The Sexuality Of The Victorian Century - 927 Words

In modern day America and many other countries, it is common for women to express their sexuality. Trends such as crop tops and high-waisted shorts have allowed this to be acceptable to society. During the 19th century Victorian era, behaviors like such would be outrageous and horrifying. In that time, sexuality was especially feared. Women were viewed as domestic goddesses; their only desire was to care for the family and fulfill their husband’s needs. It became quite common that women came to also have anxiety over their sexuality. This is clearly seen in Dracula through Lucy’s diary entries. Despite her ultimate transformation into a sensual character, she begins as a woman hiding her sexual cravings. In his gothic novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker uses the title character to expose the repressed sexuality of the other characters, especially the females, criticizing the beliefs of the Victorian Era about woman as sexless figures. Throughout the novel, Lucy and Mina embark on a transformation from ideal Victorian woman to vampires. This represents them crossing the line between conservative women to sexual beings. Even in Lucy’s most domestic state, she expresses a desire for sex. In one day, Lucy is proposed to by three different men. Overjoyed by these proposals she states, â€Å"Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble? But this is heresy, and I must not say it† (Stoker 80). Essentially, Lucy is stating that she would like toShow MoreRelatedFemale Sexuality Within Charlotte Bronte s Jane Eyre1689 Words   |  7 PagesBrontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre sets a strong example of female sexuality in the Victorian era. The title character confronts herself with her feelings for Mr. Rochester and her growing throughout the novel. She eventually finds the courage to embrace herself as she is. Jane’s independent mind and nature contradict the grain of Victorian society. She defies historical notions of female sexuality and Victorian codes and rules on sexuality. Brontà « reimagines the Victorian notion of marriage as she emphasizes Jane’s educationRead More The Sexual Expression of Women in Thomas Hardys Writing Essay556 Words   |  3 PagesThe Sexual Expression of Women in Thomas Hardys Writing The nineteenth-century woman was defined by her adherence to submission and resistance to sexuality. She was portrayed by most writers as a naive, accepting figure with strong concerns about living up to the prescribed societal ideals for a respectable woman. The women in Jane Austens novels offer a clear representation of the nineteenth-century woman. Austen refuses these women any sexual expression and focuses more upon their concernRead More Sexuality in Aubrey Beardsleys Story of Venus and Tannhà ¤user925 Words   |  4 PagesSexuality in Aubrey Beardsleys Story of Venus and Tannhà ¤user Aubrey Beardsley wrote The Story of Venus and Tannhà ¤user during the fin de sià ¨cle, the end of the Victorian Era. This decadent work, following Baudelaires credo art for arts sake first of all, portrays sex and sexualities in a playful manner. In addition to mocking conventional Victorian moral codes, and parodying pornographic conventions, The Story of Venus and Tannhà ¤user also supports Foucaults idea that the Victorian EraRead More The Oppressed Female in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre886 Words   |  4 PagesThe Oppressed Female in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontà « clearly demonstrates the relationship between sexuality and morality in Victorian society through the character of Bertha Mason, the daughter of a West Indian planter and Rochesters first wife. Rochester recklessly married Bertha in his youth, and when it was discovered shortly after the marriage that Bertha was sexually promiscuous, Rochester locked her away. Bertha is called a maniac and isRead MoreThe Victorian And Post World War I1590 Words   |  7 Pagesdivision between the two identities of the man and the woman permeated through the Victorian era and developed a template for prospective gender constructs. The Victorian woman, expected to preserve purity and domesticity, was portrayed with a repressed sexuality. Passive characterization supported the duty of child bearing as the female destiny and molded their identities into subordinate ones. At the turn of the 20th century in Great Britain, women began to partake in c onventionally male pursuits andRead MoreDracula964 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Rowatt 1 Paper # 2 Sexuality in Victorian Time ENGL 1101 JOHN BRIDGES September 30th, 2013 Rowatt 2 Innocence, chastity, purity, and married life are just a few things that made up the ‘image’ of the nineteenth century Victorian woman. During this time, it was greatly looked down upon if a woman chose to stay single, as she would be pitied and dubbed a â€Å"whore†. Lucy Westenra is one of the main characters in the novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker. Lucy is a beautifulRead MoreThe Idea Of Gender Roles In Dracula By Bram Stoker1290 Words   |  6 Pagesor desirable by societies mean. Dracula, a 1897 gothic fiction novel written by Bram Stoker explores the idea of gender roles in the victorian era perfectly. Stoker refutes the idea of gender rules through his characters by their representation of the ideal women, sexuality, and their normalization in changes of gender roles. Dracula takes place in the 