The Feminist Sociological Perspective in Germinal Essay Example for Free

The Feminist Sociological Perspective in Germinal Essay The feminist analysis has made a major contribution to social theory, making sociologist aware of issues that were previously ignored. Many aspects of what were considered to be â€Å"private life,† associated with male/female relations in household, family, and other social relationships have been transformed. Many parts of society have experienced changes as a result of increased involvement of women in public life. In the 19th century, women were viewed differently than they are now, and those differences play a major part in the roles women played in the literature of their time. Germinal is a novel about the birth of political ideas and social movement in a society. In Zola’s Germinal, women fit into two different major categories. The maternal role of motherly conduct, and women striving for equality amongst the men, The maternal role is the most important role. The mothers in Germinal are very consistent people, and the constants in the society holding the people together. The most obvious mother role is that of La Maheude. She is a typical example of many of the traits of common maternal influence, and she gives the readers an idea into an average family of colliers in late nineteenth century France. â€Å"It wasnt something you thought about, a child just came along, naturally. And when it was grown, it brought in some money and generally kept things going. In their house for example, they could have managed if it werent for Grandpa, who was getting all stiff and for the fact that out of the whole bunch of them only her eldest daughter and two of her sons were yet old enough to work down the mine. (Page 94) When the children are young, it is the duty of the mother and her influence during such an easily influenced stage to shape hard-working and trust-worthy breadwinners. As a mother, La Maheude has this important job in providing for her family by creating new sources of income, and by shaping the next generation into society. Many women in Germinal are taken advantage of when it comes to the influence of their male counterparts. Catherine and Chaval for instance have a relationship where the male believes women are lower than them in status. This aggressive attitude is a clear understanding in the first sexual advances of Chaval to Catherine with his sexual advances. Though Catherine is young, and far from ready for a relationship she is forced into a very intense relationship with Chaval. Her inability to resist such advances from a male shows her true weakness in life. Though the women who work in the mines are supposed to be the representation of the strongest women in the story, in reality Zola has given them fallout in their inability to resist their superiors in the males. At La Mouquettes they were short of bread too: this was her dinner, and she had insisted on wrapping it in a cloth for him, kissing him passionately as she did so(Page 266). La Mouquette is a character that sleeps around for enjoyment instead of personal gain. When the colliers are at their worst, she even offers food to her present love interest in Etienne. This gives her a perspective that is unique, besides the history of her family as it differed from the miners. She adds emotion and charity to the novel. It may not always be recognized, but women have a very important role in society. In the novel Germinal, women are the caretakers of the house and they are the beat in the heart of all the children. They are inspirational women that inspire the children to become something in life. They are degraded in so many ways by the males in the novel; trading sex for food and abusive relationships. Many parts of society have experienced changes as a result of increased involvement of women in public life.

Essay --

Article on apartment in Roorkee - flats in Roorkee - studio apartments in Roorkee http://www.arjunkkrdevelopers.com/ Flats and Apartments in Roorkee – Providers of Smooth and Smart Lifestyle Today’s age is witnessing fast migration of people from one place to another for a number of reasons that include advanced studies, better career prospects and the like. This has made the crucial need of developing housing solutions to address the ever-growing demand of houses. This advancement in residential sphere has given a substantial boost to the real estate market. With the growth of residential township projects, there are several towns that have been blessed with advancement. One of these blissful towns is Roorkee, located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Every apartment in Roorkee is an embodiment of comfort and is built on latest architectural lines. Roorkee is going through construction of townships on an accelerated rate. These housing zones have a superb assortment of home types that include independent floors, 1/2/3 BHK flats, studio apartments, premium villas and individual ho...

