Sexuality and Gender
There are certain patterns in literature; themes which present themselves over and over again despite the time period in which they were written and the cultural background of the author who wrote it. One such theme is that of human sexuality and the gender categorization that is associated with sexuality and appropriate or acceptable behaviors. Throughout history, men have dominated over women and this is explored in works of literature throughout recorded time. Men had to be strong and virile, able to control their women and also to intimidate other men in order to be considered successful. Maleness, machismo, and masculinity were all synonymous in most of history. Women were consequentially subservient to the males in their life, be it their fathers, brothers, husbands, or any other man in the society in which they lived. According to the gender demands of the eras, women were required to be sweet, gentle, and to obey the authority of the other gender. Anyone who behaved in ways that were different from the prescribed gender roles was considered other and subjected to ridicule and potential ostracism. Despite the differing time periods, these issues of sexuality and gender present themselves repeatedly as exhibited in The Faerie Queen from the medieval period, William Shakespeare's Othello from the Early Modern era, and The Country Wife from the Restoration period.
Edmund Spenser's epic poem The Faerie Queen is an elongated allegory, exploring all manner of vice and virtue of medieval society. The story's historical background exhibits itself in the narrative of the epic poem. It was written during a period of religious and political conflict in England, at the start of the reign of Elizabeth following one of the most deadly periods when England was led by the Catholic "Bloody" Mary. When Elizabeth took the throne of England, there was a great deal of debate over whether a woman alone could rule effectively and there were frequent efforts to get her married and by other factions, she was constantly plotted against.
A powerful queen and the potential threats to her leadership are present in The Faerie Queen but more than this the poem explains how the culture expected women to behave. Each virtue, holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy is admired and shown. Women were supposed to exhibit each of these characteristics and Spenser asserts that Queen Elizabeth does, which is what makes her both a perfect woman and a perfect leader. If Elizabeth were not virtuous, she was after all known as the "Virgin Queen," then it is possible that she would not have been able to retain her position of power. Although women of the period were supposed to be seen and not heard, so long as they exhibited character traits which affirmed the gender binary, it was marginally acceptable for the woman to lead. The women in The Faerie Queen exhibit both the perfect and imperfect forms of women with the imperfect being exemplified by the Queen Duessa (Jeyathurai). She is manipulative and serpentine, using sexuality and flirtation to get the men to do as she wishes. Duessa is the very epitome of the evil side of womanhood; the type of person who should never be allowed to rule. Her nature is shown when Spencer writes: "That which is for Ladies most befitting, / & #8230;Was from those Dames so farre and so unfitting, / As that instead of praying them surcease, / They did much more their cruelty increase" (4.2.19). By showing this character, Spenser shows a counterpoint by which Elizabeth can be favorable compared. A woman who is sexually active or uses human sexuality for advancement is an inappropriate woman because is countermands the gender role of submissive and dominated sex which is preferred in the British culture.
During the Early Modern period,...
GENDER IDENTITY Explain interaction hormones behavior interactions affect determination gender identity. Address paper: Include roles biological factors - nature- environmental influences-nutrue- sexual differentiation gender identity. The interaction between hormones and behavior Essentially, the difference in the brain of males and females is mostly realized in the concepts of sex and gender aspects. Most of these realizations have been made in the recent years as researchers have focused on the structure and functionalism
439). However, Johnson (n.d.) offers an optimistic view showing how patriarchy may be dismantled even in systems in which it appears to be pervasive, such as the military. In "Unraveling the Gender Knot," Johnson (n.d.) points out that it is a myth that gender disparity is inevitable and immutable. In fact, social systems are malleable and changeable. Change begins with "awareness and training about issues of privilege," according to Johnson
On the one hand there was the view that gender or rather gender differences were something that had been created by man, culture and society. This was contrasted by the view that gender differences were not constructed but was in fact innate and part of the natural order to things. They were also linked to religious views and conceptions. This view however found it difficult to account for variations
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Also, all women must be pressed to ask why they seek to embody the female ideal of beauty, and are willing to sacrifice so much to do so. Even if the fashion industry were to ban all models wholesale beneath a BMI of 18.5, while male chauvinists might delight in the curves of the models gyrating on the catwalks of Milan, the ideals held up for women to fulfill
Men believed that a drinking woman was more likely than a sober woman to engage in illicit sex; they feared the sexuality of sober women, and the fears increased with each cup of wine or jug of beer. Nonetheless, women had their cups and their jugs. Some historians have failed to recognise the strong connection between drink and sexual activity in traditional Europe and have as a consequence attributed
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