Gilligan

What are the differences between men and women in terms of the way they regard relationships?

Gilligan writes that men and woman determine their roles in society based upon certain factors of early childhood development. Gilligan argues that men will be more successful than woman because of their competitiveness. She claims this will be because at an early age males were involved in games with rules and girls were concerned with relationships. “Men show such readiness to adopt and celebrate a rather narrow vision of success” (Gilligan 810). Gilligan also argued that men were more dominant and independent than woman. She stated this was because men parted from their mothers unlike woman. I don’t know whether I disagree or agree with Gilligan on this issue. On a case to case basis more woman are attached to their mothers than men. But I think the masculinity comes from other factors not from being separated from their mother’s arms. As I was reading her context, I got the impression that she had a different viewpoint on feminism than the other writers in this section. She to wrote about the way women are mistreated in society, but she didn’t really suggest a solution to stop it from continuing.
This reading was very interesting and I believe some of the theories in Gilligan’s readings were poorly thought out. Although I do agree with Gilligan that if a girl was raised from an early age to be self-reliant, then she would grow up to be a strong, independent woman. I enjoyed reading Gilligan.

Works Cited

Gilligan, Carol. “Woman’s Place in Man’s life Cycle.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Ed. Lee A Jacobus.7th Ed. New York; Bedford St. Martins, 2006. Pp 801-817.

Beauvoir

In her essay Simone De Beauvoir mentions how women are seen as the “Other” human sex. In connection to that she also writes about the story of the master and the slave. The story is significant because it points out how both the slave and woman are called the “Other”, leaving man with the title “master”. The irony of the reading is how man is the master, who rules over woman, who in turn has been lowered to the level of the slave. This one, the myth of woman, sublimating an immutable aspect of the human condition-namely, the “division” of humanity into two classes of individuals- is a static myth” (Beauvoir 784). Another point Beauvoir brings up in her essay is how women are labeled in one of two ways. Man’s ignorance turns itself into a problem women must deal with. “We can see now that the myth is in large part explained by its usefulness to man. The myth of woman is a luxury”. (Beauvoir 791). Beauvoir suggested that men will benefit from the myth of woman. In the myth woman are treated as slaves, and objects to men. Beauvoir states, “For a great many woman the roads to transcendence are blocked: because they do nothing, they fail to make themselves anything.” (790). Here Beauvoir talks about how woman have not stood up for rights for so long, and today some instances still exist. People generally are afraid of talking about gender because many of them think that the talking would be the end about feminism because people think that feminism states, women are good and men are bad.


Works Cited
Beauvoir, Simone De. “Myth and Reality.” The Second Sex. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. pp781-795.

Woolf

Women were seen as property in the time of Shakespeare. During the time of Elizabeth, as Woolf writes, woman had no record of importance. Woman were not considered intelligent or of any value to the man, they were only property and used as wives for the home. “But what I find deplorable, I continued, looking about the bookshelves again, is that nothing is known about women before the eighteen century”(Woolf 768).Nothing was known about woman because they were not seen as upon as any importance to record. Woolf writes that girls were married at the age of thirteen years old. Any woman who was not illiterate was considered a witch. Husbands and fathers could beat woman without any command, and the woman were not allowed to achieve more than any man. Woolf states, “The daughter who refused to marry the gentleman of her parents’ choice was liable to be locked up, beaten and flung about the room, without any shock inflicted on public opinion” (801). The woman didn’t have any rights, and they were forced to live under the laws of man. The way woman were treated back then was horrible and very sad. Woolf states, “recognized right of man, and was practiced without shame by high as well as low.”(765). Woman were treated beyond unequal in theses times, and the feminist movement has made a big change in the way woman are treated today.


Works Cited
Woolf, Virginia. “Shakespeare’s Sister.” A Room of One’s Own. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. pp403-415.

Wollstonecraft

“But what are women to do in society? I may be asked, but to loiter with easy grace; surely you would not condemn them all to suckle fools and chronicle small beer” (Wollstonecraft 755).Mary Wollstonecraft wrote about the equality of the woman during her times in the late 1700’s. She believed that woman should be able to choose their duties. “For when they neglect domestic duties, they have it not in their own power to take the field and march and counter-march like soldiers,” (Wollstonecraft 753). Wollstonecraft believed that if woman chose to be soldiers, then they could be soldiers, as this shows equality between the men and woman. Wollstonecraft stated, “There must be equality established in society” (748). She felt that woman should be completely independent from man and that if she chose to nurse in the war than to commit to her duties at home, than she had that right. “The being who discharges the duties of its station is independent; and, speaking of woman at large, their first duty is to themselves as rational creatures, ad the next point of importance, as citizens,….(Wollstonecraft 753). As society progressed, up until now, more woman have become independent and the equality of man and woman will continue to grow as more cultures begin to accept it as a new society. Wollstonecraft wanted to express that woman could choose what is more important to them, and that back then it meant if they wanted to go to war, then they could fight with men.



