How are women treated in the novel? Do all members in the community agree with the status quo? What contributions are made by the Igbo women to the survival of their culture? What are the changes in women’s roles in this present world?
Women are considered as the nurtures and the homemakers which also referred as possessions and only there to serve man’s need back in the nomadic civilizations. This view also is portrayed in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe where women are treated unwell and considered as not important as they have no rights to voice out their opinions. For example, in the novel, Okonkwo beaten his second wife Ojiugo when she was not there to serve him dinner. The action that Okonkwo took already proved that women are not treated well. The other evidence is that the custom that assumed birth of twins brings bad luck and must be thrown in the Dark Forest. In this case, the community does not care about the mother’s feelings who already fight for her life to deliver the twins. As we all know, the mother and the babies are interconnected even before they are born. So, the mother must be sad if her twins must be thrown. This proved that the community agreed with the status quo that view women as only a possessions.
The contributions that the Igbo women made to the survival of their culture is that when a person if is exiled, he will go back to his motherland. Going back to his motherland is referred as to find shelter that will always welcome him if other places in this world seem to cast him away. For example, when Okonkwo and his family was exiled for seven years, they went back to Okonkwo’s motherland where they lived with his mother’s family, Uchendu. Based on the case, women also contributed to their culture as the shelter that a man can found if he does not belong anywhere.
Women’s roles also experienced evolution where nowadays, we can see there are more and more women leaders surfaced throughout the world. Women now are not seen as a man’s possessions but as a gender that also can rise like men. Many women now have careers, professional and also act as the motivation for people. For example, Mother Teresa is a good example of successful women where she was known for her contribution in medical care. Other than that, Oprah Winfrey was known as the first and only Afro-multiracial billionaire from 2004 to 2006 even her past life was miserable yet she was able to rise higher than others. these evidences had proved that women’s roles had completely changed where women are not as useless as before. We can conclude that women’s roles nowadays are far more different and they are seen as the individuals that had gone through a lot; child birth, abuse, challenges and all.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Sunday, 10 March 2013
MOHD IRWANDY - GENDER DIFFERENCES
Go through your notes on gender differences and other websites dealing with gender studies. Based on your reading, reflect on how these women are treated in the novel. The following questions can help you as you write your reflective piece in your blog:
How are the women treated in the novel?
Do all members in the community agree with the status quo? Why?
What contributions are made by the Igbo women to the survival of their culture?
What are the changes in women’s roles in this present world?
In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, women are the second class citizen in the Igbo society. Women are treated as most women in those times are treated: as any how the men pleases to. They are assumed to be inferior than men in the society and were treated with no mercy in doing hard labor. However, only at rare times does a woman get treated a bit nice, that is when the women bear the child that her husband had waited for and only if the offspring were to be of the masculine blood. Surprisingly, the community of the Igbo people themselves somehow agree with this status quo. The women agree maybe because after generations of being treated the way they are, they are institutionalized to accept it. The fact that they are treated the way they are and they let it pass maybe because the generation before them had already said to their daughters to follow their husband orders no matter what they are. Although, treatment for them are different, the women's contribution of the Igbo people towards their culture are numerous. One of which is the women routinely perform the role of priestess. This is shown when the narrator states during Olonkwo’s boyhood, , "the priestess in those days was woman called Chika. She was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared" (17). The present priestess is Chielo, "the priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the hill and the Caves" (49). Furthermore, the women also regards as the representation of the earth goddess, Ani by the Igbo people. Ani is described as "a greater part in the life of the people than any other deity. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. Women are also seen in their role as educators of their children. The education is done by them in the form of storytelling. The narrator describes, "Low voices, broken now and again by singing, reached Okonkwo from his wives' huts as each woman and her children told folk stories" (96). Obviously, the role of women changes through time. Other than being the housewife or any other stereotype jobs, women nowadays held quite a high and important position in a company. Now, instead of being the house maker, they become the breadwinner. Their roles expand and differences of their role and their counterparts becomes a blurry line in which that boundary one day will be no more.
How are the women treated in the novel?
Do all members in the community agree with the status quo? Why?
What contributions are made by the Igbo women to the survival of their culture?
What are the changes in women’s roles in this present world?
In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, women are the second class citizen in the Igbo society. Women are treated as most women in those times are treated: as any how the men pleases to. They are assumed to be inferior than men in the society and were treated with no mercy in doing hard labor. However, only at rare times does a woman get treated a bit nice, that is when the women bear the child that her husband had waited for and only if the offspring were to be of the masculine blood. Surprisingly, the community of the Igbo people themselves somehow agree with this status quo. The women agree maybe because after generations of being treated the way they are, they are institutionalized to accept it. The fact that they are treated the way they are and they let it pass maybe because the generation before them had already said to their daughters to follow their husband orders no matter what they are. Although, treatment for them are different, the women's contribution of the Igbo people towards their culture are numerous. One of which is the women routinely perform the role of priestess. This is shown when the narrator states during Olonkwo’s boyhood, , "the priestess in those days was woman called Chika. She was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared" (17). The present priestess is Chielo, "the priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the hill and the Caves" (49). Furthermore, the women also regards as the representation of the earth goddess, Ani by the Igbo people. Ani is described as "a greater part in the life of the people than any other deity. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. Women are also seen in their role as educators of their children. The education is done by them in the form of storytelling. The narrator describes, "Low voices, broken now and again by singing, reached Okonkwo from his wives' huts as each woman and her children told folk stories" (96). Obviously, the role of women changes through time. Other than being the housewife or any other stereotype jobs, women nowadays held quite a high and important position in a company. Now, instead of being the house maker, they become the breadwinner. Their roles expand and differences of their role and their counterparts becomes a blurry line in which that boundary one day will be no more.
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