Woman at Point Zero

As illustrated in A Husband’s Defense, women were dominated by men. From birth until death their lives were dictated by their fathers and husbands. In a civilization famed for its democracy, women were voiceless. Throughout the entire testimony, Euphiletus wife is

Gortyn was a city-state populated by descendants of the Mycenaean’s and Dorian settlers. Greek city-states that were settled by Dorians including Sparta, gave greater rights to women then city-states, which instead were settled by other tribes. In Ancient Greece, it could be argued that many saw adultery as an act, which was worse than rape. The Gortyn law Code could therefore be classed as unusual as in there is a punishment albeit only financial. ‘If one commit rape on a free man or woman, he shall pay 100 staters …and if a slave on a free man or woman he shall pay double, and if a free man on a male or female serf, five drachmas, and if a serf on a male or female serf, five drachmas.’ The fine is largely determined by the difference in social status between the victim and the accused. A free man raping a slave is the lowest fine and a slave raping a free man or woman is the largest fine. Free women seem however, to have a respected place in society if raping a woman is seen as a punishable offence, which in the ancient world wasn’t always seen as that. It emphasises how Gortyn society valued omen based on what social class they adhered

In the early days, the role of woman has been confined by a man because their jobs are to get marry, have children, and most depend on their husbands. The men in the early society had bigger roles than women. Therefore, women has to base themselves on and listen to their men. However, in the story “Once Aboard The Lugger,” author Thomeas Qiller- couch presents an intense image of a woman who makes change in woman’s role in the early society. Nance Trewartha, a daughter of a fisherman in Ruan, wants to marry a minister Samuel from Troy. She has fond on him and starts to wonder how would be like if Samuel is her husband. With her lovingness and braveness, she kidnaps Samuel and start to reverse a women role in the courtship. Surprisingly, Nance pursues Samuel by isolating him, and she changes the patterns of courtship, culture, and class.

Though the woman may believe love lies in this precarious mode of living, she never finds true love and ends up feeling lost and empty.

When assigned with choosing a favorite passage, one quote immediately came to mind. It can be found towards the bottom of the page 199and reads, “I wrote about the love I felt I knew: Love is the reason why my mother and father stick together in a hard life when they might each have an easier one apart; love is the reason why you choose a life with someone, and you don't turn back although your heart cries sometimes and your children see you cry and you wish out loud that things were easier. Love is getting up each day and fighting the same fight only to sleep that night in the same bed beside the same person because long ago, when you were younger and you did not see so clearly, you had chosen them.” I first read this passage as a part of the assigned reading. But I re-read, and re-read, and re-read this passage because it spoke to me more than any other in the book. I found it to be simple, but beautiful, and extremely precise. Kao felt she had no personal experience with love but

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek to find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

It is quite clear is that the main virtue of the “good” women is bearing sons to notable (or divine) men, while the crimes of the “bad” women are against their husbands or sons.

She knows that life at that time is cruel for women, therefore the only way to survive and live carelessly is through beauty not intelligent.

Ex: In Arvay, the characters are simbólico of those who hold prejudices and are never truly happy till they learn to love their

The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas is classified as a hagiography on the martyrdom of two important Christian women. Though this source contains bias, being written by a supporter of the two martyrs, important information lies in the typical Roman Christian’s perspective on religious women. Perpetua, in contrast to Lysistrata, does not derive her power and

Over the years, Firdaus had made quite the reputation for herself; she could refuse men she did not want to sleep with, she was able to have her own place to live, a place to shop and even another job. Firdaus felt that “[she] had been locked up to with more respect, and had been valued more highly than all the female employees” (81). She was feeling proud of herself and felt that she was valuable in her community. In many different cultures, prostitutes are thought to have not much value, but in Firdaus’ case, she thinks that she has a lot of value and skill to share with her community. Because the theme of the book is value and reputation, at this point, Firdaus has realized the importance of her reputation and knows how to use it in a way that she will be beneficial in continuously getting what she wants. By getting what she wants, she is above the social groups that were put into the stereotypes of being a prostitute in an Arab culture, and especially in a time where women were meant to be under men, even in religion. More specifically, the cultural groups created in Egypt around this time include following a strict Muslim religion, and respecting exactly what the Koran tells people to do.

Shortly after Mariam is told this by her mother, Mariam’s mother dies. Throughout the rest of Mariam’s life, true to her mother’s words, all she does is endure. Her mother’s statement rings true to the larger themes of the novel in that, throughout the whole of the book, women are oppressed. Mariam lives in a world where women often suffer because they are not allowed to do the same things men are, and are thought of as subordinate. Women endure being discriminated against because of their gender. The women in this book are also tasked with many obligations. They are

This need to separate the angelic qualities of women into a totally separate world might come from the desire to protect one’s mother, and plays into the idea of the eternal feminine that must be preserved. “She has no story of her own but gives ‘advice and consolation’ to others, listens, smiles, sympathizes…” (Gilbert and Gubar 815). The aunt is a perfect example of such feminine qualities and represents the untainted light of civilization.

On describing her captivity in marriage Firdaus also states 'A virtuous woman was not supposed to complain about her husband, her duty was perfect obedience.', thus, in order to be 'good' one must be totally submissive. This description of a virtuous woman shows how ingrained social expectations were in the society of 1970's , if one must be perfectly obedient to one other person at all times, then obviously they are captive in both expectations and duty, a duty that was for Firdaus, forced upon her. The captivity is not physical, but rather mental and inflicted onto Firdaus from societal expectations. Firdaus later reflects upon the captivity she felt in her marriage stating “I would rather be a free prostitute than an enslaved wife.” The adjective 'enslaved' shows that Firdaus believes wives to be, literal slaves, captive in their marriage. Stating she would prefer to be a prostitute instead of a wife is shocking to a western reader, as generally being a wife is thought to be freer and safer than having to sell your body. Al Sadawi in this phrase not only shocks the reader, but further introduces the reader to the foreign paradigm of a middle-eastern wife and the sheer desperation due to captivity experienced.

Firdaus experiences oppression from childhood to adulthood and whenever she tries to run from one form of oppression, she finds herself in another. From childhood, Firdaus is oppressed by her biological father and her uncle, in adulthood men of different calibers sexually oppress her. It is from this painful act that when the researcher meets Firdaus, she openly tells her the hatred she has towards men, arising from the male oppression throughout her life. She is even happy to face the executer because the world is full of oppression. She narrates: