Female Struggles Essay examples - 1592 Words

Patriarchal cultures are the universal reality of modern society. People who believe in equal rights for women try to expose the pitfalls of patriarchy. A role of the feminists is to fight patriarchy. In Salt Lake City, Utah where there are a number of people who belong to the Church of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormons, patriarchy also exists. Terry Tempest Williams discusses patriarchy and women’s connection to the land in Refuge. Over time women’s status in society has become better, however in Mormon culture women’s rights have decreased. In Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams as an ecofeminist defies the traditional Mormon woman’s role. In Refuge the gender roles are not as clear as in society. Williams chooses to display the†¦show more content†¦Church leaders swiftly condemned any public display of devotion to her (Stack 2003). This idea, of the heavenly mother, is one of the ideas that Mormon feminists wanted to bring up in questioning of their faith. This questioning itself may be detrimental to your future participation in the faith. But to point out Mormon women in particular as participators in a patriarchal religion is unfair. As Sheena James, a Mormon Middlebury College student, said â€Å"My church, like many religions, is a patriarchy. I think this would be an interesting question to ask many women of many different religions† (4/13/05) when asked about her participation in a patriarchal religion. Surely women of other Christian denominations and other faith recognize that their religious establishments do not necessarily see women as equal to the men. But religion is not exclusive in these beliefs. Our culture, though many may disagree, is a patriarchal culture. Terry Tempest Williams will likely agree with this statement being that she is an eco-feminist herself. As a Mormon woman being a feminist in any sense seems like it has its pitfalls. A former Mormon, feminist and scholar, Margaret Toscano was excommunicated from the Mormon Church essentially for being a feminist and questioning the increasingly more patriarchal aspects of Mormonism (Stack 2004). Due to theShow MoreRelatedDishonor : The Lifetime Struggle Of A Female876 Words   |  4 PagesDishonor: The Lifetime Struggle of a Female Infanticide. A crime that knows no limits; be it of age, gender, status, or wealth. Dating as far back as Ancient Greece the infanticide of babies, at that time gender was not a bases for the killings wealth was, has been a predominated and culturally acceptable part of our society. In the animal kingdom, many alpha males killed their sons in order to prove seniority and have no competition. Males are strong and predictable, creating a need to either killRead MoreWomen s Unequal Portrayal, And The Struggle For Identity Of Female Writers1777 Words   |  8 PagesIn this essay I will examine the ideas behind women’s unequal portrayal, and the struggle for identity of female writers. Before recently, most published writers were male, so representation was obviously one-sided. Literacy in the ancient worlds was limited anyway, and few that could write were female. Oral culture is undervalued, though, because folktales were predominantly passed down by women. Religion played a huge part in early misrepresentation. Plato laid the philosophical foundations forRead MoreThe, The Goddess Of Luck And Fortune1199 Words   |  5 Pagesimmense emotional strength. Marji’s mother and grandmother endured the pains of poverty and an absent father/husband lost to jail. Marji’s mother and Marji also undergo separation after Marji is sent to Austria. 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Not only are the trains themselves dangerous, but migrants who travel on them must also overcomeRead MoreThe Strength Of A Woman2441 Words   |  10 Pagesrespect that a man would easily attain comes through many years of trial and being treated as though they are not worthy of the respect of those around them. This story shines a light on how much women value their parents’ opinions, and continue to struggle for their approval and because of this many women go through their entire lives trying to live up to those expectations that are set for them by family and society, and this constant search for approval ultimately shapes a person and sets the toneRead MoreSalvage The Bones And Up From Slavery2002 Words   |  9 Pagesperspective. Everyone would agree that African Americans had t o struggle more than the white people, and â€Å"Up from Slavery† and â€Å"Salvage the Bones provide great context of that. African Americans also had their strength and weakness. African Americans have had their strength and weakness. Salvage the bones and up from slavery provides great context of this. In Salvage the Bone, the novel questions who are stronger between the male and female. Esch draws the attention when she attacks Manny, winning theRead MoreStruggle For Female Equality in Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale1482 Words   |  6 PagesStruggle For Female Equality in  The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale   When Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, the social structure of his world was changing rapidly.   Chaucer himself was a prime example of new social mobility being granted to members of the emerging middle class.   He had opportunities to come into contact not only with earthy characters from varied ports of call, but with the wealthy nobility.   He was also married to a knights   daughter, someone of higher birth than himselfRead MoreThe Female Struggle to Fit into Society in Little Women Essay1794 Words   |  8 PagesThe Female Struggle to Fit into Society in Little Women The Victorian Era hailed many prolific authors, which were mostly male. A woman who wanted to be a writer at this time was not respected and would have been accused of being whimsical and flighty. However, women such as Louisa May Alcott redefined the norms and followed her heart with her pen by writing Little Women. The novel follows the lives of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March – detailing their passage fromRead MoreEssay Modes of Power for Women1466 Words   |  6 PagesModes of Power for Women The struggle for control over birth transcends centuries and continents. Gloria Steinem, a women’s rights advocate of the 1990s describes how â€Å"the traditional design of most patriarchal buildings of worship imitates the female body† in order that â€Å"men [can] take over the yoni-power of creation by giving birth symbolically† (Steinem XV). The struggle for control over the power of procreation between the sexes existed in Ancient Greece. It is apparent in the TheogonyRead MoreEssay on Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man582 Words   |  3 Pagesand extra ordinary. His painting, Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man (1943), stuck in my mind every since the moment I laid my eyes on it. Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man, is the perfect example of the struggle of successfully coming out into the world. A dark umbrella type canvas shades over a large egg shaped world. It has what appears to be a young male fighting and struggling trying to get out. The world is resting on top of a bright white canvas