A Woman s Worth By Kate Chopin Essay - 2241 Words

A Woman’s Worth During the 19th century, female writers were acclaimed for a strong and diverse stance on feminism and self-identity. Kate Chopin wrote â€Å"The Awakening† as a fictional feminist novel that was unusual because writing about sexual topics during that time period was not typical. Chopin as the author used Edna Pontellier to represent women who had childhood dreams and adult realities. The author was non-judgmental and unbiased about the sexual desires women portrayed. She wanted women to understand that they can be negatively influenced by their environment. Cynthia Griffin Wolff states, â€Å"This strange world, with its languorous climate and frankly sensuous habits, is a world where ‘normal,’ ‘respectable’ women openly vault pleasures that are unfamiliar to her† (53). The attitudes towards sexuality in â€Å"The Awakening† had gender roles that were very oppressive of women, which forced Edna to live in a dreami ng state until awakened; once awaken she wanted self-fulfillment through her identity, gender roles and woman relationships. Edna is a woman who begins to process her self-worth by gaining control of her life. She does not want to live the Victorian lifestyle like other women. A married woman in the 19th century was expected to attend to the children, the husband and the household. Kate Chopin states, â€Å"If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it?† (565). However, she wants to be an individual woman who can live her life freeShow MoreRelatedLeo Haines. Professor Capozzi. Research Paper. April 29,1518 Words   |  7 PagesLeo Haines Professor Capozzi Research Paper April 29, 2017 Kate Chopin Kate Chopin was a famous author of short stories and articles. Kate was born on February 8, 1850, in St. Louis Missouri, and she grew up speaking English and French. After her husband has passed in 1882, and that is when her writing career launched. In most of her novels and stories her characters are bilingual, also known as fluent in two languages. Kate Chopin using the theme of feminism in her stories, â€Å"The Awakening†, â€Å"TheRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Kate Chopin s The Story Of An Hour 1274 Words   |  6 Pages especially in the late 1800’s. Women were believed to live a certain way, fulfill certain roles and duties in the household, and to be extremely fragile and weak. This type of culture still exists today but not to the extreme that it once was. Kate Chopin, however, not afraid speak out against the implications of society breaks free of the social norms of the 1800’s through her strong female characters. Specifically, in her short story, The Story of an Hour, Chopin captures quite the roller coasterRead MoreKate Chopin and How the Feminist Movement Inspired Her Writings1666 Words   |  7 PagesKate Chopin and How the Feminist Movement Inspired Her Writings Kate Chopin was an American author who wrote novels as well as short stories. Her work was extraordinary and some of her greatest work was based on the feminist movement. Kate Chopin became known throughout the world as one of the most influential writers during the feminist movement. She has attracted great attention from scholars along with students, and her work has been translated into many different languages. Kate Chopin wasRead MoreEssay on The Significance of Art in Chopins The Awakening873 Words   |  4 Pagesawakens to art. Originally, Edna â€Å"dabbled† with sketching â€Å"in an unprofessional way† (Chopin 543). She could only imitate, although poorly (Dyer 89). She attempts to sketch Adà ¨le Ratignolle, but the picture â€Å"bore no resemblance† to its subject. After her awakening experience in Grand Isle, Edna begins to view her art as an occupation (Dyer 85). She tells Mademoiselle Reisz that she is â€Å"becoming an artist† (Chopin 584). Women traditionally viewed art as a hobby, but to Edna, it was much more importantRead MoreKate Chopin s The Storm1623 Words   |  7 Pages Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Storm† Kate Chopin’s short story â€Å"The Storm† was written almost at the same time as â€Å"The Awakening,† but the author has not dared to publish it. The story encompasses deep social problems important for the nineteenth century, including women’s rights and women’s sexuality. The plot of â€Å"The Storm† is sequel to â€Å"At the ‘Cadian ball,† published almost six years earlier, although the characters have obtained different features and behavioral patterns. Kate Chopin was born in 1851Read More Societys Restrictive Roles for Women Exposed in The Awakening1204 Words   |  5 Pages In the late 1800s, as well as the early 1900s, women felt discriminated against by men and by society in general. Men generally held discriminatory and stereotypical views of women. Women had no control over themselves and were perceived to be nothing more than property to men. They were expected to live up to a perfect image that society had created, while trying to comply with their husbands desires. While many women felt dissatisfied with their lives, they would not come out and say itRead