I argue that Christine De Pizan’s (ca. 1364 – ca. 1431) work ‘The Book of the City of Ladies’ was created as a proverbial safe haven from the misogyny of men whether virtuous or not. The most prominent message is primarily about the safety women need from a patriarchal society that dictates women as second-class citizens. The City symbolizes an escape for women who have “…patiently endured the countless verbal and written assaults that have been unjustly and shamelessly launched upon them.” (De Pizan 787). This argument is proven by the City of Ladies being a ‘structural’ fortress built for the safety of women against misogyny, the complexity surrounding the texts argument that women can be considered as blessed and better protected to not
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Although, the text expresses the opinion that while women lack physical strength compared to men, the absence of it has primarily kept women spared for the most part from physical violence in and out of the battle field. The text emphasizes that Nature and God have not weakened women by depriving them of the same physical attributes as men but rather are “…spared from committing and being punished for the acts of appalling cruelty, the murders, and terrible violent deeds…” (De Pizan 789). Their lack of physical strength is instead made up by Nature’s gift of a virtuous disposition and “…being fearful of disobeying His commandments,” (De Pizan 789) that keeps them safe from the punishment violent men receive from God. While truly lack of physical strength is a large portion of what is keeping the women of this society oppressed. Many do not have the physical means to fight and take back control. The oppression women in this period lived through realistically had little chance of being physically fought and won. Women had little to no training to survive outside of the home without the support of a male, much less physical battle experience. Any advancing opportunities were cut off from most females the moment their gender was announced at birth. It can be inferred that without a prominent ‘benevolent’ male figure the likelihood of a female child learning aspects as simple as reading and writing is …show more content…
They saw the decimation the war had inflicted upon their livelihoods and severed themselves from masculine society. The war killed every noble male of Scythia. When the women of Scythia saw what they had left of the previously vast male population, they began a council of women and took control of the country’s leadership. The Scythia women “issued an edict which forbade any man from entering their territory,” (De Pizan 791) and will ensure their survival by traveling into other countries to reproduce and keep only the female children. The women of this society could no long trust the patriarchy that ruled them to keep them safe and make wise decisions. in response to this all left-over men in the country were expelled to further their safety. The overall decimation the women of Scythian face forced their hand to do anything to insure their survival. By first taking full revenge for the deaths of their men. The Scythian women “took up arms…and waged war on their enemies, laying waste to their lands with fire and sword and crushing all opposition until none remained.” (De Pizan 792). The women of Scythia later became known as the Amazons. The Amazonian women did not take their safety lightly in any possible form. To keep themselves safe and separated
Although, the text expresses the opinion that while women lack physical strength compared to men, the absence of it has primarily kept women spared for the most part from physical violence in and out of the battle field. The text emphasizes that Nature and God have not weakened women by depriving them of the same physical attributes as men but rather are “…spared from committing and being punished for the acts of appalling cruelty, the murders, and terrible violent deeds…” (De Pizan 789). Their lack of physical strength is instead made up by Nature’s gift of a virtuous disposition and “…being fearful of disobeying His commandments,” (De Pizan 789) that keeps them safe from the punishment violent men receive from God. While truly lack of physical strength is a large portion of what is keeping the women of this society oppressed. Many do not have the physical means to fight and take back control. The oppression women in this period lived through realistically had little chance of being physically fought and won. Women had little to no training to survive outside of the home without the support of a male, much less physical battle experience. Any advancing opportunities were cut off from most females the moment their gender was announced at birth. It can be inferred that without a prominent ‘benevolent’ male figure the likelihood of a female child learning aspects as simple as reading and writing is …show more content…
They saw the decimation the war had inflicted upon their livelihoods and severed themselves from masculine society. The war killed every noble male of Scythia. When the women of Scythia saw what they had left of the previously vast male population, they began a council of women and took control of the country’s leadership. The Scythia women “issued an edict which forbade any man from entering their territory,” (De Pizan 791) and will ensure their survival by traveling into other countries to reproduce and keep only the female children. The women of this society could no long trust the patriarchy that ruled them to keep them safe and make wise decisions. in response to this all left-over men in the country were expelled to further their safety. The overall decimation the women of Scythian face forced their hand to do anything to insure their survival. By first taking full revenge for the deaths of their men. The Scythian women “took up arms…and waged war on their enemies, laying waste to their lands with fire and sword and crushing all opposition until none remained.” (De Pizan 792). The women of Scythia later became known as the Amazons. The Amazonian women did not take their safety lightly in any possible form. To keep themselves safe and separated