Take a Deep Breath . . .
Jane Anger's
Protection, is a strong piece that I found to be so over done there were times I thought it to be a satire. I know Anger is advocating female sexual autonomy and criticizing men for their deceptions but I felt it was rather harsh. Perhaps this was written after a bad relationship and Anger was emotionally charged while writing the piece. I cannot agree with the binary she presents; man bad/woman good: "We are contrary to men because they are contrary to that which is good." Bad and good can be found in both men and women, men do not hold a patent on bad behaviour.
Anger argues that men have ulterior motives if they flatter a woman or court her: "Their fawning is but flattery; their faith, falsehood; their fair words, allurements to destruction; and their large promises, tokens of death or of evils worse than death. Their singing is a bait to catch us; and their playings, plagues to torment us." She takes this criticism one step further and attrributes "three accidents to men, which of all are most inseparable: Lust, Deceit, and malice." At this point I'm wondering what horrible thing was done to this woman. The name, Anger, if this is indeed her name, suits her perfectly.
This piece is so emotionally charged with anger that I had to stop in the middle of my reading to take a deep breath and try to look at this for what it is, a piece of writing that clearly indicates the frustration felt by women looking for respect and sexual autonomy.
Playing the Gender Card
While I read the speeches of Elizabeth I, it became evident that Elizabeth had a clear sense of her self and what her needs and duties were. In the speeches she conveyed to her subjects that their welfare was more important to her than her own. This indicated to her followers that she put her duties first. Being aware of the importance of the duties of a monarch, Elizabeth spoke of the need to secure a successor. Her subjects wanted her to marry in order to have an heir to the throne. Elizabeth had other ideas and had to play her cards carefully to stay in favor with her subjects.
Elizabeth had to convey to her subjects she was the one running the show and she did this by using the social constructs familiar to them. She points out, although nature made her a woman and therefore the weaker sex, divine right has made her a "prince," someone endowed with a masculine persona whose fucntion is to command, not obey. By bringing God into the equation, her subjects could not disagree. At the same time, Elizabeth knew she had to show a nurturing side and stressed her main concern is for her subjects, who are her charges and in some sense her children. By presenting this duality, Elizabeth can be everything her subjects desire.
Elizabeth was a strong willed woman and knew what she wanted. She had a plan for herself and did not waiver in her beliefs. Even when she was being pressured to marry, she found a way around it that was accepted by most. She knew when to present herself as a feminine, nurturing, queen and when to be a commanding, masculine, ruler. Even in her writing she shifts from the titles of prince, queen, and king when needed. Elizabeth knew how to play her cards right and had a good grip on "the master's tools."
Devoted to the End
Woodcut, The Death of Anne Askew (1563)
After reading about Anne Askew I found myself sitting in awe of her commitment to her faith and to 
her friend, Katherine Parr. By holding to her beliefs and not betraying a friend, Anne Askew puts herself in jeopardy but continues to stand by her convictions. Because she does not conform to the Catholic doctrine, she has the dubious distinction of being the only woman on record to have been tortured in the Tower of London, before being burned at the stake. Even when faced with torture and death, Anne Askew manages to get her message out. In Examinations she defies the constraints of gender and hierarchy, and attempts to expose patriarchal insecurity surrounding female involvement in traditionally male religious subjects.It is interesting to note that Askew had tried using "the Master's tools" when she petitioned for a divorce on religious grounds and cited
1 Corinthians: 7.15 as proof. As we have learned, "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House."
Women and Scripture in the Middle Ages
There are among us women whom we have no idea what to call, ordinary women or nuns, because they live neither in the world nor out of it.
- Franciscan Friar Gilbert of Tournai, 1274
The readings this week were a real eye opener for me. I was totally captivated by the story of Julian of Norwich. Her strength and faith is amazing. She found a way to express her beliefs and share her visions in a world that considered women subordinate to men, emotional, inferior, and even dangerously seductive. The church believed women were to blame for all sin bec
ause of Eve. The priests preached fire and brimstone while Julian of Norwich chose to offer an antidote to the pervasive fear of sin and death and damnation. With her visions and radical ideas, it is amazing Julian of Norwich was not considerd a witch. Unfortunately, many women of the time were killed because the church believed them to be witches. If a woman happened to own property, live alone, have knowledge of herbal medicines, spoke out, or was ugly then she could be called a witch. The church was concerned with women who were too wise and thought them to be "in league with the Devil." Any woman brave enough to challenge authority or try to exercise their free will was considered a threat and called a witch because of their beliefs. Witch-hunts continued for centuries and whenever there was social or political upheaval, the number of people accused of being a witch increased. The infamous Salem Witch Trials are the most well known witch-hunts even though the loss of lives was much greater in the Middle Ages.
Sounds of Sorrow
The Wife's Lament is a haunting piece of work that caused me to pause and wonder about the narrator and her husband.
