The Situation of Women in Pride and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

The Situation of Women in Pride and Prejudice Essay The novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† by Jane Austen was set at the turn of the nineteen century, where women had little choice. Generally when reading this novel it may seem as if Austen is reinforcing or eroding sexist stereotypes of women. Rather than approving the stereotypes, she makes the reader aware of them through characters such as Mrs. Bennett whom portrays the typical way one thought of marriage during the turn of the nineteen century when women were looked as an object to marry of to a man rather than a human whose feelings mattered. Austen also uses Elizabeth Bennett to show a non stereotypical woman of that time. Elizabeth is more focused on finding someone she loves rather than marrying anyone to simply satisfy her mother. Although the novel may portray stereotypes of sexism, Austen uses Elizabeth to show how marriage is just and obsession and that women should have a say in who they spend the rest of their lives with rather than being seen as adjuncts to the male. During the turn of the nineteen century women had very few rights and choices. Women were constantly dependent on men, as daughters they where dependent on their fathers until they married. For this reason women were encouraged to marry base on status and fortune so that they would be taken care of. Austen uses Mrs. Bennett to make the reader aware of the stereotypical thinking of a mother during this time. When Mrs. Bennett hears of Mr. Darcy she is interested because he is â€Å"a single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year.† (3) She is not concerned about how her daughters may get along with this gentleman, or even if he has moral. The fact that he has impressive social status is enough for her allow him to marry on of her daughters. It is almost as if her daughter is an object and she wants to find a buyer and get rid of her as soon as possible. Another example of this is when Mr. Collins comes to visit the Bennett family and decides to propose to Elizabeth who is repulsed by the idea and refuses. Mrs. Bennett tries to force Elizabeth to marry Mr. Collins solely on the fact that he will inherit their estate. Mrs. Bennett is willing to marry her daughter to any man, in her mind â€Å"marrying nearly any husband is more pleasant that remaining single and poor.† (237) Elizabeth on the other hand does not agree with mothers thinking, she believes that marriage should be based on love rather than social status and fortune. She proves this by â€Å"[refusing] to give up her self respect by marrying the foolish Mr. Collins.† (238) When Elizabeth does this Mr. Collins is very surprised, he almost does not accept no for an answer. He assumes that since he has chosen Elizabeth to be his bride that she must simply agree. Austen uses Elizabeth to show how marriage is just and obsession, marrying someone of good fortune does not necessarily mean you will end up happy. She goes against the stereotype that her mother portrays in the story and shows that women should have a say in who they marry. She doesn’t do what is expected of her , she makes up her own mind and does what she believes is right. Although it is very† common for a women to marry a husband to save her from spinsterhood or to gain financial security,† Elizabeth realizes that her happiness is more important than financial stability. Works Cited Kubitsckek, Missy D. â€Å"Truth Universally Acknowledged: Stereotypes of Women in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.† Women in Literature. Ed. Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen S. Silber. New York: Norton Company, Inc., 2006. 237-239. Print. Gilman, Charlotte P. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Peter Simon. New York: Norton Company, Inc., 2003. 597-608. Print.

