Old Wive's Tale
Gloria Alred, Betty Frohme, Helen Gurly Brown, and Jane Fonda, all these modern women have one thing in common, they are all active feminists. Feminism in American society today is a widely accepted practice. For this, many women are allowed to express themselves through the ideals of this theology. Women such as Joan of Ark, Queen Elizabeth, and even the Virgin Mary have changed the views on women in the past and that allows people to accept feminism today. Geoffrey Chaucer scribed The Canterbury Tales, and within that collection of stories, he created one of the pioneers of feminism. The Wife of Bath strives to create equality through both of the sexes, though she lives within a society where men control women. Alison of Bath, one of the many travelers on the road to Canterbury is also the one remembered most often. She is the most controversial of the travelers. Known as “…shrew, virago, femme fatale; she is the voice of feminism, or the projection of centuries of male misogynist fantasy (Cooper 168).” The Wife of Bath is bold, outspoken, lovely, strong, and intelligent; a concoction of poison to any chauvinistic male that may chance to cross her path. She is …plump, florid, jolly, bold, lusty, voluptuous, and most v
Thesis- The Wife of Bath strives to create equality through both of the sexes, though she lives in a society where men control women. This, her fifth and final husband in the book, was twenty years younger, and extremely intelligent. He would read from a book of wicked wives every night, just to punish his poor wife, and often would beat her. One night she ripped three pages from the book and slapped Jenkin on the cheek, knocking him over in his chair. He returned the blow, leaving her deaf in one ear, and she fell to the floor, acting as though he had killed her. He apologized for his action immediately, and she smacked him across the cheek again. Muscatine calls her act “militant feminism fetching traditional masculine domination a healthy blow on the cheek (213).” They eventually reconciled their differences, and Alison forced Jenkin to throw the book, the one she hated so much, into the fire. From that day forth, they lived in happiness together, and this is the first example of a working marriage the Old Wife demonstrates to her fellow travelers. As you may like; I stand here by your will.
Some topics in this essay:
Blake Abraham,
Wife Bath,
Dame Alison,
Alison Bath,
Answers Queen’s,
Feminism American,
Bath’s Tale”,
Virgin Mary,
III Degraded,
GL Kittridge,
wife bath,
alison bath,
five husbands,
equality sexes,
control women alison,
giving power,
happiness marriage,
perfect feminist,
life knight,
giving power woman,
canterbury tales,
women alison bath,
knight power,
sexes lives society,
society control women,
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Approximate Word count = 1802
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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