Racism is only one of the issues that Morrison discusses in Song of Solomon. Morrison also talks about the different aspects of sexism, indirectly portrayed by the different women in the story. The passage is an example of the struggles faced by women. Pilate and Ruth are similar in their struggles in some aspects, but it is the differences that their struggles have that create the irony that weave the story of these women's lives.
In a way, Pilate and Ruth are both raising dependents on their own; the absence of Macon Jr. surely puts the weight of parenting mostly on Ruth, which makes the people in her household her responsibility. Though they are synonimous in this way, they differ in their attitude and strength. Pilate is a strong woman, a key stone of the community, and very independent individual; however, Ruth's strength is almost nonexistent. The irony in these two situations comes from the the fact that even though Ruth has a husband to support her, it is Pilate who can't leave because her sister-in-law is "dying of lovelessness" Morrison (151).
Irony rears its ugly head again on the face of the women's parenting styles and what they mean. Though Pilate is stronger, her children are seen almost as her property; Ruth, on the other hand, draws from her children the affection that she severely lacks. Drawing evidence from their characterization, one ties together the similarities of the all of the women's struggle in the story. The irony that weaves the women's story together is the fact that no matter their situation, despite how free or well off they seem, they are still trapped in someway. This idea is not uncommon in the time that this story is set. However, the more these women fight their situations, the worst they become.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Essay #2-Rape Actualities
By undermining, taking from, and demeaning women, men assert their dominance. “Rape Fantasies” explores the specifics aspects of rape that are used against women tot be victorious in this struggle between man and woman. The tools used in this short story addresses the questions of what type of women are targeted and why, the result of the attack, and why men rape in the first place.
Estelle, the narrator, is an insecure lonely woman who, throughout the story, demonstrates her naiveté. As the reader reads on, it’s evident that Estelle fits the profile of a rape victim: desperate, insubordinate, dependent, and lonely. Research shows that women who have these traits are most likely tot be potential victims because they’re easier tot intimidate. This type of woman is less likely tot fight back, which serves the assailants well. It’s easier for them not to fight back, they said, because many rapists don’t carry weapons in fear, ironically, of the more severe sentence they would receive if they were caught. Lonely and desperate women are also more prone to be victims because, as many know, they are less likely to report the incident. As naïve as Estelle seems and as unreasonable as her fantasies are, some truth can be drawn in her own conclusion that if you attempt to humanize yourself to the assailant then they can’t really hurt you. In an interview of incarceratted convicts, they said that they’re less likely to hurt the woman if she strikes up a conversation with him, not because she humanized herself, butt because she is now able to identify him in a lineup. In these same fantasies, the happy ending that occurs instead of the assault that’s supposed to happen enforces the reader’s impression of her as desperate and dependent. Her unwillingness to injure anyone in self-defense, more specifically men, shows her feeling of insubordination to men. By creating this character. You’re only as strong as your weakest part, and by creating Estelle, Atwood has
Because of the type of women that are victimized and assaulted, many hardly ever report the incident. Guidelines dictate that one should report the attack as soon as it happens, but there are generally a number of obstacles and deterrents that keep many women silent. Victims, women like Estelle, are mentally incapable of dealing with that kind of trauma; By using rape, men incorporate psychological means of warfare in this battle of the sexes. Most women experience social withdrawal, recurrent nightmares, depression, and many other emotionally debilitation symptoms. Thornhill and Palmer theorized that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a Darwinian adaptation to prevent women from continuing whatever behavior, provoked the attacker in the first place. In addition, they theorized that the reason woman also have a hard time re-establishing relationships with the male race is because, in evolutionary terms, they were not able to choose their mate. In addition to the mental restraints that come from the women herself, are also the stressful legal regulations that make reporting a complete nightmare. In the event that the authorities do believe-instead of prosecute-her, the embarrassment of recounting the events over and over again to people she don’t know is excruciating, and many women don’t want to suffer more than they have already.