MoreFeminism In The Awakening1562 Words   |  7 Pagesshould have been treated from the beginning. However, this is far from the truth. Books like The Awakening, give us an inside look at how women were treated around 100 years ago. When Kate Chopin wrote The Awakening, she created a blueprint for how we see modern feminism. Without being obvious, Chopin showed how one woman started to liberate herself from an oppressive society. During the 1800s when the book was published, the role of men and women were very separate. Men controlled the public aspectRead MoreThe Importance Of A Women And The Hierarchy Of A Male1639 Words   |  7 Pagesaudience is Kate Chopin. She has publish many short stories such as â€Å"Story of an Hour†,† A Pair of Silt Stockings†, â€Å"A Respectable Women†, â€Å"Desiree s Baby† and â€Å"The Storm† . These stories causes people to question whether their assumptions of a novel is correct. Two major theme that Chopin promotes throughout most of her work, is the importance of a women and the hierarchy of a male. These stories all have different story lines but share a common ground which is the admiration of a women s role inRead More Calixta As the Ideal Woman of the 1800s in At The Cadian Ball by Kate Chopin756 Words   |  4 PagesCalixta As the Ideal Woman of the 1800s in At The Cadian Ball by Kate Chopin â€Å"Calixta would be there†¦ That little Spanish vixen.† No matter what the age, there are certain types of women who seem to capture the attention of every man in the room. In the story At the ‘Cadian Ball by Kate Chopin, the protagonist Calixta is precisely that kind of a girl. She is an atypical female of her time. The ideal woman of the late 1800’s was demure, prim and restrained. She was the paragon of prudery, modestyRead MoreWomens Role in Marriage1327 Words   |  6 Pagesthe woman in the family was to a take care of the needs within the home, which included providing care for the children, doing chores, and making goods. During these times women were required to be subservient to their husbands and had little say in the matters outside of the home or outside her â€Å"place.† During the 1800s women were essentially the possession of their spouse, they were not allowed to keeps their earnings, inheritance, nor their freedom. Once married, of ten very young, the woman became

The Importance Of Twain s Literary Career - 1071 Words

The many points that Twain made throughout his life surrounded the flaws found in the 19th century society. Early in Twain’s childhood, he witnessed the foul nature of slavery. When Twain was ten years old, he watched as a white man crushed a slave with a chunk of iron ore. The man’s reason for killing the slave was simply because the slave was working in an awkward manner. To Twain’s astonishment, the only sympathy from the incident was directed toward the slave’s owner who was never reimbursed (Ward and Duncan 12). Being the young boy that Twain was, he could not comprehend how such an occurrence could be acceptable in society. Shocking cases such as this compelled Twain to expose the crude sides of society. The significance of Twain’s literary career is not only what caused him to write, but the effects as well. Though he contributed to a multitude of changes, the most important were those of literature and culture. The revolutionary style of his writing brought about new views and writing styles that had a huge impact on society. Some have compared Twain to Abraham Lincoln, stating that, â€Å"Just as Abraham Lincoln helped forge our identity as a truly united United States, Mark Twain gave a young nation a voice to sing of itself† (Lederer par. 3). As of today, his work continues to inspire people throughout the world. According to Venturio Media’s website on Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn sells an average of 200,000 copies a year. Initially, Mark Twain’s workShow MoreRelatedMark Twain : A Man Beyond Color1541 Words   |  7 PagesMark Twain: A Man Beyond Color For skilled labor workers in the mid-1800’s, jobs were plentiful; however, most required an apprenticeship to hone their skills to perfection as a way to secure a job (Armstrong, 2015). Specifically, Samuel Clemens’ mother decided, upon the death of her husband in 1847, Samuel was to begin an apprenticeship with Joseph Ament, owner of the Missouri Courier (Dempsey, 2003). Just before the death of Clemens’ father, because of financial distress, his mother took a jobRead More Journalism and the American Renaissance Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pagescreative writing in America known as the American Renaissance.    