Abstract This paper examines how society's perceptions of women affect feminist theory: The author discusses the feminist belief that there is a social division between men and women, in terms of representation and that this division is caused by the perception of an inherent difference between the sexes. This paper discusses this point of view from the works of: Audry Lourde's essay, "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House", Donna Haraway's essay, "A Cyborg Manifesto", and Henry Hwang's adaptation of the classic "M. Butterfly".
From the Paper "How society perceives women is the root of feminism. There is a social division between men and women, and this division is caused by the perception of an inherent difference between the sexes. As feminists do not believe that a perception of difference should act as a classification for men and women, it is the representation and presentation of this sense of difference that is the target of feminist actions."
Abstract This paper explains the author's interpretation of a passage from Peter regarding the role of women as influenced by scholarly, peer reviewed writings.
From the Paper "In modern America we have a wealth of opportunity to study the Bible. Dozens of translations greet us at the bookstore, commentaries flood our shelves, Bible studies abound. Yet amidst these great resources we often see the Biblical passages as nothing more than a cacophony and would tear many of the harder ones out if we could. 1 Peter 3:1-5 is such a passage. It does not tell us something that we often like to hear. As it is read over, one might even get mental pictures of a feminist group picketing outside Peter's office, or maybe a group of disgruntled macho men bellowing, ?Yeah Buddy!? With words like ?submission,? and commands like "Don"t adorn yourself?.? It is very easy to miss the meaning that Peter was trying to convey. "
Abstract This paper examines the life of Anne Boleyn, the second of Henry VIII's six wives, and mother of Elizabeth I. It follows her life from childhood to her execution, highlighting her impact on British history.
From the Paper "She is the subject of numerous poems and songs, and mother to Elizabeth I, the most famous of all England's monarchs. She captivated noblemen, and even the king of England. Though not a beautiful woman, Anne Boleyn had an allure that men found irresistible. It was this allure that became her triumph and ultimately, her downfall. The second of the infamous Henry VIII's wives, Anne plotted and planned to become queen of England, a position that she held for less than four years before she was brought up on charges of high treason. Despite the fact that she was only in her twenties when she was executed, Anne left a lasting mark on the English monarchy and the whole of British history."
Abstract This paper presents an in-depth study of the changing roles of Spanish speaking females over the last thirty years in their native nations. The author examines women movements and changes in Mexico and Latin America over the past three decades and discusses what has changed and what has remained constant.
From the Paper "During the last 30 years the women's movement in the United States of America revolutionized the way women were treated. Women get more pay, they get more rights, and they are moving into careers that were formally reserved for men. While the world watched the American movement other movements began to take place. Hispanic women have historically been treated like second-class citizens in many areas of life. In Latin nations as well as Mexico the females have been given a different set of rules to abide by both socially and economically. The last thirty years in these nations have tested the very core of the value systems that have been in place for hundreds and thousands of years. The systems have been supported and founded in the belief that men are somehow better than women and that women are there for the comfort of men. This is not to say that they were not treated with kindness and appreciation, they were, they were just not treated as equals in many areas of their societies."
Abstract This paper examines the roles of males and females in several cultures. The author focuses primarily on the interaction between the genders in terms of sex, marriage, and reproduction. The paper also looks at the sexes with respect to finances, familial decision-making, and overall power and influence.
From the Paper "Gender relations are most easily characterized through an interpretive analysis of reproduction, production, power, and gender ideologies. These four components of the affinity between men and women in various cultures effectively illustrate the societies? perceptions and understandings of each of the sexes. Subsequently, how each sex demonstrates their core of beliefs and or knowledge is dependent upon these perceptions of their role and contribution to society. Through the application of one or more of these dimensions, each culture defines gender relation. Although one society may rely more heavily on a certain component to provide definition of distinction between gender, anthropologists and sociologists have found numerous similarities between the uses of these dimensions as a tool of definition in dissimilar cultures."
Abstract An argumentative speech about women's rights and status today. The author argues that even though women today theoretically have been given more power and say, in practice women still lack authority and equality to their counteractive male society.
From the Paper "A "feminist" speech, which won the national semi-finals of a public speaking competition, written on the subject "Votes for women - should the suffragettes have bothered"? It looks at the issues surrounding this ever topical and controversial subject, and many of the obstacles facing women, even in today's "equal" and permissive society."
Tags: differences, discrimination, equality, feminism, sexism, suffragettes, women
Abstract The following paper discusses the story by Rebecca Harding Davis with an aim to show the beginning of a resurgence of interest in a woman whose first major work wrought radical changes in how fiction would be written and read in America.
From the paper:
"Life in the Iron Mills" has been called ?one of the revolutionary documents in American literary history.? The same year it was published by Atlantic Monthly, then America's leading national magazine, the country became embroiled in the Civil War.
"The narrator of this story is very familiar with, but at the same time very removed from the world she describes. She takes the reader on a tour of a factory town and an iron mill, where a young man named Hugh Wolfe shovels coal for the iron furnaces. Hugh is worshipped by his cousin, Deborah, who while visiting Hugh at the Mills steals the wallet of leading males citizen of the factory town when he comes through the mills for a tour and notices, along with the other men on the tour, the "korl woman" figure sculpted by Hugh."
Tags: feminism, woman, revolution, civil, war, narrator, discrimination
Abstract The following paper critiques "The Yellow Wallpaper" under both a feminist light as well as a psychoanalytical light. It has been called an important feminist essay, as well as a "Poe-esque" horror story. This essay puts particular focus on recent examination of the story that seems to have begun in the early 1970?s, the dawn of the ?women's movement.?