With the knowledge of what victims have to endure, one has to ask the disturbing question of why men rape. What motivates a man to rape another human being? There are countless explanations and theories that have reasons, which vary from the need for power to the theory of evolution. Some theorize that because the definition of rape is not exactly set in stone, the mind of a rapist is extremely complex. The theory contain four types of rapists:
1. Type 1 is the most dangerous in that he is motivated by anger. They are so enraged by women that they react aggressively sexual towards women.
2. This type of rapist was most likely sexually abused as a child. Type 2 has a tendency to break rules, regardless of what they are. He isn’t able to make and keep relationships with people.
3. Type 3 believes that women enjoy being assaulted because they have cognitive thinking problems. Most date rapists fall into this category.
4. Extremely impulsive, type 4 is sexually aroused by hurting women in some fashion.
For type 3 offenders, rape is a conquest; type 3 men attempt to establish their masculinity: he feels threatened. Indeed, many men are intimidated by the by the modern woman: she’s strong successful, she doesn’t need men. One can attribute the increase in attacks to the exponential increase in women’s independence. Thornhill and Palmer attribute a man’s motivation to evolution. They compare male scorpion flies to human males in that while flies have a notal organ specifically made to force males to mate with uncooperative females, human males have psychological abilities that parallels the male scorpion notal organ: men’s ability to sense vulnerability and the ease in which young men ejaculate. However, a critic of Thornhill and Palmer’s work believes that men are less like flies, and more like apes. Like apes, power is a natural aphrodisiac, which is the reason rape. Power, which is what the struggle between man and woman is all about, drives men to rape. In contrast to these theories, Estelle’s rapists are sad lonely men like her who she eventually bonds with.
Estelle, the narrator, is an insecure lonely woman who, throughout the story, demonstrates her naiveté. As the reader reads on, it’s evident that Estelle fits the profile of a rape victim: desperate, insubordinate, dependent, and lonely. Research shows that women who have these traits are most likely tot be potential victims because they’re easier tot intimidate. This type of woman is less likely tot fight back, which serves the assailants well. It’s easier for them not to fight back, they said, because many rapists don’t carry weapons in fear, ironically, of the more severe sentence they would receive if they were caught. Lonely and desperate women are also more prone to be victims because, as many know, they are less likely to report the incident. As naïve as Estelle seems and as unreasonable as her fantasies are, some truth can be drawn in her own conclusion that if you attempt to humanize yourself to the assailant then they can’t really hurt you. In an interview of incarceratted convicts, they said that they’re less likely to hurt the woman if she strikes up a conversation with him, not because she humanized herself, butt because she is now able to identify him in a lineup. In these same fantasies, the happy ending that occurs instead of the assault that’s supposed to happen enforces the reader’s impression of her as desperate and dependent. Her unwillingness to injure anyone in self-defense, more specifically men, shows her feeling of insubordination to men. By creating this character. You’re only as strong as your weakest part, and by creating Estelle, Atwood has
Because of the type of women that are victimized and assaulted, many hardly ever report the incident. Guidelines dictate that one should report the attack as soon as it happens, but there are generally a number of obstacles and deterrents that keep many women silent. Victims, women like Estelle, are mentally incapable of dealing with that kind of trauma; By using rape, men incorporate psychological means of warfare in this battle of the sexes. Most women experience social withdrawal, recurrent nightmares, depression, and many other emotionally debilitation symptoms. Thornhill and Palmer theorized that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a Darwinian adaptation to prevent women from continuing whatever behavior, provoked the attacker in the first place. In addition, they theorized that the reason woman also have a hard time re-establishing relationships with the male race is because, in evolutionary terms, they were not able to choose their mate. In addition to the mental restraints that come from the women herself, are also the stressful legal regulations that make reporting a complete nightmare. In the event that the authorities do believe-instead of prosecute-her, the embarrassment of recounting the events over and over again to people she don’t know is excruciating, and many women don’t want to suffer more than they have already.
With the knowledge of what victims have to endure, one has to ask the disturbing question of why men rape. What motivates a man to rape another human being? There are countless explanations and theories that have reasons, which vary from the need for power to the theory of evolution. Some theorize that because the definition of rape is not exactly set in stone, the mind of a rapist is extremely complex. The theory contain four types of rapists:
1. Type 1 is the most dangerous in that he is motivated by anger. They are so enraged by women that they react aggressively sexual towards women.
