...The Miller’s Tale is a short story written by Geoffrey Chaucer. This short story is part of the tales that are anticipated in The General Prologue. In short, this tale is about a carpenter named John whose young wife, Alison, cheats on him with an Oxford student named Nicholas. There is a lot to this story, but for the sake of this paper I will be focusing on one particular section and argument. In The Miller’s Tale, the animalistic descriptions of Alison create an unfavorable depiction of women. As I analyzed the passage I selected, my first thought was that the narrator was highly descriptive when describing the Miller’s wife. The wife, Alison, is first introduced in line 125 and is described much differently than the men in the tale....
Words: 596 - Pages: 3
...Depiction of women and relationship between men and women in Plautus's plays with particular refernce to Pot of Gold I. Overview of Aulularia (Pot of Gold) and main characters: Pot of Glod a translation of original latin play "Aulularia" by the early Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus (254-184 BCE). The title has been translated as The Pot of Gold, and the plot revolves around a literal pot of gold that the miserly protagonist, Euclio, guards zealously. The play’s ending does not survive, though there are indications of how the plot is resolved in later summaries and a few fragments of dialogue. Dramatis Personae referred to in the paper The Household God of Euclio, the Prologue. Euclio, an old gentleman of Athens. Staphyla, his old lady slave. Strobilus, slave of Lyconides. Lyconides, a young gentleman of Athens, Eunomia's son. Phaedria, Euclio's daughter. 2.Women depicted as subservient to men (as they were in reallife) in Roman Comedy 2. a. The puella is one dramatic stereotype of women in Plautine comedy. The puella is the object of the young lover’s affection and the slave’s efforts and whose marriage frequently provides the happy ending of the comedy. 2.a.(i) One sub-category of the puella is the "absent maiden" who is not seen on stage, offers an illuminating evidence about the status puella in comedy. Since she is totally under the domination of her father or guardian until she is handed over to her husband, she is seen in a positive...
Words: 1600 - Pages: 7
...sexuality is on that needs that needs thorough analysis in order to determine the implication brought about by the depiction of sex and sexuality through the use of print media. The depiction of human sexuality can be separated into two parts, male and female sexuality. These two forms vary according to the differences in the gender of the persons involved. Objective: The main objective of this paper is to study, keenly, the research methods used in two literatures, and to provide an analysis of the literatures on sexual imagery. The two literatures were compiled by different people to show how various forms of male and female sexuality are constructed in different publications. The two articles are similar because they both talk about the depiction of women in various forms of print advertisements especially in magazines. However, as Sexuality focuses mostly on the sexuality and people’s view of sex, as well as, their feelings and preferences in sex, The European Journal of Marketing, focuses mostly on the picture of women that is painted representing women as either sexual objects or feminine sexual goddesses. The European Journal of Marketing also focuses on the position of women and their sex roles in the community. In the article, the various sex roles that women play have been reviewed. It has also compared the power of women, in sex, over men, and that of men over women as well. *Fravid and Braun (2006) what was the Benefits of this approach/ disadvantages of the content analysis...
Words: 1636 - Pages: 7
...seen hundreds of different interpretations, versions, and changes. Charles Perrault, a 17th century author, wrote the first publication of this story to reflect that young children, particularly young girls, are wrong to listen to strangers, in this case wolves, and that in doing so, said strangers will undoubtedly get their delicious meal in the end. In Perrault’s version, the male and female are depicted in a very particular way, which is ultimately a reflection of the culture and society of the time. Given this society, and the status of women, it is clear that Perrault is criticizing the gender representation through. While Little Red Riding Hood is a classic tale, it holds a more valuable meaning than society realizes. The story of Little Red Riding Hood has a particular depiction of both men and women. In the story, men are depicted as a “metaphor, a stand-in for male seducers who lure young women into their beds.” (Tater 5). This depiction, while true, is not complete. The wolf is in fact luring Red into the bed with him, after she has taken her clothes off, and although it is not explicitly stated, the action of a girl removing her clothing and climbing into bed with a man implies a sense of sexuality. Additionally, though, the male is depicted as duplicitous and dominant. In several instances throughout the story, the wolf clearly tricks Red and her grandmother into believing something that is not true. The wolf, in need of getting to Grandmother’s house before Red, decides...
