The Genesis of Feminism in Literature - 1115 Words

Feminism is a theory that all sexes should have political, economic, and social equality. Hawthorne was a writer during the Romantic Era in literature; one of the many individuals fired by their ideals sought to tell the world about them through their works (e.g. art, literature, music). Hawthorne was raised by his spouseless mother, which probably led him to believe women could be equal to men. Hawthorne grew up with â€Å"his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward relatively isolated pursuits† (Grade Saver 1). Whilst Hawthorne’s single mother life prospered, his odium for the belief of Puritanism started when he learned his association to Judge John Hawthorne, one of the judges who oversaw the Salem witch trails. Hawthorne†¦show more content†¦While, Hester is forced to live without a man to help her support her family, she supplies her family with adequate food to survive the harshness of the native colonies. Furthermore, she spends time and m oney the on less fortuned even though most â€Å"often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them† (Hawthorne 69). Hester spends her spare time helping the poor and making clothes for them that after about seven years people start believing that the scarlet letter â€Å"A† on her breast means â€Å"Abel† because her social services These social services also render the town members to deem her the Sister of Mercy of their town. Hence if Hawthorne lets Hester live a life where she is not worried about daily rations then it is feasible that he believes women can sustain themselves if they want too, which makes him a feminist. Although it may appear Hawthorne favors anti-feminism because his choice of setting, it is also practical that he did this to prove Hester’s strength against her community’s prejudice. The settings that are chosen by an author are for the readers to anticipate what will happen in the story and for the reader to und erstand what the author believes. The story takes place in a Puritan settlement where religion is the primary law and everyone must abide by it. The Puritans mainly believe that there should be no woman alone and should always have a male companion no matter what. Puritan ideals mainly deter feminist ideologiesShow MoreRelated A Brief Overview of Feminism Essay563 Words   |  3 PagesA Brief Overview of Feminism Feminism can be roughly described as a movement that seeks to enhance the quality of women’s lives by impacting the norms and moves of a society based on male dominance and subsequent female subordination. Although feminist literary writings began to gain popularity in the 20th century, feminist characters have been around for ages. â€Å"Feminist criticism’s self transformations over the past several decades as it engages with both critiques from within and encountersRead MoreFeminism And The Post Modern Structure Of The 21st Century992 Words   |  4 Pagesare hotly debated and are ever present in today’s society, thanks to the rise of feminism and the post-modern secularised structure of the 21st century. Whilst it’s a very relevant question today, the question also carries huge importance through the years, perhaps even as far back as the 1600s with the first publication of Genesis, through to the 20th century with works such as Doctor Faust us. To begin with, in Genesis, God â€Å"created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male andRead MoreFeminism in the Old Testament- Article Reviews Essay1277 Words   |  6 PagesCreationsim.  Feminist -------------Theology. Journal Biblical Literature, 1 Dec. 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. Rooke, Deborah W. Feminist Criticism of the Old Testament: Why Bother?Libraries.Slu.Edu. ----Journal Biblical Literature, 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezp.slu.edu/eds/detail?vid=6hid=101sid=b1182eba-cea0-4340-8ef1-ed25678fc244%40sessionmgr112bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=a9hAN=24052529.    Feminism in the Old Testament    The first article that is discussedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Said The Canoe 920 Words   |  4 Pagesliterary scholar, Fred Cogswell, goes as far as calling Crawford a feminist in his essay, â€Å"Feminism in Isabella Valency Crawford’s â€Å"Said the Canoe†. Alternatively, for the purpose of this essay, I will not be labelling Crawford a feminist as the term was not yet established when the poem was written. However, I will be using Cogswell’s essay to support the argument of Crawford advocating for women’s rights. 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Frankenstein †how would a modern reader react to Frankenstein Free Essays

