Essay on Kate Chopin and Edna Pontellier as Feminists

Kate Chopin and Edna Pontellier as Feminists Kate Chopin is known for her literary works that depict culture in New Orleans, Louisiana, and of womens struggles for freedom. She was born Katherine OFlaherty in Missouri, and later married Oscar Chopin in 1870. He was a Creole cotton trader from New Orleans. Later they moved to a plantation near Cloutierville, Louisiana, where her husband died in 1882. She returned to Missouri with her six children, and began her writing career. She began writing mostly local color stories that earned her consideration as a contributor to Southern regional literature. She later began writing stories about womens need for independence and capacity for passion, such as The Story of an Hour and†¦show more content†¦Although the women in America were advancing, those in state of Louisiana were not. At the time the state operated under a different legal system than the rest of the country. Under the Louisiana Civil Code, article 1388, a woman was still the legal property of her husband , and the male had absolute (legal) control over the family. It also said, in article 1124, married women, babies, and the mentally ill were incompetent in making a legal contract. (Herman, 53) Wives were possessions to be cared for and displayed. They often brought a dowry or inherited wealth to a marriage. Like most of Chopins stories, The Awaking is set in the late 19th-century Creole society of the New Orleans area. It is the story of a young womans struggle to become herself. It concludes that the complete freedom and happiness that she yearns for is not available to her in socially appointed roles as a wife and mother. Edna Pontellier is married to her husband, Mr.Pontellier, a person whom she had married without love as an excuse (McQuade, 1661). The story opens during summer vacation at Grand Isle. This environment allows Edna to explore her own personality. It is on the island that Edna begins her awakening to life. She first realizes her dissatisfaction with her life. Then she learns the pleasure of swimming. It is on Grand Isle that she begins to feel sexual attraction to Robert, although her awakening to sexuality occurs months later. Edna alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening: An Emergence of Womens RIghts in the Late Nineteenth Century1330 Words   |  6 PagesNineteen th Century Kate Chopin’s The Awakening addresses the role of women within society during the late nineteenth century. The novel is set in South Louisiana, a place where tradition and culture also play a vital role in societal expectations. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, initially fulfills her position in society as a wife and as a mother while suppressing her urges to live a life of passion and freedom. Edna’s relationship with her husband, Là ©once Pontellier, represents her expectedRead MoreEssay about Feminism in The Awakening986 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, â€Å"The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.† The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontel lier and her family on a summer vacation. Edna, who is a wife and mother, is inferior to her husbandRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1479 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s controversial novel, The Awakening, ignited turmoil because of her blatant disregard of the established 19th century perspective of women upholding strictly maternal and matrimonial responsibilities. Edna’s candid exploration of the restrictions on women through her liberal behavior in a conservative Victorian society makes her a literary symbol for feminist ideals. Despite denunciation from other people, Edna chooses individuality over conformity through her veering from traditionalRead MoreFeminism; the Awakening868 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered scandalous before the turn of the century, and still today many believe woman should hold the classic stay at home mother role. When it was published in 1899, The Awakening by Kate Chopin was considered scandalous on many levels. Through the main c haracter, Mrs. Edna Pontellier, Chopin presents many feminist ideas that were to come in the next century. Feminism tries to battle the idea that a woman’s only job is to raise her children. Sometimes women even believe that they may want somethingRead MoreFeminist Literary And Cultural Theory By Donald Hall1338 Words   |  6 Pagesequality with men is denied† (200). For example, feminist analysis is being able to recognize the different degrees of social power that are given to and used by men and women (Halls 199). While cultural feminism is one of the many types of feminism, it is an important issue in society. It mainly focuses on the stereotypical roles and characteristics that are given to women. The Awakening by Kate Chopin is an excellent example of cultural feminism. Kate Chopin was born in 1850 when society was filled withRead MoreKate Chopin: A Woman Ahead of Her Time Essay1390 Words   |  6 Pages Kate Chopin a Woman Ahead of Time In the 1800s married women had to submit to their husbands. Woman who got married had no voice with law. This meant their husbands would have to take legal action for them. Wives did not have any rights to their own property, and they would not have right to wages they earn. But these started to change through feminist women who raised their voice against men. Even though the feminist movement started in the 1960s, there were women ahead of this time thatRead MoreThe Awakening : Evaluating The Core Values Of The Nineteenth Century1203 Words   |  5 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier exists as the embodiment of the feminist ideas that stand as outliers in the midst of the more traditional nineteenth century beliefs. Set in 1899 near the end of this generation, Chopin’s work explores the shared attitudes of most of the novel’s cast as they respond to Edna’s search for independence and freedom, an action that c hallenges her conservative society. Though the radical Industrial Revolution and Feminist MovementRead More feminaw Seeking a New Identity for Women in The Awakening Essay1461 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in  The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Awakening, Chopin questions gender roles. Chopin seeks an identity for women that is neither wife nor mother. To achieve this end, she incorporates progressive feminist ideas into her writing. Yet, in the end, Chopin also shows that, because of years of conditioning, many women are unable to escape society’s stereotypical roles by any satisfactory means. The protagonist of the novel, Edna Pontellier, does not possess the skills needed to become independentRead More Kate Chopin’s The Awakening - The Feminist Awakening Essay2094 Words   |  9 PagesThe Feminist Awakening    Women’s rights have evolved over time; beginning with being homemakers and evolving to obtaining professions, acquiring an education, and gaining the right to vote. The movement that created all these revolutionary changes was called the feminist movement. The feminist movement occurred in the twentieth century. Many people are not aware of the purpose of the feminist movement. The movement was political and social and it sought to set up equality for women. Women’s groupsRead More Margit Stange’s Literary Criticism of Chopin’s The Awakening1350 Words   |  6 PagesMargit Stange’s Literary Criticism of Chopin’s The Awakening Kate Chopin created Edna Pontellier, but neither the character nor her creator was divorced from the world in which Chopin lived. As a means to understand the choices Chopin gave Edna, Margit Stange evaluates The Awakening in the context of the feminist ideology of the late nineteenth century. Specifically, she argues that Edna is seeking what Chopin’s contemporaries denoted self-ownership, a notion that pivoted on sexual choice and