The ranks of Americaà ¢s greatest imaginative writers overflow with men and women whose careers began in journalism (Fishkin 3). The birth of the penny press created hundreds of new newspapers along with jobs that authors like Walt Whitman, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain were eager to fill. The affect that journalism, with its respect for fact, had on the early authors of America was profound (Fishkin 4, 6). It fostered a styleRead MoreComparing Rosemarie Seus And John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men2004 Words   |  9 Pagesat his home due to heart disease. Modernism Literary Movement The Modernist period in English literature occupied the early 1900s through the 1960s. This was a time when Modernist literature was characterized chiefly by a rejection of 19th century traditions (also known as the Victorian era). Modernists wanted to separate themselves from the history of art and literature, often trying new forms of writing to create something new. Some examples of literary modernist writers include James Joyce, RobertRead MoreEarnest Hemingway : The Impotence Of Being Earnest1705 Words   |  7 Pagesnot stop with just one or two submissions, by for the rest of high school he continued to contribute and edit The Tapeze along with the schools yearbook. He also went by the pen name Ring Lardner Jr. Following in the footsteps of many such as Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Sinclair Lewis, and many others he was a journalist first that changed over to novelists. Once he left high school, he got a job at The Kansas City Star as a cub reporter. 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They educated their children .later their daughter got married to a boy of good family. By the time my father also got a got a job. Today she is 68 years old, she still works. She helps my mother in household work. 2. Write MarthaRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 PagesRenaissance Humor: Erasmus, Rabelais, Cervantes, Shakespeare 5 Two European Russians: Anton Chekhov and Vladimir Soloviev 9 Reflections on Humor from Nietzsche to the Theatre of the Absurd 12 Humor and Wisdom in the United States: Lincoln, Beecher, Twain, Sandburg, and Buchwald 17 From The Times (of London) obituary on him (January 19, 2007) that mentioned his â€Å"wit and wisdom† in its title, available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1294342.ece. 24 Humor, Wisdom, andRead MoreA Jew Of Gentiles By Mark Twain4267 Words   |  18 PagesA Jew of Gentiles In his essay â€Å"Concerning The Jews,† Mark Twain marvels over the historic ascendency of Jews in attempt to counter the burgeoning anti-semitism of his time: The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. 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Life of Pi Existentialist Examination Free Essays

Is Life of Pi Existentialist? There are two views of existentialism, that of the more popular atheistic view, and that of the theistic view (Sartre Lecture). In the book Life of Pi, by Yann Martel the main theme of the book is religion, with the main character being of multiple religions: Hinduism, Christian Catholicism, and Islam. (Martel). We will write a custom essay sample on Life of Pi Existentialist Examination or any similar topic only for you Order Now Life of Pi is both Existentialist and non-existentialist, in both the atheistic and theistic views because of specific religious beliefs, abandonment of religion, despair, and the ultimate use of human instinct for survival. I would first like to begin by giving brief explanations of both sides of existentialism, because both do apply to this book, even though the main theme is religion. The main idea of existentialism is that of â€Å"existence before essence† (Sartre Lecture). By this, they mean that we define ourselves as what we are by our own actions and free will. We exist before our essence, or our determined character, because we determine it for ourselves by our own doings. â€Å"In the book Life of Pi, by Yann Martel the main theme of the book is religion. The theistic view of existentialism can basically be summed up by this quote: â€Å"When we think of God as the creator, we are thinking of him, most of the time, as a supernal artisan† (Sartre Lecture). By this, they mean that theists view god as the all powerful creator. He created man with a specific idea in mind, and he knew what we would do and create. â€Å"God creates he knows precisely what he is creating† (Sartre, Lecture. ) He knows the past, present, and future, and will not allow us to be defined by our human nature. Human nature was simply a side effect, to allow us to understand possibly why and how we are, but we can’t let it define ourselves as humans. Our intellect and creations define us as who we are, not our natural instinct. Therefore, we cannot blame something on instinct and human nature, because god did not create us to do that. He created us to innovate. And as intellectuals, it is our job to realize what we are here for, and to fulfill god and ourselves as human and not to let petty biological needs hinder our knowledge. It is our job to differentiate ourselves from one another, because we all have the same human nature and basic needs, and if we did not use our minds to create an image for ourselves, we would all be the same. On the other hand, the atheistic view, â€Å"Atheistic existentialism, declares with greater consistency that if God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes before its essence, a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it. That being is man or the human