If this week's article were to be written now I think that it would probably address this idea of a lofty romance. Not that I do not believe in romance or anything, I would say that I am a pretty optimistic person. However, today I think that many women today read these romance novels and when they finish are usually overwhelmed with a sorrow of a longing for something that they do not have. I am not saying all women experience this, yet we do see this quite frequently in our culture today.
Something funny that acutally occurred recently reminds me of this. I went to see the movie Nights in Rodanthe with one of my roomates a while ago. We did not really find it to be a heart-warming, romantic movie, however, a lot of women in the audience I think did. When we were leaving my roomate said to me, "see all these women are probably wishing that their husband could be like that, and they're depressed because he's not. " And we just laughed as we left. Are we a little cynical? Yes, maybe. But still that thought just reminded me of the way romance is depicted today.
When referring back to our reading and the cause of female depravity, I do not think that it is the novels themselves that might lead a woman to cheat on her husband, or want something more, a better relationship, more romance. I think that we are a society that has to associate blame to something if we see something not going the way we want to, that is not always the case. It is just the human condition to have passion and long for romance. In these articles that we have read, I think that many men are scared that women can think for themselves and have a mind of their own.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Retrospective Readings
I think that even though some of these texts that we read for the week were a little different, they were still a little similar to the ones we had been reading. A woman loses her virtue, something happens to where she is unhappy and heart-broken most of the time.
In reflection on the last couple of weeks and the different readings that we have done, I think the ones that I can recall the most are the ones where we talked about rake. Every time that I read these articles though, I always link them to something from our modern day life. It just helps me to understand it more.
However, I did find it interesting in the reading from this week in The Gossip No.LIV and how it actually correlates to a modern day story of Jamie Lynn Spears and teenage pregnancy in our society. I did find this article to be rather interesting.
One thing that really did strike my attention was how in the article The Gossip XXV the question is finally directly asked, “And why is not Chastity as necessary a virtue in man, as in woman?”
We still see this stigma today, for the most part. Woman are always held in a more harsh light when they do something not deemed acceptable because most of the time they have to deal with the consequences where the man gets to choose. Teenage pregnancy would be an example because the man is usually seen to be respected and heroic if he decides to stay by the woman’s side.
In reflection on the last couple of weeks and the different readings that we have done, I think the ones that I can recall the most are the ones where we talked about rake. Every time that I read these articles though, I always link them to something from our modern day life. It just helps me to understand it more.
However, I did find it interesting in the reading from this week in The Gossip No.LIV and how it actually correlates to a modern day story of Jamie Lynn Spears and teenage pregnancy in our society. I did find this article to be rather interesting.
One thing that really did strike my attention was how in the article The Gossip XXV the question is finally directly asked, “And why is not Chastity as necessary a virtue in man, as in woman?”
We still see this stigma today, for the most part. Woman are always held in a more harsh light when they do something not deemed acceptable because most of the time they have to deal with the consequences where the man gets to choose. Teenage pregnancy would be an example because the man is usually seen to be respected and heroic if he decides to stay by the woman’s side.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Love?
Love. Did it even have to do with anything? From the texts we have been reading, we can see the way they have changed. They seem more directed towards women and these stories about how women end up heat broken and betrayed my these deceiving men. Yet, somehow, this is what is popular during this time.
Even though most marriages were arranged at this point, clearly, love is not a factor. Stability and reproduction is the focus. But what if it were not arranged? My question is, as we can see from these texts and that we see a lot in films today, is it really love or lust? What defines love? In movies we see people meet and have one night fling and suddenly they are head-over-heels in love and they do not even know each other’s last name.
Bringing me back to these texts that we have observed, maybe they were a form of escapism. Ironic, but maybe women would rather read about this as more of instruction as to what not let happen in their lives. All these women that we read about usually end up heart-broken and sad and usually die from a broken soul. I don’t know. I never think that marriages should be arranged though, especially not now. However, you still see women and men getting married more out of convenience and financial stability rather than letting love be the foundation of it all. We look at couples still today, especially celebrities and hear about them getting married and divorced like it is no big deal. Was love ever a factor? Who knows, maybe will always be asking that question.
Even though most marriages were arranged at this point, clearly, love is not a factor. Stability and reproduction is the focus. But what if it were not arranged? My question is, as we can see from these texts and that we see a lot in films today, is it really love or lust? What defines love? In movies we see people meet and have one night fling and suddenly they are head-over-heels in love and they do not even know each other’s last name.
