growaw Personal Growth and Death of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

The Awakening:   Personal Growth and Death      The Awakening is a novel about the growth of a woman becoming her own person; in spite of the expectations society has for her. The book follows Edna Pontellier   as she struggles to find her identity. Edna knows that she cannot be happy filling the role that society has created for her. She did not believe that she could break from this pattern because of the pressures of society. As a result she ends up taking her own life.   However, readers should not sympathize with her for taking her own life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Edna Pontellier was on her way to an awakening. She realized during the book, she was not happy with her position in life. It is apparent that she had never really been fully unaware   However, because her own summary of this was some sort of blissful ignorance. Especially in the years of life before her newly appearing independence, THE READER SEES HOW she has never been content with the way her life had turned out. For example she admits she married Mr. Pontellier out of convenience rather than love. EDNA knew he loved her, but she did not love him. It was not that she did not know what love was, for she had BEEN INFATUATED BEFORE, AND BELIEVED IT WAS love. She consciously chose to marry Mr. Pontellier even though she did not love him. When she falls in love with Robert she regrets her decision TO MARRY Mr. Pontellier. HOWEVER, readers should not sympathize, because she was the one who set her own trap. She did not love her husband whe n she married him, but SHE never once ADMITS that it was a bad decision. She attributes all the problems of her marriage to the way IN WHICH SOCIETY HAS defined the roles of men and women. She does not ACCEPT ANY OF THE BLAME, AS HER OWN.   The only other example of married life, in the book, is Mr. and Mrs. Ratignolle, who portray the traditional role of married men and women of the time. Mr. Pontellier also seems to be a typical man of society. Edna, ON THE OTHER HAND, was not A TYPICAL WOMAN OF SOCIETY. Mr. Pontellier knew this but OBVIOUSLY HAD NOT ALWAYS. This shows IS APPARENT in the complete lack of constructive communication between the two. If she had been able to communicate with her husband they may have been able to work OUT THEIR PROBLEMS, WHICH MIGHT HAVE MADE Edna MORE SATISFIED WITH her life.

Learning Disabilities in Society Today Essay

The modern society has advanced very much compared to the earlier society, for example of the mid twentieth century. This advancement can be attributed to various technological innovations and inventions that have taken place in the society. The various spheres of change have impacted both positively and negatively on the welfare of the people. This is together with the welfare of those with disabilities. Disability has been and remains to be a major aspect of social inquiries and studies that has been conducted in the society. This is given that the disabled persons are part and parcel of the society. In this regard, the issue of disability as an area of study encompasses various aspects. This is for instance the kind of relationships between disability and work, disability and oppression, disability and education and disability and discrimination among others. In addition, studies on disability have centered on the measures that have been taken or ought to be taken to address the issue. The measures taken range from medical interventions and efforts to change the attitude of the members of the society towards the disabled people. Disability and the Society Today: Overview There are several definitions that have been proposed for the term disability. The definitions depend on the orientation and experiences of the scholar. For example, in law, the term disability can be used to connote a physical or mental impairment of an individual (Shah & Priestly, 2009). For the impairment to qualify as a disability, the law requires that it must have a substantial and long term negative effect on the individual’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities (Valentino & Skeletonk, 2009). However, not all such conditions qualify as disabilities. For example, individuals with ailments such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and those who are blind or partially sighted are not considered as been disabled. According to the legal definition given above, impairments considered to make an individual disabled include sensory impairments, such as sight and hearing, or mental impairments such as learning disabilities, dyslexia and mental illness (Bradley, Danielson & Hallahan, 2002). Some severe disfigurements, for example those affecting limbs and other physical organs, are regarded as a disability. Some conditions that can worsen over time such as multiple scleroses are also regarded as a disability as soon as they are diagnosed, even before they start to affect the individual’s day to day activities (Lerner, 2000). There are criteria that have been put in place to determine whether a disability is long term or not. For example, for a disability to de regarded as long term, it must have lasted for at least one year (Bradley et al, 2002). Disabilities that have lasted for less than one year can also be classified as long term. This is when there are sufficient grounds to expect the disability to last for at least one year after its onset (Barnes, Fletcher & Fuchs, 2007). For example, a loss of both limbs can be considered as a long term disability even if the loss is barely one month old. Also, for a disability to be regarded as long term, it must be expected to last for the rest of the individual’s life (Barnes et al, 2007). As earlier alluded to in this paper, there are several types of disabilities affecting people in the society. These range from physical disability, mental disability among others. Another type of disability that affects people in the society, albeit not so visible, is learning disability. This paper is going to look at learning disabilities within the context of the modern society. A general overview of disability has already been provided to create a context within which learning disability will be located.

