Discussion Questions on Literature Works

Discussion Questions on Literature Works

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Discussion Questions on Literature Works

In what ways are Mill’s arguments in favor of gender equality still relevant in 2015?

In chapter 1, Mills argues that the subordination of women is wrong and is the greatest obstacle to the general advancement of the human race. He seeks to dispute the ideology that women are considered weak, in all aspects of life. Therefore, this leads to sidelining of women. He argues that the subordination of women is not based on reason, but on traditional ideologies. Gender equality at the time of writing the book has not yet been practiced. Therefore, Mills sought to introduce different schools of thought that would promote gender equality.

He claims that women have been repressed and not allowed to develop in various ways, for instance in education and economically, which strips them off empowerment (Mill, Mill & Ryan, 2006). This repression happens because there is a belief that naturally, men are like masters of women, who are perceived as slaves, and give them everything, inclusive of their sentiments. In today’s world, Mills thought on this subject are quite evident. The fight for gender equality has been going on for ages. For instance, in most African and Asian communities, women are subdued. They barely are elected into positions of power, since the men are dominant, parents in rural communities prefer to educate the boy child and leave out the girl child. Issues such as child marriages are rampant, because the girl child is not educated, and is married off to a wealthy man, who is naturally seen as a superior person in society. The insubordination of women has seen the rise of organizations whose sole purpose is to fight for gender equality, feminist activists who are fighting for the rights of the girl child, and many more whose courses are geared towards having a society that has gender equality.

What is the character/personality of Aurora Leigh that develops over Books 1 and 2? In what ways do the gender restrictions created by patriarchy (male-dominated society) oppress Aurora? How does she respond to/resist them?

In Book 1, Aurora is a small girl, who lies with her father, a scholar and instills in her the passion for learning. She is sent away to live with her aunt after her father dies and prefers to follow her father’s scholarly ways as opposed to the ladylike education her aunt tries to give her. In this book, Aurora is observed to be modest in her opinions about issues, as she does not vehemently reject her aunt’s idea of education and caged life. Moving forward in book 2, she is now twenty years old, and her cousin asks for her hand in marriage. By now, she is very vocal, has an opinion, and yearns for independence. Her cousin is selfish, demeans women, and she is in disagreement with his ideologies, and, therefore, she angrily rejects his proposal. It is evident that Aurora has a strong personality that will not be tied down by male chauvinism in the society at that time (Martinez, 2012).

In her society, the males view women as too passionate, emotional, and are only suitable for motherhood and being the perfect wives. Her cousin, who proposes marriage to her, wants to tie her down to marriage, and only offers her a job to be sweeping his barns and keeping his hospitals. She is also chastised by her aunt for rejecting her cousin and is told that she will not get a dime of the inheritance. Aurora views that as oppression as all she wants to do is be independent and pursue her career in poetry (Thomas, 2011).

To fight this oppression and ensure she is not at the constant mercy of men, she first rejects the money that Romney offers her. She prefers doing poetry and earning her money. Therefore, she decides to leave for London. She believes that in London, she will be finally independent and can freely pursue poetry as a career.

What different aspects, ups and downs, and nuances of love and expressions of love does Browning discuss in the sonnets you read (21, 22, 32, 43)?

In Sonnet 21, she wants the man to tell her that he loves her. She would like to hear him say it until it sounds like a cuckoo song. A cuckoo song is often repetitive, and this implies the woman lacks the feeling of being loved and would like the man she is talking to, to keep telling her how much her loves her. In line 14, she suggests that he can silently love her in his soul, which is repetition. Browning suggests that partners should constantly profess their love for one another.

In Sonnet 22, she is embracing their mortality. She believes that eventually, death will come to them. Therefore, they should enjoy their love on earth. She is so happy with him, in the mortal world, earth, that she feels as though she does not even need to go to heaven. He is like her heaven.

In Sonnet 32, she wonders if he will still love her in future, for hearts that are quick to love are quick to loathe too. In line 8, when she mentions the Worn viol, she implies that she was a bit older when they met and fell in love, and she worries that he would prefer a younger woman (Avery, 2014). She feels that he revived her, and the love within. She sees herself as an old instrument that can still produce music when played by the right hands. She sees him as those right hands.

In Sonnet 43, she expresses her love for him and says that she will even love him better after her death. From lines 5 to 10, she expresses how much she loves him in her daily life. In line 12-13, she goes on to state that she had no love for her, and he came around to rekindled it.

References

Avery, S. (2014). Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Taylor and Francis.

Martinez, M. (2012). Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s ‘Aurora Leigh’. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Mill, J., Mill, J., & Ryan, A. (2006). On liberty and The subjection of a women. London: Penguin.

Thomas, K. (2011). Feminism in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Aurora Leigh”: Developing a Concept of the Female Artist. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.