A World of Inequality
Warsan Shire once said, “It’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.” If a woman said these words in the 18th century she would have been frowned upon and would have had to be insane. Women were nothing but an object for pleasure and men’s property for many years. Not many women were brave enough to write about this, let alone talk about it. Some of the brave women that actually did write about it were, Virginia Woolf in her book, A Room Of One’s Own and Margery Kempe in The Book Of Margery Kempe. Another brave woman during these times was, Felicia Hemans who wrote about women’s sufferings in a poem called “Evening Prayer At A Girl’s …show more content…
Woolf read in History Of England by Professor Trevelyan, “Wife-beating, was recognized right of man, and practiced without shame by high as well as low…. Similarly, the daughter who refused to marry the gentleman of her parents’ choice was liable to be locked up beaten and flung about the room, without any shock being inflicted on public opinion. Marriage was not an affair of personal affection, but of family avarice.” (Woolf, 1). Woolf also points out, “When the husband had been assigned, he was lord and master.” (2). Fathers often selected their daughter’s husband based on financial status. If the daughter disobeyed she was disowned or beaten and it would be viewed as normal to the public. This is also seen in King Lear. After Cordelia tells her father she has nothing to say about her love for him because she could not put her feelings into words, he decided to disown her and give the rest of his kingdom to his other daughters, Goneril and Reagan. Although he gives the kingdom to his daughters, it will be managed by their husbands, Cornwall and Albany. In the play, King Lear says to Cornwall and Albany, “I’ll keep only the title of king, but you’ll have everything else: all the authority and income that come with kingship. To confirm all this, take this crown to share between …show more content…
(90).
Herman was preparing these young ladies for their future full of sufferings and silent tears. She knows that when these young girls get married, they’ll be lying in bed next to someone they do not love and it will eventually affect them emotionally. They will have to sacrifice their bodies to these men only because it is their duty. As Woolf mentioned, women had to give up their chastity in order to live a stable life. Although, things have changed for the better some of these practices could still be seen today. My father is sixty years old and still has this mindset. He is very against interracial marriage and wants my husband to be from the same ethnic group as I am. I know that if I were to bring an African American to my household some of my family members would be very upset, including my father. I would not be surprised if he completely stops speaking to me if I did
Warsan Shire once said, “It’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.” If a woman said these words in the 18th century she would have been frowned upon and would have had to be insane. Women were nothing but an object for pleasure and men’s property for many years. Not many women were brave enough to write about this, let alone talk about it. Some of the brave women that actually did write about it were, Virginia Woolf in her book, A Room Of One’s Own and Margery Kempe in The Book Of Margery Kempe. Another brave woman during these times was, Felicia Hemans who wrote about women’s sufferings in a poem called “Evening Prayer At A Girl’s …show more content…
Woolf read in History Of England by Professor Trevelyan, “Wife-beating, was recognized right of man, and practiced without shame by high as well as low…. Similarly, the daughter who refused to marry the gentleman of her parents’ choice was liable to be locked up beaten and flung about the room, without any shock being inflicted on public opinion. Marriage was not an affair of personal affection, but of family avarice.” (Woolf, 1). Woolf also points out, “When the husband had been assigned, he was lord and master.” (2). Fathers often selected their daughter’s husband based on financial status. If the daughter disobeyed she was disowned or beaten and it would be viewed as normal to the public. This is also seen in King Lear. After Cordelia tells her father she has nothing to say about her love for him because she could not put her feelings into words, he decided to disown her and give the rest of his kingdom to his other daughters, Goneril and Reagan. Although he gives the kingdom to his daughters, it will be managed by their husbands, Cornwall and Albany. In the play, King Lear says to Cornwall and Albany, “I’ll keep only the title of king, but you’ll have everything else: all the authority and income that come with kingship. To confirm all this, take this crown to share between …show more content…
(90).
Herman was preparing these young ladies for their future full of sufferings and silent tears. She knows that when these young girls get married, they’ll be lying in bed next to someone they do not love and it will eventually affect them emotionally. They will have to sacrifice their bodies to these men only because it is their duty. As Woolf mentioned, women had to give up their chastity in order to live a stable life. Although, things have changed for the better some of these practices could still be seen today. My father is sixty years old and still has this mindset. He is very against interracial marriage and wants my husband to be from the same ethnic group as I am. I know that if I were to bring an African American to my household some of my family members would be very upset, including my father. I would not be surprised if he completely stops speaking to me if I did