Critiquing the Oppression and Persecution Experienced by Women - Essay Example

?Jeff Shalan ENG 210 8 May Comparative Analysis of Injustices in Different Societies: Critiquing the Oppression and Persecution Experienced by Women Women have been traditionally positioned at the margins of the society and culture of male-dominated environments such as in Arabic, Muslim countries and in Mexico, to name a few. Patriarchal systems in the above said societies and culture have long denied women of having an appropriate role in the nation building as well as in entering and assuming a public position (Schneider 1). In the past few decades, feminist discourses have emerged in several countries that have aimed to establish and strengthen women’s rights. Its utmost intention is to enlighten and empower women among the said cultures and slowly and effectively a social revolution (WWICS 135). In this paper, the works of two feminist activists will be analyzed in view of their critiques on the oppression and persecution that are suffered by women who do not conform to the narrow roles which are prescribed by the patriarch system in their respective places. Nawal El Saadawi is a feminist writer and activist that have written several books about women in Islam, focusing primarily on the practices and traditions of the Islamic culture and religion towards women (Saadawi). For the purpose of this analysis, Nawal El Saadawi’s “In Camera”, which is part of the collection of stories in the book Death of an Ex-Minister will be reflected upon. The other feminist writer that we will be studied is Sandra Cisneros. Cisneros’ works are based on the Mexican culture, focusing on the social role of women and their relationships with men and with other women as well. Sandra Cisneros’ “Eyes of Zapata” is part of the book Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories that was published in 1991 (Cisneros). The stories of Saadawi and Cisneros were specifically chosen for the comparative analysis since each narrative had exposed, reflected, and critiqued the injustices that women were subjected to. Saadawi’s “In Camera” reflects on the oppression of women in the Islamic religion and culture. The Qur’an defines the complex relationship of women and Islam, which can be the roots of the injustices that are experienced by women when taken in a different context (WWICS 6). Most of the feminist undertakings in the past decades had considered issues that were specific of the society’s history and culture, with the attempts of addressing issues of sexual, racial, class, and national differences. However, issues that pertain to religion have not yet been explored. Cisneros’ “Eyes of Zapata” reflected on the social phenomena that existed in the Latin America such as machismo and marianismo (Schneider 1). In the society and culture of Mexico, women were viewed as a source of evil wherein they are associated with betrayal. The story had also exposed that women were blamed for any mischief and were confined to subordinates of men, living a life of silence and as an inferior other that is bounded at the margin of society. Though throughout the history, few women have attempted to break away from the patriarchal environment and the social laws that were imposed on them regardless of the cultural and social attributions associated with femininity. In addition, the Mexican Civil Code had further restricted women’s rights both at home and at work. The code sustained the inequality of the conditions of husband and wife, with the restrictions that were somehow exaggerated and arbitrary (2). “In Camera” and “Eyes of Zapata” both exposed the cultural practices and traditions of the Arab-Islamic and the Mexican society, respectively. Although, the protagonist the story “In Camera” had shown her courage to fight for what she believes that amidst the hardships and struggles that came as a result of strong will. Whereas the protagonist in the story “Eyes of Zapata” had depicted a woman who remained submissive to his man amidst the romantic death that is caused her in her quest for raising a family. In the story “In Camera”, Saadawi depicts the reality that Muslim women are still considered inferior to men. Instances wherein women attempt to make a voice in society have often resulted to adverse repercussions wherein these women were tortured and beaten up by men. Up until today, there are still large groups of women that are silent and agree to accept the tortures that they encounter (Mahmood 3). The story revolves around the life of a woman who was being constantly tortured and kept in prison because of her desire to stand up against the corrupt government and society that she lives in. This exposes the condition that the women of the Arabic, Islam religion are being forced to remain silent and to never claim their rights. Events have also suggested that even if the women try to do the above said actions, they will be tortured to an extent that they will finally give up. It also creates fear among other women, seeing the repercussions of defying the patriarchal system. El Saadawi also depicts her feelings against the horrible ritual of women genital cutting and the fight for woman rights is this passage of the story: One of them, lying on top of her, had said: This is the way we torture you women – by depriving you of the most valuable thing you posses. Her body under him was cold as a corpse but she had managed to open her mouth and say to him: You fool! The most valuable thins I possess is not between my legs. You’re all stupid. And the most stupid among you is the one who leads you (El Saadawi 3007). This also implies El Saadawi’s strong criticism towards the leaders of the society. Works of El Saadawi are highly regarded by other societies and the same time persecuted by most Muslim societies. “In Camera” provides readers with an emphatic view of the reality and the world that Arab-Islamic women live in. Every member of the society enjoys the world of freedom and equality, but the women in Arab-Islamic societies do not, they are completely oppressed by their men and can be subjected to immense suffering if they dare to speak up for themselves. “Eyes of Zapata” depicts the condition of a woman that is willing to settle for a small fraction of the affection of her husband’s heart, without demanding more devotion, respect, integrity from her man. The oppression experienced by women in the story becomes worse as they are fully aware that their husband is also the husband and father to several women and children. The story also showed that there was no feeling of obligation in the part of the man to conceal the existence of his multiple wives (Garcia 5). Violence has also been a major issue in the Mexican society. Their men were free to philander about, with the freedom from the responsibilities of it. These men can even impregnate whoever they please. On the rare occasions that a woman expresses her sexuality freely, it is taken as an offence by the men around her and she is brutally murdered. Not only that the woman was murdered but her perpetrators have even left her in the field as example to others. As the line in the story which clearly depicts the injustices on women says that: braids undone, a man's sombrero tipped on her head, a cigar in her mouth, as if to say, this is what we do to women who try to act like men (Crisneros 111). The protagonist of the story had also been constantly suffering from being abandoned by Zapata. Her efforts was said to be associated with her desire to build her own family regardless of the hardships that they have experienced such as disease and poverty. In the end, after Zapata was assassinated, she remained clinging to her unaccomplished aspirations. “In Camera” critiqued the violence that Arab-Islamic men inflict to women on their attempt to speak out their feelings and ideas. Similarly, “Eyes of Zapata” showed instances wherein Mexican men savagely murdered a woman just because she shared her feelings of sexuality to men. The protagonist in the story “In Camera” can be described as a woman who explicitly shows her resentment and disappointment to the public. It can be said that she makes a statement that women are not dependent to men and that these men do not hold the most important thing for a woman. On the contrary, “Eyes of Zapata” in a way showed a protagonist that was expressing her dependence with his man and allowing him to be subject her to the hardships and suffering with the thought that his husband betrays by having several wives. Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. “Eyes of Zapata.” (1954). Cambridge: Proquest Information and Learning. 2002. Web. 5 May 2012 Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. New York: Random House. 1991. Print. El Saadawi, Nawal. “In Camera”. Death of an Ex-Minister, (1987): 75. Translated by Shirley Eber. Print. Garcia, Alma M. “The Development of Chicana Feminist Discourse, 1970-1980.” Gender and Society, 3.2 (1989): 217-238. Web. 6 May 2012. Mahmood, Saba. “Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival. Cultural Anthropology, 16.2 (2001): 202-236. Web. 6 May 2012. Sheider, Julia Maria. “Recreating the Image of Women in Mexico: A Genealogy of Resistance in Mexican Narrative Set during the Revolution.” Louisiana State University. 2010. Web. 6 May 2012. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Middle Eastern Women on the Move. 2003. Web. 5 May 2012. . Read More