Gender Oppression
The Destruction of Identity

Contents

Research Questions
I am studying the perception of women and lack of agency in both literature and society because I want to find out how women can reclaim their voice and power through the challenges of a man dominated society in order to help my reader understand the relevance of gender oppression.
A question that arose for me during the six weeks was, “What does the status of women in literature say about the status of women in society?” I arrived at this question because in doing the readings it became apparent that there is an ongoing struggle between the sexes, a battle that in my opinion seems to leave women with some type of stigma or another. It seems to me that no matter what a woman does, in relation to male interaction, she is affecting the feminist movement in some manner or another. It just makes me ponder why is it that every individual decision of a female can be determined as either positive for a movement? I may be coming from a biased point of view but I feel as though it is unfair how such pressure is put on women to either further the feminine agenda or take a backseat in a male dominated society. I personally feel as though there is so much more complexity to the situation while simultaneously being simple. To me feminism and the stereotypes given to women go had and hand but they are not required to coexist in its current negative relation. I would like to breakdown the causes of gender conflict, gender stereotypes, and relationships between sexes, in order to urge the building of a more positive kinship between men and women.
Some of the key phrases or words that I will include in my search include but are not limited to: feminism, stereotypes, female agency, gender roles, individuality, and identity. The tools I will use for my research will include essays and articles about feminine opinion and opinion on the feminine roles, in order for me to bring forth the types of ideals I believe are a roadblock to true feminism. I will also be using the novels, So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, because I believe that the female characters serve as perfect examples of the immense judgment that can be placed upon women and also how each individual character no matter how our current society possible receives them are vital to the feminist movement.
Research Proposal
I am studying the perception of women and female agency in So Long A Letter because I want to find out how women can reclaim their voice and power through different avenues whether they are considered negative or positive by society in order to help my reader understand that feminism is a complex theory that is neither positive nor negative but is an idea that every woman can embrace in an effort to establish herself as a person and woman simultaneously that subsequently contributes to the collective movement.
My research paper will be important to those interested in the feminist movement and those who wish to gain a different perspective on the struggle for power, a personal and collective identity that comes with being a woman in a male dominated society. There are many different types of women just as there are many different types of human beings in the world and they all add some type of imprint or impact to the world and society. Though humans add a something to the collective which is humanity it is important to remember that they are individuals whose impacts are specific to who they are. It is imperative to acknowledge their personal identity as well as how they fit into the outer world and we must be careful not to box them into any particular perception. Female empowerment can be achieved in many different but it seems as though many classify the femininity in a very rigid and crystallized mold in which limits the growth that women can attain as individual beings and as a collective of women trying to become agents of