Words: 1150 - Pages: 5
...that sexism is the general phenomenon in which females become “domesticated women”, or workhorses for men. Rubin wrote her influential essay The Traffic in Women in 1975, yet her definitions of sex, gender, and sexism are still applicable today. The issues that Rubin addressed are demonstrated in particular in today’s media, which reinforces gender inequality and objectification, through the depiction of women as hyper-sexualized, weak, and unskilled. This negative depiction of women exists especially in the gaming community, in which many have criticized the negative portrayal of women as sexist and severely problematic. Video games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption portray women in an almost exclusively violent and sexualized manner, which serves to reinforce the never-ending sexism and gender biases that society has upheld for centuries. Society as a whole can change the perception of gender and how women are perceived, but leaps towards progressive ideas need to be made first, starting with the video game industry as a whole. Throughout history, women’s roles have primarily been domestic – staying home and being responsible for the care of her husband and children. As Warnke points out (4), this is not a result of sex but, rather of gender. Society, culture, and especially economics have been the primary driver behind the reinforcement of gender stereotypes particularly for women. Joan Wallach Scot’s analysis of French garment jobs during the 1840’s serves...
Words: 1646 - Pages: 7
...Bailey Gerard-Custodio Ms. Dane ENGL 2593 November 26,2013 Essay 2: Patricia Hill Collin’s Thoughts on Shadow Tag Patricia Hill Collin’s main argument in, The Sexual Politics of Black Womanhood, is that race controls the type of objectification a woman will face. Meaning, race controls the way society perceives a woman. In the novel, Shadow Tag, Louise Erdrich tells a chilly story of a marriage controlled by possession. A woman is shown objectification through her cultural origin and background. Throughout the novel, Gil wished to possess Irene. His possession over Irene’s body was obtained through his depictions of her in his artwork. The idea that an object is something you can obtain and possess would relate the novel by Louise Erdrich to the argument of Patricia Hill Collins. Gil’s obsession over his wife’s body also created a form of domination that utilized a form of oppression. Patricia Hill Collins writes, “Sexuality becomes a domain of restriction and repression when this energy is tied to the larger system of race, class, and gender oppression.” Gil controlled Irene’s image and sexuality through a form oppression that accompanied her race, class, and gender because he found that it exemplified his talent as an artist. “He painted Indians when he painted his wife because he couldn’t help it—the ferocity between them, the need. Her blood ancestors came out in Gil’s painting as he worked.” Gil painted Irene in the way he wanted people to perceive her. He used her ...
Words: 1592 - Pages: 7
...born on 22 May 1844 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although women were not encouraged to pursue a career, Mary enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts at the age of sixteen. She quickly felt frustrated by the male faculty and students who were patronising and resentful of her attendance. Regardless of these obstacles and her father’s disapproval of her career choice, she continued to pursue art and painting. Cassatt, an impressionist painter, did not conform to standard male images of women and therefore her paintings differ from the more general male representations, especially of women readers during the Victorian period. Cassatt expresses her world through women and therefore “…offers a new vision of the unconsidered facts of everyday bourgeois life…” (Yeh, 1976:359). Cassatt’s work is regarded by Yeh (1976:359) as women-centred art as she regards women as complete within themselves. In her work she represents women as independent, pursuing interests which are not necessarily directed toward the need of her family. Reading women, portraying the reader’s inner strength often occur as a theme in her paintings. Femininity in the Victorian era In the latter Victorian period women artists and their work were considered inferior. In an attempt to overcome the stereotypical female image their work became increasingly more vocal and confident and promoted the emerging image of the educated, modern and free women. Femininity in the Victorian era was generally thought to...
