As I was reading this article, there was a quote that caught
my attention in De Beauvoir’s survey, “her grasp on the world is thus more
restricted; she has less firmness and less steadiness available for projects
that in general she is less capable of carrying out” (13). From my perspective I think that he was
trying to say that females are very sensitive and fragile to the world around
them. He also discusses how the majority
of the areas in a females body “serve no apparent function for the health and
the stability of the individual woman” (13).
This is understandable because females feel the most discomfort in
everything they do.
Why do you think females feel the most discomfort in everything they do?
ReplyDeleteThe quote you selected is great as it emphasizes the conflation between physical and intellectual ability:"in physiological structure the women is weaker..."her grasp on world is thus more restricted"(Ortner 13). What does Ortner try to show with this quote? How is 'grasp' on the world related to 'restriction' and being 'weaker'?
ReplyDeleteAlso id women's bodies are not meant to provide "health and stability" for women, to what purpose are women's bodies needed?
Lorraine- good question. When Ortner, quotes De Beauvoir, "they are often sources of discomfort, pain and danger" (13)- whom/what does 'they' refer to?