Personality Psychology †Sojourner Truth Essay

Sojourner Truth (c.1797 – 26 November 1883) Sojourner Truth dedicated her life to fighting slavery, and advocating equal rights for women. She first began speaking in 1827, giving personal testimony of the evils and cruelty of slavery; and later as a staunch supporter of suffrage, also advocated for equal rights for women. At the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, she delivered her speech â€Å"Ain’t I a Woman† which is now revered among classic text of feminism. She lived her life in the water-shed years of American abolition of slavery and became a leader and recognized as an icon for equality of rights and freedom. At birth, Truth was named Isabella and was a slave for the first twenty-eight years of her life because she was a child born by slaves. In 1826, Truth began life as a free woman; but only after eighteen years – in 1843 at the age of forty-six years, she rename herself, â€Å"Sojourner Truth is my name, because from this day I will walk in the light of His truth.† (p. 77). The moment of naming herself marked Truth’s cognitive freedom from her enslaved past. Neo-Analytic Approach to Personality The neo-analytic approach to personality asseverate that the individual’s sense of self as the core of personality; holding that the self â€Å"struggles to cope with emotions and drives on the inside and the demands of others on the outside† (Friedman & Schustack, 2011); that human nature is positive and goal-oriented; that society and culture shapes personality; and that development continues throughout lifespan. For the analysis of Sojourner Truth’s personality, the concepts of neo-analytical theorist Alfred Adler are selected for the purpose. Adler’s Concept of Humanity Feist & Feist (2006) described Adler’s concept of humanity as that people are self-determinant, and their unique personalities are shaped by how they interpret their lives and experiences. People are ultimately responsible for their own personalities and possess the creative power to transform feelings of inadequacy towards a final goal of either personal superiority or goal of success for society. i. Striving for superiority or success Adler believed that the central core of personality is the striving for superiority towards a final goal. The final goal – while fictional and has no objective existence – unifies personality and renders all behaviour comprehensible. According to Feist & Feist (2006), Adler posit that feelings of inferiority motivate a person to strive for either a self-centered (selfish) goal of superiority, or an altruistic goal of success for all humans. The final goal compensates and reduces feelings of inferiority and weakness, and drives the individual to seek either superiority or success. Truth was a slave for twenty-eight years. During her enslavement, she was abused and treated as chattel or property. Her slave-masters dictated and hold sway her life. Her enslavement caused Truth to feel inferior – but yet her reaction to those feelings of inferiority was to strived for a goal for success (for society). Throughout her life as a free woman, Sojourner Truth devoted herself to fight against slavery and for equal rights for all. During the American Civil War, Truth risked her life to gather and deliver supplies to black volunteer regiments; and was continually involved in various political causes. With the National Freedman’s Relief Association she continued to strive to better conditions and lives for all African Americans – of which her last campaign (sadly unsuccessful) was a land distribution programme for former slaves. ii. Social Interest Adler (1956) state that those who strive for success (instead of self-centered superiority) possess a â€Å"sense of personal worth that is tied closely to their contributions to human society. Social progress is more important to them than personal credit† † (Feist & Feist, 2006, p.72). Truth transcended her oppressed past; turned out to be a healthy individual who was motivated without personal gain to help others to â€Å"seek success for all humanity† (Feist & Feist, 2006). She was not motivated by personal gain. iii. Fictionlism / People’s behaviour and personality is shaped by their subjective perceptions. Adlerian approach maintains that that people are motivated by their subjective perceptions of what is true, and not by what is true. Their subjective perceptions of reality (i.e. fictions) influence them as if were reality. According to Feist & Feist (2006), fictions, regardless true or false, are powerful influence on people’s life. An example of a fiction is the belief in an omnipotent God that guides and helps shape many people’s lives and actions. This is clearly demonstrated in Truth’s life. Sojourner Truth’s parents taught her to believe in God, and that â€Å"God is always with her and she is never alone† (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.22). Throughout her life, she held this belief in an omnipotent God, and it was her source of solace (especially during her enslavement), and later – guide her in decision-making and actions. Truth believed that God was her true master. After eighteen years as a free woman, a chance encounter became the tipping point of her self-realisation. A woman asked for her name and upon that very moment Truth realized that all her life she had her slave-masters’ names and thereby declared, â€Å"The only master I have now is God and His name is Truth.