Abstract This paper discusses how much of literature conveys the male-femalerelationship through the review of three different pieces of literature: John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums", Doris Lessing's "To Room Nineteen" and Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants". It shows how all three pieces of literature, attempt to prove that the basic truth in a male-femalerelationship is that men and women are different, in our habits, in the way we react to situations in life, environmental stimuli and in our attitudes regarding relationships. It examines how through the stories presented, it can be seen that communication undoubtedly plays a foundational role in the development of any healthy relationship and it often serves to bridge the gap between people with misunderstandings, or to solidify a mutual sense of commitment.
From the Paper "Another story depicting a man and woman relationship is Doris Lessing's "To Room Nineteen". Susan, a married woman, feels a lose of freedom from being a wife and a mother whose days are spent taking care of her family and hardly had time for herself. Because of this feeling, which she was unable to communicate to her husband, she ended up killing herself. She rents a hotel room every afternoon where she spends time alone for herself, and just sits and thinks. Apparently, her husband assumes that she is having an affair. Knowing that her husband won?t understand her feelings, she tells him that she is indeed having an affair. In the end, Susan returns to the hotel room and kills herself."
Abstract This paper examines the romantic and rational ideals as seen in 19th century literature, using Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" as an example. The paper gives a basic plot summary and character analysis of the novel. The paper shows three incidences from the novel that demonstrate forms of romantic and rational chivalry which reflect male-femalerelationships. The author concludes by describing when rational versus romantic chivalry was necessary in the novel.
From the Paper "This balance of both romanticism and rationalism is evidenced in the novel, "The Three Musketeers." Written in the mid-19th century, "Musketeers" chronicled the life of the protagonist d'Artagnan and his path towards being a true Musketeer, with the help of the 'three Musketeers' Athos, Pathos, and Aramis. Prevalent among the themes tackled in the novel was the theme of chivalry, a romanticist ideal that puts importance on how males regard female members of the society. However, the theme of chivalry was also shown to assume 'traces' of both romanticism and rationalism. That is, while chivalry was still the norm followed in the novel, this characteristic was motivated by the rational thoughts of d'Artagnan and the three Musketeers as protectors not only of the King and his family, but most importantly, of civil society from offenders and criminals."
Abstract This paper argues that Sandra Lee Bartky's opinions on the male-femalerelationship, as put forth in her article "Emotional Exploitations", puts the idea of gender equality back several generations. The paper accuses Bartky of skewing the whole male-femalerelationship and of taking women back to the time when marriage vows still included the words "love, honor and obey".
From the Paper "Feminism in recent years has destroyed the myth of the female as the weaker sex. Bartky turns the clock back. When she begins her article with the question "What does a man want?" One is drawn into her theory that man is exploitative and some women are either willing to accept it or driven to emotional despair when they cannot match the male's demands. Man, as Bartky opens with a quote from Sulamish Firestone, is parasitical. So, we are to assume that the male animal" feasts on the weaknesses, the needs and desires of the woman."
Tags: responsibility, tenderness, care, giving, caregiver, men, strong, healthy, women, married
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between violence and sports. The paper first asserts that violence in sports is culturally agreeable and goal oriented. The paper then explores recreational violence, including hunting. Next the paper studies how sports legitimize violence and the relationship between sports, violence and masculinity. The paper concludes by studying the effect on male-femalerelationships of violence in sports.
From the Paper "This research paper addresses the topic of how violence in sports affects our lives. The following relevant areas are presented..."
Abstract This paper examines how African writers have many views on the past and current male-femalerelationship in the African-American community. It looks at the points of view of several authors including Z. Solofa, Angela Davis, Zora Hurston, Bell Hook and J. California Cooper.
