Herland- A Raisin in the Sun

                  A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, just as Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, portrays aspects of feminism throughout the literature. From the moment the men arrived in Herland sexism was present as the men were struck with shock that women could possibly create a civilization. The men obtained this idea because of their previous perspective on women from back home. The men believed the whole race of females were incapable to live without men in their around to help and protect. This idea is somewhat diminishes throughout the novel as the men begin to adapt to the strong women, however some men cannot understand the women’s “strange” way of life without the accompaniment of men.

                A Raisin in the Sun, although it is not as openly sexist, there are various examples of sexism prevalent throughout the play. For reference, Ruth went to a woman doctor and it was a disgrace, not only to her husband but also to Mama. Mama, while living in a time where there are few women professionals, views women doctors and women of other professions as inferior to men in their knowledge and work. Also Ruth worked a job as taking care of other children because of the women as maternal idea. Sexism appears in much American literature in varied forms because of the American history of this idea and the ever present views it forms on America and around the world.

Herland- Gender Roles

               Gender roles in America have been rigidly cut out for men and women since colonial times and have changed throughout history. However, in Herland the gender norms differ greatly from what the men are accustomed to back home. When the men arrive on the land they are surprised by the fact that only women inhabit the area because of the advancement and civilized society the women alone had developed. Previous to their arrival to Herland the men leave women in their nation whom have domestic roles in the home and strict womanly duties. Duties and norms of women include taking care of the children, cooking, cleaning, sewing, and essential household chores, while the men work in the social sphere to provide for their families.

                In my AP United States History class gender norms and roles are a major topic through American history. From colonial times to present day America gender roles have transformed but also in some ways stay the same. Women have gone through having completely no social or political participation and being owned by their husbands to later earning rights which make them partially equal to men, such as the right to vote and have freedom. However, even today women are not completely equal to men because of certain feminine protective laws, such as protection from the draft and maternal privileges in the work place. The gender roles in Herland are different from any norms in American history and nevertheless present in today’s society.

Herland-Women

            Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, presents many theories of sexism and ideas of male superiority throughout the novel. At the beginning all the men are surprised when arriving to Herland that only woman inhabited the land. The men thought in this way because the land was well maintained and efficient, which they did not expect from women because of their ideas of women being inferior. However, later in the novel most of the men learn to appreciate and respect women for their power and ability, which they never believed women possessed. Beliefs of men superiority has drawn back to colonial times in America and much earlier in countries around the world.

In my AP United States History class throughout all the chapters we have learned about women roles in society, sexism, and women’s rights movements. Throughout history women have been labeled as inferior on many levels. Early on women’s roles consisted of work in the domestic sphere, with jobs of childbearing, cleaning, cooking, and generally taking care of the family while staying at home. Later, as women began to work more social jobs in the working sphere, such as factory workers and teachers, women began to push for equal rights. Women fought for equal pay, the right to vote, and many more equal rights women had the right to obtain. Even today there are many feminist and women’s rights organizations that fight for equality between the sexes.

Herland- Motherhood

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman emphasizes the important aspect of motherhood, as an essential duty women have in their lives. However the women, whom live in this nation, also have strictly different views on the role the woman has in the child’s life. The women in Herland perceive motherhood as the ultimate honor, to bring children to life during their lives. Although, once the women conceive and deliver the children, which can only be done once in a woman’s life, the nurturing and development as the child grows is left to another individual. The nation of women believed the development and the education of the future beings of Herland is too important for an ordinary woman to handle, and this is why specialist teach the children instead of the original mother.

           Herland’s outlook on motherhood drastically varies from the ideas of motherhood today and in the history of American society. Childbearing has always been the main duty of a woman, but it is also seen as an expression of sexuality between a woman and a man. Once life is created, the mother starts the job of nurturing and helping the growth of a child until adulthood. The parents of the child are the ultimate social teachers and educators in the child’s life. The mother child bond is viewed as very important and continues as a social norm. This idea of motherhood varies from those of the women in Herland significantly. 

"The Snake" and American Literature

      “The Snake”, by Theodore Roethke is a poem in which a person observes a snake in the wilderness and wishes they were as the snake were free. The snake is describes as “laying limb… quickened and was gone,” (Roethke) this also describes the deeper meaning of the snake as free, free to do what it wants and go anywhere, freely. Roethke explains in the poem that he rather be in the form of the snake, than living in his human form. However, this does not signify the man literally wants to be a snake, he instead is disclosing that he desires freedom, as an animal possess.

The aspect of freedom connects to American literature, as this topic and theme is distinguished in much American work. The topic of freedom was written through poetry, novels, song, and other works in American literature. The fight freedom in America started in colonial times as America fought for its independence from England in the American Revolution, then it became a controversial matter during the Antebellum period with the enslavement of Africans and African-Americans, and it has continued throughout American history with writings from all the periods. American authors have always used freedom as a focus in their work because it is a relevant topic in many people’s life and has changed the country multiple times.

The Great Gatsby Connection #4

     Looking back on my American Literature project research,  the novel The Great Gatsby by F, Scott Fitzgerald is included in both my definition of American literature and also in a few articles I have researched. In an article found on Ebsco host by Thomas Hischak, The Great Gatsby is mentioned to be one of the successful Hollywood pictures influenced by American literature featured in 2013. This book fits in the American literature category for multiple reasons. First off the author, Fitzgerald was from America and wrote the book in America and secondly the book was a response to the 20s time period in American history, including descriptions of popular events, such as luxorious parties, and the wealthy class division during this time. Although the novel is a correct portrayal of some aspects of the 20s, not all the people smoked cigars, wore flapper dresses, and went to roaring parties weekly. 

     With the movie having premiered this past summer, I had watched the film prior to reading the novel, which might have influenced the way I read and interpreted the book. Others, whom had read the book before watching the movie, explained that they thought the book was fairly hard to follow and understand. However, I thought it was easy to read and I followed the story with ease. Although watching the movie first may be helpful, it confused me often and was hard for me to distinguish characteristics from the book and the movie. I think I would have better enjoyed the book if I had read the book before seeing the movie.  

The Great Gatsby Connection #3

     The Great Gatsby has many aspects of the American dream and the self-made man throughout the novel. Many of the characters in The Great Gatsby live what some call the American dream. The American dream, during this time, is living wealthy luxurious lives with fancy parties and dazzling flapper dresses. Almost all the characters focused on in this book live this lifestyle and portrayed as wealthy. However, not all the characters were born into this kind of fortune. Gatsby is one of these characters, he is a self-made man. Gatsby describes in a life story how he was born into an extremely poor family, whom he did not even consider his own, and from the start work to get away from them and become a better man. He started to work when he came across a captain, whom had the wealth he desired, after many years with his idol the man died and Gatsby earned the wealth he greatly deserved. Although he did receive the money from someone else he is still considered a self—made man because he worked for his money to gain the life he desired.

     In English we learned about the American dream and the self-made man, which we later wrote a developed paper on from personal experiences. In my paper I wrote about the self-made man my great-grandfather had become and the journey it took him to reach this goal. My essay was very similar to The Great Gatsby’s example of a self-made man because my great-grandfather started out poor and through work he also met a man, whom he later bought the business from and became the man he is today.