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Sexism in Language

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Sexism in Language
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The writing depicts the gender role in literature, how males are shown to be significantly more dominant, physically and mentally. Sexism in literature is ubiquitous, in literature and language, as well as semiotics in certain cases. Literature from the last two centuries demonstrates a progression. Females were originally portrayed as feeble minded, nimble and weak characters, with little or no dynamics to their personification. Males were shown to be strong, intelligent and domineering, and would be the ones who’d save females from all the unfortunate events in the story. In modern literature, males and females are often times, given equal consideration. Sexism is indeed, still present in modern literature; however, it has lessened considerably. The dominance of male in literature that reflects the society in each period of time which shows is inferior women is powerless against men. In the modern society women are more liberal and independent. The development of society conscious with the role of female and male differences, and the literature also adapts with the perception of the society with women’s role in the society.

Sexism In Mainstream Literature In the past, sexism in literature is more drastically defined than that in modern literature. In the classic children’s tale “Little Snow-White”, the main characters, Snow White and the evil queen, are nothing but the subject of vanity. As time passes, female characters in literature have become much more personified, taking aspects of a human’s personality instead of that of a vapid, imagined creature as portrayed in Tom Sawyer to a more recent novel, the House on Mango Street. In these novels, the women’s identities were not solely dependant on men and their actions. Women were more of human beings rather than just ornaments in the novels. In the Grimm Brothers’ “Little Snow-White”, the wicked queen is extremely obsessed with beauty. She is vain and goes to many extremes just to be “the

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