From the Paper "In Bell Hook's "Healing the Hurt", Male-female relationships are unbalanced from patriarchal thinking. Most men were raised to believe that "...the world was mine, there were no chores to speak of and my aggressions were considered normal. Something we boys do as a right of passage." This type of thinking can lead to aggressive behavior in relationships later, even turning into abuse. Black males should be held accountable for their actions when they choose to be self destructive. They need to be taught that it is not necessary to be unemotional or gentle. They are out of touch with their true selves and unable to truly love. They have no platform from which to educate the masses or to help build the black male self esteem."
Abstract This paper discusses the portrayal of the relationships found between men and women in literature and how this portrayal is influenced by the society of the time. Specifically, the paper compares Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and Margaret Laurence's "The Loons" with the aim of fully understanding the female-malerelationships in these texts.
From the Paper "While Piquette and the narrator's father in Laurence's story do not share a connection as complex as that of the Misfit and the grandmother, nonetheless their connection is important. As Piquette confesses to the narrator when they later meet: "Your dad was the only person in Manawaka that ever done anything good to me" (Laurence 59). The narrator admits that she was repelled by the neediness and the "terrifying hope" in Piquette's relationships with men (Laurence 59). Her father saw something admirable in Piquette that was worthy of his intervention to help her and, unlike all of the other men in her life, he helped her selflessly and did not see her in common stereotypes employed by his daughter and the other townspeople (Notes). The symbol of the loon, which the father identifies and the story implies Piquette represents, reflects how the central meaning of the story lies in the complex interaction of these two characters."
Discusses the comparisons between two relationships in ancient Greek literature: Hector and Andromache from the "Iliad" by Homer and Oedipus and Jocasta from the "Oedipal" trilogy by Sophocles.
Abstract The parallel gained by a closer study of the characters, Hector and Oedipus, shows both comparisons and contrasts that can be drawn. Both couples in these works by ancient Greek authors Sophocles and Homer show not only bittersweet pictures of the loving tragic family, but also show the differing emotions and reactions that an average person goes through during a personal crisis. The paper notes that, just as one can clearly see the depth of their relationships, one can clearly see the progression of the emotions in play. The depth, dynamics, and reactions of each relationship bring them to life and show not only the insight the writers had into human nature, but also the quality that these works have that makes them a part of our modern literature.
From the Paper "Another prominent similarity between the two couples is their outstanding family life. With Hector and Andromache, their scene with Astyanax is perhaps the most well-known and emotional scene of The Iliad. As Andromache and Hector meet on the Trojan precipice, they speak of their love and concern for each other and then play with their son. As the exchange between the three proceeds with laughter and love, we see the playtime with Astyanax as, "Then taking up his dear son he tossed him about in his arms, and kissed him, and lifted his voice in prayer to Zeus...:...grant this boy, who is my son, may be as I am...great in strength...and delight the heart if his mother," (91). We see not only the joy they share embodied in the boy, but Troy's hope for a future. The affectionate family dynamic, either atypical of ancient fathers or at least not written into much literature, is also seen with Oedipus and Jocasta's home life, though the audience may shudder."
Abstract This paper examines Alvarez's novel "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents" illustrating how the 'accent' is mostly a metaphor for the evolution of several facets of the sisters. 'Accents', become synonymous with a modern, west-influenced lifestyle where equality is introduced into the male-female nexus. The author concludes that the relationships of the four sisters really mirror the male-femalerelationships of the west and their accents have completely changed?they have been fully assimilated into the Western culture.
From the Paper "Interestingly, Julia Alvarez presents several unique characteristics in the narrative. The novel is set from the early 1960s to the mid 1980, but in reverse chronological order. Such a description helps develop the characters of the four sisters: Carla, Sandi (Sandra), Yolanda (YoYo aka Joe) and Fifi (Sofia). To put the plot in the right order: Carlos is a doctor in the Dominican Republic. Carlos is married to Laura. They have four daughters. Carlos's nuclear and extended family is wealthy and influential?one of a few in the entire nation situated on an impoverished tropical South American Island. Fearing reprisals in the dictatorial reign of Trujillo Ciudad, called only Trujillo in the entire novel (assuming that every Dominican is familiar with the name), the family escapes to the United States."
