Woman in the Nineteenth Century, by Margaret Fuller Essay -- Woman in

Woman in the Nineteenth Century, by Margaret Fuller In her essay, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, Margaret Fuller discusses the state of marriage in America during the 1800‘s. She is a victim of her own knowledge, and is literally considered ugly because of her wisdom. She feels that if certain stereotypes can be broken down, women can have the respect of men intellectually, physically, and emotionally. She explains why some of the inequalities exist in marriages around her. Fuller feels that once women are accepted as equals, men and women will be able achieve a true love not yet known to the people of the world. Fuller personifies what is wrong with the thoughts of people in nineteenth century society. She is a well-educated, attractive woman and yet, in America she is considered unmarriageable because of the unintended intimidation her knowledge brings forth. She can’t understand why men would not want to find a woman with whom they can carry on an intelligent, meaningful conversation and still be physically attracted to. She knows that once this inferiority complex is gotten past, women will start to excel in all different fields. My interpretation is that Fuller feels if women are educated and skilled then they will be able to take care of themselves until the right man comes along. Their discretion will be tenfold, and they will be able to wait for the proverbial "Mr. Right". Fuller gives three wonderful examples of how equality gets broken down in a marriage. The first is the "household partnership"(42), where the man goes off to work and makes a living to support the family, and the woman stays home barefoot and pregnant, takes care of the children and tends to the house. There is a mutual admiration between the husband and wife because they both keep up their end of the bargain. But there is no love built into this relationship. Couples like this are merely supplementing each other’s existence, he by working to support her, and her by cooking and cleaning for him. When she states "this relation is good, as far as it goes"(42), Fuller implies that women are settling for the sake of settling. In the nineteenth century there was a stigma attached to any woman in her twenties who was not yet married. Fuller questions why two people would settle for each other when there are so many people with different things to offer each other. I thi... ...rriage should be based on? Where is the love that they share for each other? Why can’t women have it both ways? Why can’t they find a man who they love and who will love and respect them back? It is questions such as these that light the fire inside Margaret Fuller. Fuller is not attacking men in this essay; it is directed at women as well. She is simply asking that everyone try to look at things differently. She wants people to understand that if women get more education and skills, men will benefit as well. Fuller’s passion and desire for equality is most clearly evidenced when she states, "What deep communion, what real intercourse is implied by the sharing the joys and cares of parentage, when any degree of equality is admitted between the parties" (42). Fuller’s point is that if all responsibilities are shared, men and women will get to have a deeper love and respect for one another. They will finally be able to find their true soul mates. They will be marrying each other for who they truly are, not because of convenience, looks, or for good conversation and friendship. They will be marrying a person they truly know, love and respect, and who loves and respects them back.