Words: 1854 - Pages: 8
...Education, Citizenship, and War : What’s At Stake? - Comparing controversies over textbook depiction of recent wars in Japan, Germany and the U.S. - We learn “ideas of citizenship”, past, and future of the nation from schools and textbooks; therefore, it is necessary to compare controversies over textbook depiction clearly. - Textbooks are always “unfinished projects” which means that always need to be revised and reinterpreted with true facts. - Two interrelated themes of nationalism: A) relationship between citizens and state. B) foreign relations. - Brutality vs. goals of war- As being teachers, how do we need to instruct students? - Should we defend the aspects of brutality? - “Lack of depiction of textbooks vs. keeping it honest”. - There are ongoing debates over Japanese brutal act during World War 2 ( ex. Comfort womens). - The incident of the Holocaust by Germany and intervention of U.S during Vietnam War need to be debated. - There are very little controversies over U.S textbook depictions of the Vietnam War among Americans. Why? Vietnam relied on U.S economic and political supports after the war; therefore, even majority of Vietnamese did not debate on this issue. - Textbooks in Japan directly supervised by political leaders since late 19th century. - Germany, on the other hand, provided the textbooks under the control of local states but no controls by governments. - Textbooks in the U.S are provided with no close association with...
Words: 353 - Pages: 2
...In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austens depiction of womanhood is both varied and expansive. A woman can be gentle in spirit, incapable of finding ill in others. Daughters can be impossibly silly in their romantic endeavors. Wives are sometimes obnoxious, meddling fools with easily disturbed nerves. Even women linked by their intelligence, such as Charlotte and Elizabeth, differ in terms of practicality and adherence to social norms. There is, however, a factor that distinguishes intelligent females in the novel from the unintelligent: their insistence on maintaining privacy from male influence. From a feminist perspective, Jane Austens emphasis on female personal space implies that intelligent women must secure privacy in order to remain independent, freethinking individuals within a patriarchal society. By linking privacy with mental growth, Austen takes part in a larger network of feminist literature in which private space is equated with female creativity and freedom from domestic duties. Therefore, Austens examination of privacy serves as a critique of limitations on female intellectual growth. The issue of female privacy is perhaps most associated with feminist works published long after Pride and Prejudice, but Austens depiction of the matter can be seen as a precursor to these later arguments. Both Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Virginia Woolf published works pertaining to the physical and mental privacy needed for women. A Room of Ones Own, for instance, clearly establishes...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...Mahmoud Mandour Mrs. Kuhl English Lang. and Lit. 25th February 2013 Rational I chose to write a movie review, as a critic pointing out the inaccurate depictions made through characters in the movie, ‘Gone With The Wind”. What motivated me to do this, is that it is difficult to criticize movies as successful as this. So, I wrote this as a critic pointing out some huge flaws in the portrayals made through the movie’s characters, rather than focus on the story plot, like other movie reviews. The audience I target for this critique, is any “GWTW” fan that thinks this movie is flawless. This written task is intended to focus on part 1 of the course, as language in this movie is used in different contexts to portray race relations and gender roles in a certain society at the time the movie was set. The tone used in the very title of the article is humorous and a bit exaggerated, as I make a pun by using the name of the movie in making a point about how this movie abolishes accurate perceptions on the nature of the confederate states. The first half of the introduction is stated in an admiring tone, as I praise the movie’s success with sentences like; “ leaving viewers with a warm feeling towards a great story that was beautifully told.” I then shift to a rather aggressive tone, as I directly point out the issues in the movie. As for the rest of the article, the tone is strictly formal and informative, as I elaborate on the introduction. I made sure to stick...
Words: 1222 - Pages: 5
...expression. Whereas, the subsections 159 (1) and 152 (2) of the constitution of Canada refers pornography as an ‘obscene’ matter, i.e. crime, horror, cruelty, violence, and exploitation (Fraser, 1985). Yafee’s definition states pornography as a depiction of sexual pleasures, but on the other hand, the Canadian constitutional definition of pornography reflects the idea of violence and sexual exploitation. The paper centralized on the theme that modern pornographic depiction is a...