Tags: julia, alvarez, west, male, female, sisters, synonym, modern
Abstract This essay compares and contrasts the roles of the femalerelationships in Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" and Virginia Woolf's "The New Dress". The paper explains that, for Woolf, the relationships serve to ignite the main character's own insecurities about herself, her appearance, her nature, and her background, whereas Walker's femalerelationships are used almost as a buffer between the male-dominated, white-dominated world and an autonomous sphere where women can understand and explore themselves.
From the Paper "Black women in The Color Purple are afforded a form of sovereignty from the tumultuous events and people surrounding them: they maintain their identity despite the forms of oppression they are forced to face. By these means, the women in The Color Purple earn their right for happiness; they can only enjoy their outward lives through accepting their inner emotional states. Although these women are prepared to fight if the need arises, and laugh and cry as they feel the need, it is truly through their capacity to love that they achieve anything in the external world. Essentially, female companionship is what gives Walker's characters the strength to continue through their chaotic lives. Pain, sorrow, hopes, and dreams are all shared and made communal in The Color Purple; in this way, they borrow from each other's strengths in times of weakness, and give their strengths to those who need them."
Tags: communication, superficial, hidden, emotions, social, structures, intimacy, black
This paper describes how influential children's literature can be in forming ideas and stereotypes with relation to gender issues. It explains how crucial the early stages in life are in forming opinions of the society we live and grow up in.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 3 sources, 2001, $ 45.95
Abstract This paper describes how influential children's literature can be in forming ideas and stereotypes with relation to gender issues. It explains how crucial the early stages in life are in forming opinions of the society we live and grow up in.
From the paper:
Books are not only an important resource for helping to develop the language skills of a child, adding to his imagination by presenting to him new ideas and thoughts as well as to the child's vocabulary by presenting to him or her new words and phrases. The books that a child reads also play a significant and important role in transmitting the culture of the society to the child of which the child is a member. An important part of the culture of the society where the child is born and grows up are the various gender roles. The way that genders are portrayed in the children's books in this way contributes to the image children develop of their own role and that of their gender in society.
Abstract This paper looks closely at female forms of manipulation (flattery, charm or sexual seduction, avoidance or silent treatment, and supplication or feigned helplessness). It shows that these are behaviors more often performed by women than men. However, using the reciprocity theory, it appears that manipulation is a negative behavior, which is returned to the female practicing it.
From the Paper "Just because romantic partners are involved in an intimate relationship does not imply that they have the same needs or goals. As thus, partners need to perform a type of social exchange, to determine how to achieve their own needs while still considering those of their partner. Methods of manipulation have often been associated with women, especially manipulation as flattery, charm or sexual seduction, silent treatment or avoidance and supplication, or feigning helplessness. Studies which research this topic find that women are more likely to perform manipulative behaviors in relationships than are males, and that this is likely connected to low levels of intimacy, or low social reciprocity. To study this topic, one must first prove that manipulation is a tactic that is generally performed by women. Howard et al (1986) studied manipulation and found that very few males utilize this type..."
Abstract This paper uses the characters of Janie from "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston and Rigoberta Menchu? from her autobiography, "I, Rigoberta Menchu? An Indian Woman in Guatemala," to discuss the portrayal of strong, ethnic females in literature.
From the Paper "The protagonist in Their Eyes decides to thwart conventional thinking and strike out on her own, seeking approval from herself. Janie decides that she is not content with a loveless marriage. She internally feels that the only true way to live is to live a life filled with love. Disenchanted with her state of affairs, she seeks "confirmation of the voice and vision" (Hurston 15) and wants to find the "acknowledged answers" (Hurston 16) to the questions she has inside. The decision to not be satisfied with status quo definitely aids Janie in the exploration of her purpose on earth. Rigoberta too has a decision to make that will transform her life."
An analysis of the relationship between the male and female characters in the ancient text, "The Medea" by Euripides and the modern text, "A Doll House" by H. Ibsen.
