Sunday, May 31, 2020

The Second Sex and the Construction of Gender Becoming Woman by Society’s Standards - Literature Essay Samples

The question of what it means to be a woman has been floating through society for ages with any sort of permanent or universally accepted answer remaining elusive. It is a constantly changing definition in which traits appropriate to the time are assigned to the female form as a means of capturing the meaning of being a real woman. Labels such as being obedient, submissive, weak, and well-behaved have been assigned alongside abilities such as being a talented cook, an excellent child rearer, as well as an efficient housekeeper. Stereotypes of inabilities based on gender have arisen as well, such as that women do not have the mental capacity of men and that they cannot work important or difficult jobs. Simone de Beauvoir, however, rejects these labels completely in her philosophical text The Second Sex and identifies the idea of the proper woman as a socially constructed concept. She questions what a woman is and what it means to identify with the word, if anything at all. While the d istinction between men and women exists today, this difference was attached no meaning to begin with and is one that has been built throughout history. Woman has reached her status in society by means of man attaching meaning to her being, and the idea of the real woman has become a daily role that is played and an ever-changing mask that is worn. For these reasons, the social concept of gender is one influenced by external factors that have resulted in the development of an accepted and executed idea of the female form and sense of self. To begin, Beauvoir identifies that the concept of gender is one that is constructed by society and rides completely on the existence of women being different and therefore lesser than men. Beauvoir addresses this in the statement, â€Å"‘A man’s body has meaning by itself, disregarding the body of the woman, whereas the woman’s body seems devoid of meaning without reference to the male. Man thinks himself without woman. Woman does not think herself without man.’ And she is nothing other than what man decides; she is thus called ‘the sex,’ meaning that the male sees her essentially as a sexed being; for him she is sex† (Beauvoir, 6). Gender as an idea falls upon the subordinate group in the sense that without women there would be nothing to question or compare men to, but the existence of men is not questioned because they hold the dominant position in society. Male domination has come to mean that women are identified as separate, differ ent, and nothing without their male counterparts. Without said counterparts, however, femininity cannot be identified and has no existence. Thus, the sense of self that has been forced upon women relies on the external classification of gender as specifically referring to the female body and form. Similarly, the separation of woman from man by her socially fabricated gender results in her labeling and treatment as an Other as man in return adopts the position of the superior figure, or One. Beauvoir first approaches this topic with the testimony that, â€Å"No group ever defines itself as One without immediately setting up the Other opposite itself† (Beauvoir, 6). This is the case because in order for one identity to be clearly dominant, the Other must first be isolated and then must recognize and submit to their position as the Other. Beauvoir argues that existence precedes essence in the sense that although female and male bodies are different, this difference held no meaning at the start. The development of the Other vs. the One, however, has resulted in the creation of a society in which supremacy is a craved and natural feeling, as Beauvoir states, â€Å"One of the benefits that oppression secures for the oppressor is that the humblest among them feels superior [à ¢â‚¬ ¦] The most mediocre of males believes himself a demigod next to women† (Beauvoir, 13). This desperate need to identify a ruling class has played a major role in the formation of the sense of self that women possess and society possesses surrounding women today. In addition to this, Beauvoir addresses that there is nothing strange about the human desire to define and separate based on difference, despite that these distinctions may only exist within the heads of those who have noted them. She shows that to recognize these differences is simply a part of the human condition in the statement: â€Å"The category of Other is as original as consciousness itself. The duality between Self and Other can be found in the most primitive societies, in the most ancient mythologies; this division did not always fall into the category of the division of sexes, it was not based of any empirical given [†¦] Alterity is the fundamental category of human thought† (Beauvoir, 6). Through this it is implied that identifying diversity among beings and then attaching meaning to these differences is an inherently human action, as these types of differences are not ones that could ever possibly be derived in