† And gave herself the last name Truth (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.77). Truth maintained a practice of meditation and deep prayer through which she claimed God communicates with her. In her public speaking,she usually began with a declaration of her spiritual link, â€Å"Well, Children, I speaks to God and God speaks to me†¦I talks to God and God talks to me.† (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.82 and 117). Truth sought spiritual guidance during stressful times. For example when she had recently only left her former slave-master Dumont, she was intimidated by threats to her children to return to Dumont’s farm. After the incident she shared â€Å"Jesus stopped me† and that she experienced a powerful force that turned her around when she tried to go back to the Dumont farm. Truth held that the event was a profound meaningful spiritual experience that convinced her that she was never going back to enslavement (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.41). Another example of Truth’s staunch belief that God was on her side: In her fight to free and get her son to be returned to her, Truth prayed for divine intervention,â€Å"God†¦ show those about me that you are my Helper† (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.43). She was aided by Quaker abolitionists and a fair judge ruled justly in her favour. iv. Value of human activity must be evaluated on the basis of social interest. Adler posit that social interest is the natural human condition and that it binds society as a whole. According to Feist & Feist (2006), Adler held that social interest is the only gauge to be used in judging the worth of a person: Healthy individuals â€Å"strives for perfection for all people in an ideal community†¦are genuinely concerned about people and have a goal of success that encompasses the well-being of all people† (p.75 & 77). Sojourner continually spoke against slavery, campaigned for emancipation of slaves, suffrage and equal human rights. She spoke out against mistreatment and injustice in the army, gathered and distributed donations of food and clothing, and helped in military wards and hospitals. In 1864, Truth was recognized for her work and efforts by President Abraham Lincoln at the White House. v. Masculine Protest / Society & Culture Shapes People Adler reasoned that culture and society influenced people to overemphasize the importance of being manly, i.e. masculine protest. Many societies promote the belief that men are superior to women, implicitly implying that women are inferior. However Adler uphold that women have the physiological and psychological needs as men and therefore want â€Å"more or less the same things that men want† (Feist & Feist, 2006, p.85). This echoes feminists’ campaigns for equal rights: political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities. Truth attended the first national (USA) Women’s Rights Convention in 1850, and was inspired as well as motivated to speak and advocate for â€Å"Equality before the law without distinction of sex or colour† (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.106). From that time on, she spoke for abolition of slavery and equality for women. In her 1851 speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron,Ohio, Truth challenge gender discrimination, subordination, and dispelled the illusion of woman as the weaker sex. â€Å"†¦That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.112-114) vi. Lifestyle A lifestyle encompasses daily activities erstwhile pursuing one’s goals. According to Hergenhahn (2009), Adler believed that for a lifestyle to be genuinely effective it must contain considerable interest, i.e. working toward a society that would provide a better life for everyone. People with a healthy, socially useful lifestyle express their social interest through action. (Adler described a lifestyle without adequate social interest as a ‘Mistaken Lifestyle’.) According to Feist & Feist (2006), Adler considered three intertwined social issues as fundamental to an effective lifestyle: occupational tasks – choosing and pursuing a career that makes one feel worthwhile; societal tasks – creating friendships and social networks; and love tasks – finding a suitable life-partner. Truth’s lifestyle embodied all of Adler’s identified three social issues: * Occupational tasks: Truth embraced a career to fight for emancipation of slavery and equal rights for women. Besides public-speaking against slavery, Truth also worked to improve living conditions for all. In 1865, at the age of seventy, Truth accepted the task to â€Å"promote order, cleanliness, industry, and virtue among the patients at the Freedman’s Hospital† (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.149). * Societal tasks: Regardless when she was a slave or as a free woman, Truth formed relationships which led to social networks of friends, supporters, and even ‘fans’. Her circle of friends included Lucy Stone, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Richard