The Harsh Reality of Racism

Black Boy, a novel by Richard Wright, is a heart-wrenching story about the harsh reality of racism, prejudice, and hostility that are revealed through the struggles of one young black boy. The young black boy is desperately trying to understand the cruel and negative world he is living in. This young black boy is on a mission to be educated and be successful. Richard Wright is determined to succeed in life. Richard's success is based on his determination and drive to overcome obstacles that he would face on a day to day basis in all aspects of his life. Richard was growing up in a time period that was both discouraging and hostile to blacks attempting to obtain an education and become successful. Through all of his hardships and obstacles, Richard continued to have a positive outlook on life. A positive outlook kept Richard focused on his dream to leave the south and eventually be free from all racial and prejudice matters. During the early twentieth century, racial issues, along with very strong prejudice feelings ran throughout the south. The Jim Crow laws separated the blacks from the whites and led the blacks to believe they were not important. Seating arrangements on busses, drinking from different water fountains, and even the arrogance of not being allowed to eat at counters in public restaurants were examples of some of these laws. Therefore, very little emphasis was placed on the education and success of a young black boy. In order for Wright to be successful, he had to pursue an education and overlook the strong prejudiced feelings he was faced with. These were hard times for blacks, but he worked hard to overcome his obstacles and reach for what he believed in. He did this during a time when there was no desire to see a colored person overcome the chances and be successful. Richard Wright's determination to succeed, and to overcome the social forces fighting against him was facet of southern culture that was familiar to all who lived, or even passed through the South during this time. The races showed no initiative of coming into contact with one another. However, there was a fear among them. Although he had fear, his curiosity about the races was not eliminated. For example, Richard once ventured into a white neighborhood attempting to sell his dog for money to buy food. On that day, he saw a glimpse of a world he had never seen before. Wright saw things such as I tucked her under my arm and went for the first time alone into a white neighborhood where there were wide clean streets and big white houses. Finally a young white woman came to the door and smiled. I waited on the porch, marveling at the cleanliness, the quietness of the white world. (69) Richard now understood that whites lived so much better and he wondered why he and his brother had spent so many days doubled over in pain from the hunger they had come to know so well. Wright uses prejudice and racism throughout his autobiography to encounter some of the most ludicrous moments that he had to experience while growing up in the South. For example, when Wright responded to the question on what he wanted to do in life, the lady turned to him and told him he was wasting his time trying to become a writer, knowing he was a Negro as stated in this quote: â€Å"Then why are you going to school?† She asked in surprise. â€Å"Well, I want to be a writer,† I mumbled, unsure of myself; I Had not planned to tell her that, but she had made me feel so Utterly wrong and of no account that I needed to bolster myself. â€Å"To write stories,† I mumbled defensively. â€Å"You†ll never be a writer,† she said. â€Å"Who on earth put such Ideas into your head nigger head?† â€Å"I didn†t think anybody ever would,† she declared indignantly (Wright 147). It was unheard of being someone of importance and being black at the same time. Another good example of the prejudiced lifestyle of Wright was when he accepted his first job as a porter for a in a clothing store. Wright was forced into washing floors and was not allowed to come into contact with people who entered the store. In Richard's early life, many social roadblocks threatened to make it more difficult for him to hold on to his dream. Race and prejudice created challenges, but the true challenge came in an entirely different form. The true challenge was to become an accepted black man in a white mans society. Richard Wright became successful in a country that did not encourage him or to create opportunities for blacks. He succeeded in spite of personal hardships, racial adversity, constant hunger, and the lack of educations. Richard Wright fought the battle and came out victorious. Wright became a man who was not defined by his color, but by his talent. His talent was recognized because his strength and determination led him to succeed.

The Emotional vs. the Rational Comparion of The Nymph´s...

The Emotional versus the Rational: A Literary Analysis and Comparison between Sir Walter Raleigh’s â€Å"The Nymph’s Reply to Her Shepherd† and Christopher Marlowe’s â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow—Horace Horace’s statement on first glance, especially in light of treatment of thematic issues related to carpe diem poetry, might have a ring of truth to it, and might appear to be a reasonable and logical statement. It puts forward the viewpoint that one should seize the day since tomorrow is uncertain. Nevertheless, one can also argue from the viewpoint that because of the fleeting nature of time, it is not reasonable to seize the day since a persons accomplishments and†¦show more content†¦Debora B. Schwartz in her article, Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Comedy highlights the fact that the major themes which are typically discussed in pastoral poetry include: l ove and seduction;†¦ the corruption of the city or court vs. the ‘purity’ of idealized country life†¦ (par. 2). In the poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, the theme of the purity of idealized country life is explored when the male persona attempts to use words which conjure up images of an paradise which he and his love interest can escape to sexually gratify each other. The male persona entices his love interest to come live with him and be his love (l. 1). He desires that he and his lovers prove the various pleasures that woods or steepy mountain yields (ll. 2, 4). This argument is rebuffed by the female persona in the poem, The Nymphs Reply to Her Husband, when she states the following: Time drives the flocks from field to fold, /When rivers rage and rocks grow cold (ll. 5-6). It should be noted that these lines reflect the following lines of Marlowes poem: And we will sit upon the rocks, / seeing the shepherds feed their flocks/ by shallow riversâ⠂¬ ¦ (ll. 5-7). The female persona undermines the shepherds idealization of the countryside and pastoral life since the passage of time, depicted by the seasons, will change the characteristics of these things described so positively by the male persona in Marlowes poem. Additionally, the theme of seduction is