Linguistic Reflections of Sexism in Everyday Spoken Discourse (Published)
Language is an essential tool of human communication and human beings are imbued with an innate capacity to use language for communication. There are different personal variables that could be observed in the individual’s use of language most especially in verbal communication. However, one of the potent observable indices in noting differences in human communication is the issue of gender. The concept of culture has been the most popularly recognized issue that can easily affect why, which and how language is used and as such, sex difference is an important factor. Allied with this is the concept of language and power. With an overview of many scholarly works, this work has located some differences observable in the language use of both male and female genders in different discourse patterns. Just as we have sex differences, there are also differences in the patterns of discourse of the sexes because we have been specially created on the bases of sex and gender. This work tries to examine the pattern of discourse between the two sexes with a view to locating the inherent differences in their use of language.
Keywords: language,
Keywords: Discourse, Gender, Language, Power, sex/sexism
Gender Considerations and Power (Re) Negotiation in Angie Cruz’s Dominicana, Julia Alvarez’s How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent and Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (Published)
The gender agenda constitutes an ongoing topical issue in all aspects of life and in literature in particular. This work seeks to examine the manner in which Angie Cruz, Julia Alvarez and Ola Rotimi represent the relationship between power and gender in Dominicana, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again respectively. The question on which the research hinges is: How do Angie Cruz, Julia Alvarez and Ola Rotimi project the link between status and gender in Dominicana, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again respectively? It is hypothesized that gender plays an important role in establishing power structures in the set texts. From a theoretical perspective, Feminist Literary Criticism as articulated by Simone de Beauvoir is used. This work, divided into two sections, concludes that Angie Cruz, Julia Alvarez and Ola Rotimi present power structures as dependent on gender considerations that benefit both men and women. This paper contributes to the ongoing conversation about the relationship between gender and power (re)distribution; and also enhances an understanding of the manner in which power was negotiated and contested along gender lines in the Dominican Republic and Nigeria given the then social, cultural, economic and political contexts.
Keywords: Gender, Power, domination, emancipation, feminist literary criticism
Power-Conflict of Class and Sexuality: Strindberg’s Anti-Feminist “Soul Complex” In Miss Julie (Published)
From the eve of civilization women have been suppressed and looked down upon in male-dominated society. They are not treated by men from the neutral point of view rather they are habitually considered as man’s subservient. This unethical treatment is predominantly available in this current century even. Especially the women of the third world countries are still experiencing such vulnerability and receiving unexpected death like Miss Julie, the protagonist of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. The vulnerability of women is beyond description and it is not only restricted in the existent world but also marginalized in the literary world. This article aims at exploring how Strindberg, a nineteenth century major playwright, assesses his female characters as secondary objects. He tries to prove and blame Julie as the only character who is liable for her own follies and her downfall. The dramatist finds out the fact using “soul complex” which, in brief, is used to refer to the complexity that influences the behavior of the character. The complexity inherent in Julie also drives her to move between the ends of class and sexuality. Though such complexity works as a dominant characteristic in every character, Miss Julie is victimized of this “complex” alone. In fact, Strindberg deliberately throws her life into the sea of miseries where she becomes isolated and helpless as a result of being suppressed by the steam-roller of her own class superiority and sexual inferiority. It is the consequence of Strindberg’s anti-feminist motive which seriously affects Miss Julie and sometimes disrupts her mother. Julie also puts up with all sorts of pain which is the push-factor behind her fall, the ultimate truth of life. Unfortunately the character Jean, who plays key role behind Julie’s death, remains unpunished even without trial or receiving any negative consequence of his actions
Citation:Noni Gopal Sutradhar (2021) Power-Conflict Of Class And Sexuality: Strindberg’s Anti-Feminist “Soul Complex” In Miss Julie, European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, Vol.9, No.7, pp.34-38
Keywords: Miss Julie, Power, Sexuality, Strindberg’s anti-feminist, conflict of class, soul complex
Feminism & Hegemony from the Perspective of Man and Superman & Arms and the Man of George Bernard Shaw (Published)
This article aims to evaluate both texts Man and Superman & Arms and The Man of George Bernard Shaw critically. This research piece contains venerated tradition of the society towards women as well as captures the vigorous voice against suppression. In this research, the dominating tendency of one group over other will be identified specifically. Here, the supremacy of British Colonialism along with the capitalistic mentality of American will be discussed with significant points. Treatment of refugees at the dominating states during war and famine will also be evaluated in this article pivotally. Both texts are dissected in this research article to probe the voice of feminism and to show the extensive gap between higher, middle and lower class of our society. Comparative discussion will be given in this research piece in order to connect homogeneous issues.
Citation: Fahmeda Yeasmin (2021) Feminism & Hegemony from the Perspective of Man and Superman & Arms and the Man of George Bernard Shaw, European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, Vol.9, No.7, pp.11-23
Keywords: Class, Dominance, Power, Society, Women, clash
The Use of Power and Ideology in Guantanamo: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Andy Worthington’s The Guantanamo Files (Published)
The research deals with the use of power and ideology in Andy Worthington’s The Guantanamo Files (2007) as the narratives (generally called Gitmo narratives) of the detainees show the betrayal of American ideals, U.S. constitution and international laws about human rights. Since its inception, Guantanamo Bay Camp is an icon of American military power, hegemony and legal exceptionalism in the ‘Global War on Terror’. In order to the analyze the selected text, the ‘discourse as social practices’ with special reference to power and ideology which is the third dimension of the tripartite framework proposed by Norman Fairclough (1995), is applied comprehensively as a theoretical framework for this research. The research reveals the truth and reality of the power structure and hegemonic designs of American ideology to discriminate and to stereotype the male Muslims as terrorists in Guantanamo. The discourse of these Gitmo narratives is also related with the issue of closing this notorious camp which has gained a great attention for the international media, lawyers, human rights activists and civil society.
Keywords: Gitmo narratives, Guantanamo bay, Hegemony, Ideology, Power, ‘War on Terror’
Sexual, Textual and Traumatic subjectivity: August Strindberg representation of class and sexual conflict in Miss Julie (Review Completed - Accepted)
This paper aims at understanding the importance of sexuality and the ways in which sexuality is accorded central status in an attempt to understand human relations, pleasure and satisfaction, sexual subject in culture, to reveal varying degrees of trepidation and anxiety about the ambiguities of sexuality i.e androgyny represents the resolution of the anxieties and tensions of sexual difference in favor of complementarity. In terms of class and gender this paper explores the patriarchal and misogynistic frameworks in which gender and sex were constructed in late 19th century and early 20th century; and how class and power mean mean that, that sexual never signifies in social isolation i.e power comes into play in the machinery of production, in families, limited groups and institutions. In terms of traumatic theory, this paper will see at how sexual trauma takes form of a psychological and ontological angst after reaching sexual maturity.
Keywords: Androgyny, Misogyny, Power, Sexuality, Subjectivity, Trauma