Law and Society Essay Free Essays

They had virtually no voice. Men were only expected to provide their wife with the necessities of life, and to protect her. This system or way of functioning was called â€Å"covert†. We will write a custom essay sample on Law and Society Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Women were expected to provide a welcoming home and a carefree environment for their husbands, when they returned from a â€Å"long hard day of laboring work. † Laws that were put into place in the early 1 9th century stated that married women were completely under the control of their husbands, much like a slave was under the control of his master. There was a hero that â€Å"If the man killed his wife, it is not really his fault, she must have done something wrong, but if a woman killed her husband, she is punished with an equal fate as it is a capital crime to â€Å"bite the hand that feeds you†. † Although some marriages were fine and worked out to the advantages if both partners, troublesome marriages were the issue. When a wife disagreed with her husband, she did not really have any grounds on which to protect herself. Although assault was a crime under the law, the government barely enforced t when it came to domestic cases. Also, women were not allowed to really have any of their own money. The luxuries that they could enjoy were limited and under the complete control of what their husband would allow and pay for. If the two tried to divorce, she would be left with nothing and him with a fortune. Women’s rights were stripped from her when she married. As Elizabeth Caddy Stanton said, â€Å"As a teacher of theology, medicine, or law, she is not known. He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education, all colleges being closed against her. † This quote represents how women were treated very similarly to inferior beings, much like slaves were, except with less cruelty. They were seen as not worthy of education. Quite frankly, as a feminist, I believe that men were afraid that women would overcome their abilities and surpass them in wealth and success. Women began to fight and stand up for themselves by educating themselves in the law and trying to find loopholes in it. One example of this was Harriet Douglas and Henry Kruger. Harriet loved Henry, but only agreed o marry him when she put him under the restrictions that the wife would usually be put under. Although their marriage did not work out, and Harriet still lost half of her property when they separated, she still set a standard and began a revolution for women’s rights. Stanton pronounced her â€Å"Declaration of Sentiments† at the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. She proposed twelve resolutions to a series of wrongs, and all twelve passed. Also, states began passing the Married Women’s Property Act gave omen the ownership of the property they owned before their marriage. Following that act was the Earnings Act, which gave women the right to keep their income and wages from their job. Although women’s rights saw many optimistic reforms in the late 1 9th century, there was still much to be done for equality. Women were still restricted in many ways, but they had taken an important step towards their goal. These reforms would take many, many years to come about, but their achievements thus far were phenomenal and had a big impact on the culture of America. How to cite Law and Society Essay, Essays