Bringing me back to these texts that we have observed, maybe they were a form of escapism. Ironic, but maybe women would rather read about this as more of instruction as to what not let happen in their lives. All these women that we read about usually end up heart-broken and sad and usually die from a broken soul. I don’t know. I never think that marriages should be arranged though, especially not now. However, you still see women and men getting married more out of convenience and financial stability rather than letting love be the foundation of it all. We look at couples still today, especially celebrities and hear about them getting married and divorced like it is no big deal. Was love ever a factor? Who knows, maybe will always be asking that question.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rake it up before the fall
A common example of rake in our modern society today makes me think of, even though we used this example in class, the movie John Tucker Must Die. In this movie he is seen to be the most attractive guy in school who can get with any girl, and as a matter of fact, pretty much does get with every girl. Four of his girlfriends discover that they are all dating him at the same time. Thus, causes them to want to lead an innocent girl to try and do to him what he did to all of them and have her deceive him.
When thinking about other examples of rake, it reminds me of a similar plot that I see in a lot of movies today. In the movie She’s All That actor Freddie Prinze Junior makes a bet with one of his guy friends that he can turn any girl popular, because of course, he is the most popular attractive guy in school. So he attempts to change actress Rachel Leigh Cook from an artsie-loner, to the kind of girl that hangs out in his crowd. Of course she ends up finding out and is upset, but the movie ends happily as they always do. However, we can see how this example is used as rake because the guy uses his charm as a way to deceive (even though he really ends up falling for her and has good intentions in the end) it is still a good example (because please note that this used to be one of my favorite movies in junior high.)
There are also many other films that I have seen on countless Lifetime movies where the guys are abusive and destructive to the women in these films. These movies usually always represent the women to always be victimized and abused. This channel is mainly aimed towards women, so it shows real-life situations that happen today in society. So a lot of these movies demonstrate most of the men to be seducers and and to be deceptive. The women are usually left to be abandoned and hurt with a loss of virtue and trying to regain confidence to feel strength again.
Many examples of rake are seen in our society today through so many different movies and television shows that I can not just think of one that sticks out to to me.
When thinking about other examples of rake, it reminds me of a similar plot that I see in a lot of movies today. In the movie She’s All That actor Freddie Prinze Junior makes a bet with one of his guy friends that he can turn any girl popular, because of course, he is the most popular attractive guy in school. So he attempts to change actress Rachel Leigh Cook from an artsie-loner, to the kind of girl that hangs out in his crowd. Of course she ends up finding out and is upset, but the movie ends happily as they always do. However, we can see how this example is used as rake because the guy uses his charm as a way to deceive (even though he really ends up falling for her and has good intentions in the end) it is still a good example (because please note that this used to be one of my favorite movies in junior high.)
There are also many other films that I have seen on countless Lifetime movies where the guys are abusive and destructive to the women in these films. These movies usually always represent the women to always be victimized and abused. This channel is mainly aimed towards women, so it shows real-life situations that happen today in society. So a lot of these movies demonstrate most of the men to be seducers and and to be deceptive. The women are usually left to be abandoned and hurt with a loss of virtue and trying to regain confidence to feel strength again.
Many examples of rake are seen in our society today through so many different movies and television shows that I can not just think of one that sticks out to to me.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Lessons for the Ladies
Our readings discuss this way of life that a woman should lead. One of the main readings that came to my mind at first was the one we discussed in class by Alphonzo. He basically writes this instruction to women saying, “Ok ladies, here’s what I, the man, have to say. I think that if you listen to this and do what it says, you should be good.” He says that a “woman without delicacy, is a woman without reputation; for chastity really exists in the mind; and when this fountain is pure, the words and actions that flow from it will be chaste and delicate.” His writing instructs women on how they need to maintain a life of purity and virtue and uses several different words all meaning the same thing like we discussed in class. He also instructs women to not be too prudent or coquettish, rather to find the happy medium. I just found that part silly. He addresses women’s education by saying that women are not really that into reading and the stuff that does spark her interests, which he claims is fiction does not do her any good.
In Orlander’s writing women are told more to “watch out” and to “be on your guard” and be careful not to fall into the temptation of men who “may devour” because we are told that once women basically fall into this “abyss of misery [they] can never return to [their] former greatness.” It seems this way too in Eliza’s writing, because she says that her female virtue is gone.
From these readings its shows that women were instructed to make sure and live in the way that was expected. Basically, don’t be whorish. Mind your manners and be submissive to men and you won’t lose your virtue. Chastity and virtue were all that really seemed to matter. A women’s education did not seem to ever extend further than an man’s and she was always well educated on what needs to be done domestically.
In Orlander’s writing women are told more to “watch out” and to “be on your guard” and be careful not to fall into the temptation of men who “may devour” because we are told that once women basically fall into this “abyss of misery [they] can never return to [their] former greatness.” It seems this way too in Eliza’s writing, because she says that her female virtue is gone.
From these readings its shows that women were instructed to make sure and live in the way that was expected. Basically, don’t be whorish. Mind your manners and be submissive to men and you won’t lose your virtue. Chastity and virtue were all that really seemed to matter. A women’s education did not seem to ever extend further than an man’s and she was always well educated on what needs to be done domestically.
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