Reunification in Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey Essays

Reunification in Homer's Odyssey In Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, the main theme is the reunification of the family, as Odysseus struggles to return home and rejoin his wife and son. Throughout the Odyssey, we are shown examples of families: good ones that prosper and bad ones that do not. As Telemakhos struggles to become a man and Odysseus struggles homeward, the concept of healthy family life is stressed. At the end, when all conflicts are resolved and Odysseus is reunited with wife and son, the lesson that a united family can overcome any obstacles is shown and is one that today's families should heed. As the Odyssey begins, we see a family in disarray. Odysseus' whereabouts are unknown. Penelope has spent four years keeping the suitors at bay and spent 20 years crying for Odysseus. And Telemakhos has grown up confused and unsure of himself, without a real father figure. Simultaneously, as a result, we see a kingdom also in disarray. Ithaca has no king, hence no "father" figure. And the sons of the kingdom, hence the suitors, have no guidance and act in an egregious manner. They eat and drink all day, slowly depleting Odysseus' cattle and wine stock. They gamble and constantly harass Penelope and Telemakhos. As Telemakhos, who is ignorant of how real family life should be, travels in search of his father, he learns about family life. In Pylos, he meets Nestor, who asks his son, Peisistratus, to accompany him. This is important because it is the first time Telemakhos has a real friend. In Sparta, he meets King Menelaos and Helen, who are in the midst of the celebration of a double wedding. Here he is shown what a real family should be. Menelaos and Helen have had their troubles. But since they were reunited after the Trojan War, their lives together have been happy and their relationship is loving, honest, and healthy. By the same token, their kingdom thrives, because of this healthy family relationship. Menelaos' brother, Agamemnon, does not have a healthy family relationship. His family is held up to everyone as what a family should not be. It is ironic that the marriages of two brothers, Agamemnon and Menelaos, to two sisters, Helen and Clytemnestra, should be such exact opposite in their outcome. During his absence during the Trojan War, Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, took a lover, Aigisthos. Upon Agamemnon's return, Clytemnestra kills him and his slave-mistress, Cassandra.

Media pays too much attention on famous people Essay

Television, newspapers and other media tackle many issues such as various national and international news, namely sports, business issues and other events, as well as keep people updated with news about famous people. However in my view, nowadays the media spends an inordinate amount of time reporting on famous people. With the remarkable development of media, the personal life of a famous person is no longer ‘personal’. Every day, there are plenty of news reporters and journalists waiting outside the homes of famous people. They take pictures of the things they do, and the people they meet. Anything that seems strange or unusual and often the most ordinary things too, would make the next day’s front page and headlines followed by all kinds of wild stories. Sometimes it is absurd and annoying, and has greatly disturbed the normal life of those people. Personally, I cannot agree more with media paying too much attention to them. Some people say that it is actually ‘fun’ to read about the reports on famous people. Mostly none of them are true, so why do people even bother reading them? Honestly, I must say that people are forgetting that every single human being in this world is just a person with feelings and do not deserve to be driven into insanity and drug abuse- for instance, like young celebrities are. No matter where we stand because of our achievements, our luck or destiny, the truth is that we are all equals, competing each other in the great human race. A typical example of this issue is the untimely death of the beautiful princess known by all, Princess Diana. It was due to an accident while trying to run away from the paparazzi following her and her boyfriend. This is proof that the excessive attention media pays on such personalities can even be fatal. It not only disturbs them, but can harm them in ways we cannot expect. After weighing up the pros and cons of this issue, I strongly believe that television and newspapers spend too much time reporting on famous people. Media should stop this obsession, and focus on informing people more about important world events instead. Even celebrities and famous people are humans just like us; they too have a right to live their personal lives in happiness and peace.