Abstract This paper examines two texts, one ancient, "The Medea" by Euripides and the other modern, "A Doll House" by H. Ibsen. It looks at the roles of the two female characters - Medea in " The Medea" and Nora in "A Doll House" and discusses how the relationships between the male and the female characters reflect the relationship of the colonizer and the colonized. The paper examines what such a relationship entails and argues that this relationship can be changed only under extreme circumstances, which require a drastic action on the part of the colonized.
From the Paper "Both Medea and Nora have challenged the concept of the passive feminine and the gender roles assigned to men and women within our society. The relationships between the male and the female often resemble the relationship between the colonizers and the colonized. The male/colonizer is active, the female/colonized is passive. The balance of power tips sharply towards the male/colonizer. The female/colonized are often the 'Others'; they are weak, simple creatures that need protection and guardianship, provided by the 'naturally' stronger, dominant male/colonizer. Nora and Medea refused to stay in the roles of the colonized and succeeded in freeing themselves from oppression by taking drastic action. Both however, were punished for it, shunned by the society in which they lived and both lost their children."
Abstract This paper studies the effect of female literacy on population growth. Using the 2SLS model, this paper establishes a negative relationship between the two. A comparative analysis of the two states of India, Bihar and Kerala, reveals the same trend. However, the paper brings out the subtle differences in the social ethos of these states. The paper distinctly establishes the dominant role of female literacy in population control and recommends suitable priorities to public policy planners
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Literature Review
Population Theories and Economic Growth
Human Capital and Endogenous Growth Models
Which Factors Influence Population Growth
The Dominant Factor Debate
The Religious Factor Debate
The "Traditional" Factor Debate
Data and Methodology
District Level Macro Analysis Methodology
Block Level Micro Analysis Methodology
Findings
The District Level Macro Findings
Analysis by Each Variable
Block Level Micro Findings
The Spatial Analysis and the "Patna Puzzle"?
Conclusion and Policy Recommendations
References
End Notes
Appendices
From the Paper "The past decade (1991-2001) has been a watershed for India in more ways than one. While this decade saw the boldest economic reforms in India's history making it possible to emerge from the Hindu Rate of Growth, the decade also witnessed the sharpest decline in population growth (2.52% points, See Chart 1) coupled with the sharpest increase in female literacy (14.87% points) since Independence. A somewhat similar feat was achieved by the Indian State of Bihar for the period 1991-1997 where it registered a high literacy growth with the sharpest expected decadal decline in population growth (1.68% points) . Unfortunately, after 1997, unprecedented political instability led to the State slipping on these indices so much so that it finally registered a dismal performance on both the fronts of female literacy (lowest in the country) and population growth ( 2.8%, which is higher than the national average of 2.1%) for the entire decade (1991-2001) taken as a whole. An exceedingly good performance in this area (both at the national level and the State level) has prompted me to explore whether literacy (particularly female literacy) carries a more direct bearing on population control than other methods such as mass media campaigns, family planning, and sterilization."
A critique on this book by Susan Bordo that looks at how society has viewed the male body over the centuries, focusing on its coverage in the modern media.
Abstract The book describes eras of media coverage regarding the male's private parts as well as society's acceptance of the norm. While probing the male form the author seeks to prove that given the similar myths and pressures applied to men and women regarding their bodies, there are parallel effects on both the male and female mind. Bordo concludes that society, although a shift began in the 1990s, has neglected the male body in film, literature, magazines and advertisements as it has never done with the female body.
From the Paper "Although, Burt Reynold's appeared nude for the magazine "Cosmopolitan" in 1972, the penis was hidden behind his hands. Brando in his tight undershirt in "Streetcar Named Desire" or William Holden's bare chest in "Picnic" was the raciest exposure of the male body the public witnessed in film or media of any kind. Bordo points out that John Travolta was the first hunk to appear in briefs on-screen in "Saturday Night Fever" (Bordo 18)."
