It is human nature to find comfort and satisfaction through the categorization of all things in life, including other people. Throughout all of history to the modern day, the majority of individuals have chosen to conform to the behavioral expectations associated with their gender in fear of social ostracization. Throughout literary pieces such as The Analects by Confucius, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, and Virginia Woolf’s Professions for Women, gradual progress in the societal understanding that a human’s purpose and motive can not invariably be based off of gender is made by rebellious individuals who defy these standards.
In Confucius’s Analects, despite his reiteration of the importance of social and moral equity, the reoccurring standard …show more content…
Confucius stresses the importance of respect for one’s ancestors by stating that “the highest [form to filial piety] is being a credit to our parents”(1.3). Considering that women were not able to pass on the family name, they miss out on accomplishing one of the most crucial tasks according to Confucius, making their role insignificant in his teachings. The importance of filial piety in Chinese culture combined with a woman’s inhibition to carry on her family name further minimized a woman’s impact on Chinese society.
In the beginning of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Ibsen intentionally portrays both Nora and Torvald according to their gender stereotypes. A woman’s place in this play is quickly but indirectly explained by Torvald when he scolds Nora for her disregard of paying back a debt by declaring her behavior to be “like a woman”(1021). This statement shows that despite changes in male female companionship in the 19th century, females are still perceived as impulsive and unconcerned. Another example of a woman’s subordinate role in this society is …show more content…
In the beginning of her Article, Woolf explains that the reason why women succeeded in writing before any other profession was because of “the cheapness of writing paper”(stnz1). By saying this, Woolf explains that writing was one of the few professions a woman could do on the side without too much social backlash. Even in the 20th century, a woman’s role of the housekeeper and nurturer still needed to be fulfilled if she did not want to face disapproval in her household or society. A woman’s hobby or side job as a journalist generally did not interfere with her other duties, so it became one of the few areas women were allowed to excell in. Woolf’s description of this activity that she was skilled in and “allowed” to engage in shows that women were still very restricted on what they could do, and writing became one of the ways women could finally prove themselves to be competent, even superior in. Because of its accessibility, writing became one of the merited opportunities for women to demonstrate their mental and creative competence not many people may have been aware of. Some hindrances to the progress of equality among genders are and were inherently personal and emotional. Woolf provides an example for this by explaining that she had to “kill the angel in the house”(stnz3) to be
In Confucius’s Analects, despite his reiteration of the importance of social and moral equity, the reoccurring standard …show more content…
Confucius stresses the importance of respect for one’s ancestors by stating that “the highest [form to filial piety] is being a credit to our parents”(1.3). Considering that women were not able to pass on the family name, they miss out on accomplishing one of the most crucial tasks according to Confucius, making their role insignificant in his teachings. The importance of filial piety in Chinese culture combined with a woman’s inhibition to carry on her family name further minimized a woman’s impact on Chinese society.
In the beginning of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Ibsen intentionally portrays both Nora and Torvald according to their gender stereotypes. A woman’s place in this play is quickly but indirectly explained by Torvald when he scolds Nora for her disregard of paying back a debt by declaring her behavior to be “like a woman”(1021). This statement shows that despite changes in male female companionship in the 19th century, females are still perceived as impulsive and unconcerned. Another example of a woman’s subordinate role in this society is …show more content…
In the beginning of her Article, Woolf explains that the reason why women succeeded in writing before any other profession was because of “the cheapness of writing paper”(stnz1). By saying this, Woolf explains that writing was one of the few professions a woman could do on the side without too much social backlash. Even in the 20th century, a woman’s role of the housekeeper and nurturer still needed to be fulfilled if she did not want to face disapproval in her household or society. A woman’s hobby or side job as a journalist generally did not interfere with her other duties, so it became one of the few areas women were allowed to excell in. Woolf’s description of this activity that she was skilled in and “allowed” to engage in shows that women were still very restricted on what they could do, and writing became one of the ways women could finally prove themselves to be competent, even superior in. Because of its accessibility, writing became one of the merited opportunities for women to demonstrate their mental and creative competence not many people may have been aware of. Some hindrances to the progress of equality among genders are and were inherently personal and emotional. Woolf provides an example for this by explaining that she had to “kill the angel in the house”(stnz3) to be