nature. Essence has still, however, been underst ood and implemented by mankind throughout history and without it gender differences would have remained meaningless. Consequently, every concept of self that surrounds the female form is one that is constructed upon the external factor of mankind’s need to attach significance and implication to every existence and to identify a dominant and ruling species. Beauvoir also argues throughout The Second Sex that a woman is in a constant state of â€Å"becoming† and that only by succumbing to a state of â€Å"being† shall she be trapped in her status of alterity. She expresses, â€Å"When an individual or a group of individuals is kept in a situation of inferiority, the fact is that he or they are inferior. But the scope of the verb to be must be understood; bad faith means giving it a substantive value [†¦] To be is to have become, to have been made as one manifests oneself. Yes, women in general are today inferior to men; that is, their situation provides them with fewer possibilities: the question is whether this state of affairs must be perpetuated† (Beauvoir, 12). In this she addresses that today women are provided with fewer opportunities than men, but only for the reason that the social order has made them this way. Sex exists and must be recognized as an essential part of human biological function, but it sh ould not be allowed to define the way things must within society. Sex is an accidental trait, such as class, race, or sexuality. The concept of gender, however, is not accidental and has been established only on the basis that to some extent the state of becoming has yielded to a state of being. In this cessation of â€Å"becoming† society’s ideal woman, the feminine form has reached a condition of existence that fits society’s predetermined idea of female identity. In short, she who was once â€Å"becoming† has reached a state of â€Å"is† and this state has been adopted and maintained by the external in a way that is known as the standard behavior, appearance, and intelligence of women. In response to this Beauvoir states, â€Å"Clearly, no woman can claim without bad faith to be situated beyond her sex† (Beauvoir, 4). This idea of bad faith refers to one who is unable to acknowledge their given situation and is therefore unable to move past their current self. This is important as Beauvoir stresses an idea of transcending the physical body as fundamental to overcoming the current restraints put on the feminine form by society. She addresses that biology of the body has been stressed as a point for determining difference as a means of defense against females competing with males when she states, â€Å"Women were becoming dangerous competitors [†¦] To prove women’s inferiority, antifeminists began to draw not, as before, on religion, philosophy, and theology but also on science: biology, experimental psychology, and so forth. At most they were willing to grant ‘separate but equal status’ to the other sex† (Beauvoir, 12). Beauvoi r argues, however, that biology does not equal destiny and should not be allowed to be used as a means for defining a human’s existence. Furthermore, she stresses that one cannot be separate and equal in society and that this has been an excuse used for many different cases of minority subjugation as she states, â€Å"This convergence is in no way pure chance: whether it is race, caste, class, or sex reduced to an inferior condition, the justification process is the same. ‘The eternal feminine’ corresponds to ‘the black soul’ or ‘the Jewish character’† (Beauvoir, 12). She asserts that this mindset is nothing other than a tool that has been used throughout history in order for the One to maintain control over the Others and to force them into specific roles, thus creating an artificial sense of self that is reflected both by the Others onto themselves and by society onto the Other. The sense of self that the feminine form holds today is one heavily constructed on the external pressures of society that result from the aspect of human nature that gives meaning to otherwise meaningless characteristics such as sex and gender. Additionally, while sex is a reality that is formed around the biology of the human body, gender is an idea that has been created solely as a method of undermining and locking the Other, who in this case is woman, into a role in which she is inferior to the One, who is a man. This processing of othering is exercised as a method of maintaining power and control as well as insuring that the One is never under threat of becoming the subordinate party. In addition to this, the submission to a state of being from the state of becoming has resulted in a development of society’s picturesque idea of woman. For these reasons, the accepted idea of the female form is one that has been built on outside influence and exterior concepts of gender. Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. Trans. Constance Borde and Sheila Chevallier. New York: Vintage, 2011. Print.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Is curleys wife a victim - 812 Words