Women In Victorian Era Essay - 1347 Words

During the Victorian era, women were viewed as the very opposite of what a man ought to be. In the words of John Stuart Mill, who published a criticism of the way society differentiated between males and females The female sex was brought up to believe that its ‘ideal of character’ was the very opposite to that of men’s ‘not self-will , and government by self-control, but submission, and yielding to the control of others to live for others; to make complete abnegation of themselves, and to have no life but in their affections.’† (171) Basically, women were expected to be sweet, docile, and man’s perfect helpmate. Contrary to that belief, throughout the Victorian era the view of women began to change, at least in the mind of some.†¦show more content†¦The heroine, Cathy, is the very essence of an unconventional Victorian woman. Cathy is wild, undisciplined, rowdy, and disheveled. She could almost be considered tomboyish in nature. She is definitely not the picture of a â€Å"proper† Victorian girl. I believe that the reason Cathy is as she is, however, is because of the influence of her playmate Heathcliff, who is a reckless, moody young man who brings chaos and bad behavior to everyone he encounters. Compare Cathy to her neighbor Isabella Linton at Thrushcross Grange. Isabella is quiet, neat, dainty, caring, obedient, and well mannered. She bows in deference to the wishes of the men in her life. She is the epitome of what a â€Å"proper† Victorian girl should be like. Although Cathy does eventually begin to dress and behave more like she should, it is only after she comes into contact with the traditional Linton family. Nelly Dean, the family’s faithful housekeepers who has had to put up with much of Cathy’s reckless ways, is amazed at the change in Cathy after her short visit with the Linton’s. â€Å"Instead of a wild, hatless little savage jumping into the house†¦ there lighted from a handsome black pony a very dignified person, with brown ringlets falling from the cover of a feathered beaver, and a long cloth habit, which she was obliged to hold up with both hands that she might sail in.† Cathy had been transformed from her previous ways; at least it seemed to be the case. Cathy’s sister-in-law Frances warnsShow MoreRelatedEssay about Women and Men of the Victorian Era1343 Words   |  6 Pages The Victorian era established strict guidelines and definitions for the ladies and gentleman. Noble birth typically defined one as a lady or a gentleman, but for women in this time period, socioeconomic rank and titles held no prestige or special privileges in a male-dominated society. Commonly, women in this era generally tried to gain more influence and respect but to no avail as their male counterparts controlled the ideals and practices of society. Women were subject to these idealsRead MoreWomen Of The Victorian Era2428 Words   |  10 PagesIntro Throughout history, women are casted with the role of being docile, obedient, and fragile by the traditional values of the patriarchy society. In the nineteenth century during the Victorian era, men expect women to maintain the domestic sphere as a cheerful pure haven for them when they return home from work. The cult of true womanhood which was believed by both the Northern and Southern states at the time was based on four main i deas: the sphere of home and the competitive world outside whichRead MoreWomen During The Victorian Era Essay1719 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the 19th century, especially during the Victorian era, gender roles became very distinctive. 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Browning admired andRead MoreThe Isolation Of Women During The Victorian Era1153 Words   |  5 Pagesbegin with but now are bringing her in. 2. Another clear reference to gender equality and the lack of it as well as a comment on class roles. Here Bronte shows the absurdity of gender restriction and attempts to shed light on the fact that women during the Victorian era had no rights and were too restricted. Ferndean 1. â€Å"Then he stretched his hand out to be led. I took that dear hand, held it a moment to my lips, then let it pass round my shoulder: being so much lower of stature than he, I served bothRead MoreFighting the Fire: Women in the Victorian Era922 Words   |  4 Pagesopposed to Antoinette, who remains a victim of this male dominance due to her submissive nature. Jane is seen as an â€Å"other† character due to her social status and the hierarchy evident in Victorian times. She is hired as a governess at Thornfield, to tutor Adà ¨le, a young girl Rochester adopted. During the Victorian era, a governess was regarded as being almost equivalent to a regular house servant, and this is how Jane is treated when she first arrives at Thornfield. Rochester therefore has some controlRead MoreRole Of Women During The Victorian Era1664 Words   |  7 Pagesshaped by many movements and time periods. The Victorian Period had a huge impact on many aspects in British literature and culture. The roles of women were greatly affected during this time period. The question of what women could (or should) do attracted a lot of debate in the Victorian era. There are numerous characteristics about The Victorian Period, one of them being the transformation of Britain. From the1830’s to the 1870’s, as seen in Victorian Literature, Britain underwent changes that transformedRead MoreWomen s Roles During The Victorian Era1851 Words   |  8 Pages Women’s Roles in the Victorian Era: The ideal woman in Victorian Times epitomized the good and virtuous woman whose live revolved around the domestic sphere of the family and home. She was pious, respectable and busy with no time for idle leisure. Her diligent and evident constant devotion to her husband, as well as to her God. She accepted her place in the sexual hierarchy. Her role was that of a domestic manager: wives and mothers. By the time that the industrial era was well under way in BritainRead MoreIn The Victorian Era, Society’S Views Of Men And Women2079 Words   |  9 PagesIn the Victorian Era, society’s views of men and women and their roles in the world were beginning to dramatically change, and not all were content with these changes. 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