2. This type of rapist was most likely sexually abused as a child. Type 2 has a tendency to break rules, regardless of what they are. He isn’t able to make and keep relationships with people.
3. Type 3 believes that women enjoy being assaulted because they have cognitive thinking problems. Most date rapists fall into this category.
4. Extremely impulsive, type 4 is sexually aroused by hurting women in some fashion.
For type 3 offenders, rape is a conquest; type 3 men attempt to establish their masculinity: he feels threatened. Indeed, many men are intimidated by the by the modern woman: she’s strong successful, she doesn’t need men. One can attribute the increase in attacks to the exponential increase in women’s independence. Thornhill and Palmer attribute a man’s motivation to evolution. They compare male scorpion flies to human males in that while flies have a notal organ specifically made to force males to mate with uncooperative females, human males have psychological abilities that parallels the male scorpion notal organ: men’s ability to sense vulnerability and the ease in which young men ejaculate. However, a critic of Thornhill and Palmer’s work believes that men are less like flies, and more like apes. Like apes, power is a natural aphrodisiac, which is the reason rape. Power, which is what the struggle between man and woman is all about, drives men to rape. In contrast to these theories, Estelle’s rapists are sad lonely men like her who she eventually bonds with.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Blog #3 - Pyro?
Compulsion--a strong usually irresistable impulse to perform an act especially one that is irrational/contrary to one's will. By using this definition of compulsion, I can safely conclude that Iago was not a moral pyromaniac and therefor disagree with Bloom's characterization of Iago. To be a moral pyromaniac, Iago would have had to have gone through his plan against his will; Iago's plan to detroy everyone was well thought out and complaisant{agreeable} with his will. However, I do agree that Iago's religion of war did shift to a game of war, in which Iago did set reality ablaze. I think that when Iago was a soldier, war was indeed his religion, as with all soldiers. And Othello is his God for the simple reason that Othello was Iago's commanding officer. However, it changes (shift!) when Iago comes to suspect Othello of betrying him. Then it becomes game of war which is fought in Cyprus (not in Venice because the war is not fought on the battlefield-Venice-but they act and keep the values of Venician principles).
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Blog Post #2 - Indicative and Awesome
Awesome quotes that will be added on to periodically :)
"...Now you've been for me when no other could; will I now grow old to forget all those? Blow off sorrow, goodbye tomorrow."
-Coheed and Cambria
"Not this time, I won't lie to keep you near me. And in this short life, there's no time to waste on giving up; my love wasn't enough."
-Evanescence
"Don't look down, don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you. Don't look down, you'll fall down, you'll become their sacrifice. Right or wrong, can't hold on to the fear that I'm lost without you. If I can' feel, I'm not mine, I'm not real."
"...Now you've been for me when no other could; will I now grow old to forget all those? Blow off sorrow, goodbye tomorrow."
-Coheed and Cambria
"Not this time, I won't lie to keep you near me. And in this short life, there's no time to waste on giving up; my love wasn't enough."
-Evanescence
"Don't look down, don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you. Don't look down, you'll fall down, you'll become their sacrifice. Right or wrong, can't hold on to the fear that I'm lost without you. If I can' feel, I'm not mine, I'm not real."
Blog Post #1 - Oedipus Rex and I
What I personally gained from Oedipus Rex was the fact that humanity does not have free will. Our fate is unchangeable, and anything we as humans try do to do to stop it will only enforce/catalyze the situation. This can be exempllified by Oedipus's running away from home to avoid killing his father, who in reality wasn't his father at all. As a result of leaving, he eventually met up with his real father, only to kill him under the understanding that he was a random man. I also gained a thorough and concrete understanding of dramatic irony seeing as that's one of the many literary devices that Sophocles decided to use in excess. And overall, I grasped a good sense of the Greeks and their surrounding culture, which to me, who loves all things classical (Rome, Greece, mythology) was deeply appreciated and well received.
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