19th century in which women had very narrow gender roles and contrasted largely with the men of the time, Stoker revokes this idea in Dracula throughRead MoreRelationship Between Sex And Power955 Words   |  4 Pagesof Sexuality, in which he examines the emergence of sexuality as a discursive object and separate sphere of life. According to Foucault, the idea that everyone has a sexuality is relatively a recent development in the West. In Volume 1, Foucault discusses the relationship between sex and power in a historical context. He states that the ways in which humans think about sexuality is primarily shaped by the repressive hypothesis, which claims that Western society had suppressed sexuality fromRead MoreWolffs Analysis of Chopins The Awakening647 Words   |  3 PagesWolff’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening In her essay Un-Utterable Longing: The Discourse of Feminine Sexuality in Kate Chopins The Awakening, Cynthia Griffin Wolff creates what Ross Murfin describes as a critical whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. (376) By employing a variety of critical approaches (including feminist, gender, cultural, new historicism, psychoanalytic and deconstruction) Wolff offers the reader a more complete (albeit complex) explanation of Edna PontelliersRead MoreWomen s Gender And Gender Roles955 Words   |  4 Pagesvery structure of Victorian marriages relied on women s passionlessness because it supported women s demure and respectable nature in society, while also keeping men under control and containing sexuality to the home (Kushner, 9/25/15). The concept of respectability not only shaped how women and men acted in both sexual and non sexual ways but outlined the ways proper marriages ought to function. In order to understand the re-rise to conservatism in the mid- twentieth century post-war America

Euthanasia - Assisted Suicide Or Assisted Dying - 2174 Words

The terms euthanasia, assisted suicide or assisted dying denotes the intentional killing of a person suffering from an incurable disorder and originates from Greek words Eu (good) and Thanatos death. Dowbiggin, (2003) states that pre-Christian societies tolerated suicide, abortions and ‘active’ euthanasia, the death of a person from fatal medications given by a second person. However, not all society was so tolerant of such practices, according to Mcphearson (2015), Hippocrates and his followers took an oath to do no harm to their patients, which included the prohibition of giving a deadly drug to patients. Today, the medical world considers Hippocrates as the father of ethical medicine and as such the Hippocratic oath remains the ethical foundation of current medical practice (ibid). Baker (2006) suggests that ethical knowledge was enhanced in the 17th century when Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor, created a new deathbed role for physicians offering outward euthanasia, a pain free death for the dying body, in direct response to the clergy s disregard of scientific knowledge. It can be theorised that in creating this role, Bacon had empowered physicians to show beneficence, towards the dying. Paulus (2009) suggests that many regard beneficence, to do good for others, as basic principle of 21st century Palliative Care. Indeed, Together for Short Lives (2016) defines Palliative Care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, as a holistic approach toShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia Essay : Euthanasia And Euthanasia863 Words   |  4 PagesThis is why Euthanasia is important and summarizing the research that I found on Euthanasia. Euthanasia is important because there is a lot of arguments about Euthanasia. Some people support it and some people do not support Euthanasia (Euthanasia and assisted suicide- Arguments). Euthanasia allows people to be free from physical pain. It is the hastening of death of a patient to prevent further suffe rings (Euthanasia Revisited). The religious argument states God chooses when human life ends. EuthanasiaRead MoreAssisted Death And Voluntary Euthanasia1586 Words   |  7 PagesTO ALLOW ‘ASSISTED DYING’ FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL? To begin with, assisted dying remains highly topical and debated, both in the public and medical arena. Assisted death, incorporates both physician assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. It gives the freedom to a terminally ill person or a mentally competent adult, to choose on their own free will and after meeting strict legal safeguards, takes prescribed medication which will end their life in dying. There are two types of Euthanasia. InvoluntaryRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide : Should It Be Legal Or Banned Essay768 Words   |  4 PagesPhysician-Assisted Suicide: should it be legal or banned According to s. 241 (b) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, it is a crime in Canada to assist a person to end his own life. People who are grievously and irremediably ill can not seek physician-assisted suicide in dying and may be condemned to a life of intolerable suffering. This bill makes the patients lose the right of independent choice and brings more pain to their families. It is no doubt that the legalization of physician-assisted death andRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide And Voluntary Euthanasia1348 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia is still under scrutiny for a number of reasons. â€Å"In spring, 1996, the Ninth and Second Circuits were the first circuit courts in the country to find a constitutional prohibition against laws which make physician-assisted suicide a crime† (Martyn Bourguignon, 1997). New York was one of the states that followed this prohibition. Eventually, The Ninth and Second Circuit, â€Å"allow physician-a ssisted suicide while attempting to protect individuals fromRead More Euthanasia Essay: Assisted Suicide is Wrong1114 Words   |  5 PagesAssisted Suicide is Wrong      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Saskatchewan farmer, Robert Latimer, was sentenced to life in prison last year for the 1993 second-degree murder of his severely disabled daughter, Tracy. He asphyxiated her with exhaust from his pick-up (Heinrich).    