Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Feminist Funny.

Book: Heart Of Darkness by LH




In Heart of Darkness misogynistic attitudes are seen through the attitudes towards women through Marlow and Kurtz. Marlow expresses these feelings through how he speaks of his aunt, who helped him gain employment.

“They live in a world of their own, and there has never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset. ”

Marlow implies that women are naive and don’t know how to do anything. He thinks that they are useless and ornamental (this can be seen in the descriptions of the women outside the place Marlow gets his job.

Kurtz is also guilty of misogynistic behavior, as he has two love interests instead of one. Rather than keeping things monogamous, Kurtz uses these women for his own interest as ornaments. He uses them to display his great wealth and both are used as symbols of them in the civilized and uncivilized world.

Book: A Streetcar Named Desire by LH and BG



Synopsis:
in the Kowalski's residence, a character named Stella is pregnant and is married to a blue collar husband named Stanley Kowalski.Stella has an older sister named Blanche Dubois where she comes to live in their poor, disgusting apartment after the misfortunes that has happened to her. Blanche talked about how she left the property their family owns named Belle Reve for the sake of their family. After their talk, Blanche meets Stella's husband, Stanley for the first time and she talks about how she lost her husband. Stanley, on the other hand, doesn't believe in what Blanche says . Stanley overhears Blanche saying terrible things about him, so he became meaner to her. tensions rise between the two while Stanley tries to find out more about her past and tells it to Mitch. On her birthday, Mitch leaves her while Stanley gives her tickets to Laurel. Stella ends up fighting with Stanley, but she had to go to the hospital because she is giving birth. Afterward, Blanche and Mitch had a confrontation and then she ends up arguing with Stanley. She ended up getting raped by him and then she confronts Stella bout what Stanley has done, but Stella didn't believe it. The doctor and nurse comes and takes Blanche to an asylum while the other people were playing a poker game like nothing has ever happened.

Analysis:

Stanley, Stella’s husband, totally doesn’t treat her like an equal. This is seen in the first scene, where she gets a package of meat thrown at her like she’s an animal. He also abuses Stella, and hits her when he’s drunk. However, Stanley always comes crawling back to her. Stella always takes him back too. Stanley can’t see her as an equal, he sees her as a lady he has epic fornications with. It is for that reason why their relationship will never deep.


In the play, Stanley portrays as a misogynist. He believes that there shouldn’t be any woman overpowering him, thus he would always show his power by going berserk towards Stella. To show his extreme misogynistic views, he rapes Stella’s sister, Blanche to show that he has power. Misogyny is shown in the play mostly by the tensions between Blanche and Stanley. Stanley’s manly personality is what makes Blanche dislike him. Stanley feels the need to feel superior over Blanche, so the tension between them rises. Misogyny occurs due to Stanley’s hatred towards woman that creates an impact towards society. This is what lead him to rape Blanche and this shows how misogyny is portrayed from a man who believes to have power over others.

Misogyny: A Definition by LH


Misogyny has existed for thousands of years and manifested itself in several ways. It has been presented through different methods by assorted negative behaviors and choices. To say that it is derived from the hatred of women, however, is wrong. Misogynists do not hate women, but they refuse to accept the idea of a woman as an individual being (and no, I’m not saying this because I’m a feminist.) Misogynists look at women as objects instead of as individuals with an identity to hold and preserve. There are men who often say they love women, but it isn’t the soul of every individual associated with a gender they hold an appreciation for; it is the two-dimensional image they self-fornicate to that they enjoy. An explicit example of this type of attitude towards can be found in the 1950’s treatment of women, a period where men could sexually harass their secretaries and flight attendants had to keep their looks and weight in check for fear of losing their jobs.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Musical Influnce In yo"Lyfe. (FEMINISM EDITION)

There are many examples of feminism in music. These are just a couple examples that should be well known. Well, should be recognized slightly.

Beyoncé



IF I WERE A BOY (I AM…Sasha Fierce)




If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I’d roll outta bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it.
Cause they’d stick up for me.



If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)




If I Were A Boy by Beyonce can be considered a song with very feminist ideas, because it takes the view of a woman who looks through the eyes of the man. She talks about what she thinks guys act by saying that if she were a boy, she would probably do the same things. She takes situations, like hanging out with friends and flirting with other girls while being with one already, and puts those situations out in the air. She isn’t literally condemning them, but she states them plainly to let the words sink in.


She gives the opinion that men do what they like, and even if they have a girl waiting on them being as faithful as she can be, he would still cheat because he can put himself and his gratification first before the happiness of the woman.

-
IRREPLACEABLE (B’DAY)




Mmmm to the left, to the left
Everything you own in the box to the left
In the closet, that’s my stuff
Yes, if I bought it, baby, please don’t touch (don’t touch)


So since I’m not your everything (irreplaceable)
How about I’ll be nothing (nothing)?
Nothing at all to you (nothing, nothing)
Baby I won’t shed a tear for you (I won’t shed a tear for you)
I won’t lose a wink of sleep (a wink of sleep)
‘Cause the truth of the matter is (truth is)
Replacing you is so easy



Irreplaceable can be seen as a feminist song because it is a song about a woman stating her independence from a man, and saying that her life will not end after he’s gone. She states her strength by saying “to the left, to the left” and thus, throwing him out of her life. In the theory of Misogyny, the idea of a woman not being able to live without a man is a huge one. This song, even if it’s a cheesy representation of it, shows how in today’s world, women can move on from toxic relationships with men and live as strong independent individuals that can move on.

--

KE$HA


BLAH BLAH BLAH (ANIMAL)



Don’t really care where you live at
Just turn around boy and let me hit that.
Don’t be a little b**** with your chit chat
Just show me where your d***’* at.



Blah Blah Blah can be seen as a feminist song, because in the ideals of misogyny, the male is supposed to be sexually possessive. In this case, Ke$ha is asserting herself as the sexually dominant one, which contradicts the idea of male dominance. She states what she wants, and doesn’t care about names or talk. This can be seen as sexual feminism, due to the fact that it has to do mostly with the sexual aspects of the subjects at hand.