Analysis of Marketing Environment of Virgin Australia

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Environment of Virgin Australia. Answer: Introduction: The main purpose of the performing the situational analysis of the Virgin Australia is to gain insight in to the product, market place, distribution trends and for this the various elements of competitions, macro environmental situation, products are exploited. Analyzing the situation of Virgin Australia would help in offering the correct product because of assessing the market rigorously (Chan, 2012). The SWOT analysis is to be performed to evaluate the situation. The analysis and investigation of the current market environment in which Virgin Australia operates is also performed. The Game change strategic plan of Virgin Australia comprised of activities that makes it different from the incumbent airline. This is essential for the company to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. The vision of the company and the objective of the strategy of game change are to make improvement in the cost margins when it comes to operating the full service airline (Virginaustralia.com, 201 6). The situational analysis of the virgin Australia is conducted using the tools of SWOT that is strength, weakness, opportunity and Threat of the airline. This would give the insight in to the business and the operation of the company (Grant, 2016). Performing the swot analysis would provide the competitive advantage over its competitors. The strength, weakness, threat and opportunity is listed as follows: Strength of Virgin Australia: Higher growth rate the company has been focused on delivering the goals and has been able to provide the sustainable returns to its shareholders. Lower labor costs- the airline company enjoys advantage when it comes to the labor costs, which is one of the strength. Domestic market- the domestic business of the company has become profitable and the local market has improved rapidly. The lower fuel price is provoking the growth in the domestic demand. Weakness of Virgin Australia: Productivity- The productivity of the airline has reduced in the recent year as the service has become more centered to the specific customers. Future profits- Opportunity: New products and services- the loyalty of the customers can be increased and the satisfaction of the customers is increased by introducing the services, which is new to the industry. Growing demand- there is a growing demand of the airline industry and this provides the company an opportunity to expand the business. Growing economy- the economy of the Australia is ever growing and it would be consistent with the growth of the company. Threats: Changing price- the company has to control the volatility of the price changes, which affects the financial statement of the company and the revenue. The volatility of the price is a threat to the company. Growing competition- the virgin Australia is not core to the international business and the business was internationally unprofitable. The threat comes from the other airlines such as Qantas. Increasing cost of raw material- the cost base of the virgin Australia has increased and this has resulted from the transformation and the move up of the market has naturally added up the costs. The performing of the SWOT analysis would help in depicting the environmental factors and this would help in identifying the areas of strategizing using different methods. The poor profit is a current concern for Virgin Australia and the company has taken a narrow scope of the view of its business opportunities. This is due to the service squeeze and the price issues that come from its competitors. The dual focus of maintain the cost and the differentiation strategy has led the company to gain popularity. The company intends to expand the portfolio of its existing product rather than adding the product. However, the main thrust of the strategy is to explore the new market where it would have a brand name and help in creating the competitive advantage (GRIN - Virgin Australia: Situation analysis of the Game Change strategic plan Grin.com. 2016). The internal environmental analysis of the Virgin Australia is depicted with value chain diagram. Environmental analysis of Virgin Australia Source: (created by author) The virgin Australia has a competitive advantage in the human resource management and this is mainly in regard with the training and recruitment of the customer facing staff. One of the untapped advantages of the company is in area of Brand promotion. The area of advertising and promotion would act as strength for the Virgin in the future. In respect of the yield management, the competitive disadvantage is the most significant for the company (Farabi, 2012). The virgin Australia has an advantage when it comes to servicing the customers and this happens through the lowering of the costs and it is with the help of electronic booking and the other measures. However, the company is lagging in its ability to maximize the savings of the fuel as this would lead to the short-term competitive advantage to the company. The capability of the company delivering the great product has made it secured and is a regular winner for the award of the customer service. Some of the cost reduction strategies are fitting with the context of the companys target of saving and making the use of fuel efficiently (Grant, 2016). The strategy of eliminating the routes, which are not efficient. Usage of the technology to improve the lounges for check in. The strategy to rationalize and redeploy the staffs is the ways of managing the human resource, which is consistent with the ongoing strength as depicted by the value chain. The company strategies to make the check in system online and automated (Hubbard et al., 2014). The main problem of the Virgin Australia is the marketing problem and this calls for the market to be sensitive to the female, male and the leisure travelers. Some of the marketing styles needs to be avoided by the Virgin are not using the predominantly female personal assistant and the gatekeepers. In this context, the company has followed the strategy of promoting the brand through the platform of social media and the word of mouth. Reference: Chan, K. M. (2012). Virgin Australia: Situation analysis of the Game Changestrategic plan. Farabi, Y. (2012).Analysis of Marketing Environment of Virgin Australia. GRIN Verlag. Grant, R. M. (2016).Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley Sons. GRIN - Virgin Australia: Situation analysis of the Game Change strategic plan. .Grin.com. 2016 Retrieved 23 August 2016, from https://www.grin.com/en/e-book/209340/virgin-australia-situation-analysis-of-the-game-change-strategic-plan Hubbard, G., Rice, J., Galvin, P. (2014).Strategic management. Pearson Australia. Virginaustralia.com.(2016) Retrieved 23 August 2016, from https://www.virginaustralia.com/cs/groups/internetcontent/@wc/documents/webcontent/~edisp/annual-report-2015.pdf