How did they get together if they were from different communities? Travel at the time was very difficult. Was this an arranged marriage? Was the wife "gifted" to the husband? Why is the community so hostile toward her? Was the husband hostile toward her as well? The narrator notes, "A young man must be stern, hard-of-heart," so one could argue she has been witness to these behaviors. Where is the husband and why can't he be with his wife? Why does the narrator shift from calling her husband "my lord" to "my man," and then to "my friend?"
The narrator's grief may not be for her husband alone. When we consider a
lament is a song or poem expressing grief or regret, one may come to the conclusion the narrator is regretting her whole life, not just grieving for a lost love. The wife feels her lament deserves to be told in song as she is not only exiled from her husband, she is also separated her own family, doomed to live in poverty in the woods surrounded by hostile neighbours, and faces old age alone.
This poem clearly illustrates how alone the wife feels. She has no friends, no family, no husband, and no "joyful" home. The sad truth is many women at this time were extremely lonely. They did not have any identity of their own and were not permitted the freedom to "do their own thing." Quite often the men were off on a crusade and the women were left alone, waiting. It saddens me to think of all the women singing their songs of lament and no one there to hear them.
Ms Independence
After reading excerpts from The Book of the City of Ladies, it is easy to see why scholars view Christine de Pizan as the originator of the feminist movement. In this work Pizan gives examples of women leading noble lives and contributing to society in the roles traditionally done by men. There is also a didactic exchange in the book; Reason, Rectitude, and Justice discuss the idea of women being educated the same as men and wonder why men feel women should not be educated. Discussions continue on the topics of rape as a crime, women being natural learners, and women's talent for government. This is radical thinking for the 15th century.
The question of whether to educate women carried on for hundreds of years and was still being questioned in the Victorian Age. One can see a society similar to The City of Ladies in Tennyson's, The Princess. The princess of the title has been betrothed to a prince but chooses not to marry him and sets up a university for women only, where no males are allowed within the walled community. This poem was not well received by the Victorians and Tennyson chose not to defend it and one of his friends notes: "He talked of The Princess with something of regret, of its fine blank verse, and the many good things in it: 'but,' said he, 'though truly original, it is, after all, only a medley'." One may argue the "truly original" part since there are echoes of Christine de Pizan to be found throughout. It is truly unfortunate Tennyson did not defend his work as in the 1840s, he is reported as saying: The two great social questions impending in England were 'the education of the poor man before making him our master, and the higher education of women'." He may not have defended his work but one must give him credit for exploring some of the injustices women suffered.
Same rhetoric, different century
After reading
The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women by
John Knox I felt totally spent. Reading through this “Blast” was a trying experience. I could only imagine the multitude of women being silenced, held back, and punished if they tried to escape their “bondage to man.”
This treatise is said to be an attack on
Queen Mary but I feel Knox is expressing his views on all women. In the document, Knox repeatedly refers to women as “wicked,” and “monstiferous.” He continues his attack by pointing out “not
able faults” of women and even declares they are “weak, frail, impatient, feeble, and foolish,” and if that isn’t enough, he states “experience has declared them to be inconstant, variable, cruel, lacking the spirit of counsel and regiment.” All this because he wants to prove “women should not bear rule over men.” Knox even goes so far as to argue that women shouldn’t even have thoughts of ruling over men: “woman ought never to pretend nor thirst for that power and authority which are due to man,” and if they dare to have such unnatural thoughts then they should be “repressed and bridled.” What happened to the freewill that God has given us all? I don’t believe He was only passing it out to the fellas that day.
It is interesting to note that even today the same arguments are being used to stop women from becoming more actively involved in the Catholic Church.
Reverend Raymond de Souza uses the old argument, “the bible tells me so,” and states, “Had [Jesus] wanted to ordain women, he would have.” Thankfully, there are plenty of
arguments out there that
support the women who
challenge this old argument.
As for women who want to rule over men, Mr. Knox is surely turning over in his grave when he sees the number of
current female world leaders and
heads of state. Rule on ladies.
Something We Can All Relate to
http://cartoonbox.slate.com
Finding a Voice
This blog will be used in my English 3621: Women's Writing I class to share my thoughts, questions and general rants. While taking this class I hope to be able to share some of my insights on the assigned readings and look forward to reading your comments.One of the areas I am looking forward to exploring is the way "women claimed a public voice." It must have been quite a challenge for women to have their voices heard and to be respected for their work. Even when the public warmed to the idea, women had their share of critics:
"America is now wholly given over to a d - - - d mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash - - and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed."
Nathanial Hawthorne, 1855
For the women out there looking to find their voice, I have provided a picture of the goddess
Saraswati as she is the embodiment of speech and is pre-eminently associated with the best in human culture: poetry, literature, sacred rituals, and rational communication between individuals. May Saraswati help you in your literary journey and I look forward to meeting you all in class.
And as for Mr. Hawthorne, shame on you in deed.