Assisted Suicide is somewhat related to Euthanasia. The word Euthanasia comes from the Greek language: eu meaning good and thanatos meaning death. The meaning of the word has evolved from good death . It now refers to the act ofRead MoreEuthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide1629 Words   |  7 Pagesproblems, assisted suicide creates options to reduce the amount of suffering the patient must enduring. Dying with dignity could be beneficial for not only the person who is dying, but also the person’s family and loved ones. This option, however, is often viewed as unethical and immoral throughout society. Physician-assisted suicide offers an option for those with health issues but poses various ethical and social issues. Assisted death is practiced in two different ways: euthanasia and physician-assistedRead More Euthanasia Essay1459 Words   |  6 PagesWhen a person commits an act of euthanasia, he/she brings about the death of another person because he/she believes that the latter’s present existence is so bad that he/she would be better off dead. The word euthanasia originated from the Greek language: eu means â€Å"good† and thanatos means â€Å"death†. The meaning of euthanasia is â€Å"the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who dies† (Religious Tolerance). However, euthanasia has many different meanings, whichRead MoreAssisted Suicide And The Euthanasia Movement1273 Words   |  6 PagesAssisted Suicide Imagine being in enough excruciating pain for a long enough time and deciding that even dying would be better. Assisted suicide is affecting more people around the world every day; either under agreeable or disagreeable terms, depending on each person’s opinion. What is assisted suicide and why is controversy over this topic still here after at least 1,500 years of existence (A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America)? There are many factors to consider whenRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Euthanasia715 Words   |  3 PagesEuthanasia (Physician-Assisted Suicide) Euthanasia has been around for a long time. In 1990 every state had laws that made assisting suicide a felony. Assisted suicide been in the news since the 1990s. A supporter of euthanasia Dr. Jack Kevorkian played an important role in more than 100 suicides before he was charged with murder. In Oregon voters passed the death with dignity act in 1994, but a lawsuit blocked its enforcement until 1997, when it went into effect. The consideration of potentialRead MoreThe Debate Surrounding Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay1673 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide is the practice in which a doctor prescribes a terminally ill patient with a lethal medication as a form of active, voluntary euthanasia. These patients, rather than suffer slowly and painfully, often request this procedure as a means of experiencing a more â€Å"dignified† death. The debate surrounding this issue is a heated one, especially among the general public whose attitudes are deeply influenced by t he level of patient pain and discomfort (Frileux et al. 334). At the

Art Of The Ancient Greeks, Romans And Christians Essay Example For Students

Art Of The Ancient Greeks, Romans And Christians Essay Classical Greek Art is characterized by the emerging need among artists to imitate and perfect the ideal human form through idealized naturalism. The Classical period is marked by the introduction of the contrapposto position first seen in the Kritios Boy (ca 480 BC). The function of sculptures during this period was mostly to glorify gods and athletes usually depicted as male nudes. One of the most renowned sculptures of an athlete from that period is Polykleitos Doryphoros a bronze original (ca 450 BC) that now only exists in marble copies. Polykleitos made it to serve as a standardization for future sculptures. He intended to perfect the human being using the contrapposto pose as well as measuring the body to be able to fit eight heads stacked on top of each other as the dimensions of the ideal. The flexed limbs and the relaxed limbs oppose each other diagonally, with right arm and left leg relaxed while left arm and right leg are ready for action. The head is turned in opposite direction of the slight twist of the hips and is a much more natural pose for a human than the stiff awkward poses of Ancient Egyptian Art. Classical Greek art also had innovations in bronze. While The Hellenistic period of Greek Art still utilized naturalism in its art, it began to move away from idealism and started to lean more towards realism. As artists gained more freedom to explore social realism they started to create sculptures and art depicted the old, the poor and the suffering. The Old Market