Abstract The paper discusses how most women who have sisters know the importance of a special bond that makes a difference in a person's life. The paper analyzes how the word "sisterhood" can have different meanings. Many people hearing the word sisterhood think about nuns who dedicate their lives to the Catholic Church deciding never to marry. Others think sisterhood means the special relationship that women in the Christian church have. The paper examines how "sisterhood", in all three of these situations, has similar meanings and privileges.
From the Paper ""Sisters and brothers can provide companionship, help and emotional support to children during childhood" (Kosonen 267). Most women who have sisters know the importance of a special bond that makes a difference in a person's life. Sisterhood is a word that can have different meanings. Many people hearing the word "sisterhood" think about nuns who dedicate their lives to the Catholic Church deciding never to marry. Others think "sisterhood" means the special relationship that women in the Christian church have. Sisterhood, in all three of these situations, has similar meanings and privileges. Sisterhood means having a special bond with another person. Consider the meaning of sisterhood in a family of two or more girls. "Sisters and brothers can provide companionship, help and emotional support to children during childhood. They can teach new skills and look after children in the parents' absence" (Kosonen 167)."
Abstract The paper analyzes "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", written by Ann Brashares about four girls who have been close friends since they were small children. The paper describes how, for the first time in their lives, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are about to be separated from one another, managing to preserve their friendship because of a very special pair of jeans. The paper examines how, because each of these girls has different interests and personalities, their friendship depends upon accepting one another for who they are. The paper analyzes how acceptance is one of the most important themes in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", and Ann Brashares develops this theme through plot and characterization.
Abstract This paper examines how the novel, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells, tells the story of a family feud that occurs between the daughter and narrator, Siddalee, and her mother, Vivi, and how, with the persuasion of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Vivi sends Siddalee a scrapbook that allows her a real insight into who her mother is. It looks at how the novel presents an exceedingly honest view of families and, especially of the mother-daughter relationship, and how this includes allowing a mother to be seen as whole person and not just who she is as a parent.
From the Paper "Another important point made in the novel relates to the expectations placed on mothers, with the novel clearly expressing the problems these expectations cause. In the novel, Vivi is captured as a character far from the image of the typical caring mother. She is outgoing, a clear individual, and remains this way even past the age of 70. A major part of the problems occurring between Siddalee and Vivi relates to these expectations. Siddalee's confusion and annoyance with her mother is largely related to her judging her mother based on these expectations. Vivi's struggles in the novel are largely related to her feeling guilty about not being able to be the mother she feels she is expected to be. The reality that the novel makes clear is that Vivi is not just a mother, she is a person."
A discussion on Bell Hooks' article "Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Among Women" and Linda Carty's article "The Discourse of Empire and the Social Construction of Gender."
Abstract This paper discusses Bell Hooks' article "Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Among Women." It then compares the concepts in her article to Linda Carty's article "The Discourse of Empire and the Social Construction of Gender." The paper argues that it is only through the construction of a multi-dimensional perspective on the realities of women's experience that we can hope to achieve a sisterhood based upon our common strengths and achievements.
From the Paper "It is perhaps understandable that only someone who knows the lack of empowerment could understand the critical importance of the littlest piece of agency and strength in one's life. Hooks' perception of the fundamental divisions that fragment the potential Sisterhood - divisions fostered and reinforced by the structures of class and race that are deeply intertwined with white patriarchy - one recognizes the extent of the struggle that remains for women. Consider, for example, the unpleasant fact that many young women today would not identify themselves as "feminists" despite their lives being built upon the advantages won by decades of feminist struggle. When hooks writes of how the focus on shared victimhood led many "white women activists to abandon feminist movement when they no longer embraced the victim identity" (hooks 107) the weaknesses engendered in the women's movement by this wallowing in "victimhood" become apparent. I have sometimes wondered why so many women find the terms feminist and feminism disturbing and alien to them. Hooks' contention that they are operating from the illusion of power serves to explain this otherwise inexplicable aspect of social identification."
Abstract This paper is a reaction to an article written by Bell Hooks called 'Sisterhood Political Solidarity Among Women'. In order, for feminists to unite they must openly communicate with others who are different than them. The paper further discusses how they must look past racial and cultural differences. They must be willing to accept other women regardless of their race, color, ethnic group, culture, or class.
From the Paper "This is a reaction paper to an article written by bell hooks called, "Sisterhood Political Solidarity among Women." Feminists are not united because there are too many issues that separate them. Women are taught at an early age to dislike other women who are different. The early feminists did not encourage African American women to participate in their groups. Today, feminist are not united nor are the politically solidarity. In order, for feminists to unite they must openly communicate with others who are different than them. They must look past racial and cultural differences. "
Reviews the film "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", directed by Ken Kwapis, screenplay by Delia Ephron and Elizabeth Chandler based on the novel by Ann Brashares.
Abstract This paper analyzes the characters, castings and the setting of the film, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". The paper first explains that the film is the story of four young women, who have been friends all their lives, and share one pair of pants that serves as a focal point throughout the film. The paper then describes the writer's emotional engagement with these characters. Although the film has had its critics, as noted in the paper, the writer states that the film was thoroughly entertaining, which she believes is the primary purpose of fictional cinema.