Words: 904 - Pages: 4
...the eighth and ninth centuries, devils were described as having “horns, claws, fiery breath, unruly hair, and hooked noses.” Christians accused Jews and Muslims of being the originators of iconoclasm and depicted them very similarly to the depiction of devils; the main difference between the depiction of Jews and Muslims was that Muslims were portrayed as black. The association between Jews/Muslims and devils characterized Jews/Muslims as devil worshippers. Black and hairy imagery in art often represented the wildness of man, because during the age of exploration groups like the Native Americans and black Africans replaced the idea of a monstrous race with the “wild man,” and the devil is associated with wildness. The association between horn imagery and Jews originated during the Fourth Crusades, because Christians made Jews wear horned hats (pileum cornutum) to identify themselves. The story of Samuel anointing David strengthened the connection of Jews and horns because the Psalters portray David as receiving a single horn. This led to the characterization of all Jews with horns. Artists intentionally used the type of imagery in portraying the “other” to show their association with the devil. There are clear parallels between the depiction the devil and the “other.” The demonic imagery rhetorically functions as a way for the human brain to visually separate people from one another and further cement the us vs them mentality. Using the same imagery to portray the “other” groups...
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...Depiction of Prostitutes in Greek Art Woman in Greek art are usually seen doing what most Greek woman were tasked with doing in their daily lives. Their main jobs focused on the domestic needs of the family; caring for the sick, nursing the children, and preparing food for the family. Women are often time’s illustrated performing task such as weaving and other domestic actions like bearing and caring for their children. The women in these forms of art are properly dressed and the illustrations are done on common made items like pottery and vases. When comparing this description of the artistic portrayal of common Greek women to the illustrations seen on the Terracotta Kylix, there are some distinct differences. The most obvious difference is the nudity that is seen within the artwork. All of the women are depicted in a seductive fashion with somewhat of a control over the men that they are with. Also the portrayal of the scene is done in a ceremonial fashion; the event seems to be a joyous event accompanied with wine and picnic baskets. Then there is the presence of the satyr and the maenad which most directly represents the wine god Dionysus. Another important difference in the art work is that it is illustrated on a drinking cup that would most likely be used in the same type of event that is portrayed in the illustration. I believe the portrayal of these nude women in the Terracotta Kylix represent how prostitution was seen by Greek culture. These women do not seem...
Words: 358 - Pages: 2
...Media Ending the Great Depression HIS 203 4/26/13 The U.S. experienced a Depression in 1929. The American economy collapsed and millions of people were out of jobs. The government's role during this time of economic crisis was to assist the citizens of this country in any way possible. This sometimes led to the development of experimental programs and projects. Some of the programs involved morale boosting murals that depicted an idealistic agricultural American society. The government was not the only producer of confidence boosting propaganda during the Depression, Hollywood also capitalized on the need for empowerment. Hollywood lost money and felt the same loss as people all over the United States. But Hollywood used this Depression for their gain. They altered their course of action to please the American people during this time. Hollywood then produced the Golden Age of Hollywood to boost American morale. Directors such William Wellman and King Vidor were at the forefront of Golden Age movie production. These directors aimed to capture the roles of womanhood and manhood in efforts to fortify American’s thoughts of the ideal American society. The New deal also created the implementation of the Works Project Administration (WPA), more specifically the Federal Project Number One, which aimed to assist people of the arts out of Depression and simultaneously using their works to get into the minds of Americans and regain their confidence. The Great Depression came at a time...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
...Wood present unique aspects of Abigail Adams and Benjamin Franklin which highlight societal, institutional, and ideological changes brought about by the American revolution. Holton’s depiction of Abigail Adams provides an in depth analysis of the challenges she faces as a wife who assumes the roles typically undertaken by the family patriarch. In wood’s book, the depiction of Benjamin Franklin allows the reader to understand the progressive development of Franklin as he transitions from a gentleman to an ardent revolutionary. An interesting aspect of Wood’s portrayal of Franklin resides in his detailed analyses of his contributions to the American Revolution and the generally negative reception he receives upon returning to the independent colonies. Both Wood and Holton chose these individuals, and specifically the overriding topics of each book, in order to explain these chosen themes through the perspective of well-known historical figures. Although both authors make interesting arguments, Holton’s research on Abigail Adams presents a more significant contribution to historical research by highlighting her contribution to women’s rights and feminism. Woody Holton’s work, Abigail Adams (2009) tells the story of the wife of John Adams before, during, and after the American Revolution. Holton’s depiction of Abigail’s life prior to the American Revolution consists of her childhood, courtship and marriage to John Adams. During John’s early career as a lawyer, the vast distance between...
Words: 1948 - Pages: 8