Free Essays on Self Representation In 18th Century Womens Poetry

Discuss women's self-representation in 18th Century Poetry In this essay I will be looking at how women represented themselves in 18th Century British poetry. I will be focusing on the poetry of three 18th Century women writers Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656-1710), Anne Finch (1661-1720) and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762). Poetry accounts for a large proportion of women's writing during the 18th Century and offered a rare outlet for self-expression and an opportunity to examine 'complex and troubling matters' (Turner 18). The themes that run through women's poetry in this period concern marriage, in which women consider their role as a wife and question the fulfilment it brings; women's unequal rights to an education; depression - a source of much frustration at a time when Reason ruled and anything unfathomable or illogical was swept aside; and the notion of beauty as an important tool of power for a woman. Social pressures affected women's writing since 'wit belonged to the masculine province' (Turner 18) as Anne Finch observed in The Introduction (1689): 'Alas! A woman that attempts the pen, Such an intruder on the rights of men' (Lines 9-10). As a result of this, women suffered from a fear of 'violating feminine modesty' (Ezell, Patriarch 63). If a woman signed her work with her own name, she opened herself up to ridicule and censure. None of the three women poets that I have looked at signed their poems with their real names. They are also notable for each avoiding literary limelight and not participating in the London literary circle. The public sphere was incompatible to women in an era where virtue was defined by modesty. Looking firstly at the theme of marriage, both Lady Mary Chudleigh and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu have used poetry to express anger at the institution of marriage. Writing at a time when a man had absolute unquestioned authority over the most important features in life - education, career,... Free Essays on Self Representation In 18th Century Womens Poetry Free Essays on Self Representation In 18th Century Womens Poetry Discuss women's self-representation in 18th Century Poetry In this essay I will be looking at how women represented themselves in 18th Century British poetry. I will be focusing on the poetry of three 18th Century women writers Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656-1710), Anne Finch (1661-1720) and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762). Poetry accounts for a large proportion of women's writing during the 18th Century and offered a rare outlet for self-expression and an opportunity to examine 'complex and troubling matters' (Turner 18). The themes that run through women's poetry in this period concern marriage, in which women consider their role as a wife and question the fulfilment it brings; women's unequal rights to an education; depression - a source of much frustration at a time when Reason ruled and anything unfathomable or illogical was swept aside; and the notion of beauty as an important tool of power for a woman. Social pressures affected women's writing since 'wit belonged to the masculine province' (Turner 18) as Anne Finch observed in The Introduction (1689): 'Alas! A woman that attempts the pen, Such an intruder on the rights of men' (Lines 9-10). As a result of this, women suffered from a fear of 'violating feminine modesty' (Ezell, Patriarch 63). If a woman signed her work with her own name, she opened herself up to ridicule and censure. None of the three women poets that I have looked at signed their poems with their real names. They are also notable for each avoiding literary limelight and not participating in the London literary circle. The public sphere was incompatible to women in an era where virtue was defined by modesty. Looking firstly at the theme of marriage, both Lady Mary Chudleigh and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu have used poetry to express anger at the institution of marriage. Writing at a time when a man had absolute unquestioned authority over the most important features in life - education, career,...

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl Essay Example

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl Essay Example Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl Paper Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl Paper Essay Topic: Literature The question I have selected for my essay is number one and I will be discussing the presentation of gender and power explored in the short story, Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. Also in my essay I will be explaining the roles played by the two main characters in the story Mary and Patrick Maloney. Mary Maloney is the main character in the story Lamb to the Slaughter. She is represented as a stereotypical housewife who adores her husband, Patrick Maloney, and is willing to go to any length to please him. At the start of the text Mary seems to be a eak woman and the weaker person in her marriage. She lets her husband push her around and she doesnt even realise hes doing it, because she only ever wants to make happy. Patrick Maloney is the husband of Mary Maloney and the dominant one in their relationship. In the text he is represented as a stereotypical ungrateful, grumpy husband. Also in the text the Maloneys would be classified as an upper class family but even though this is so, Patrick Maloney still works full time as a Senior Policeman. Another thing we notice about Mr. Maloney is he fact he seems quite bored of the fact he is waited on hand and foot by his wife. Power plays a major part in the story Lamb to the Slaughter. And in this story the power seems to reverse from one character to the other, as it starts of with all the power in the hands of Patrick Maloney. Him being the Senior Police officer at work tells us that he must hold quite a lot of power of his work mates below him. But obviously the person he holds the most power over in the text is his wife, Mary Maloney; his hard working housewife who we find out is 6 months pregnant. She is constantly fussing over Patrick wether it is cooking his dinner or getting his slippers. Another thing we notice is that Mr. Maloney is always the person who makes the decisions in their relationship. Wether it has very little or very much importance. For example what they were both going to have for dinner, it was always whatever Mr. Maloney felt like. However all of this power is reversed in the text when Mary comes back from getting the leg of lamb for her and her husbands dinner. She spots Patrick standing in the corner of the oom and he says, For gods sake! Dont make supper for me, Im going out. And that seems to set her off so she walks over and shows physical power as she hits her husband hard over the head with the leg of lamb, and the second he is dead a whole new power is left with her, it is the power Mr. Maloney had once held over her. Mary also seems to have power over the policeman, detectives and doctors who came to investigate the death of Mr. Maloney. They seem very sympathetic towards her and believe every word Mrs. Maloney says about the death of her usband. After studying this short story it would be fair to say that Mr/Mrs Maloney do not have stereotypical or specific gender and power roles as they seem change their characters during the text. Mr. Maloney is explained by Mary at the start of the story as a loving husband and turned out to be ungrateful and unloving. And Mrs. Maloney starts off being a shy, warm, quite woman and ends up slaughtering her husband with a leg of lamb. To conclude my essay however, at different times in the text both characters hold more power then the other.

American Dream in Interpretation by David Kamp Essay

American Dream in Interpretation by David Kamp - Essay Example As the paper outlines, David Kamp presents many cultural scenarios and statistical information in his account of the American dream in the early and mid-twentieth century. He demonstrates how the American dream has been achieved in the past, at least on the surface. The living standards have improved; prosperity in life having solidified the widely accepted perceptions of the abundance in the American dream. Kamp additionally notes, on the other hand, that the American Dream has transformed from a national model for an improved, satisfying and joyous life to a debt-burdened truth motivated by excessive spending and the celebrity euphoria. Putting into perspective on a huge dissatisfaction among American and non-American dreamers, Kamp explains that the society’s expectation of the American Dream and what the dream promises are what needs to be altered, and our comprehension of what the fuzzy and loosely used phrase the American Dream is in fact meant to be. In almost all of th e American cultural sequence of events, the Dream has been regular. The American dream euphoria has continuously been generated from the Four Freedoms as described by one of Americas former presidents Franklin D. Roosevelts to modern televised shows such as Americas Next Top Model and Americas Got Talent. All aspects of the American perceived society - social, cultural, economic and political - can be dealt with through the dreams rubric. Even though the phrase was not created until late 1933, its sense, principles, and models have been around for the time when Jefferson declared the unalienable rights of freedom, life and the quest for happiness. Researchers have repeatedly positioned the American Dream origin inside the Puritan enterprise and marked it all the way in American history.