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"No one else is free while others are oppressed", states Martin L. King. It is an essential claim that women are oppressed. What is oppression? Oppression is the subjugation by one group to another group. By being oppressed you are being denied your human right to be an equal. Equality should not be an unattainable ideal that is only imagined in a far off place. Equality should be realistic and true. However, is equality just an unrealistic ideal for women in today's society? To achieve a goal of equality, oppression has to be dealt with in the way we talk, the way we live, and the way we are taught. The treatment of women in today's society is related to culture and the society we are living in. Marilyn Frye relates oppression to a birdcage. You cannot see oppression just by looking at one bar in the cage, you have to look at the whole picture. Only by taking a couple steps back can you see that oppression is in our homes and in our everyday lives. We live in a man's world, and we also live in a society of double standards. Take for example our language, this form of communication describes our values and attitudes. In language women are often oppressed in words such as: Mrs., Miss, Ms.. This form of language is a tool f
Sherry Ortner expresses that the secondary status of women in society is a true universal, a pan-cultural fact. Further, the treatment of women and their comparative power varies from culture to culture. Ortner believes that every culture oppresses women in some way, no matter what. I disagree. I feel most cultures have oppressed women in someway, however, not all of them. There are some cultures (I am sad to say in rural lands) that believe that the woman is near a God. I sympathize for Ortner's dejection in her essays, but I cannot say I understand. I feel that unless you are oppressed, than there is no way to understand what pain and suffering women have gone through. Ultimately, it must be stressed again that women are oppressed, however, to what extent has the oppression diminished. We must all agree that women have been subordinated and thought of as lower class citizens. Change in a society can be painful. But if we work together as a cohesive unit, the struggle can be fought, and goals can be achieved. For all women, only change can bring results. or ownership. If we hear the word Mrs., automatically she is married or "owned" by her husband. However, Mr. is only used in one connotation. Like Frye expresses, unless looked at from the "big picture" prospective, it is neglected. This is just o
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sherry Ortner, Joe Schmoe, Audrey Lorde, Martin King, Marilyn Frye, Miss Ms, women oppressed, , feminist movement, today's society, takes care, example language, women today's, treatment women, women today's society,
Approximate Word count = 885
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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