Impact Of Slavery - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1075 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/05/17 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Slavery Essay Did you like this example? Many depict slavery as a regional institution of cruelty in the South, however, it is also certain that it is the minds behind the broader American economic prosperity in the north. The slave economy in the south had gradually expanding influences all through the whole U.S. economy, mostly due to a lot of merchants in Boston, New York City, and anywhere else arranging the exchange of slave-developed agrarian items and getting very wealthy. Cotton was offering a purpose behind business merchants and creators in the north to manufacture factories in such places as Lowell, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, etc., creating a connection between New Englands Industrial Revolution to the advancing Deep South. During the years of slavery in the American Republic, cotton impacted the economic development of not just the South, but the North too. Although the United States of America had acquired much of Europes innovations at the time of the Industrial Revolution, an exceptional amount of American innovations and technologies came about at the beginning of the early nineteenth century that would greatly impact the north. These inventions impacted manufacturing, communication, and especially agriculture in the south (Lecture, 10-22-18). Modern technologies and innovations offered ascend to the Cotton Kingdom. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Impact Of Slavery" essay for you Create order The Cotton Kingdom demanded constant growth, and slavery would likely have spread if not for the Civil War (Lecture, 11-9-18). Cotton fiber is famously and historically known to be difficult to separate from the seed by hand. Eli Whitneys cotton gin separated the fiber from the seed quickly and efficiently; and in the 1790s, led to the expansion of cotton plantations in the following years (Lecture, 10-24-18). With the cotton gin and with steam engines moving production, the manufacturing of cotton cloth suddenly became affordable as the 18th century turned into the 19th century (Lecture, 10-24-18). The cotton gin enabled more material to be generated. Whitney couldnt have anticipated the way by which his development would change society for the even worse. The most important, the development of slavery. While the thought is to demonstrate that the cotton gin lessened the work of removing seeds, it didnt diminish the requirement for the slaves to grow and pick the cotton, but did ind eed impact the north for the better. Cotton developing turned out to be so beneficial for the plantation owners that it significantly expanded their interest for both land and slave work (Lecture, 10-24-18). Demand was powered by different innovations of the Industrial Revolution, for example, the machines to turn and weave it, and the steamboats to transport it (Lecture, 10-22-18). Midcentury America was growing seventy-five percent of the worlds supply of cotton, its majority dispatched to England or New England where it was produced into fabric (Lecture, 10-22-18). And, it was all due to the invention of quality steam engines which had the impact of an enormous increase of cotton production (Lecture, 10-22-18). Steam engines, in theory, were the back bones of the industrial revolution. Before steam engines were invented, manufactories were limited. However, with the modern innovation of the steam engine, mills, and manufactories could be located in so many more locations. As cotton was becoming a tremendous cash crop , slavery was given a new role. If the cotton gin, steam engines, and other technologies were not created, slavery may have been able to slowly go away. With a new huge demand for cotton at this time, much more land and labor was needed, meaning that this new face of slavery was to spread across even more southern states, and especially impact the north. Slaves were often owned by affluent families who benefited from a thriving economy. One of these families was the Goodwin family; specifically Ichabod Goodwin, a successful merchant. Goodwin soon became a merchant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and becoming master and part owner of several ships, and eventually the owner of banks, railroads, and textile factories. Cotton production and cargo was the main power behind these technologies, specifically Goodwins ships and textiles factories. Cotton cargo being sent to the north gave these ship captains and textile manufactures in the north immense wealth. With all this wealth in merchants hands, slaves were clearly not given reciprocation for their work nearly as much as the merchants and northern businessmen. An important part of Goodwins history is documented in the University of New Hampshires Special Collections as a letter sent to a ship captain from Goodwin himself, gives great insight to how cotton production fueled not only his wealth, but the northern economy (Goodwin and Coues, Letter to William Parsons.) In 1838 from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Ichabod Goodwin sent a letter to William Parsons, a ship captain. At this time, Goodwin was a business merchant and sailor himself, asking Parsons about the best price he can get for a shipment of cotton cargo and whether it would be better to shi p it to a Portsmouth mill or to Liverpool (Goodwin and Coues, Letter to William Parsons.) This primary source is a great document to exemplify how cotton from the south effected the economy in the north through profits off of cotton cargo shipments being sent from the south to the north. Indeed, New England manufactories were taking in large amounts of southern cotton as the mills advanced the U.S. as the second greatest textile producer in the entire nation. During the years of slavery in the American Republic, cotton impacted the economic development of not just the South, but the North too. Amid the 1850s, the U.S. economy developed quickly, driven by offers of open land, cotton creation, and manufactories of textiles. In 1860 the south produced more than a couple billion pounds of cotton (Lecture, 10-22-18). Additionally, cotton trades represented sixty percent of the nations fares, the majority of which were dealt with by New York City, the newer outlet for the United States. The South provided eighty percent of the cotton for materials produced in Britain and the majority of the cotton for materials made in New Englands factories. The economy of America at the time was in-between a transition headed to the Civil War. The economy was first almost purely agrarian, which would then transition into an industrial revolution, making America a great leader for industrial power. The North was now well on its way to making huge impacts from slavery and production of materials from the south. Slavery was indeed the driver behind American economic prosperity in the north.