From the paper:
?Even in the beginning of the story, the narrator understands and admits on "dead paper" that ?perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.? John describes his wife's condition as ?temporary nervous depression ? a slight hysterical tendency.? The narrator explains, ?John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.? And as early as the first page of this story, the narrator admits, ?You see he does not believe I am sick!?
Abstract This paper takes a view at the role of the mass media and advertising in furthering the stereotypes of African-American women. It compares the general role of stereotypes in advertising in a historical context to that of present day stereotyping. It also examines the role advertising has on the public in self-propagating the stereotypes.
From the Paper:
"Women might find themselves attracted to one shade of coral lipstick rather then another. But on a deeper level, advertisements present to us a world in which we must always be conscious of being looked at, of having to abrogate who it is that we ourselves think that we are for who it is that we should be as we have been told by society/people who create the images in ads. Thus if for look at the way in which African-American women are portrayed in ads and copy of women's magazines (as well as the ways which they are made invisible) from 1950 to the present we see a number of ways in which definitions of female beauty are limited in such a way as to preclude African-American women."
Abstract This paper discusses the legal basis of the situation of women in the military, and relevant court cases such as Hoyt v. Florida, Taylor v. Louisiana, US vs. St. Clair, Rostker v. Goldberg, Craig v. Boren, and Schlesinger vs. Ballard. Discusses myths and truths regarding women and military service. Argues for equal rights, equal obligations, and equal opportunities within military and civilian spheres.
From the paper:
"Men and women are treated unequally in regards to military service. Men are required to register for the Selective Service when they turn 18, while women are exempt. While women are allowed to perform most jobs in the military, they are still restricted from some combat roles. This gender inequality stems from antiquated notions of female weakness and domesticity, which have no legal validity in our society today. Furthermore, limiting women's roles in the military violates women's rights to be full and equal citizens of the United States, with all the privileges, obligations, and duties that carries with it."
Abstract The following paper examines the philosophy of Bradstreet, one of the greatest (and only) female writers of early American history, as a study in doubt, conviction, and compromise. It reveals how her philosophy is a study in trying not to believe what one believes.
From the paper:
"There is in her work little of the thought out philosopher, for she must too often deny her own ability to think to be able to put forth a coherent system of thought. Nonetheless, the struggle that exists mutedly through-out her work is philosophy in itself, and it says: Deny what you must to be what you must, for this is the way to social peace and even to heaven".
Abstract This paper discusses the theory of cultural relativism as it relates to gender and sexuality from an anthropological cross-cultural perspective. It discusses how the "Western" perspective, as the dominant culture, defines the experiences of women who have experienced FGM in certain ways, namely in terms of Western medical discourse. This definition neglects to address the subjective experience of the women and how they define themselves and their own experience, thus giving an incomplete picture of the socio-cultural framework in which FGM takes place. Included also is a discussion of the problems of applying sociological theory to the intricacy of real-world human affairs.
From the paper:
"Cultural relativism states that what is morally good and bad is collectively defined by the people in a culture, and therefore there is no objective way to judge between cultures. Thus, an act in one culture that seems barbaric to an outsider ? such as female circumcision ? cannot be thus judged, because the outsider has his own value system that is not relevant to the culture. In this paper, I will examine the theoretical and ideological underpinnings of this perspective, the problems that arise when it is applied to actual cultural diversity, and alternative ways of looking at the space between cultures. I will specifically investigate the controversial topic of female genital mutilation, and explore the problems involved in approaching the practice from outside the culture it is practiced in."
Tags: constructionist, criticism, deconstructionist, foucault, social
Abstract This essay discusses the history of women in the Middle East. The author examines this from the rise and fall of pre-Islamic matriarchal society, and concentrates on the status and role of women through the birth of Islam to the Umayyad and Abbasid Empires.
From the paper:
"Women were considered of equal, if not higher status than men in many pre-Islamic societies, they were matriarchal. Catal Huyuk, a Neolithic settlement from around 6000 B.C.E. is one example of a culture where there is strong evidence showing that women were of such status. Leila Ahmed also claims that studies of the region have showed that "Supremacy of a goddess figure and elevated status of women were the rule rather than the exception"? According to Ahmed, ruins were found to have women in the larger burial platforms, and paintings and decorations mostly consisted of female figures."
Tags: abbasid, ite, kharijite, qarmation, shi, umayyad, culture, figure, islam
Abstract The author looks at the issue of cohabitation and whether or not it is really a viable alternative to marriage. Several issues are investigated including, the legal, social, economic and religious ramifications, at each of the different ages and stages in a person's life in order to determine the success or failure cohabitation.
From the Paper "Alternative views suggest that cohabitation represents a more progressive approach to intimate relationships. Young people today are more willing to exercise choice in sexual and domestic arrangements, unlike their parent's and grandparent's generations. In the past few decades there has been a significant rise in the visibility and acceptance of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender community. Same sex partners account for 11% of cohabitating relationships. Young people see cohabitation as a lack of financial entanglement and as a promoter of independence. Living together without marriage, while once unheard of in society, has become commonplace. Unlike homosexual couples, whose fights to create a legal union is front-page news, cohabitation is even promoted by some parents."
Abstract This paper is a literary analysis of Nathanial Hawthorne's novel, "The Scarlett Letter". The author discusses the heroic attributes of the main character, Hester Prynne, how she evolves through the tale, and how she values those she loves and wishes to protect.
From the Paper "Hester Prynne is a selfless heroine of literature. Her character raises many questions about morals, love and dignity and many might argue that she is not a heroine at all. Some may view Hester's actions as silly youthful pride. However, Hester's pride is not silly, it is to be admired. Even as an old lady, far from youthfulness, Hester returns to the village and bravely wears her "A" again."
