ACADEMIC WRITING
Research and Analysis Papers
PASSIVE VICTIMS: ANALYZING DROWNED WOMEN IN LITERATURE
This essay aims to explore the history of literary drownings in relationship to the development of the nineteenth century “death culture,” and assert that works by women writers at the turn of the century, such as Kate Chopin (The Awakening), mark a shift in the representation of drowning women in literature.
GENDER ROLES IN CHRISTINE DE PIZAN’S “THE BOOK OF THE CITY OF LADIES”
During the Middle Ages, a French woman named Christine de Pizan fought against anti-feminist rhetoric by constructing many feminist works, including “The Book of the City of Ladies.” In her novel, she not only challenged the male literary authorities, but also reeducated female readers into a more feminist mindset.
HOW TO SURVIVE AS A WOMAN WRITER: CONTEXTUALIZING ANNA BUNINA'S “CONVERSATION BETWEEN ME AND THE WOMEN”
Across a wide range of cultures and for a sizeable portion of history, women have had to choose between two incompatible roles: to be a woman or to be a writer. Anna Bunina’s poem, “A Conversation Between Me and the Women,” addresses this topic while simultaneously mocking the society who implements these standards, as well as those who follow such societal rules.
AMERICAN CONSUMERISM: THE EFFECTS OF GENDER REPRESENTATION IN ADVERTISING
The advertisements depicting women that came out of the mid-19th century presented “devotion to family and home as the ideal,” especially in post-World War II society which often included “historically inspired styles of decorating and entertaining” now available to women due to the “increasing availability of time-saving appliances and products like cake mixes and TV dinners."
MILTON’S PARADOXICAL EVE IN PARADISE LOST
By the end of Milton’s epic poem, readers are left with a blurry understanding of where Milton stands on feminist issues – is Eve supposed to be a radical feminist icon, representing female independence and inherit virtue? Or, is Milton simply reiterating the previously established anti-feminist rhetoric that depicts female nature as inherently inferior, even sinful? In order to understand what it really means to label Milton a “feminist,” one must understand the term feminism itself and then apply that knowledge to not only Paradise Lost as an independent work, but also to Milton’s intentions behind it.