Works Cited
Wollstonecraft, Mary. “Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinction Established in Society.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Lee A. Jacobs. 7th Ed. New York; Bedford St. Martins, 2006. pp 748-758.

Reich- Rich Get Richer

What are that “routine producers”? What will be their fate in the future?

The routine producers are the industry workers who are gradually being taken over by lower paid individuals and or machinery. According to Reich, their “boat” is rapidly sinking and they are always being replaced by foreign labor because money is power. “The consequence is clearest in older, heavy industries, where high-volume, standardized production continues its ineluctable move to where labor is cheapest and most accessible around the world” (Reich 421). Capitalism is constantly growing and now it has maxed out hitting its highest peak it will ever it. But industries are still run by individuals who are out to make money for themselves. The owners of those industries will move their businesses wherever their product is wanted and wherever the product can be produced cheaper. America was once one of the largest producers now we are the largest consumers as industries continue to move jobs away from American territory and bring new products back. “The most important reason for this expanding world market and increasing global demand for the symbolic and analytic insights of Americans has been the dramatic improvement in worldwide communication and transportation technologies”(Reich 431). New technologies arise but also new problems arise. Among these are the baby boomers reaching retirement ages who will need health care and retirement homes, this fact has lead to the main flood in pre med students across America, and also as individuals who went straight into the auto industry out of high school because it was such a booming industry, they are being laid off massively because capitalism has maxed out. Everyone has cars now. New products and cars need to go over seas. As the auto workers are laid off they look for low wage jobs which make the low wage level triple of what it should be, and the younger generation who has no education can not find jobs to earn money for school or other expenses. Along with these problems we face energy and fuel decisions that our generation will have to engineer new ideas for efficient ways of maintaining society.


Works Cited
Reich, Robert B. “Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Lee A. Jacobs. 7th Ed. New York; Bedford St. Martins, 2006. Pp 420-433.

Galbraith- The Position of Poverty

What is insular poverty?

“Insular poverty- that which manifests itself as an “Island” of poverty”.( Galbraith 407).Insular poverty is among a large area or community affected by a number of things. Unlike case poverty, where individuals are poor due to their own circumstances, a group of people are poor because something has affected them entirely. Galbraith suggests that the environment or social status of areas determines the poverty of generations and it continues to repeat among those generations because they can not seem to find a turning point in society to build upon. “The most important characteristic of insular poverty is forces, common to all members of the community, that restrain or prevent participation in economic life at going rates of return.” (Galbraith 408). Community’s that offer poor education have a large impact on the upcoming generations of individuals who are trying to change the insular poverty situations around them and for themselves. Insular poverty is very difficult to remove because of all the factors of the environment that play a role in keeping individuals subject to poverty. “But it remains that advance cannot improve the position of those who, by virtue of self or environment, cannot participate”. (Galbraith 409). Galbraith states that those who suffer from insular poverty cannot escape if they cannot participate in the advances suggested or given and this transition is what makes it difficult to remove insular poverty because the majority of individuals can not be changed by political means.


Works Cited
Galbraith, John Kenneth. “The Position of Poverty.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Lee A. Jacobs. 7th ed. New York; Bedford St. Martins, 2006. pp 406-413.

Marx- The Communist Manifesto

What is the economic condition of the bourgeoisie? What is the economic condition of the proletariat?

The economic condition of the bourgeoisie people was a class of modern Capitalists, who were the employers of most production wade labor. They were wealthy and owned property. They discovered new land of America giving more advantages to their markets and trades. The bourgeoisie group controlled most of the marketability in the area and made it difficult for the proletariats to survive. The proletariats did not have any knowledgeable ideas for improving productions; they could only offer their skills in labor. They supported themselves just to get by and as the bourgeoisie group created machines to replace the proletariat workers, they didn’t need them anymore. “Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of Modern Industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product”. (Marx 365). Even though the lower working class is worse in economic condition Marx suggest that in the end the Proletariat is the better class of individuals. Marx states “Though not in substance, yet in form, the struggle of the proletariat with the bourgeoisie is at first a national struggle. The Proletariat of each country must, of course, first of all settle matters with its own bourgeoisie”. (366). The laboring class must form a union within its common land and proceed to join together after settling within its own country.

Works Cited
Marx, Karl. "The Communist Manifesto." A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Trans. Samuel Moore. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. pp353-379.