The Role of Women in Literature Essay - 1283 Words

The Role of Women in The Thousand and One Nights, The Ramayana of Valmiki and The Medea Throughout most of the assigned readings in this class, women are portrayed as clever, ruthless, and deceitful individuals that are willing to do whatever it takes in order to get what they desire. With careful calculation and timing they are able to manipulate others into doing things their way and have favor in their eyes. Sometimes they use their craftiness for good and other times for evil, whatever reason they have for such action usually impacting the story and its characters immensely. In The Thousand and One Nights tale, the deceitfulness of women impacts the story from the beginning to the end. Every good and bad thing that occurred in†¦show more content†¦However, instead he discovers how cunning and devious women can truly be. During his trip he met a demon’s wife who had slept with one-hundredth men, including him and his brother, Shahzaman, right in the demon’s presences without him knowing. From that point on the fate of many women changed, because King Shahrayar vowed to never have anything to do with a woman for more than a night. He went on a killing rampage; every woman who slept with him for the night was immediately killed at dawn. Since it was the cunning of women that caused him to start practicing such an abominable lifestyle, it was that same cunningness that unknowingly changed him. Greatly disturbed by the king’s practice, Shahrazad, the king’s vizier’s daughter, devised a plan that she hoped would save her and many other women. For a thousand and one nights, she told the king numerous tales and through those nights he changed gradually. Not for once did he noticed the passing of each night, he was so hooked in the tales that were being told to him that the thought of him being trick did not crossed his mind. At the end instead commanding the death of Shahrazad, he instead thanked and blessed her several times. Yes, great is truly the cunning of women (The Thousand and One Nights, 413). This quote can be related to many other works of literature. One thing is true for sure; as long as a woman character is present in a story one should expect deceitful and craftiness. InShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women In Literature1587 Words   |  7 Pagesfeelings that they have. Majority of the time these feelings are expressed through literature. An example is the archetypes that can be found throughout literature. In the British Middle Ages, the people were grouped into different social classes using the feudal system. Society was mainly broken into two separate groups, the nobles, and the peasants. However, there was also a subset group, which maintained the women. Women were the lowest of the low because they were considered to be evil because ofRead MoreWomen s Role For Literature887 Words   |  4 PagesWomen’s role in Literature The role of women in the society is always questioned and for centuries, they have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. The treatment of women was extremely negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfill domestic duties. Literature of that time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society (Lecture on the Puritans). But, slowly and gradually, situation being changed: â€Å"During the first half of the 19th century, womenRead MoreThe Role of Women in Medieval Literature1344 Words   |  5 Pagesfaith when interpreting medieval English literature like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales (Morgan 265). Heng concurs that there are textual assumptions that we now recognize, with the unfair judgment of hindsight, as implicated in a fantasy of textual closure and command, (500). The privilege of hindsight, does, however, offer the opportunity to explore the connections between historical social codes and those e mbedded in the literature of the corresponding epoch. The seekingRead More Roles of Women in Literature Essay518 Words   |  3 Pages The Realm of Women in Literature nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"So it is naturally with the male and the female; the one is superior, the other inferior; the one governs, the other is governed; and the same rule must necessarily hold good with respect to all mankind.† This quote, spoken by the famous Aristotle, proves to be timeless. The words express knowledge concerning gender that proves to be centuries ahead of its time. Aristotle however, may not have even realized the amount of truth expressedRead MoreRole of Women in Literature Essay2336 Words   |  10 PagesThe Representation of Women in Literature br brThe role of women in society is constantly questioned and for centuries women have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. Literature provides a window into the lives, thoughts and actions of women during certain periods of time in a fictitious form, yet often truthful in many ways. Ernest Hemmingways Hills like White Elephants, D.H. Lawrences The Horse Dealers D aughter and William Faulkners A Rose forRead MoreGender Roles Of Women s Literature1661 Words   |  7 Pageswhich gender roles are portrayed in children’s literature significantly contributes to the development of our youth’s understanding of their own gender’s role and how they are perceived by society. It is important for children to understand gender roles because gender roles are an essential cog in the perpetual machine that develops our society, but these cogs have been replaced with newer, more up-to-date cogs over recent years, so to speak. As society has changed, so has the typical role that eachRead MoreRole Of Women During Greek Literature1526 Words   |  7 PagesThe role of women in Greek literature has demoralized them and showing them in a maligned light. The women are portrayed as frail, cruel, insensitive, or as seductresses. These characteristics have been integrated into today’s society and [have] built the standards and defined the moral outlook of women. However, in Greek mythology, powerful and strong women are not as well celebrated, such as Athena. Homer’s The Odyssey construes the positive and negative role of women through the epic poem. TheRead MoreWomen s Literature : Oppression And The Role Of A Woman971 Words   |  4 PagesEvan Rhodes Survey of World Literature December 1, 2014 Hartmann Women in Literature: Oppression and the Role of a Woman In early literature, men dominated the writers’ circuit. As literature began, it was used as an easily digestible way to promote social norms and moral code. In these texts, the role of women changes vastly depending on the culture, although there is a common theme: women exist to belong to a man. Women were not only oppressed in life, but their struggle is weaved into all ofRead MoreRole Of Women And Motherhood Through Modern Literature883 Words   |  4 PagesThe Role of Women and Motherhood through Modern Literature Gertrude Stein’s story The Gentle Lena in Three Lives reaffirms the expectations of women set out by society, yet the main character Lena challenges the role of women in the workforce, marriage, and motherhood. Lena’s gentle, sweet, patient and servant-like behavior affirms the way society saw women. Women had no voice as to what to expect from their lives and for many their greatest aspiration was to be a mother. Lena’s life just likeRead MoreThe Evolution of the Role of Women in British and American Literature1808 Words   |  8 Pagesdegrading† (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the â€Å"housewife† or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a s pot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories