small increase in power over time is enough to suggest that equality is the solution: “Through all…human history, the condition of women has been approaching nearer to equality with men. This does not itself prove that the assimilation must go on to complete equality; but it assuredly affords some presumption that such is the case” (Mill 1160). This quote is yet another contribution to the blame of custom. In the past, societies lacked equality
This quote highlights the frustration experienced by women who are constrained by the confines of their forced gender roles, repeating a cycle where women are expected to sacrifice their own aspirations for the benefit of others. Together, these quotes illuminate the pervasive theme of the expectations placed upon women to prioritize the needs of others, often to the detriment of their personal growth and
Men controlled every point in society, from the raising of children to the government’s decision; Authority for women was
Even though for a half a century Queens ruled, women still had no legal power. The relationships between men and women was dependent upon the male and the man dominated the female. The only women who were aloud to speak their minds were upper class women, although their thoughts and ideas were still influenced by men. It was unheard of for a lower class woman to speak her mind. The renaissance woman was controlled by her parents until she was married.
Medieval times era was horror for the people in Spain because of the Spanish inquisition.The Spanish Inquisition was a Christian Group formed by Queen Isabella (queen of Castile) and Ferdinand (the king of Portugal who married Isabella) in 1478. It was formed because Monarchs restricted the rights of jews. Because of this, there were many riots by anti jews in 1391. Many Jews converted,they were called conversos. What most Christians didn't know was the they secretly practiced their religion. These people were called Marranos and they were a bigger threat to the Christians.
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” Exodus 22:18 (Holy Bible King James Version). Throughout history, thousands of people have been executed because of accusations of being a witch. The years between 1450 and 1750 are noted for witch hunts. During this time period was the famous Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish Inquisition began in 1478 and lasted until 1834 (Enforex). The Inquisition is famous for the fact that they tortured people to death or until they admitted that they were a heretic. If one was accused of being a heretic during the Inquisition, they would be asked if they were a heretic. If they said no, it admitted their guilt and they would be tortured until they confessed. In the American colony of Massachusetts in 1692, a witch
Men and Women's lives are controlled by the double standards all around them. Every gender is told how to feel and how not to feel, how to act and how not to act rather than just acting and feeling as they want to. The lives of human beings are plagued by these awful societal rules that are all meaningless. Despite the progress made in equality for men and women, double standards create inequality for both genders.
“Despite their regional and religious differences, Renaissance Europeans held a uniform expectation of women: that they should be chaste, silent and obedient.” quoted Melissa Thomson in her book “Women of the Renaissance”.This book examines the Renaissance, defined by the author as the period from 1350 to 1650. Subjects discussed include the cultural, economic, and political circumstances of women. The novel consists of riveting new topics each chapter. It began with yawn-worthy topics such as marriage and religious life styles but later progressed into more exciting topics like women rebels and women as pirates and fighters. The most interesting chapter to me was women's success stories. For example Elizabeth Baulacre a successful business
Women in Renaissance Italy faced rigid societal standards to which they were supposed to conform. They lived public lives, directed almost exclusively by other people in regards to significant decisions. However, this does not mean that a rise above the oppressive nature of the Renaissance was impossible. Several exceptional women were able to challenge their given positions in a society through their education, practices, seclusion, beauty, and roles. In an examination of several positions, through the Exhortations to Women and to Others If They Please by Lucrezia Marinella and the letters of Laura Cereta, a Renaissance feminist, women can be seen as accepting of their position in society or rebelling against it. Their lives and prescriptive writings show how one can either follow the role given to them or exceed beyond it and become an exceptional woman.
In accordance with these ideals of womanhood, Mussolini saw to it that women’s education was tailored to their future roles as mothers and keepers of the house. Now, if wealthy enough to be in school, women were taught, even at the university level, how to keep a home (Pickering-Iazzi, Mothers p. 34).
Between the medieval times and the 20th century, the views of woman have changed significantly. They began in roles such as hostesses to ending up being strong women who can do just about anything. A few examples of this significant change can be demonstrated by comparing the stories Beowulf, Dracula, and “A Rose for Emily”.
In, Simon Newman's article “Women in the Middle Ages.” The way woman has been treated all through history has been unsatisfactory as well as shameless. The Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance give appropriate illustrations of the abuse of ladies at the time. "As with much of Western history, women are subservient to men in the Middle Ages,'' he writes, "They are seen as weaker, less intelligent, and otherwise less fit than men for most tasks." Men were to center their consideration on the welfare of the atomic family and live their lives in near vicinity to ladies. The solidness of residential courses of action was to be built on marital dependability that included steadfastness in sexual relations. As political and social hypothesis distinguished the family based on the atomic family as a critical institution for the creation of open arrange, the mental and ethical capacities of ladies came to be enthusiastically examined.