The And Oral Communication Curriculum - 2560 Words

Picture a world where a higher power restricts, defines, and degrades the individual from the moment they are born. Everyone has been assigned one title -- woman or man -- that serves as a warning label for his or her capabilities. Whether or not the individual follows these societal constraints, discrimination will always accompany the titles given. Even in America’s gender-focused society, labels and expectations are imposed upon people that can determine the direction--and limits-- of their lives. Such social injustice could spark rebellions and result in shattered laws of civilization and the end of equality for everyone, no matter their gender. As teenage research writers, personally, our lives have been sheltered and confined,†¦show more content†¦One such example can be found in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun when Walter Younger demeaned Beneatha’s doctoral career-choice. Walter had other views on what a woman his sister’s ag e should do with her life: â€Å"Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people – then go be a nurse like other women – or just get married and be quiet† (Hansberry 1.1). Walter stands as an emblem of society during the 1950s, the time period of the play, because in his perspective, a woman is not capable of doing a man’s job; therefore, if Beneatha were to become a doctor–generally an occupation dominated by males for many years–she would defy gender stereotypes and act as a detriment against one of civilization s strongest social constructs: gender. Walter, and many others, would much rather have Beneatha remain silent and undereducated merely because she is a woman. He would prefer Beneatha take a job that is for women, a nurse, because it is a position subordinate to a doctor’s. Not surprisingly, gender inequality also existed before A Raisin in the Sun. Harper Lee’s thought-provoking novel To Kill a Mockingbird is known for its harsh, yet very accurate, portrayal of life for people plagued by oppression during the 1930s. Through the eyes of a young, innocent girl named Scout, Lee cleverly displays subtle