Directions:
Read through statements and write a reaction in your post to one
quote in particular. In your reaction,
write the following: the original quote, paraphrased version of quote, your
response to the quote. Respond to one other student's post thoughtfully.
1. A man likes his
wife to be just clever enough to comprehend his cleverness, and just stupid
enough to admire. –Israel Zangwill
2. Nature has given
woman so much power that the law cannot afford to give her more. –Samuel Johnson
3. No trust is to be
placed in women. -Homer
4. In childhood a
woman must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her husband
is dead, to her sons. A woman must never
be free of subjugation. –The Code of
Manu
5. Whoever trusts
women plows the winds, sows the deserts of the sea, and writes his memoirs in
the snow. –Paul Flemming
6. A very little wit
is valued in a woman, as we are pleased with a few words spoken plain by a
parrot. –Jonathan Swift
7. A woman, a
spaniel, and a walnut tree, the more they’re beaten, the better they be. –Thomas Fuller
8. Women are to be
talked to as below men and above children.
–Lord Chesterfield
9. Women, destined to
be obedient, ought to be disciplined early to bear wrongs without
murmuring. –H.H. Karnes
10. Women are nothing
but machines for producing children.
–Napoleon I
11. Can you recall a
woman who ever showed you with pride her library? -Benjamin Decasseres
12. A learned woman
is twice a fool. –Italian proverb
13. Girls begin to
talk and to stand on their feet sooner than boys because weeds always grow up
more quickly than good crops. –Martin
Luther
14. The wife ought
not to have any feelings of her own but join with her husband. -Plutarch
15. Nature intended
women to be our slaves…What a mad idea to demand equality for women! -Napoleon I
Women are nothing but machines for producing children. – Napoleon I
ReplyDeleteA woman's value is solely in her ability to expand the human race.
Well, sense I am a woman and all of the above quotes are similarly derogating, my response is an opposing one, and this quote in particular I have heard echoed in variations in my own life. The statement of "Women are nothing but machines for producing children" strikes to the center of who females are; it strips us of all personality, character, convictions, potential, emotion, and what we can offer the world. I believe firmly that man and women are created equally in different ways and that they are therefore designed to fill different roles in homes and society. The blatant comparison of a woman to a "machine" destroys who a woman is in herself; a person who has something important for the world. Each man and women that is on earth has something to offer that no one else does, for some women that may include having children, but that does not define who she is. Such opinions totally disregard a woman's heart - it denies that she feels pain or suffering as well and joy or happiness, it dehumanizes women into a cold factory of some sort - and scribbles out all that she was made to be.
Emma~
DeleteI completely agree with your thoughts in regards to women being 'nothing but machines for producing children.' Psalm 127:3 states that "children are a heritage from the Lord," not the utter product of a 'machine'. I was encouraged by your boldness to state the truth~ thank you!
Great Job!
I too completely agree with your statements. Just because a woman may have a child does not mean that is all she can do, and examples of that are seen every single second throughout the world. I especially appreciate your point that it dehumanizes a woman and suggests she is incapable of feelings.
DeleteI too agree with you Emma, women shouldn't be looked as objects or machines that could be treated with disrespect. There is more to a women then just her ability of bring another human's life to life.
Delete14. The wife ought not to have any feelings of her own but join with her husband. -Plutarch
ReplyDeleteParaphrased quote: Plutarch states that a wife is to resemble that of a doormat, not being allowed to have any feelings or emotions of her own, but to be completely and utterly controlled by her husband.
My Response: Although it does not surprise me, I am utterly disgusted by these crude quotes! It saddens my heart to no end to see the destruction of man, that what God intended for companionship would be twisted and perverted by the sinfulness of man, and would cause such words and thoughts to be expressed. In regard to this topic, I strongly believe that the TRUTH of God's word speaks light into the darkness, therefore I have listed many scriptures below to state the truth....
*Proverbs 12:4 reads, "An excellent wife is a crown to her husband...".
*Ephesians 5:25-33: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. ”This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Colossians 3:19: Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
1 Peter 3:7: "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."
Proverbs 31:10-12 "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."
Proverbs 31:27-31 "She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
(unfortunately, because of the limited space I was not able to write out all scripture verses, but I would encourage you to look them up if you feel so led.)
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Genesis 2:22-24:
Proverbs 5:18-19:
Proverbs 18:22:
Proverbs 20:6-7:
Deuteronomy 24:5:
Matthew 19:4-6:
Genesis 1:27:
Women are made in the image of God, therefore they ought to be treated with the same dignity and respect as men. The Bible does describe basic differences between men and women that are to be honored as part of God's design. The Bible DOES NOT support the degradation or abuse of women. At the same time, it does not support the right of men or women to put themselves above God's plan and do as they please.
