The protagonist Celie is diminished and isolated by the men in her lives, first by her father and later by her husband, Mr.________. ... The term "patriarchy" can be defined as "the rule of the father, including the rule of older men over younger men and of fathers over daughters, as well as husbands over wives."7 In the beginning of the novel, fourteen year-old Celie is sexually abused by the person who she believes to be her father. ... For Celie, her father is the first man who controls her life in any aspect. ... Being robbed of her innocence, Celie becomes the sexual substitut...

• Word Count: 3403
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School

Women Prevail in Shakespeare's Comedies William Shakespeare's writings feature many complex and timeless characters. In his plays, there are around 170 roles for women, compared to about 700 for men (Packer 117). However, strong women prevail in Shakespeare's comedies, especially Katharina in Th...

• Word Count: 2533
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Shelley was born in London in 1797, daughter of famous radical writers Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin; both of whom exemplified the ideologies of the French revolution. Shelley's mother was a pioneer feminist writer who had made her name with her revolutionary ideas opposing the patriarchal ...

• Word Count: 2624
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Gretel, not Hansel, defeated the witch; and for every clever youngster son there was a youngster daughter equally resourceful. ... Even in Rapunzel her father was caught stealing and therefore had to give up his first born, he remained blameless as he was doing it for his wife! ...

• Word Count: 3110
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Women in The Winter's Tale The winter's tale was one of Shakespeare's last plays. As a typical tragicomic, the whole play is shaped into a two-part structure. The first part is the story about Leonte's jealousy which brings the destruction to his royal family. It is completely tragic ...

• Word Count: 2824
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School