The Redefinition of female gender roles in the 19th century and the Essay

The Redefinition of female gender roles in the 19th century and the use of Darwinism toward Political objectives - Essay Example History reveals the very fact that women had been leading an oppressive life in England as well as the rest of Europe for centuries, and their activities were confined to the four walls only. Being the reflection of the contemporary society, early nineteenth literature portrays the women busy in performing domestic chores and obligations without taking part in any political, social or economic activity. They used to go to excursions and attend balls and dinners under the supervision of family members; hence, they were not allowed to travel alone or without the prior permission of the family. The novels produced by Jane Austen, Dickens, Bronte sisters, Eliot and others depict the same male-dominated cultural scenario, where women were the direct target of discriminative behavior at the hands of male members of society. Somehow, the situation took a drastic turn during the second half of the same century, and the same Mary Evans Ann, who used to produce works under the male name George Eliot, got such courage that she started living with G. H. Lewes for more than 20 years quite as if his wife did not exist; Sarah Austin (the wife of the famous jurist), who wrote letters of such ardor and indiscretion to a visiting German prince as to invite blackmail. (Himmelfarb, 1961) The Victorian literature reveals that female writers, poets, intellectuals and artists used to feel hesitation in participating into any literary, social or political activity, for they were discouraged to get their works published. It is therefore the renowned authors and novelists including Bronte sisters, George Eliot and others had to conceal their female names while creating the pieces of literature. Though Victorian literature contained the works of female writers, but the atmosphere was not appreciable at all. The share of women community in social construction was not acknowledged, although they worked in fields, hospitals, teaching institutions and other professions at limited scale. Stil l the male domination was oppressive and tyrannical. At first, Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 19th century and Emma Goldman in the beginning of 20th century raised their voice for the women rights. However, later part of nineteenth century observed imperative changes in women’s role and responsibilities in society. It was the era when Charles Darwin presented his astounding Evolution Theory under the title â€Å"Survival of the Fittest† in his magnificent work On the Origin of Species (1859), and proved that only strong and powerful species maintained the right to survive and reproduce. Darwin vehemently argues in favor of the notion natural selection, and declares it as the law of nature. He is of the view that it is the law of nature that the favorable traits and features in species contain more probability of inheritance and transformation into next generations. (1872: 159) Renowned sociologist Herbert Spencer extended the same survival theory, called social Darwinism, a nd claimed that socially strong communities make sure headway in the world, while the financially weak people are sure to eliminate sooner or later. Nineteenth century women also got inspiration from this very notion to obtain freedom from the awkward clutches of suppression and humiliation. Thus, women’

Theory skills and intervention 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theory skills and intervention 2 - Essay Example veral client-centered eating disorders and political feminist theories exist that can be used to assess her condition and offer help (Culley & Bond, 2012). This paper will focus on these theories and the kind of questions that would be asked towards assisting Tina. The fundamental question to ask Tina as a counselor is whether she acknowledges that she has a problem (Culley & Bond, 2012). This will form the basis of validating her experiences as a woman through discussions of societal and cultural pressures she faces, again as a woman, in relation to perfectionism, shape and weight (Thompson, 2003). Feminist political theories emphasize on social, class, economic and power groups, which implicitly place pressure on women to be perfect. These can further be broken into power control, sexism, obedience, cultural idea and sexuality (Mottier, 2010). The case study indicates that Tina has taken to heavy makeup and even changing the color of her hair to match that of the woman that her boyfriend fell for. This is a strong indication that she does not see herself through her own eyes, but those of the new girlfriend. This is the strongest evidence that feminist political theories are pressuring women to be something for someone else by making themsel ves their best, albeit through looks to an extent that enough attention is not paid to them as they age (Hill & Buss, 2006). These discussions will explain the situation to Tina in the event that she does not acknowledge that she has a problem. Most significantly, she must be made aware that it was not necessarily her mistake that her boyfriend chose another girlfriend. Trying to acquire the looks of the new girlfriend was a very dangerous pointer, because it means that she does not really know the true meaning of love, which she thinks to be aesthetic. The next question would be centered on whether she is willing to undergo a healing procedure, which will involve numerous counseling sessions (Gibson, Swartz & Sandenbergh,