The play Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is a very interesting play. I have never read it before and after reading, watching the play, and doing a bit of my own research to understand it more. Shakespeare involves a huge part of gender roles. Men are expected to be aggressive and dominant. Meanwhile, the women are passive and docile. A scene that begins focuses on Hermia’s father who argues with him to let her chose her own mate. It doesn’t meet Egeus’s standards of who is Hermia’s father. In the part itself, it demonstrates how women in that time had no control over their life. They were to marry the man that the father had chosen for them for their liking, not the daughters. If the daughter is to disobey her father she would be sentenced to death or live as a nun. Another scene that shows deeply how gender role is high is when Helena demonstrates her love deeply for Demetrius and he ignores her and tells her to go away that he wants nothing to do with her at all. Helena speaks on Act 2 “I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius. The more you beat me. I will fawn on you. Use me as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me, Only give me leave. Unworthy as I am, to follow you”. In this quote, Helena shows subjugation towards Demetrius. Demetrius wants nothing to do with her, but because if a woman does not marry a man she will be less valued. During a scene at the beginning of the play. A father strikes her daughter for talking back to her. Arguing saying that she will marry Demetrius because it’s to his liking and not hers. Continuing in the play Hermia says if he like him that much why not go with him. Both the play and reading the play were good I enjoyed them both very much. All of Shakespeare’s work is incredible on how gender roles played in his time compared to now in the present.
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It’s incredible that now Juneteenth is a holiday. I honestly feel proud that there is being change made and errors being recognized. Everyone should be treated fairly and not differently because of the color of their skin. After all the years they have been mistreated there now is a holiday to celebrate and remember the loved ones of friends and family. From the holiday having many names and being celebrated widely. Joe Biden signs Juneteenth Holiday into a law. Years of slavery having many people suffer. It’s all being recognized bit by bit what is wrong. I am proud that Juneteenth has become a holiday.
“You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity and in as many ways as possible that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity”.
While I was reading this letter “A letter to My Nephew” and watching “Between the world and me” it really opened my eyes to see how hard it was and what it was like to live throughout the 20th century as an African American in this country. In this letter by James Baldwin, Baldwin expresses the how hard it was to be African American growing up in America. This quote Baldwin explains the harsh reality of being African American. That no matter what you do in life you will always be judged, useless, and will be treated terribly just because of the color of your skin. Since you are of different color you can not and will not accomplish anything in life and you will not get the same opportunities as everyone else. You are expected to deal with all the unruliness and unfairness that life offers you. From the moment that you are born you will not have a fair chance at life and that was the reality of it.
Daniel Conenna
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