Women are not only Beautiful, but Equal The Awakening by...

Women are not only Beautiful, but Equal Since the beginning of time, women have strived to achieve an equal status in society. The vast majority of women have rebelled against the norm for equal status. As if washing the dirt off one’s hands, women are forgotten for all of their achievements. The identity of women in the Western world has evolved from domesticity and servility, and moved toward their valuation as individuals of intellect, talent, and independence. The culture about women’s empowerment has been reflected in literature and history throughout many ages. In a famous 20th century novel –The Awakening by Kate Chopin– Edna, the protagonist of the novel, exemplifies the domestic identity of women. She is forced to stay home†¦show more content†¦From the beginning of the novel, Celie is abused physically and emotionally; her perspective of superiority is carved by her step-father. Celie’s step-father sexually exploited her many time s; this portrays how men, of any race, feel as if they are dominant towards women: He never had a kind word to say to me. Just say you gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t. First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it (Walker, 7). Later, when Celie’s step-father gets her forcefully married, her husband also beats her for no apparent reason. Within The Color Purple, the majority of the men attempt to instill fear within women to state a sense of inequality, that they are the higher sex. â€Å"He beat me today cause he say I winked at a boy in church. I may have got somethin in my eye but I didn’t wink. I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them† (Walker, 17). The transformation of Celie from a naà ¯ve, passive girl, who did not care about the absence of her own equality, to an independent, strong woman, depicts the moral of equality. Even though Celie may not have been respected, she was basically the epitome of what is equal to man; because at the end of the novel, she owned her own land. Throughout history, women have fought for theirShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening By Kate Chopin And The House On Mango Street1732 Wor ds   |  7 Pageskept to only a minority, resulting in individuals struggling to change society for freedom to be distributed to the majority of people, a battle that took years, centuries to accomplish. This fight for true autonomy took many forms, both violent and peaceful. Literary works, in particular, have been major agents to this cause, serving as both reminders of those struggles and remembrance to readers of the endeavors those authors sought to accomplish. Two particular works, The Awakening by Kate ChopinRead MoreAn Analysis Of Kate Chopin s Chopin 1690 Words   |  7 PagesKate Chopin was a famous American author of many short stories and novels. Chopin is now considered to have been a predecessor of the feminist movement and a leader of the feminist authors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Kate Chopin lived a rather traditional life as a housewife until her husband’s untimely death, which significantly changed the course of her life. Chopin s career as a writer actually began when she started facing financial struggles due to the death of her husband. Chopin’sRead MoreWomen s Patriarchal Oppression By Kate Chopin Essay1621 Words   |  7 PagesSheraliz Ortiz Mrs. Kehrmeyer AP Language, Per 1 14 November 2016 Women s Patriarchal Oppression Women have been denied social power and the right to various forms of self-expression during the 19th century. Feminism is the belief that women should be treated as equals to men and have the same opportunities. Feminist analysis discusses about topics such as women in society that s been through oppression, dehumanizing, and depression. Several brave female writers came forth during this periodRead MorePortrayal of American Women Literature Never Changes Essays1259 Words   |  6 Pages Portrayal of American Women in literature never changes Over the last thirty decades, women have come secondary to the male population. American women have since sought to challenge and change this standard. We are tired of the oppression and mistreatment! Slowly but surely, women have strived to take a stand against prejudice and embrace the values of American freedom and equality. Even though women’s rights have progressed, we have yet to be treated as equal to the American male, especiallyRead MoreCompare and Constrast Wide Sargasso Sea and the Awakening1796 Words   |  8 PagesCompare and contrast how ‘Patriarchy’ shows oppression in ‘The Awakening’ and ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’. ‘Patriarchy’ is a social organisation in which the father or eldest male is head of a household or tribe, having supreme authority over his women and children. It is a system of government, where men hold the power, and women are largely excluded from it. A patriarchal civilisation promotes the dominance of men in social or cultural societies. Jean Rhys (August 24th – 1890 May 14th 1979) was a DominicanRead MoreSocial Feminism : A Recognition Of The Different Degrees Of Social Power2036 Words   |  9 Pagespower that are granted to and exercised by women and men† (199). For several years, society has given both men and women control over their little kingdoms meaning that women ruled at home while men ruled over the world. This inequity inspired all feminists to embrace the general idea of feminism which refers to the belief that men and women deserve equality in all aspects of society. Feminists fought to ample the opportunities and resources given to women because the male gender primarily had theRead MoreFeminist Literary Theory Of The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman2041 Words   |  9 Pagesknown as feminist. They hold the idea that both men and women should be treated as equals. Many feminist were authors who contained the feminist literary theory within their works. The theory mainly focu ses on critiquing how women must comply with gender roles and how they have been denied their rights by men. The feminist literary theory has many forms, one of them would be cultural feminism, which focuses on the stereotypical women who is only meant to look pretty and take care of minor jobs suchRead MoreThe Role of Women After the American Revolution2034 Words   |  9 Pagessignificant part in changing the role of women after the Revolution. The role of women as wives became more important as an emphasis on virtue was established; women were encouraged to find virtuous husbands and utilize their seductive nature to keep men virtuous. The roles of women as mothers also became more important in the republic, as patriarchy loosened and mothers were depended on to educate their children in the republican way. And finally, the role of women in politics was theoretically reducedRead MoreWomen after the American Revolution1948 Words   |  8 Pagesplayed a significant part in changi ng the many roles that women found themselves in after the Revolution. The role of women as wives became more important as republican ideals established an emphasis on marriage. Society saw marriage as a miniature representation of a republic. Therefore, republican ideals like independence and the freedom from arbitrary power allowed women as wives more value and power within their families. The roles of women as mothers also became more important in the republic,Read MoreFeminism And The Feminist Theory1942 Words   |  8 PagesDictionary). In turn, a feminist is an individual who believes that men and women should be equal politically, economically, culturally, and socially (Definitions of Branches of Feminist). However, the feminist theory is not simply the belief that the sexes should be equal or that women have been historically subjected to lower status and treatment than men. Rather, the feminist theory is the culmination of many beliefs about men, women, and gender roles; m ainly, the feminist theory addresses how gender