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English 1100 October 10, 2016 Gender Inequality Men and women both share many qualities as well as they go through various difficult situations, however, none of them have an easier or harder life. Since gender difference and oppression is widespread and is certainly an immense problem, it is important to understand what gender difference and oppression appears like. Two essay’s, “Shakespeare’s Sister” by Virginia Woolf and “The Men We Carry in Our Minds” by Scott Russell Sander, both argue about the gender differences and oppression that exists between men and women. Virginia Woolf argues about the obstacles that women are faced with and how men rely on a women’s inferiority in order to make themselves appear to be superior. Whereas Scott Russell Sanders discusses about the problems that exist between gender and social class. Both essays portray how men and women are considered to have different roles and responsibilities in life indicated through detail, purpose and perspective in order to realize what gender difference and oppression looks like. In the essay “Shakespeare’s Sister”, the detail is very precise and indicates how a man has the privilege to become successful in life and to explore the outer world: “Very soon he got work in the theatre, became a successful actor, and lived in the hub of the universe, meeting everybody, knowing everybody, practicing his art on the boards, exercising his wits in the streets, and even getting access to the palace of the Queen” (Pg. 365). However, a woman is the opposite of that and has to be a housewife. Woolf express’s how men were considered superior and were allowed to do whatever they wished to. For example, it is shown how men do not appreciate women working in the

acting industry and therefore, they are made fun of in order to demean them: “She stood at the stage door; She wanted to act, she said. Men laughed in her face” (pg. 365). This shows how men considered women to be lower then them and that they could do whatever they wish to in order to make them feel embarrassed and worthless. Woolf displays that men and women are considered to have different roles and could not be at the same level, by the way the man behaves with the women: “He bellowed something about poodles dancing and women acting- no women, he said, could possibly be an actress” (Pg. 365). Through this quote Woolf shows that men do not accept the fact of women acting or working any job and that women cannot be at the same level as men because me are the only ones responsible to work. Woolf shows this in a very detailed and comprehensive way through the way each point is expanded. Sander’s also uses specific details in order to show the reader how men are considered superior through the roles that they play in life. It is expressed that men are more important than women because they work the hardest and are responsible for controlling everything: “Of course those men, white and black, have become for me and emblem of racial hatred. But they have also come to stand for the twin poles of my early vision of manhood- the brute toiling animal and the boss” (Pg. 330, Paragraph 11). This quote proves that men are considered to be in charge of everything because they work really hard. “Warriors and toilers: those seemed, in my boyhood vision, to be the chief destinies for men” (Pg. 331, Paragraph 15). This quote indicates that the only thing men are responsible to do in life is to work, be strong and brave, and control everything. And that is what men are destined to do in life because they are “men”. This quote also tells the reader how Sander’s is straight up to the point in portraying the lives of men through the detail used.

In “Shakespeare’s Sister” Woolf’s main purpose is to portray how women faced many inequalities by men especially because they were considered to be house wives, taking care of everything at home. Woolf indicates that women were left uneducated: “But she was not sent to school. She had no chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone reading Horace and Virgil” (Pg. 365). This proves that women were not given an education because of their gender. Woolf displays how women were also faced with abuse if they did not listen, specifically to men: “She cried out that marriage was hateful to her, and for that she was severely beaten by her father” (Pg. 365). This quote also proves that women did not get to decide when and with whom they wished to get married to since it is supposed that she did not like her marriage. This quote also shows how men would beat women if they refused to something. Sander’s expresses the main purpose of how women are shown to be responsible housewives, doing chores at home, and taking care of the children since they are ‘women’: “Women feel such pressure to be everything, do everything, I say. Career, kids, art, politics. Have their babies and get back to the office a week later…” (Pg. 329, Paragraph 6). This also proves that women are expected to do everything and also work a job. Sander’s also indicates how women tolerate abuse without saying anything: “I did not realize- because such things were never spoken ofhow often women suffered from men’s bullying” (Pg. 332). Proving that women were really scared of men and therefore, could not speak about the atrocities they faced. It is also portrayed how women are the ones responsible for taking care of the children since they are the mother and that is the duty of the mother: “Even then I could see how exhausting it was for a mother to cater all day to the needs of young children” (Pg. 332).

In “Shakespeare’s Sister”, Woolf’s perspective relies on women in the Elizabethan age and how women faced many inequalities compared to how men did not face any inequalities. Woolf explores why women did not write poetry and has multiple other questions regarding the lives of women: “Here I am asking why women did not write poetry in the Elizabethan age, and I am not sure how they were educated; whether they were taught to write; whether they had sitting- rooms to themselves…” (Pg. 364). After Woolf determines the answers to these questions the viewpoint is shown to be that women have always been facing many inequalities since a very long time and in paragraph 5 Woolf concludes to how women in the sixteenth century were miserable and had conflict with themselves for the conditions of their lives: “That woman, then, who was born with a gift of poetry in the sixteenth century, was an unhappy woman, a woman at strife against herself…” (Pg. 367). In “The Men We Carry in Our Minds”, Sander’s perspective of women changes by the end of the essay and it is determined that both men and women have difficult lives. Sander’s develops his essay through references to his own life and through storytelling. At first he determines that men are more important since they work and consider themselves to be the boss: “… But they have also come to stand for the twin poles of my early vision of manhood- the brute toiling animal and the boss” (Pg. 330). However, through his own life experiences he concludes that men and women both have difficult lives and how it took him a while to understand this: “I was slow to understand the deep grievances of women” (Pg. 332). Sander’s shows how his perspective about women is changed by the end of the essay. Therefore, both essays portray how men and women are considered to have different roles and responsibilities in life indicated through detail, purpose and

perspective in order to realize what gender difference and oppression looks like. Through these very specific examples of each essay the reader can determine what gender difference and oppression appears like and gives a great sense of knowledge for the reader to understand this point. Overall, both these essays are definitely worth reading in order to distinguish what gender difference and oppression, and the dynamics of power and privilege look like.

Works Cited ·

Sanders, Scott Russell. “The Men We Carry in Our Minds.” Essay Writing for Canadian Students with Readings. Roger Davis and Laura K. Davis. Eighth Edition. Ontario: Pearson Education, Inc., 2012. Pages 329- 334.

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Woolf, Virginia. “[Shakespeare’s Sister].” Essay Writing for Canadian Students with Readings. Roger Davis and Laura K. Davis. Eighth Edition. Ontario: Pearson Education, Inc., 2012. Pages 364- 368....