European History (Gender History) Essay Example for Free

European History (Gender History) Essay The history of feminism has developed into a major field in recent years. Scholars from many disciplines and writers in many countries explore the ways in which womens oppression has been represented, discussed, and resisted in the past few centuries. In Burdens of History: British Feminists, Indian Women, and Imperial Culture, Burton characterizes her book as a history of `discourse`. Antoinette Burton has revealed the intensity, the extent, the duration, and the complexity of the concern to understand significant but neglected historical extent of the relationship between feminism and imperialism. Until quite recently, feminist discussion and debate was seen fragmentary. In her work, Burton argues that it is possible to construct a more or less continuous history of British feminism, recognizing imperial feminist ideologies. Antoinette Burton developed an immense interest in the relationship between feminism and imperialism. Burton discusses the endorsement of the racism and imperialist ideals by many white feminists, and the assumption by British feminists of their own particular version of the white mans burden. This interest in the history of feminism and the sense of its expansiveness has come from a number of different fields. The writer explored the ideas, lives, and activities of feminist writers and activists. The novels of Fanny Burney, Mary Hays, Jane Austen and George Eliot, and the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, have thus been encompassed within recent discussions of the history of feminism alongside the novels of Sarah Grand, Olive Schreiner and Virginia Woolf. The feminist underpinnings, or the implications for feminism of a range of political, social, and philanthropic ideas and activities have also been examined and explored. Burton stressed the need to recognize the relationship between changing ideas about the womens role. Burtons book has served not only to expand but also to transform the history of feminism. It made clear both its immense scope and its complexity. On the one hand, it is now clear that feminist ideas and debates have existed and been elaborated more or less constantly over the last two centuries. On the other hand, the question of feminism itself of what it means and what it encompasses has become much more complex. Once feminism meant a concern with gaining equal political and legal rights for women. In Burton’s book, feminism is now seen as at best a small part of what the term covers. In recent literature far more emphasis has been placed on feminist concerns with the sexual oppression of women. They were described as objects of male desire rather than as sexual subjects seeking to articulate and express their own desires. Interrogating the meaning of sexual difference and exploring what it means to be and to live as a woman are major writer’s interests. The book establishes a variety of new challenges for anyone seeking to explore feminist ideas and debates. This is not only because of the changing frameworks. It is also because of changes and new developments which have been brought to the study of history from literary theory and from cultural studies. The shift away from authorial intention towards meaning or readings in discussing literary texts has had a significant impact on thinking about feminism. Antoinette Burton writes about mid-Victorian feminism. She argues that as mid-Victorian feminism was specific in its class base and worked with social and sexual ideals derived from that class, so too it was very specific in its sense of both national and imperial identity. Like Mary Wollstonecraft, many mid-Victorian feminists possessed a powerful sense of themselves, not so much as British, but as English women. This period saw the advent of a new form of imperial feminism. The general sense of the superiority of the West, in terms of the status of its women-which was so central for Mary Wollstonecraft and caused a particular form of feminist orientalism gave way to a specific concern with the status of Indian women. These women were seen as being in particular need and were regarded as the special responsibility of their more enlightened and more fortunate English sisters (29). The close relationship between feminism and philanthropy in the mid-nineteenth century established the framework through which feminism expanded to include imperial projects and ideals. The rate and the importance of imperial expansion in the mid-nineteenth century made the needs of the colonies significant. This occurred almost as soon as the widespread involvement of women in philanthropy came to be accepted. As Antoinette Burton has argued, our magnificent colonies became the natural ground for the practice of British womens philanthropy, offering a whole new range of avenues which provided relief from the constraints on their reform activities at home. Philanthropic work within the colonies also became a source of collective national pride (17). Following on concern about the education of Indian women, British feminists planned a scheme with send trained British lady teachers to India to preside over a number of girls schools. Feminists’ enthusiasm was effective in raising money, and in interesting British women both at home and in India in the reform of girls schooling. After an initial emphasis on sending British women to India, scholarships were provided to train Indian women as teachers as well. The concern about education was followed by one about womens health. There also was concern about the need for the provision of women doctors to Indian women who would not countenance male doctors. Here too, money was raised both in Britain and in India to provide training, initially for British women, but also for Indian women to become doctors. As Antoinette Burton points out, there was throughout all of this some recognition of the abilities and the achievements of specific Indian women. But overall, the schemes directed towards India were seen as ones necessarily begun and mainly carried out by British women on behalf of their less educated and passively suffering Indian sisters. The whole question of British women in India in the nineteenth century has become the subject of increasing discourse. On the one hand, it is clear that the significant numbers of British women who became immensely concerned about the condition of Indian women should to be revised. These women worked, sometimes quite effectively, to keep alive in the public mind their needs and interests. On the other hand, some of these women came to know and appreciate Indian women, and to make themselves mouthpieces for the goals that Indian women set. Other women both in India and in Britain assumed that their own high level of education and development made them the ones best suited to know what Indian women needed. In general, Antoinette Burton argued that the aims and objectives sought by feminists in Britain set the framework for womens emancipation everywhere. British feminists regarded themselves as experts on India after a visit. Their campaigns simply involved the application of British programs to the Indian situation. The British feminists who learned about these missionary struggles could only be strengthened in their own sense of moral and racial superiority. That consciousness, as Antoinette Burton has demonstrated in the context of India, contributed significantly to the domestic culture of imperialism. Unfortunately, feminists who responded by embracing imperialism tended to propagate generalized images of backward and oppressed Oriental womanhood. Burton has emphasized the dangers for British feminism in the assumption that a supposedly superior elite among women could speak for the less privileged and fortunate (210). In particular, the desire to emancipate women could easily become a desire to control them. Ultimately, for Burton, each new venture served more fully as a means for British feminists to show their own fitness for political rights and responsibilities through their preparedness and capacity to take on their own particular imperial burden.