Woman (ca 150 BCE) depicts an old woman bringing chickens and a basket of fruits and vegetables to sell in the market. Shes bent over with exhaustion and a broken spirit. She is wrinkled and very realistic. Her drapery responds to gravity and her chest bones are visible at the top of her skinny body. Another classical Hellenistic piece is Athanadoros, Hagesandros and Polydoros of Rhodes Laoco? Â ¶n and his sons (ca 1st century BCE). Laco? Â ¶n was a priest in Troy and warned everyone of Greeks bearing gifts, of course no one believed him and he was punished by the gods for his attempt at thwarting the Greeks. Although Laco? Â ¶n is indeed in a naturalized idealistic form, his face displays so much agony and anguish as he appears to be screaming in pain while struggling to free himself of the serpents. His hair seems soft and natural and his face embodies so much agony. His muscles are flexing exactly where they should be with veins popping out on his arms as he struggles to pull serpents off of his body. Artists during the Hellenistic period were very aware of how their subjects interacted with their environment. The sculpture of Nike on a Warship (Nike of Samothrace ca 190 BCE) depicts the goddess Nike with elaborate wings and wind attacking her drapery. Her garments appear to subtly stick to her body because of the water and whip wildly in the wind. The piece was displayed in the upper basin of a two-tiered fountain with the statue reflecting in the water to create the effect of lightness and movement. Hellenistic Art rejected Polykleitos standardization of perfection in measurement and idealism and instead created very real, very emotive statues that interact with their environment. Roman architectural style originated from a combination of Greek and Etruscan but evolved into a style of its own. Among other innovations, Rome gave the world concrete, vaulting, roads, aqueducts and arches. The Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia (late 2nd Century BCE) utilizes axial planning like the Greeks but it also uses arches and a new material: concrete, to create this elaborate terraced structure. The arches allow for higher ceilings and more free space. It eliminates the need for columns by delivering the weight to the buttressed sides in a lateral thrust. By using concrete, material was less expensive and more readily available as opposed to transporting marble and other materials across the empire. As the empire expanded, so too did its need for elaborate structures to exemplify and remind its people of its success. An Analysis of Michael Fried’s Art and Objecthood EssayAlthough thought to have been physically weak in real life, Augustus is depicted with killer biceps and amazing Pecs in idealized naturalism. His drapery responds to gravity and his breastplate is elaborate, complete with symbolism as well as an agenda. The purpose of the sculpture is to demonstrate the military power of Augustus (after all, he is displayed as a general), display his lineage, introduce a golden age in Rome and return to the Greek Classical period in art. The sculpture is based closely on Polykleitos Doryphoros (quote from text book) with the shape and features of the head emulating that style. Augustus has cupid riding a dolphin at his feet to proclaim his divine ancestry and his familys connection with Venus. With his right arm raised as if addressing the people, Augustus is attempting to be portrayed as an orator and a diplomat, and his breastplate has Atlas on it. Every part of this statue has an agenda as was the case for Roman Republican Art. As the patrons in almost all cases were men from distinguished families with an agenda of immortalizing their lineage, wisdom and other romanticized attribute, the faces were often displayed with every unflattering detail and bodies were youthful and idealized. Frightened by persecution, early Christian Art was abstract and vague in order to hide and protect the beliefs and ideas of (as well as) the artists, patrons and audience themselves. As Christians werent allowed to practice publicly or be buried inside of Roman walls, art was often reserved for catacombs. Pope Gregory stated that art should be instructional as well as faithful, but the persecution of the time dictated that it too must be ambiguous. Artists often used seemingly vague symbols like lambs and doves. After the Edict of Milan however, Christianity became acceptable and eventually spread across the Roman Empire. The Emperor Constantine decided to make it the official religion of the empire and commissioned a monumental church: Old St. Peters Church. Built on top of what is believed to be St. Peters burial site, this church once could house 3,000 to 4,000 worshippers. The exterior wasnt elaborate like the pagan temples but its interior had frescoes and mosaics, marble columns, chandeliers and gold and silver vessels on jeweled altar cloths for use in the Mass. Christian churches rejected the designs that governed the Greco-Roman temples not only because they were pagan but also because of practical purposes. All pagan rituals took place outside but the Christians needed a building that could accommodate large numbers of people for congregation. Christian churches had 6 parts: the nave, aisles, apse, transept, narthex and atrium. They were usually built with axial planning and gathered most of its light from clear story windows. Churches evolved into monumental and elaborate structures equaling or outdoing the pagan temples before them.