reality† (Sartre Lecture). This is saying that there is no human nature, because there was no god to conceive humans, or the idea of human nature. Man just simply is, and there is no meaning to life or existence unless they give meaning to it. They decide who they are and who they want to be, or if they are anything at all, and there is no god to have decided what humans will be because he does not exist himself. â€Å"Man will only attain existence when he is what he purposes to be. Not, however, what he may wish to be† (Sartre Lecture). Man does not have existence unless he creates it for himself, therefore counteraction the theistic view, and saying that essence is before existence. Your essence allows you to exist. Within Life of Pi, there are many things that point to it being possibly theistically existentialist. For example, one of the three religions he believes in is Hinduism, which the aspect of reincarnation and karma are greatly important in. Reincarnation is the belief that your soul is passed down through many physical forms, and karma determines what physical form your soul will take on in the next life. This follows with existentialism because it is the thought that you are not tied down by your physical attributes, but you are defined by what you do in life and what image you create for yourself, and gods ultimately decide what physical form you will take on. Therefore, you cannot be defined by what physical form you have or human instinctual needs. It is your job to see beyond that. Another thing that Pi does that coincides with theistic existentialism is that of when he is abandoned on the boat, he still continues to pray five times a day (Martel). Yes, other actions that he committed on the boat proved otherwise to be non-existential, but he remained hopeful by praying on the boat for quite a while, feeling that he was not yet abandoned by god and did not completely succumb to his human needs and solely focusing on survival. Moving on to ways that the book is non-existentialist, I believe that the book was far more non-existentialist from the theistic view. One of the ways was how Pi was the denomination of Catholicism (Martel), which is a denomination of Christianity that does not believe in free will. They believe that free will is a denial of grace, or the denial that God created humans in the image of himself, which is pretty much the exact opposite of existentialism itself. Existentialists believe that god gave man the power of free will because he knows what they will do with their free will, and there is no denial of the image of god. Another way that Life of Pi is not existentialist is when he is on the boat, and commits acts of human instinctual survival. He goes against his beliefs to survive. An example of that is when he goes against his vegetarianism and love of animals to drink the turtles blood (Martel). This is abandoning your beliefs and self image to survive, and just giving into human instinct, which brings me to another topic of atheistic existentialism: anguish, abandonment, and despair (Sartre Lecture). â€Å"Anguish† is basically describing that, when a man decides for himself, he is not only deciding something for himself, but that of all mankind because he is representing them all as a whole because all of our decisions define us (Sartre Lecture). Abandonment† is saying that we cannot depend on god to give us moral guidance. We have to have our own moral, and not look to god and holy books to decide what we do in life (Sartre Lecture). â€Å"Despair† basically means that there should be no despair, because there is no limit as to what we can do. If there is no god, there is no all-powerful being, and then there is no one to decide our lim its for us. Therefore, we cannot be in despair, for the possibilities are endless (Sartre Lecture). They all seem to counteract the belief in god, so in the atheistic sense, Life of Pi isn’t existentialist at all. He became a bit absorbed with himself, and not mankind while he was on the boat. He did not care about the animal he killed, and went with human instinct, thus only caring about himself. He depended on his multiple gods for guidance, and also expected them to help him while keeping up with prayer five times a day (Martel). In conclusion, I believe that Life of Pi is non-existentialist as a whole. Too many things point to it being non-existentialist in the theist sense, and pretty much all things point to it being non-existentialist in the atheist view. Reincarnation and Karma seem to coincide with that of existentialism, as well of his perseverance with faith. But that same perseverance counteracts that of the atheistic view, with anguish, abandonment, and despair. He also showed true human instinct by going against his instincts to survive. I believe that the non-existentialist aspects definitely outweigh the existentialist ones. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. , 2001. Print. Sartre, Jean Paul. Philip Mairet, trans. â€Å"Existentialism is a Humanism. † Lecture given in 1946. Web. 11 December 2012. How to cite Life of Pi Existentialist Examination, Essays