TFA+Journal+3+(Sarah+B)

Text-to-World: As I as reading chapters seven and eight, I constantly was making connections to all ancient cultures in the world relating to sexism. Although sexism has appeared before in the novel before, I felt the inferiority of the women in the Ibo culture stronger than ever, through the thoughts of Okonkwo, and his worry that Nwoye would not be able to control his "women-folk". Okonkwo even says: "if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man" (p. 53), emphasizing the need for men to always have control over women. Even Nwoye starts to please his father by grumbling about women, and listening to war stories instead of his mother's. In almost all ancient societies, and even in modern cultures, sexism exists. In Korea, women were uneducated, and only stayed home and looked over the housework. In America, women were paid less than men, even for the same type of labor. In Islamic cultures, women still are considered inferior and are not allowed to show their full bodies to others outside their family. Males have just always the superior sex. Whenever I hear about sexism, I wonder why it ever occurred. Women play just as an important role as men. Men are created by women, fed by women, and raised by women, to become the great men they can be. Men have their mothers to thank for everything! I guess that physical work determined everything about your social status back then.

Close Reading:

Question: Why do you think women have always been inferior to men, although women create men?