Fallen Angels Essay -- essays research papers

Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, begins with the introduction of an African American 19-year-old boy who lives in Chicago. Recently he's joined the army and been assigned domestic work as he hoped for due to his bad leg and unreliable strength on it. Then, by accident of paperwork, he was eventually sent to Nam and put directly onto the field. He agreed to wait for his injury profile to catch up with him and that then he could return home. His mother at home is quite worried for him and also for the future of her other younger son Kenny. Life is hard and money is scarce with the absence of the family's father. In Nam, the elder son Perry undergoes many experiences that are permanently damaging to his mental physique and deal with the balance of life and death. As any Vietnam Story, me... Fallen Angels Essay -- essays research papers Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, begins with the introduction of an African American 19-year-old boy who lives in Chicago. Recently he's joined the army and been assigned domestic work as he hoped for due to his bad leg and unreliable strength on it. Then, by accident of paperwork, he was eventually sent to Nam and put directly onto the field. He agreed to wait for his injury profile to catch up with him and that then he could return home. His mother at home is quite worried for him and also for the future of her other younger son Kenny. Life is hard and money is scarce with the absence of the family's father. In Nam, the elder son Perry undergoes many experiences that are permanently damaging to his mental physique and deal with the balance of life and death. As any Vietnam Story, me...

Facebook Should Be Banned

Social Network: an online community of people with a common interest who use a Web site or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources(dictionary. com). There are almost 500 million users of social networks and spent over 700 billion minutes a month using them. Is this hindering our social skills? There are many ways that people interact with each other such as e-mail, texting, a social network but the least used interaction is face to face.A negative impact that social networks have on our relationships is that social networks might strengthen our relationship with acquaintances and people we don’t see often; social networks weaken our strong relationships and also bring about physical social isolation. The term â€Å"social network† leads you to believe that you are in fact being social when these sites are used more for a phone book or search engine.Instead of calling your friend and asking what they have planned for the night o r weekend, you can just look at their posts to find out. This contact is very impersonal and allows the least amount of interaction between two parties Social Networks allow you to overestimate the level of intimacy you have with someone. Social networks allow you to think that a person is more committed to a relationship or friendship more than they actually are. You need to be sure you are putting in a balanced time of online and offline relationships.According to a study by John Cacioppo (researcher at the University of Chicago), those who use social networks are more susceptible to the emotional contagion effects. An emotional contagion is the tendency to catch and feel emotions that are similar to and influenced by those of others. In his studies, it was found that loneliness alone was transmitted through social networks. Also, his study showed that 52% of those who have direct social network interactions with a lonely person they too will become lonely.Those who have a â€Å" friend of a friend† connection with said person will be 25% more lonely. You’ve probably also seen that sometimes normal courtesy and politeness—aspects we would utilize in our face-to-face interactions are sometimes missing in the online space, that we would use in face to face interactions. Many of these social networks have a chat feature. Because of this many people don’t pick up on humor, sarcasm, and sympathy. Along with this, if you were in a face to face interaction you have the added facial expressions and body language.Along with this chat feature people don’t have to talk directly so it is easy to hide behind the internet because you won’t have to directly address the problem. Because of social networking many people lose their ability to hold a conversation. Many people who use social networks lose the ability to spell correctly because they use shorthand such as U, tomoro, k and many others. Social Networks are very harmful, but if you balance out your online and offline relationships and don’t let social networks become your ‘hangout’, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Gibson and Branagh in the Movie Versions of Shakespeare’s...

