Men Without Women

Sandra Cisneros, the protagonist, Esperanza, does not want to continue the cycle of inequality. Throughout the story, Esperanza continually sees women in her life treated like objects in a society that values women for their looks, and not for what is on the inside. In the thread of gender roles, a theme that is developed is that men do not treat women as their equals, but instead as something that can be possessed and dominated. This theme is developed throughout the stories Esperanza tells…

opportunity to experience a life beyond anything I previously conceived. I had to grow out of limiting rules that I was taught to obey by the world around me. I think women in today’s society feel an excruciating amount of stress to live up to expectations a world where men inherently make the rules, and a lot of these “rules” aren’t practical for women. But not following these rules can separate you from the ability to live and thrive. A few years ago I was shopping with my mother. I told her…

change. In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin provided a brief look into how repressive marriage was during the 19th century. Examining the rights of married women in the 19th century, one would agree that the marriage benefited only the husband. Kate Chopin’s work was published during a time of industrial and social change. Many married women were not confined to just…

by a woman, urges other women to not stand by when difficult situations arise, but to have the strength to overcome those situations. This strength is hard to find, especially in a male-dominated world such as the setting in To Kill a Mockingbird. The setting takes place in the early 1930s. Common knowledge reveals that the further back one goes in history, the less and less rights women have. During the 1930s time period, women were seen as second best compared to men. Women were to act as…

Beauty standards are a common struggle in girls and always have been. Throughout the years the standards have changed, and they are now becoming more prominent in young girls. Research has been done, and it has shown that young girls no longer want to do “little” girl activities; but want to change their looks, wait for their prince charming, and become big girls. Stephanie Hanes, with a background in play therapy, wrote an article concerning Disney Princesses effects on young girls. Hanes has a…

As a mother, she desires to find a suited man for her dearest daughter and does not want her to have suffered. She has a list of qualified men in the town. Dame Judi Dench has invited Jack to her house and has a little interview with her. It was very formal; there are two friends besides her to evaluate the young man. She takes note and has responses after Jack’s given answer. She has a bell…

During the early nineteenth century a new idea of what a woman should be was beginning to develop in society. This new idea was called The Cult of True Womanhood, sometimes also known as The Cult of Domesticity, and it laid out a set of goals for the ‘ideal’ woman. These goal were domesticity, piety, purity, and submissiveness. Even though these ideas pervaded the media of much of middle and upper-class society at the time, there were still female authors who did not take so kindly to them. One…

Becoming an Apache Woman, Something Only a Girl Can Do In some cultures, an adolescent’s transition into adulthood is celebrated with an extravagant soiree, while other’s are expected to recite religious scriptures. Meanwhile for the Apaches, a native American tribe that lives in the southwestern United States, the leap into womanhood is marked by a symbolic four-day Sunrise Ceremony. The young Apache girl’s physical endurance is tested during this event, where it is believed that she will enter…

Female coming of age stories are especially intriguing, considering that society often has a set of ideals about what is of value to women and what young women should experience. The Lives of Girls and Women, by Alice Munro, introduces the story of a girl named Del growing into a woman. Del is a young girl who is primarily raised by her mother. Del explores her sexuality, her religious beliefs, her sense of self-empowerment, and the function of gender in society. Housekeeping, written by…

spoken by Adrienne Rich, it was apparent that she argued for women to stand up and take control of their education instead of just tolerating it. She presents this speech to an audience of women at a women’s only institution in 1977, resulting in her speech mainly focusing on women who were academically discriminated to their belief. During her speech she desires her audience to be assertive and to strive for self-respect to help women universally, which could benefit the many generations to…