John Steinbeck planned out every word he put into his novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck did exactly this with the development of the character Curley’s wife. She had started the novel as a â€Å"tart† or a nuisance of a character, but later she turned into an admriable character, one that you really feel for. In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is shown as a very unpleasant character. For example, while Lennie, Candy and Crookes were in Crooks’ room discussing their ranch, she walks in and says â€Å"Listen, Nigger...† â€Å"...You keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.† (Pg 88 and 89). This shows she is taking advantage of the fact she’s the boss’s son’s wife, and uses her position of power†¦show more content†¦This shows she doesn’t always just want to cause trouble and be a nuisance. She only wants to make friends and not feel lonely all of the time. In addition, she also says â€Å"Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it...† â€Å"... I never got that letter.† (pg 96). She is saying here that she thought she could one day be famous, and she doesn’t like being with Curley at the ranch. She never wanted to be at the ranch, but after the letter never showed up, she went and married Curley. Curley’s wife is compassionate and admirable, but very lonely. Loneliness is unavoidable for most characters on the ranch in Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife is one of the characters in this novel who fell victim to loneliness. It is shown when she explains why Curley does not allow her to talk to the other men because of his insecurities: â€Å"‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?† (pg 95). Curley’s insecurities disable his wife from being able to talk to people. Curley’s wife gets lonely, and it provokes her to act in a way of meanness when she does. Her loneliness is also shown as she walks in to Crooks’ bunk, â€Å"Well I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house all time?† (pg 85). This directly shows that she is unable to have a social lifeShow MoreRelatedOf Mice and Men: Is Curleys Wife a Victim or Villian?2527 Words   |  11 PagesJohn Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife at the start of the story as an irrelevant character because she has no relation with George and Lennie. At the start, Curley is one of the most important characters (besides George and Lennie) because he has the power to crush George and Lennie’s dream of having a farm of your own. But as the story goes on, to end, we see the importance of her character and that everything that has happened on the ranch is caused by her presence; even though she is not in theRead More To What Extent Curleys Wife a Victim in Of Mice and Men Essay890 Words   |  4 PagesMice Men, the character Curley’s Wife is depicted as flirtatious, promiscuous, and insensitive. However, her husband Curley sees her as onl y a possession. Most of the workers at the ranch see her as a tart, whereas Slim, the peaceful and god-like figure out of all the men, see her as lonely. This answer will tell us to which extent, is Curley’s wife a victim, whether towards her flirtatious behaviour, or to everyone’s representation of her. The character of Curley’s Wife is very hard to unravelRead MoreHow Is Curleys Wife Presented in of Mice and Men, Victim or Villain?2181 Words   |  9 PagesHow Is Curley’s Wife Presented - Victim or Villain? Curley’s wife is the only women at the ranch in Of Mice and Men. She is generally portrayed as a young, lonely, bored and childish girl. â€Å"Baloney!† is her ‘word.’ This single word shows that she thinks she is a movie star. No one really talks like this. All the way through the book, it is evident this is how she sees her life; unreal, like a movie and dramatic. Curley’s wife is talked about before she is seen in the book. The first actual mentionRead MoreHow Far Do You Agree That Curley’s Wife Is a Victim and Deserves Our Sympathy?2816 Words   |  12 PagesJohn Steinbeck in 1936. It is set in the society of the 1920s. The author sets up our perception of the character Curleys wife in a way that allows us to develop our understanding of her, and enables us to later decide how far we agree that she is an innocent and vulnerable victim, or a manipulator who deserves her fate. We are first introduced to the character Curleys wife in chapter two by Candy. We immediately see her being blamed for causing her husband’s arrogance â€Å"Curley is cockiernRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1296 Words   |  6 Pagescomplex characters Eva Smith and Curley’s wife had represented one of the many themes in both texts, victimisation. When you hear the word victim what come to mind? Perhaps someone who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment? Well the Oxford dictionary’s definition of victim is ‘a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action’ either way civilisation makes us think that a victim is someone who is innocent and isRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1163 Words   |  5 Pages(Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1 930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain. While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, he alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 849 Words   |  4 Pages(Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain. While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, heRead MoreOf Mice and Men: Explore Your Response to Curleys Wife1423 Words   |  6 PagesMy initial response to the character of Curleys wife was that of intense dislike- I found Steinbeck to subtly prejudice us, as readers, against her, before she even made a physical appearance in the text. Upon reflection, I perceive Curleys wife in some ways to be the most important figure in the novel- she is a key symbol of temptation, and most of the storys main underlying themes: dreams, isolation and loneliness, for example, can be related to her in some way. To an extent, she can be blamedRead MoreOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck1081 Words   |  4 PagesCrooks and Curley’s wife are defenseless victims of social prejudice which leads to their sadness and depression. Crooks, being a black man is discriminated and segregated towards by all the other ranchers â€Å"They play cards in there but I canâ€⠄¢t play because I’m black- Crooks† whereas Curley’s wife being a woman is expected to stay at home and take care of the house â€Å"Why dont she get the hell back in the house where she belongs- Carlson†. Furthermore Steinbeck as well as the ranchers view Curley’s wifeRead MoreOf Mice and Men Essay on Lennie672 Words   |  3 Pagesachieves these two feats by creating a character who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenceless, he cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large, ‘Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it.’ Representing his tragic flaw this extract clearly shows that Lennie has no control over his strength which is making the ending more foreseeable. But he is a character whom Steinbeck