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in the year 1818. Mary Shelley’s writing was actually very relevant to the gothic literature written in those times. People back then had very strong religious beliefs and despised the idea of â€Å"playing God†. We will write a custom essay sample on Frankenstein – how would a modern reader react to Frankenstein or any similar topic only for you Order Now The new scary gothic-genre was exciting as well as inspiring for people. Mary Shelley uses negative adjectives and melancholy to create a gloomy and dark atmosphere. The first sentence is an example of this technique: â€Å"It was on a dreary night of November†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This sets the scene for the birth of the monster – the sinister mood already suggests that something bad will happen. In addition, â€Å"rain pattered dismally against the panes† and the candle â€Å"was nearly burnt out† with a â€Å"half extinguished light†. This is slowly building tension and the audience is on edge. The creature is always described in such a negative tone that the audience can share Frankenstein’s distaste for the creature. There is a whole paragraph on just the ugly appearance, for example: The creatures eyes are described as â€Å"dull yellow† and â€Å"His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath†. The creature is also called a â€Å"wretch† and a â€Å"demoniacal corpse†. The audience first presumes the creature is evil as well as hideous. At the moment of his birth, however, the creature is in fact entirely benevolent: he affectionately reaches out to Frankenstein – who the creature calls â€Å"father† later – but is dejectedly abandoned by Frankenstein. The evil one is now seen as Frankenstein, besides he has given life to, what is really the equivalent of a newly-born child, and has now left it behind. This exposes the immoral side of his character – he takes place of God (which anyone would know is not going to be good) and then he just leaves it behind like a sort of experiment he has just finished with. This shows the moral issues about the story – mainly Frankenstein’s approach of taking God’s place, but also his inability to care (for creature and family), and this supports the saying â€Å"never judge a book by its cover† meaning outer appearance never exposes the true inside. For people in the 19th century, this broadened their views on religion as a whole and the story shows that no one should ever take God’s place and if this is possible, there are grave consequences. However, for a modern audience to be reading this story, they will not receive half as much effect as people from the 19th Century. Mary Shelley wanted to intimidate the audience with frightening language, but for a modern reader this almost seems boring. You could say that her story set a platform for gothic writers to follow, however this language has been over-used and now seems very out-dated. Modern readers are not just less gullible than the 19th Century readers, but we’re also much more educated and have a greater knowledge of science. We modern readers know that making life is scientifically impossible, even if a whole body is used (and definitely not with electric eels and whatever else Frankenstein did. And anyway what’s wrong with natural reproduction? But obviously the 19th Century readers always open to new science and are excited by anything new really. But back then people were very unsure of how far man could play God. No person felt that there is no God, and everyone lived in fear for all misfortune was caused by God. On the other hand, many people from the 21st century are in fact atheist (meaning non-believer). We don’t fear God as much as people from 19th Century, but we are still wise enough to understand that there are limits. If what Frankenstein did could be accomplished, should and would we do it? This is a very controversial issue that people back then would have a straight answer to. Scientists have only recently made bacteria just by DNA. This could have benefits of helping health care but could there be a danger of creating humans out of DNA? Also could cloning animals, ultimately end up in humans getting cloned and creating genetically superior humans and a genetic underclass? There is no doubt this story has sparked people’s imaginations for generations but one question that still hasn’t been answered is – Could man create new life? How to cite Frankenstein – how would a modern reader react to Frankenstein, Papers

The Mali Empire free essay sample

The West African Empire that rose to dominance in the 13th and 14th centuries was the Mali Empire. We will write a custom essay sample on The Mali Empire or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Empire was the second and most extensive of the three great successive empires, which included the Kingdom of Ghana and Songhai. The Mali Empire served as a model of statecraft for later kingdoms long after its decline in the 15th and 16th centuries.The Mali Empire was located near gold mines and rich interior floodplain of the Niger River. This region had been under the domination of the Ghana Empire until the middle of the 11th century. As Ghana declined, several short-lived kingdoms lived for influence over the western Sudan region. The small state of Kangaba, led by Sundiata Keita, defeated the nearby kingdom of Susu at the Battle of Kirina in 1235. The tyrannical king Sumanguru Kante led the Susu.The clans of the heartland unified under Sundiata, now king of the vast region that was to become the Mali Empire. Under Sundiata and his immediate successors, Mali expanded rapidly west to the Atlantic Ocean, south deep into the forest, east beyond the Niger River, and north to the salt and copper mines of the Sahara. The city of Niani may have been the capital. At its height, Mali was a confederation of 3 independent, freely allied states (Mali, Mema, and Wagadou) and 12 garrisoned provinces. The most significant of the Mali kings was Mansa Musa. He expanded the Mali kingdom over the large Niger city-states of Timbuctu, Gao, and Djenne. Mansa Musas wealth was legendary throughout the Middle East and Europe. A grandson or grandnephew of the warrior king Sundiata, who first established Mali as an empire in the 13th century.Mansa Musa grabbed the attention of the Arab world when he left his home in Mali to make a hajj, a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in 1324. Unlike Sundiata, Mansa Musa truly was a Muslim. Islamic law requires that all faithful Muslims make a pilgrimage to the city, Mecca, the city on the Arabian Peninsula where the faith was started.