Wow! Well spoken :) I love that you use scripture in your responses, and I totally agree. Proverbs 12:4 is one of my favorites :)).
DeleteLindsey,
DeleteWhat you said is true, however, i would like to counter. Men and women are created equal in God's eyes, but on earth, men are in the lead. For example after the fall, it is written in Genesis 3:16 ".. Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." This does seem harsh, but this example and the many others like it apply to marriage and the man being the head of the household.
Other examples do include:
-Ephesians 5:23 "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior."
-1 Timothy 3:1-16 "Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. "
-Ephesians 5:22 "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. "
The reason this is important is because God is not saying women are less than men, it is saying that it is important for a successful marriage that women submit and allow their husbands leadership and control.
10. Women are nothing but machines for producing children. –Napoleon I
ReplyDeleteParaphrased: This blunt statement is fairly straightforward. Napoleon holds no hesitation in proclaiming that the only purpose for women on this earth is to create children, and nothing more. He says we are not here for any other useful purpose, implying we could never be powerful and have absolutely no potential.
My reaction to this statement is the typical one of women and most men (unfortunately not all) these days- anger and pity for those who believe such things. On one hand, I am angry that this concept even exists or existed in anyones mind. However, like Lindsey, I am not surprised in the slightest as it has been a theme that has been prominent throughout time. I truly feel sadness for those whose minds are small enough to believe this, as they clearly have a need to constantly feel superior to someone. This mindset is outdated and extremely sexist. Luckily for women and men, the view is rarely seen in our society especially.
I completely agree with you, Liz. It is nice to know tat the majority of men as well as all women do not think this way anymore. I would hate having that be my only job in life. Very well put.
DeleteI agree with you. I liked your point about how some people need to feel superior to others and if their only way to do that is to tell women that their only purpose is having children is a truly pathetic way to accomplish it. Although it's good that that view is rarely seen, it still exists in some people, which is a tragedy in and of itself.
Delete11. Can you recall a woman who ever showed you with pride her library? -Benjamin Decasseres
ReplyDeleteParaphrased: Women are stupid and ignorant. Decasseres says that they are all uneducated and happy to be so.
Reaction: I am deeply offended by this statement. I take immense pride in my education and the works I have read. While I take major offense and am angry that this idea was even considered, looking at history I understand. In early years women were weak and home bodies. They were only capable of cooking and cleaning and raising children. Luckily though times have changed and incredible women like Jane Austen and Madam Currie were able to become prominent in our history to prove this statement wrong. Few, if any, believe this statement in today's world and I am thankful for that.
I'm also very thankful that this idea is not commonplace today. Women have gotten the opportunity to engage in academics, and that great women have come along to prove that women are just as intelligent as men.
DeleteYes, somehow, back then, a stereotype about women being stupid had been made. I suppose it was because women never sought intellectual pursuits if all they looked forward to in their life was cooking and taking care of kids.
Delete8. Women are to be talked to as below men and above children. –Lord Chesterfield
ReplyDeleteParaphrased quote: Women are beneath men, but above children.
My response: I am profoundly insulted by this quote and what it implies. It implies that women are to be treated as if their status as human beings does not compare to that of men. People (men) fail to realize that men and women were created equal; they all have thoughts, feelings, ambitions, bones, etc. On the other hand, men are not stone hard creatures without emtotion driven by strength and facial hair and do not deserve to be treated as if they do not have such "feminine" traits as insecurity and sensitivity. However, the mentality that women are weaker is medeival and ignorant. "Feminism is not about telling women they're strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." - G.D. Anderson
I agree with your comment. Women should not be classified as lower than men, and just above children. I liked how you also talked about the other hand, in which men should not be treated as women either.
DeleteI love that quote by G.D. Anderson, and I agree with you that men nor woman should be subject to harmful stereotypes. I also like how you said that women were created equal and have a lot of the same feelings as men. I hate how people feel the need to act like women and men are different species, we are all human beings, and we all think and feel.
Delete3. No trust is to be placed in women. -Homer
ReplyDeleteParaphrased Quote: women should not be trusted; they are untrustworthy.
My Response: I agree and disagree with this quote. My first reaction is to agree with Homer, because women tend to spill secrets or gossip to their friends and family. When one girl tells another girl something, then she will tell it to someone else and so on and so on. Therefore, women genuinely cannot be trusted with most things. On the other hand, women should not be discriminated with the assumption that they can never be trusted, because this is not the case in all women.