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Critical Analysis based on theme Jhumpa Lahiris...

In Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth, â€Å"Only Goodness† is a short story that delves further in the relationships of an American Bengali family dealing with an addiction of a family member, and is expressed through the protagonist Sudha, and her brother Rahul. The conflict of this story is Rahul’s drinking becoming a problem that not only affected him but his family as a whole, and that becomes the struggle between his family and himself. The plot in â€Å"Only Goodness† revolves around an American Bengali family that struggles with their son Rahul who is an alcoholic. Rahul and his sister Sudha were their parents’ biggest successes, but he ends up becoming more distant from his family throughout. Later on, the story focuses on his further†¦show more content†¦This notable example of alcoholism within families isn’t only evident with Cafferty as you have many other families such as young children who may have alcoholic parent(s) , and the negative effects that has on the children can affect them in their later years. Those children that grow up with the influence of alcohol within their families are prone to end up following in the footsteps of their parents, as their alcoholic lifestyles essentially creates the staple of normality that the young children are accustomed to. Another cause of alcoholism is distrust. When growing up people can become either scarred or traumatized in some way or another, and as a result that created a voice in the back of their head that said it’s better to not trust someone in fear of being hurt in the same way again. The effect of that ideology is turning to another medium as comfort; hence alcoholism becoming the long term result. Alternatively as stated before that being in families where alcoholism is ever so apparent the effect that can be drawn up from alcoholism is instead of directly following your parents footsteps you learn to not place trust in people. They learn from their alcoholic parent(s) that it’s better for their own well being to not place their trust into anyone. That becomes a never ever ending circle with alcoholism, as those

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Of Revenge Essay Example For Students

Of Revenge Essay REVENGE is a kind of wild justice; which the more mans nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out. For as for the first wrong, it doth but offend the law; but the revenge of that wrong, putteth the law out of office. Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior; for it is a princes part to pardon. And Salomon, I am sure, saith, It is the glory of a man to pass by an offence. That which is past is gone, and irrevocable; and wise men have enough to do, with things present and to come; therefore they do but trifle with themselves, that labor in past matters. There is no man doth a wrong, for the wrongs sake; but thereby to purchase himself profit, or pleasure, or honor, or the like. Therefore why should I be angry with a man, for loving himself better than me? And if any man should do wrong, merely out of ill-nature, why, yet it is but like the thorn or briar, which prick and scratch, because they can do no other. The most tolerable sort of revenge, is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy; but then let a man take heed, the revenge be such as there is no law to punish; else a mans enemy is still before hand, and it is two for one. Some, when they take revenge, are desirous, the party should know, whence it cometh. This is the more generous. For the delight seemeth to be, not so much in doing the hurt, as in making the party repent. But base and crafty cowards, are like the arrow that flieth in the dark. Cosmus, duke of Florence, had a desperate saying against perfidious or neglecting friends, as if those wrongs were unpardonable; You shall read saith he that we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but you never read, that we are commanded to forgive our friends. But yet the spirit of Job was in a better tune: Shall we saith he take good at Gods hands, and not be content to take evil also? And so of friends in a proportion. This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal, and do well. Public revenges are for the most part fortunate; as that for the death of CÃÆ'ƒÂ ¦sar; for the death of Pertinax; for the death of Henry the Third of France; and many more. But in private revenges, it is not so. Nay rather, vindictive persons live the life of witches; who, as they are mischievous, so end they infortunate.