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known and most frequently performed plays. Many people have enjoyed reading and watching hamlet, both on stage and theatrically, Tragedy of Prince Hamlet revolves around the idea of tragedy, incest and revenge. However, Hamlet uses puns to lighten the mood. Franco Zeffirelli’s version of Hamlet was released in 1990, with Mel Gibson playing as hamlet, Glenn Close as Gertrude, Alan Bates as Claudius, and lastly Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia. The setting took place in Scotland, but in the movie was supposed to be filmed in Denmark around the 1300th century with the main theme being a tragedy, and they did a great job at trying to make the castle, and the landscape seem as uninhabited†¦show more content†¦The costume design for this movie was excellent. Their clothes matched the time period and Hamlet seemed to prefer to wear black clothing and this color really fit him because of all the grief he was going through at the time. An example of when hamlet wore black is†¦ well, he always wore black, and it suited him well. Another aspect of the movie that was special is the photography and the place the movie was filmed. It was really nice to see the flash backs because it made it easier for the viewer understand wh at was going on and it also helped the viewer understand what happened, to lead up to that point. Lastly, the landscape that the movie was filmed on was very beautiful. It made the movie more seem more authentic. Overall, I thought the movie was really good, but in my opinion the movie would have been a somewhat better if it was spoken in modern English. If I hadn’t watched the movie, I wouldn’t have known what went on in the play. Not only was the movie able to tell me what was happening, it was able to show me. Since the movie had flashbacks, I was able to understand why things were happening, and the things that went on to lead up to that point. All though Franco Zeffirelli’s version of hamlet was great, Kenneth Branaghs Version of Hamlet seemed more modern, which made it more unique. Despite the fact that most people would think that hamlet would be set in the 1300th century, the actual filmShow MoreRelatedMovie Adaptations of Hamlet1017 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare shows a lot of adaptations to movies. Hamlet by Mel Gibson (1990) and Kenneth Branagh (1996) interpret and portray the play by Shakespeare in different ways. The two film versions of Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh of Act IV of Hamlet have many differences and similarities. Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet is seen covering most of the original text of Shakespeare’s play of Hamlet unlike the Mel Gibson version which omits many scenes and dialogues. The filmRead MoreHamlet: Mel Gibson vs Kenneth Branagh Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare shows a lot of adaptations to movies. Hamlet by Mel Gibson (1990) and Kenneth Branagh (1996) interpret and portray the play by Shakespeare in different ways. The two film versions of Act IV of Hamlet have many differences and similarities. Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet is seen covering most of the original text of Shakespeare’s play of Ha mlet unlike the Mel Gibson version which omits many scenes and dialogues. The film version of Hamlet featuring KennethRead MoreEssay on William Shakespeares Hamlet movie756 Words   |  4 Pages I am not a big fan of the 1990 movie version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. I feel that while it stands alone as a very well made movie and contains great acting performances throughout, I think that it strays too far from the original text and layout of the play. The omissions and transposing makes the play weaker, and while it is a great screenplay, it fails in comparison to Shakespeare’s original work. The three things which bother me the most are the omission of FortinbrasRead MoreHamlet: Zeffirelli vs. Branagh Essay922 Words   |  4 PagesTo play one of Shakespeare’s most complex roles successfully on stage or on screen has been the aspiration of many actors. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been the focus on various accounts through out the 20th Century, each actor attempting to bring something unique and unmarked to the focal character. Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh, both film directors, introduce varying levels of success on the screen through downright differences in ways of translation and original ideas. Zeffirelli’sRead MoreHamlet Movie Comparison1115 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet: A Comparison of Two Movies By Michael Bucknam May 29, 2006 The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two movies made about Hamlet. I will present and discuss different aspects of the version directed by Kenneth Branagh to that of Franco Zefirelli. During this paper you will be presented with my opinions in reference to determining which version of Hamlet best reflects the original text by Shakespeare. I will end this paper with my belief and explanation of whichRead More Shakespeare in Contemporary Movies Essay4875 Words   |  20 Pagesscholar) is that he doesnt know. Actually, the scholar says he doesnt know the historical reason. Something about the way the scene is cut makes me suspect (scholar that I am) that he went on to give a perfectly acceptable reason for Shakespeares Richard to determine on a quick marriage to Anne, or at least speculate on a probable cause (that is, after all, what scholars do). But all that remains in the scene is an admission of incompetence. Thus the scholar-priest is revealed as a fraud