Sarah, I agree with your response. There is a stereotype for all kinds of people and it is not really fair to put everyone in such broad categories when we do not genuinely know them. For some people the stereotype may be true but not for everyone.
Delete15. Nature intended women to be our slaves…What a mad idea to demand equality for women! -Napoleon I
ReplyDeleteParaphrase: Women are just meant to serve the male gender and to think that they are equal and to demand that they be treated equally is completely absurd.
My response to this is that women are equal to men. They can do almost everything a man can do they can't do everything a man can but a man cannot do everything a woman can either. Each gender has different capacities. That does not mean that one is superior than the other. If one were superior to the other what would be the point of having the other around because wouldn't a world with superior people be a better world? Women can work the same as men can just like men can take care of families just like women can. The times of this quote are different from the current times. People had a more narrow view on things and I am thankful that that has changed.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYou bring up an interesting point when you say that each gender has its capacity, but that neither is superior. I agree with you. While I don't think that everyone had that "narrow view" back then, I am glad that women are recognized as equal.
Delete4. In childhood a woman must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her husband is dead, to her sons. A woman must never be free of subjugation. –The Code of Manu
ReplyDeleteParaphrase: Women should be controlled by men their entire lives.
First of all, ugh. These quotes are both angering and depressing. What a sad existence to any person, to be treated like that. No one should be degraded to the point of being a piece of property or being owned. It's so depressing that this was once a woman's live, being constantly controlled and treated poorly by men. Unfortunately, this type of mindset that women are objects and have some sort of duty to be obedient to men is still alive today, although thankfully to a much lesser extent.
Women are human beings and deserve to be treated as such, all human beings deserve to be given that basic level of respect.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete15. Nature intended women to be our slaves…What a mad idea to demand equality for women! -Napoleon I
ReplyDeleteParaphrase of quote: Women do not deserve equality with men because they are supposed to be slaves to men.
What a sickening statement Napoleon I! I am quite curious as to where Napoleon got the idea that women were "intended...to be our [men's] slaves." It is truly unfortunate that people, such as Napoleon thought this way. Napoleon's statement is thoughtless and wrong. He is surely taking for granted the value of women. I understand that in his day, some men looked down upon women, but that does not justify Napoleon's claim. Just because a group of people see others as created to be of lesser value, it does not make that group lesser in value. It is only a perception, and a wrong one I might add. Although Napoleon evidently does not agree, all people are created equal and women are no less human or equal than men.
8. Women are to be talked to as below men and above children. –Lord Chesterfield
ReplyDeleteParaphrase: Back then, women were beneath men in status and above children as adults.
If you said this today, I would spit on your face. Because I'm a girl, and even if I wasn't a girl, I'd still spit in your face. But, if you spoke about this back then, I suppose it would be understandable. Back then, men were the one who was making the majority of the house income and held the capabilities of performing physically-strenuous tasks. Women, at the time, were housewives. They didn't have to care about anything, and they basically mooched off their husbands in exchange for food and childrearing.
But, that was back then. Women have found their own niches and have contributed a lot to our civilization.
I agree strongly. Back then, understandable. Now, well... I would probably give them a confused look and question them extensively about their views, but I would not physically spit them in their face.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete10. Women are nothing but machines for producing children. –Napoleon I
ReplyDeleteParaphrase: Women don't have the capacity to do anything that isn't reproducing.
This is sad because, even in these times women are looked as only objects. They aren't seen as who they really are and what they can do. They limit them to only expanding themselves and nothing more. Although some girls do not respect themselves and their bodies and they like to be treated as toys, toys men can take advantage whenever. No matter what, women should never be treated wrong. There should be equality and justice among each other. No sex should be more dominant than the other. Women shouldn't be looked as objects or machines that could be treated with disrespect. There is more to a women then just her ability of bring another human life to this world.
Whoever trusts women plows the winds, sows the deserts of the sea, and writes his memoirs in the snow. –Paul Flemming
ReplyDeleteA man who trusts a woman is foolish and trusting a woman is an exercise in futility.
While this phrase seems to have much thought put into it, I think that its message does not. The metaphors are just putting makeup on a pig. I think that trustworthiness is something that anyone can have, and it is not a trait that is limited to the male gender. I think that it is dependent on the personality of the person, and that their actions and past behaviors determine the trustworthiness.
1. A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to comprehend his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire. –Israel Zangwill
ReplyDeleteThis quote caught my attention because it made me think twice. The way I would paraphrase it is by saying that "A man wants a clever women to talk in equal intelligence with, but he still wants to be the smartest." This is true! Or at least I believe so, of course men want to always be right! Not to say that women don't also though, so this is in no way insulting women. In contrast however, it is more enlightening how a man would admit to this fact.