Midterm Prompts 2-5
2)
It is stated in “The Domestication of the Savage Male” that the division of labor exists to force this idea of mutual dependence among sexes. The male figure supplies protection and works for the family, whereas a woman takes care of the children, cooks, and cleans. Without the man, the woman would not fend for herself as successfully, and without the woman, the man would have no children, and he would have to distribute his time equally between work, cooking, cleaning, and whatever difficult odds and ends he usually expects the woman to do. Although misogynistic and limiting to both genders, the idea of mutual dependence is universal, and can be seen in both the examples of Gypsy and Iraqi culture that we have gone …show more content…
However, this is a vicious example of Orientalism. Guests of the Sheik displayed that the Muslim women accounted for are complex, empowered human beings in their own right. They have their own issues, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and passions. In a video we watched in class, many Muslim women were even shown owning their own businesses and being a major financial contributor to their family, which is a narrative that western culture rarely considers because it contradicts the one-dimensional Orientalist ideology. However, I say the book deconstructs Orientalism to an extent, because there are some events within the book that can be seen as reinforcements to the ideology. For example, in part three, when the sheik was planning to leave for Beirut, Selma was doing most, if not all, of his preparations from home, like packing his clothes for him, boiling and bleaching his shirts, dishdashas, and drawers, cooking his favorite meals, and she is only staying behind because she has to take care of the children. I mention this as a reinforcement because my interpretation was that she wanted to go with him, but she couldn’t because she had to care for children. If she had not wanted to go, and I am interpreting this incorrectly, than it does deconstructs Orientalism because if she is happy and feels empowered by what she does, she is not contributing to the one-dimensional narrative of being oppressed and forced to live a life she does not
2)
It is stated in “The Domestication of the Savage Male” that the division of labor exists to force this idea of mutual dependence among sexes. The male figure supplies protection and works for the family, whereas a woman takes care of the children, cooks, and cleans. Without the man, the woman would not fend for herself as successfully, and without the woman, the man would have no children, and he would have to distribute his time equally between work, cooking, cleaning, and whatever difficult odds and ends he usually expects the woman to do. Although misogynistic and limiting to both genders, the idea of mutual dependence is universal, and can be seen in both the examples of Gypsy and Iraqi culture that we have gone …show more content…
However, this is a vicious example of Orientalism. Guests of the Sheik displayed that the Muslim women accounted for are complex, empowered human beings in their own right. They have their own issues, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and passions. In a video we watched in class, many Muslim women were even shown owning their own businesses and being a major financial contributor to their family, which is a narrative that western culture rarely considers because it contradicts the one-dimensional Orientalist ideology. However, I say the book deconstructs Orientalism to an extent, because there are some events within the book that can be seen as reinforcements to the ideology. For example, in part three, when the sheik was planning to leave for Beirut, Selma was doing most, if not all, of his preparations from home, like packing his clothes for him, boiling and bleaching his shirts, dishdashas, and drawers, cooking his favorite meals, and she is only staying behind because she has to take care of the children. I mention this as a reinforcement because my interpretation was that she wanted to go with him, but she couldn’t because she had to care for children. If she had not wanted to go, and I am interpreting this incorrectly, than it does deconstructs Orientalism because if she is happy and feels empowered by what she does, she is not contributing to the one-dimensional narrative of being oppressed and forced to live a life she does not