Allen, John Jay, Frederick Douglass, and many many more equally enlightened beings. * Truth was separated from Robert, her first love who was a slave from another farm, because his slave-master forbade their marriage as children from slave-parents would belong to the slave-mother’s owner. Later Truth married (on orders of her slave-master) Tom, one of the other slaves belonging to the same slave-master. Eventually, they grew to love each other in their own way and shared common respect for each other (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.33). viiCreative Power Adler believed that each person possess the power to create their own lifestyle. In line with existentialistic philosophy, Adler agreed that people are ultimately responsible for who they are and their behaviour. People are their â€Å"own architect and can build either a useful or a useless lifestyle† (Feist & Feist, 2006, p.79). The creative power propels each and every one towards a goal, regardless whether in the direction of social interest or not. An individual’s creative power empowers that individual to control their own life – to determine their final goal and strive for that goal, and contributes to development of social interest. Truth’s personality reflected her optimal creative power that helped her manifest an effective lifestyle, successfully overcoming her lamented enslavement and then striving for success for all humans. In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Truth would be considered an actualized personality. Conclusion Adlerians maintain that people are naturally positive and goal-oriented. He also posited that mentally healthy people strive for societal success for all humans. In analysis of Sojourner Truth’s personality, it is found that Truth explicitly actualized Adler’s Individual Psychology: Truth manifested her creative power to strive for success (for all humans), thereby lived an effective (valued) lifestyle which embodied social interests and dispelled implicit inferiority of being a former slave, black, and a woman, with a staunch belief that divine power (God) guided and helped her throughout her life. References Feist, J., & Feist, G.J. (2006). Theories of Personality (6th ed.). USA: McGraw-Hill Asia. Friedman, H.S., & Schustack, M.W. (2011). Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Hergenhahn, B.R. (2009). An Introduction to the History of Psychology (6th ed.). Belmont, CA.: Wadsworth Liebert, R., Liebert, L. (1998). Liebert & Liebert; Spiegler’s Personality Strategies and Issues (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA.: Brooks/Cole. McKissack, P.C.,& McKissack, F.(1992). Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? New York: Scholastic.

Gender Roles in Shakespeare Essay - 1760 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It is a peculiar feature of Shakespeares plays that they both participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the proper roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between males, females, and power. Derrida was right in asserting that quot;there is no outside to the text.quot; His claim is that every text is affected by every other text and every other speech act. As an instance, most of Shakespeares plays have†¦show more content†¦Elizabethan society had a loosely determined set of normal behaviors that are frequently linked to gender. Despite diffusion of these gender expectations in both time periods (see Dollimore, Traub), there are definite behaviors that either lie within the constructs of gender or exceed/transgress patterns accepted as conventional. Through the mechanisms of exaggeration or transgression, Shakespeares comedies focus attention on the matter of gender and derive comedy from the situations created. Characters that are natural representations of their gender do not contain the same possibilities for comedy. Beatrice says quot;O, that I were a manquot; (Much Ado About Nothing, IV.i.303), implying in context that her gender has made it impossible for her to act. Other female characters in Shakespeare do take on male roles, and whether it is because their true identity is hidden or simply by virtue of their acceptance as non-female, they are able to function in the text in ways that an undisguised female character could not. Rosalind/Ganymede instructs Orlando in the ways of love. Viola/Cesario enters Orsinos house and, consequentially, his heart. Portia argues a case at law; actually serving as a judge in a dispute involving her new husbands best friend. In assuming a mans role, these women overcome the limitations to which Beatrice finds her sex subjected.Show MoreRelatedGender Roles in Shakespeare1834 Words   |  8 PagesGender Roles in Shakespeare It is a peculiar feature of Shakespeares plays that they both participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the proper roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between malesRead MoreGender And Gender Roles In Macbeth By William Shakespeare1043 Words   |  5 PagesIn Macbeth by William Shakespeare, gender plays a pivotal role in the development of the overall plot and as the play advances, certain characters, including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience