Patriarchy

In a patriarchal society, many women face the issue of an imbalance of power, especially whilst in a relationship. The characters in “The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman handle this reality with distinct approaches. Both authors employ symbolism and character to depict the various ways women are affected by male oppression and their struggle for liberation. While Carter’s character manages to forget her fear and seduce her oppressor, the…

Many classical pieces of widely disseminated world literature, such as the Bible, nurtured a universal patriarchal culture that remains prevalent today. Some would argue that this patriarchy, supposedly founded on the principle that women are physiologically and intellectually inferior to males, suspiciously resembles a fear-induced endeavor to control the female race and society as a whole. One common method of control relies upon the dictation of what females can or cannot do with their bodies…

Eastern women not being able to show any skin in public, among many other things. The oppression women face has become more complex and underhanded as society progresses. People did not begin to challenge the concept of a male dominated society, a patriarchy, until well after the seventeenth century, when Othello was written. In Othello, there are four main character, two of which are female. Both women, Desdemona and Emilia, are married and have lived in a patriarchal…

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…

David Mamet’s Oleanna involves a male university professor, named John, and a female student, named Carol, in a modern university setting. An ordinary discussion between the two about Carol’s failing grade progresses into a sexual harassment and it strongly displays each of their struggle for power. Each character strives to exaggerate themselves by using difficult words to dominate the opponent character. Moreover, stereotypical power associated with the social status of a university professor…

Domination Over Oppression Women are constantly suppressed by the nature of society, that is, the need for “domination of males” (Rich 1) exceeds the lives of millions of women. The feminist nature to awaken another human being to the realities of the world and its brutalities can be “confusing, disorienting, and painful” (Rich 1). However, female oppression has been apparent throughout history as well as through the lives of millions of people. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by…

Double consciousness encompasses more than just one group of people. The process of partitioning someone’s mind causes a huge strain on any individual. I believe that always focusing on one side causes them not to accept themselves as who they are. We see double consciousness in Asian American culture through “The Woman Warrior” and we see it in Dominican American culture through ‘Oscar Wao” Double consciousness is a term first coined by W.E.B DuBois in In “The Souls of Black Folk”. The term is…

earlier than masculinity in the works of several novelists whether male or female. This is because in most historical as well as literary eras society was patriarchal per se. The flourishing of feminine studies is a reaction to that sort of the patriarchy of Man. Novel is the best literary genre to tackle with the imbibed controversial issues like Masculinity and Femininity. The vast literary space of novel as literary genre helps writers to tackle with these controversial issues. The scope of…

If every assault is addressed a change in society’s view of acceptable relationship would be better. Note, “patriarchy is any society in which men hold all or most of the power” this power stops women and a few men from reporting any type of sexual misconduct (p. 141). The Patriarchal Theory is illustrated by journalist Charles M Blow in New York Times article “This is a Man problem” in the way in which he illustrates a view of sexism within the article, battles of traditional patriarchal…

enervate of the entrapment by the patriarchal society that her husband lives by and decides to go live with her brother. While Maiguru eventually must return to her traditional life with Babamukuru, this event shows her attempts at standing up to the patriarchy. Manini, on the other hand, is portrayed initially as a shy and hard-working mother, whose thoughts and opinions are kept silent. Her husband and family show her little respect and treat her as an object rather than as a human. However,…