Gender defines the way someone lives his or her life in the world of 1960’s Rhodesia. The men are the providers and the superiors. As children they are the first chosen for all educational opportunities. They are the heads of their families and the leaders of the community. Once they have grown, they are also supposed to provide an income used to help provide food, shelter, and education for the rest of his family. “The business of womanhood is a heavy burden. What will help you is to learn to carry your burdens with strength (16).” Tambu’s mother told her after complaining about that she would not receive an education. She than told her, “When there are sacrifices to be made, you are the one who has to make them (16).”Women are treated as inferiors. They are to be seen but not heard unless spoken to. They are to be the cleaners, cookers, and farmers, practically slaves to their husbands. When they are of the age of marriage they are, in a way, sold to their husbands in exchange for a variety of things. The question of who has it harder is a complicated question but in my opinion I think woman have it harder because they are the inferiors. They are put under so much stress to and have to work much longer and harder than the men.
I think the the main theme in the book is identity. One of the biggest parts of identity that the character's struggled with was gender. Each gender had certain limits and expectations that were already predetermined for them. An example of the obvious set limitations for women from the homestead is when Tambu was asking why she could not go to school and her dad responded by saying, "It's the same everywhere. Because you are a girl(21)." Tambu's mother also responded by saying, "Some things could not be done(21)."
Men from the homestead were expected to work and have a wife/family. They were also superior to their wives and the woman in their family. Men were even more likely to get a better education than women and have more educational opportunities overall. Their education also included being superior over women with the same education as they had. A struggle that the men did face, however, was the responsibility that they had over their family; if their family was looked down on, they were blamed Women from the homestead were a lot more limited on their choices in life. Their job was to be married to a man, raise a family, and take care of the house. They were inferior to the men in their house and practically everyone around them. Though unlikely, if they had the opportunity to get a good education, they still would not be as respected as an educated man. One of the worst parts was that when the women even hinted that they they should receive the same respect or opportunities as the men they were told that they were too proud. An example of this is when Tambu was talking to her mother about going to school and her mom said, "And do you think you are so different, so much better than the rest of us(20)?".Basically, the women from the homesteads life was based around the men in their lives. Therefore, I think that the women on the homesteads lives were the toughest. Though the men had to deal with the stress of responsibility for their family, at least they had respect.
Both genders face difficulty such as men have to provide for the family and do more of the work in the fields while women have to take care of the family, food, cleaning, some of the work in the fields, and discipline the kids. I feel like the women have I harder in the family because not only do they do the majority of work, but they do not have equality to a man and have to deal with sexist remarks: "'Can you cook books and feed them to your husband?...'" is what Tambu's father said to her when she asked to go back to school. At one point Maiguru did not treat herself as lowly as the other women did, but not as highly as the men. She asked to pass through a room filled with men, curtsied, and did as her husband told her too when she was confronted with Tambu's mother asking "'And do you think you are so different, so much better than the rest of us?'"
Gender defines the way someone lives his or her life in the world of 1960’s Rhodesia. The men are the providers and the superiors. As children they are the first chosen for all educational opportunities. They are the heads of their families and the leaders of the community. Once they have grown, they are also supposed to provide an income used to help provide food, shelter, and education for the rest of his family.
ReplyDelete“The business of womanhood is a heavy burden. What will help you is to learn to carry your burdens with strength (16).” Tambu’s mother told her after complaining about that she would not receive an education. She than told her, “When there are sacrifices to be made, you are the one who has to make them (16).”Women are treated as inferiors. They are to be seen but not heard unless spoken to. They are to be the cleaners, cookers, and farmers, practically slaves to their husbands. When they are of the age of marriage they are, in a way, sold to their husbands in exchange for a variety of things.
The question of who has it harder is a complicated question but in my opinion I think woman have it harder because they are the inferiors. They are put under so much stress to and have to work much longer and harder than the men.
I think the the main theme in the book is identity. One of the biggest parts of identity that the character's struggled with was gender. Each gender had certain limits and expectations that were already predetermined for them. An example of the obvious set limitations for women from the homestead is when Tambu was asking why she could not go to school and her dad responded by saying, "It's the same everywhere. Because you are a girl(21)." Tambu's mother also responded by saying, "Some things could not be done(21)."
ReplyDeleteMen from the homestead were expected to work and have a wife/family. They were also superior to their wives and the woman in their family. Men were even more likely to get a better education than women and have more educational opportunities overall. Their education also included being superior over women with the same education as they had. A struggle that the men did face, however, was the responsibility that they had over their family; if their family was looked down on, they were blamed
Women from the homestead were a lot more limited on their choices in life. Their job was to be married to a man, raise a family, and take care of the house. They were inferior to the men in their house and practically everyone around them. Though unlikely, if they had the opportunity to get a good education, they still would not be as respected as an educated man. One of the worst parts was that when the women even hinted that they they should receive the same respect or opportunities as the men they were told that they were too proud. An example of this is when Tambu was talking to her mother about going to school and her mom said, "And do you think you are so different, so much better than the rest of us(20)?".Basically, the women from the homesteads life was based around the men in their lives.
Therefore, I think that the women on the homesteads lives were the toughest. Though the men had to deal with the stress of responsibility for their family, at least they had respect.
ReplyDeleteBoth genders face difficulty such as men have to provide for the family and do more of the work in the fields while women have to take care of the family, food, cleaning, some of the work in the fields, and discipline the kids. I feel like the women have I harder in the family because not only do they do the majority of work, but they do not have equality to a man and have to deal with sexist remarks: "'Can you cook books and feed them to your husband?...'" is what Tambu's father said to her when she asked to go back to school. At one point Maiguru did not treat herself as lowly as the other women did, but not as highly as the men. She asked to pass through a room filled with men, curtsied, and did as her husband told her too when she was confronted with Tambu's mother asking "'And do you think you are so different, so much better than the rest of us?'"