a reversal in traditional gender behaviors. Additionally, we see gender confusion among other characters that enhances conflict in the play. Originally, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are portrayed in ways that enforce their respective masculinity and feminism in accordance to the society around them. As MacbethRead MoreShakespeare s Viewpoint About Gender And Gender Roles1412 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Shakespeare’s viewpoint about gender and gender roles in the play? Do you agree? In the play â€Å"Macbeth† by William Shakespeare the play was about power and greed. Macbeth were given prophecies from the witches and one of the prophecies was that he was going to become king. After he heard the news he told his wife what the witches told him. From there on she chose to do anything that was going to make them become apart of royalty. She accomplished this missions by manipulating her husbandRead MoreTransgressing Prescribed Gender Roles in Shakespeare Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesTransgressing prescribed gender roles in As You Like It Shakespeares As You Like It is both a gentle, pastoral comedy and a complicated, dark debate on the relationship between love, power and gender construction. At the centre of the play is Rosalind, arguably one of Shakespeares most engaging, witty, intelligent, and lovable female characters. Rosalind is the epitome of Elizabethan femininity: beautiful, chaste, and charitable; and yet she is able to transcend traditional gender boundaries to becomeRead MoreGender Roles in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay1292 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Although at the time of Shakespeare, women were thought of as lesser beings, he still manages to portray them as strong, and influential people in his play Macbeth. The orthodox view of females when Shakespeare wrote the play is that they were homemakers, looked after their children, they were quiet, weak and unintelligent, and the only reason they existed is to have male children. Males however were the warriors and theRead MoreGender Roles Of Shakespeare s Taming Of The Shrew 2030 Words   |  9 PagesAngamnuaisiri 1 Narupat Angamnuaisiri Foster English IV 10 April 17 Taming of the Shrew: Gender Roles William Shakespeare was one of the most famous writers in the world during the sixteenth century. He came from England, born in 1564 and died in 1616. He was also a poet with more than one hundred sonnets and two long poems. Many of Shakespeare’s dramas illustrate various forms of domestic and social problems. He was a playwriter of some famous plays, such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and JulietRead MoreGender Roles And Roles Of William Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice 1837 Words   |  8 Pages Gender plays an important role in Shakespeare’s comedies. Cross gender roles and cross dressing are essential not only for the inherent humour of the situation but also for the advancment of the plot. English Renaissance stereotypes of women and men and their various roles and responsibilities in society are reflected in Shakespeare. What sets Shakespeare apart is the fact that he also challenges, and at times even breaks down those stereotypes especially in his comedies. Hamlet may proclaim â€Å"FrailtyRead MoreShakespeare s Othello - Role Of Women And Gender Representation1312 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in Othello The role of women and gender representation in Othello challenged the male dominated society in that time period. Women in Shakespeare’s time were seen as being loyal and submissive to their husbands and not going against their husband’s judgment. Shakespeare developed complex and varied female characters in his plays, especially the women portrayed in Othello. In the play, Shakespeare introduces three female characters: Desdemona, Othello s wife, Emilia, Iago’s wife and mistressRead More Gender Roles in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare Essay857 Words   |  4 PagesRomeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, there is an overlaying presence of the typical roles that men and women were supposed to play. During Elizabethan times there was a major difference between the way men and women were supposed to act. Men typically were supposed to be masculine and powerful, and defend the honor. Women, on the other hand, were supposed to be subservient to their men in their lives and do as ever they wished. In Romeo and Juliet the typical gender roles that men and women wereRead MoreGender Roles Of Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare1259 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Romance Comics Author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou once said, â€Å"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!†. When one thinks of comic books, it is very likely that the subjects that come to mind are Marvel’s Spiderman or DC’s Batman. Although comic books are stereotypically thought to be mainly about super heroes, there are a wide variety of subject matter they could be written about, such as romance. In the 1950s – 1960s, it was common