Women s Literature Oppression And The Role Of A Woman

Evan 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 of these texts, where in hindsight we can read them and see how belittled women were. These stories, written by men, all seem to have the same theme that a woman’s only value lays in her loyalty to her husband. Women in these times did not have a chance to speak out or think for themselves because they were not allowed. I looked specifically at three women from three stories, across culturally different times and societies. I chose Sita, from the Ramayana, Penelope, from Homer’s Odyssey, and the Wife of Bath from the Canterbury Tales. Look ing at the qualities of these different women, they are essential pieces to the success of the â€Å"hero†, a sidekick, almost. It was interesting to me, that across these different cultures, I found a lot of similarities between them. In the Ramayana, we see the hero, Rama, and his wife, Sita. Sita is described as the â€Å"ideal woman†. Rama is banished into the wilderness, and like a good wife, Sita goes with him, no matter how he objects. The Ramayana isShow MoreRelatedWomen s Liberty Through Literature1105 Words   |  5 PagesThrough Literature Kendall N. Player English 4 AP Literature Mrs. Johnson  The role of women in society has been well documented through world literature. Works such as The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Hamlet by William Shakespeare,The Education of Women by Daniel Defoe, and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. 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