From the Paper "A more legitimate criticism is the above-mentioned element of time, as mentioned by King. While the elements of connection make up for this flaw, it is nonetheless true that there is too little time to bring out the full potential of the story. There are simply too many main characters with too many individual problems. Indeed, this very fact is at the basis of the extremely negative criticism launched by O'Sullivan and particularly Bradshaw. While I do not believe that their criticism is focused at the true problems of the film, one can however recognize that their reviews are not without grounds."
Abstract "Far From the Madding Crowd" and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" describe local cultures, in reaction to independent and forceful women characters.
Abstract This paper discusses how Prince Genji became instrumental in forcing the most important and significant women in his life to live a life of religious commitment through sisterhood. This paper analyzes the motivations and transition of the characters of Fujitsubo, Murasaki, and Ukifune in Shikubu's novel in order to determine the prevailing norm in the author's society in dealing with relationships between men and women, particularly in Japan's royal court.
From the Paper ""The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikubu, is an example of a novel that mirrors the lives of early human society, particularly in Japan, where the novel is set. Considered as the very first novel written, "The Tale of Genji" was written during the 11th century, and centers on the story of Prince Genji and his numerous affairs with women during his reign as one of the leaders in Japan during the 11th century."
Abstract This paper explains that the bestselling book, later made into a popular film, tells the story of Vivi and Siddalee Walker, two Southern women, a mother and daughter from two apparently very different generations, one of the "Gone with the Wind" era's popularity in the South, the other of the contemporary North. The author points out that, in the novel, psychological health is tied to memory, friendship between women and one's connections to one's girlhood; thereby, only collectively can Vivi's girlfriends, the Ya-Ya's, bring everyone into a state of peace and relative harmony. The paper relates that the novel advocates a realistic view of motherhood; no mother is perfect because no mother had a perfect upbringing herself.
From the Paper "The book thus tells the tale of the conflict between Vivi and Siddalee through a series of flashbacks from today back to 1932 Louisiana when Vivi was involved in tap dancing, obsessed with emulating Shirley Temple, and hanging out with a crew of women known as the 'ya-ya' sisterhood. Although the estranged mother and daughter's present day argument is touched off by a "New York Times" review where in an interview her daughter's comments result in a reference to Vivi as a "tap-dancing child abuser," clearly the conflict is much deeper, stretching back to Vivi's own childhood. The sarcastic reference to Southern womanhood as dancing and abusing also suggests the tone deaf ear of the Northern world of Southern California in which Siddalee now dwells does not contain the necessary elements to help her come to terms with her mother, her past, and her regional identity as a Southern woman."
Abstract This paper reviews this interesting historical period through the eyes of the author and contains a critical book review of the title, along with a discussion of the personal value of the book. It shows how the story is really about the women themselves, and how they survived the harsh working conditions by creating a sisterhood ? working together to help each other while surviving harsh and intolerable conditions.
From the Paper "The author states her thesis early in the book, when she notes, "Modern industrial capitalism in twentieth-century China, as in England and the United States a century earlier, was built on the intersection of textile manufacture and female and child labor" (Honig 1). She goes on to elaborate on this thesis throughout the book, exploring the exploitation of women in the mills, and its connection to the Shanghai labor movement (Honig 3). Women's jobs were clearly compartmentalized in the mills, and many of the women were little more than girls, who the mangers found easier to control, and earned less money than men. The author interviewed many people who worked in the mills, and one manager remembered, "'Originally most of the assistants in the mills were child workers'" (Honig 51). Women from certain regions also tended to work in certain sections of the mill. For example, Women from Subei often performed tasks that had originally been performed by men, since they were stronger than some of the other workers. The Subei women usually did not work at weaving, which was considered more skilled and detailed than many of the other jobs. Each chapter is constructed to not only allow the reader to understand what the women went through each day in the mills, but also introduce the surroundings, the history, and the sociology of Shanghai that all played into the women's work in the mills. Each observation by the author either makes a point, or moves the book forward, making the reader eager to find out what will happen next, while clearly focusing on the thesis that women and children were the backbone of the industry, and the backbone of change in the end."
Abstract This paper contains a critical book review of the title, along with a discussion of the personal value of the book. Emily Honig's book is the story of women who worked in the Shanghai cotton mills from 1919 through 1949, but the paper shows how the story is really about the women themselves, and how they survived the harsh working conditions by creating a sisterhood ? working together to help each other while surviving harsh and intolerable conditions.
From the Paper "The author's thesis is stated clearly in the Introduction. She hopes to prove that the women of the Shanghai mills were extremely class conscious, and this class consciousness had to be transformed and eliminated before the women could rise up together and demand reform. She notes, "I began my study by focusing on issues that precede the role of women in the labor movement and in the Chinese revolution: the nature of work, social relations within the workplace, the formation of the working class, and the transformations women underwent as they became members of an urban industrial proletariat" (Honig 2). The author also states her beliefs early in the book, when she notes, "Modern industrial capitalism in twentieth-century China, as in England and the United States a century earlier, was built on the intersection of textile manufacture and female and child labor" (Honig 1). She goes on to elaborate on this assertion throughout the book, exploring the exploitation of women in the mills, and its connection to the Shanghai labor movement. "
Abstract This paper focuses on six female painters from the pre-Raphaelite movement. The purpose of the paper is to show how some of the less popular painters of the movement proceeded in order to represent the ideal of the pre-Raphaelite woman. The painters discussed are Sophie Anderson, Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale, Lucy Madox Brown, Anne Louise Swynnerton, Evelyn de Morgan and Kate Elizabeth Bunce.
Paper Outline:
Sophie Anderson and Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale: of Children and Virgins
Lucy Madox Brown and Anne Louise Swynnerton: the Woman Rebel
Evelyn de Morgan and Kate Elizabeth Bunce: Woman as Myth
Bibliography
From the Paper "A considerable number of women were active in every phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Some, as was the case for Elizabeth Siddal and Lucy Madox Brown, incorporated the ideas of their husbands and fathers into their own art. Others were deeply influenced by the freshness of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, by the resourceful, pious and naturalistic vision of its members and followers. At the same time, the condition of Victorian women was more than ambiguous - women had no right to vote but could open their own commerce, were published and read, and their daughters would soon know Margaret Fuller."
This paper reviews the book "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, while exploring the sisterhood formed by sharing simple homemaking tasks and a certain death.
Abstract The writer of this paper explains that in Susan Glaspell's short story all women go through the same thing, just a little differently. This paper explains the significance of the story taking place in the kitchen, for it reflects the women's pride and hard work. The writer gives a clear description of the mood expressed in the book as well as exploring the relationship between men and women in a patriarchal society.
From the Paper "The bird and the bird cage are significant to the life that Minnie had been living, caged like an animal, isolated from the world. The isolation could make anyone a little crazy. The women noticed the broken door on the cage and Mrs. Hale remarked, "Looks as if someone must have been rough with it," suggesting Minnie's life of abuse. The bird is a crucial detail in this story for it symbolizes everything what Minnie was when she was younger, beautiful full of life and singing in the choir. The bird being found in a pretty box wrapped up in silk let the readers know along with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters that this bird was something precious to Minnie. Seeing the bird's neck wrung symbolized how Mr. Wright was killed with a rope around his neck having the life chocked out of him like he did to Minnie.
The quilt is brought to our attention to explain to the readers that quilting is a hobby that is done in groups as a social event. The women guessed that because Minnie was isolated and had no social contact, she would knot the quilt."
Abstract This essay examines the implications of globalization for feminism, including the "paradigm shift" that some scholars perceive feminism is undergoing in response to globalization. It also considers the kinds of issues to which feminist analysis is being challenged to pay attention. The writer notes that globalization has imposed new pressures on feminism, and feminism has responded by generating new types of feminism and new paradigms. The writer concludes with the hope that it is possible to construct a transnational feminism that is at the same time not hegemonic, one that respectfully incorporates and listens to the various discourses, yet somehow manages to build enough common ground to enable global feminists to work cohesively together.
From the Paper "In like vein, Seyla Benhabib proposes building solidaristic communities in which we can acknowledge each other's diverse and multiple identities, while at the same time we can listen respectfully to each other, acknowledging the many strands that comprise our identities. In this way, there is hope of building up a respectful form of global feminist solidarity that can work to counter the most destructive forces of globalization. For example, there could be a site for a global community of feminists that oppose the depredations of the planet currently being unleashed by transnational corporations.
"Clearly, this new way of looking at feminism may be seen as a substantial paradigm shift."
Abstract This paper relates that in "The Color Purple", by Alice Walker, sexism is interrelated in the novel with a spiritual and religious connection. The paper notes that several of the women in the story are extremely mistreated by men and, because this was so typical, these experiences were considered trivial. Thus, it comes to reason that the women in this book become inherently spiteful towards men because of their experiences. As a result, only when these women are able to separate from the oppression these men inflict on them are they be able to truly discover their true selves. This is what allows these women to truly connect with God. The paper concludes that African-American women have had to learn to fend for themselves, and actually developed a sort of solidarity that eventually became what can be referred to nowadays as a sisterhood.
From the Paper "In terms of men, Celie knew nothing else but how they had abused and misused her. Her father Alphonso beat and raped her, and even robbed her of her children (Walker 2). She finally escaped the abuses of her father, when he sells her to a man named Mr. ____ who had no intention of loving her. These two were married in a sense that neither one wanted to but Celie wasn't allowed a say and Mr. ______ had a wife who was basically a servant, which seemed fair enough to him. Mr. ____ also verbally and physically abused her. He treated her with no respect, and also insisted that Celie took care of his previous kids (Walker 45). If Celie did not want to, she was physically punished. Through all these traumatizing events, Celie lost respect for herself and forgot how to love. Her life consisted of nothing more than men who serially abused her. All the men she had known in her life had treated her poorly, and so she came to associate men with cruelty and aggression."
