Lesbian feminism

In “The Laugh of the Medusa” French feminist Hélène Cixous writes about “écriture féminine” and invite women to write about themselves and to reclaim their bodies. She takes into account psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s terms but disagrees with his idea of men being more valuable than women because they have a penis. She also opposes that there is a typical woman and argues that all women have “individual constitutions” (876). Many feminists as Cixous criticize Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual…

In the play “Ruined” by Lynn Nottage, Mama Nadi serves the life of many women living in the Congo during the war. Her desires offer conflict with each other causing problems to appear for her and others. Her strategy of self-isolation helps her deal with many conflicts in order to self-achieve satisfaction. While her strategy does help her in many occasions it also creates self-obstacles she has to deal with on her own. She is unable to create relationships with other becomes a consequence of…

Kate Chopin's short story, Desiree's Baby, is a work that explores multiple themes commonly considered taboo for late 19th century discussion. Most writers of the time rarely elucidated on such themes; and least of all female writers. To fully appreciate the work in its entirety, one must first understand the social critique of the times and then formulate an idea of just how impactful a story such as this one could be. This was an era in which the majority of creative literature focused on…

Gender roles are a perceived set of behavioral norms given to males and females in a social group or system. Gender roles are seen to differ among different societies and cultures. One very noticeable fact is that these rules and values of gender stereotypes have changed over the years. This may be seen when one compares past societies to today’s. The idea of women being the weaker sex has emerged from the past, and may still be seen in today’s society, however, on a smaller scale. Therefore,…

Throughout the play, “A Doll’s House”, Henrik Ibsen conveys a sense of realism in numerous ways and using various techniques. Theatrical realism was a general movement of the 19th century characterised by the accurate portrayal of everyday life and social conventions. Premiered in the 1879, Denmark, “A Doll’s House” initially received heavy criticism for its controversial attitude towards marriage norms and the role of women in society. In a Victorian society dominated by men, Ibsen saw the…

The clear division of roles between males and females in the late 19th century Victorian era, display distinct characteristics that define how a man and woman are to behave. These attributes, or gender roles, determine the standard of society, and is what is considered to be acceptable behaviour. Author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll, challenges the patriarchal gender roles in the Victorian Era by exchanging the typical attributes associated with males and…

on the struggle of woman not having a role in society, but rather than only having a male-domination society which “her roles are typically in the home and she is isolated from and ignorant to the world surrounding her” (Chicana Feminism). This book illustrates feminism in many different ways as the culture in this book is surrounded by a male-domination society. Castillo portrays this concept of the different stereotypes that society thinks about Mexican women such as gender and sexuality roles…

“Victorian fears about women's behavior evolved into a national debate known as "The Woman Question," which encompassed issues such as property ownership, marriage contracts, inheritance law, and female sexuality, among others.” A quote from an article called “Staking Salvation: The Reclamation of the Monstrous Female in Dracula.” The “New Woman,” concept which is used to describe Mina Harker in “Dracula is a woman who wishes to be educated, sexually, economically self-sufficient. This shows…

Throughout all of history, there have been certain stereotyped roles for both men and women. With the majority of the time, women having been second fiddle to men in both relationships and in society. In the short story by Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants,” we are shown two different characters, who are trying to make a decision on an unknown matter. As shown in the story, women in relationships and society are shown to not have much of an influence on any matters, even if it…

In “Lazarus, Emma (1849-1887)” Emma Lazarus’s writes in her sonnet “the New Colossus”, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” (Par. 1). Engraved within the Statue of Liberty, the icon of freedom, this sonnet defines the country of the United States. Even before its independence from Britain, the America was vastly recognized as the land of opportunity for those seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Emigrating by the thousands, many…