Professional Documents
Culture Documents
English Literature
Dr. Bennet
2 May 2016
Guess who wrote it
Men and women, simply by nature, are very different. Even the
physiology of men and women provides clear evidence of their differences.
For example, women can give birth, men cannot. Men grow hair on their
chest, and women do not. It is interesting to see the different perspectives
on life, love, and tradition expressed by men and women. This semester, I
thoroughly enjoyed The Pillow Book, which was written by a female author. I
also found the stories of Shakuntala and The Epic of Gilgamesh very
interesting in the way that women are portrayed in them as well as
illuminating the importance of females in society. Generally, women are
portrayed quite differently through the eyes of a man than from the
perspective of a woman.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, written by a man, women are glorified and
valued for their sexuality. For example, Shamhat, open your embrace,
open your embrace, let him take your charms! Be not bashful, take his
vitality! When he sees you, he will approach you, toss aside your clothing,
let him lie upon you, Treat him, a human, to womans work! (Gilgamesh 89). In this example, Shamhat is being glorified for her sexuality and the
value her sexuality offers to the male. While Shamhat is encouraged to
as during this time, women had their own private outlets such as writing
poetry. For example, I turned to the Grand Counsellor, who was sitting just
outside, what on earth do I write? I begged him, but he only pushed the
paper to me, saying, Quick write something down yourself for Her Majesty.
Its not a mans place to give advice her here (Shonagon 19). Women
actually had aspects of their lives that were independent from men. The
women had autonomy, were portrayed as strong and capable, and their
strength created a sense of respect in the reader for these admirable
women. These women were not dominated by men. Rather than being only
in supporting roles or secondary positions that lacked strength, women had
roles and positions of responsibility such as the ability to own land or serve in
court. It is astounding that during this era, not too distant in time from the
other literature that the class has read, women had a voice in society.
Women are not glorified as simple sex objects in the novel. Perhaps this
reflects a difference between females and males during this era, regarding
the importance of sexual experience and the perspective from a woman
regarding passionate desires. Females are seen as normal people who
deserve to live life and experience the wonders that were existent during this
era.
In The Pillow Book, it is also interesting to see that women are more
willing to let their voices be heard. For example, People with any standing
ought to give their daughters a taste of society. They show them the world
and let them become familiar with its ways, by serving as attendants at the
palace or other such positions. I cant bear men who consider women who
serve at court to be frivolous and unseemly (Shonagon 22). It is interesting
to examine that women actually had a voice. They could say what they
wanted and found very little repercussions for this boldness. While it could
be that this freedom is particular to the Japanese culture, I believe the author
captured something that transcends a specific culture. Regardless of the
culture or era, even from an infantile stage of the worlds creation, women
wanted a voice. Women wanted to be able to contribute to society in
positive ways, to provide support, knowledge, and utilize their gifts and
abilities in individual situations. The author expresses the ways in which
women in The Pillow Book found significant and specific ways to contribute to
their society.
Many differences may be observed in the way women are depicted in
literature written by men versus literature written by women. Literature
written by men tends to portray women from a sexual perspective. For
example, in the story of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh sleeps with all the brides
before their wedding. In comparison, in The Pillow Book Sei Shonagon
portrays love-making as something between the man and the woman which
they share equally. The emphasis from the male authors on external actions
and themes contrasts with the female perspective of expressing the inner
thoughts and observations. In many cultures over many eras, women have
lived in male dominated environments. What can be seen in all three works
are still struggling to find their voices. Maybe, one day, women will be seen
as equally valuable to men even though women may have different
strengths and abilities that they bring to any situation. As a society we can
continue studying and learning about the different perspectives and
treatment of women throughout history and modern ages. What we learn
can inform the dialogue in the University and other settings so we continue
positive transformation of societal conditions. Women have made significant
contributions to literature, and I look forward to learning more about past
and current contributions women are making.
Works Cited
Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin,
1972. Print.
Kalidasa. The Recognition of Sakuntala. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications,
2003. Print.
Shonagon, Sei. The Pillow Book. London: Penguin, 2006. Print