Fighting Words
It is often said that actions speak louder than words, yet this saying is not always true. Many times, the power of influence speaks far more than any war fought whether between countries or within oneself, as influence can be engrained in the minds of others and passed on through generations, where a war is only temporary. The play Othello by William Shakespeare and “the Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway, both depict women fighting their own war against the influence of society through actions and through words. In Othello, Emilia is merely a servant to her mistress Desdemona, yet still vies for a larger role in society. In “the Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” Margot is often overshadowed by her …show more content…
After Margot shoots her husband, Wilson refuses to stop talking to her until he got the last word. Margot begs him to stop, but only when she says “‘please stop it’” did Wilson reply, ‘‘‘That’s better…Please is much better. Now I’ll stop’” (Hemingway 28). Even though Margot finds a way to express dominance over her husband by preventing him from leaving her through his death, her power was overshadowed by that of Wilson. Wilson asserted power over Margot, by forcing her to use “please,” which is a sign of politeness, to get him to stop talking. The use of “please” implies that Margot has her words changed for her, into something more elegant, and thereby, more ladylike. Even though it’s a small gesture, it shows that despite her best efforts, Margot is still being shaped by the influence of men in society even with her husband gone. Margot differs from Emilia, since when faced with the pressure to keep quiet, Emilia refuses to remain silent. She stands up to a room full of men, where she is by far the lowest ranking member, in order to stand up for her fallen mistress. Emilia yells at the men in the room asking if they can hear her, yelling at Othello, who had killed Desdemona; “Moor, she was chaste. She loves thee, cruel Moor./So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true/So speaking as I think, alas, I die” (Shakespeare, 5.2.298-300). Emilia defies her usual role of submission in order to vouch for Desdemona, thereby breaking the stereotypical gender roles set forth in the story. Emilia takes opportunity of her death to finally speak and be heard in order to stand up for the one person she views as “chaste,” or pure, which is Desdemona. Emilia knows that she is not as innocent as Desdemona, and in a way feels that by speaking up for her, as Desdemona was
It is often said that actions speak louder than words, yet this saying is not always true. Many times, the power of influence speaks far more than any war fought whether between countries or within oneself, as influence can be engrained in the minds of others and passed on through generations, where a war is only temporary. The play Othello by William Shakespeare and “the Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway, both depict women fighting their own war against the influence of society through actions and through words. In Othello, Emilia is merely a servant to her mistress Desdemona, yet still vies for a larger role in society. In “the Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” Margot is often overshadowed by her …show more content…
After Margot shoots her husband, Wilson refuses to stop talking to her until he got the last word. Margot begs him to stop, but only when she says “‘please stop it’” did Wilson reply, ‘‘‘That’s better…Please is much better. Now I’ll stop’” (Hemingway 28). Even though Margot finds a way to express dominance over her husband by preventing him from leaving her through his death, her power was overshadowed by that of Wilson. Wilson asserted power over Margot, by forcing her to use “please,” which is a sign of politeness, to get him to stop talking. The use of “please” implies that Margot has her words changed for her, into something more elegant, and thereby, more ladylike. Even though it’s a small gesture, it shows that despite her best efforts, Margot is still being shaped by the influence of men in society even with her husband gone. Margot differs from Emilia, since when faced with the pressure to keep quiet, Emilia refuses to remain silent. She stands up to a room full of men, where she is by far the lowest ranking member, in order to stand up for her fallen mistress. Emilia yells at the men in the room asking if they can hear her, yelling at Othello, who had killed Desdemona; “Moor, she was chaste. She loves thee, cruel Moor./So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true/So speaking as I think, alas, I die” (Shakespeare, 5.2.298-300). Emilia defies her usual role of submission in order to vouch for Desdemona, thereby breaking the stereotypical gender roles set forth in the story. Emilia takes opportunity of her death to finally speak and be heard in order to stand up for the one person she views as “chaste,” or pure, which is Desdemona. Emilia knows that she is not as innocent as Desdemona, and in a way feels that by speaking up for her, as Desdemona was