Betty Friedan

Feminism in Elizabeth Gaskell’s “The Old Nurse’s Story”

            Elisabeth Gaskell’s husband suggested that she begin writing as a therapy for her depression at after losing her fourth child, which is ironic considering the place of women as the weaker sex in Victorian society. This Victorian author writes a haunting and didactic piece, “The Old Nurse’s Story,” which reflects the social injustices endured by women and the working class during the time period. The work follows in the Gothic tradition as it features spirits or ghosts, unexplained happenings, and a huge, near abandoned manor. Also, in Gothic literature, the mother is lost, forgotten, dead, or just powerless while the father is aggressive, controlling, and domineering. The word Old in the title of the story conveys two different implications. First, the word Old refers to Hester; in the beginning of the narration, it is implied that she has aged and is sharing a story from her past to Rosamond’s grandchildren. The second implication of the word Old is its relation to themes of the story; the social injustice of women and the working class, and oppression of women in patriarchal society is considered an old idea—not old as the themes are exhausted and forgotten, but old as in re-occurring and still prevalent today. The word old symbolizes Hester, the nurse, as representing the self-preservation of women through showing love, protection, and selflessness to another. Hester builds a bond of love, friendship, and trust with Rosamond and in return works to overcome the demolishing structure of hierarchy in Victorian society. In contrast to Hester’s compassion, the two, quarreling, Furnivall sisters show a lack of sisterhood and a lack of bond between women. They divide themselves because of jealousy, pride, and giving into passions. With the two differences in the female relationships, Gaskell is bringing attention that women and society must unite in order to overcome their oppressive positions. 

            The layered narration of the story begins with Hester, the nurse of the protagonist, recalling the past to Rosamond’s children, and explaining how she promised to Rosamond’s belated parents that she would “go with the little child to the end of the world.” (1223) Gaskell begins to illustrate the submissive position of women through Hester and Rosamond when Hestor is “bidden” by her lord to have Rosamond and her things ready “by a certain day” in order to relocate to the Manor. Even the specific day is even ordered from them representing the men in the story as those who hold the power to control time. Neither of two women act as deciding factors in moving to the manor; the matter was “settled” by the current Lord Furnivall, a cousin of Rosamond, that the manor would “suit Miss Rosamond for a few years.” (1224)  Not only is a man demanding the presence of their bodies and arranging for their pickup, but also the carriage driver, a man, is literally delivering them as packages or objects to the lord. On the journey to the manor, the carrier tells the nurse to wake the young girl to see the phallic scenery of “rocks, gates, thorned trees, and old oaks.” (1224) The author gives a contrast to the masculine imagery with a flower-garden which is a feminine image that symbolizes a psychological sense of security. “But the branches of the great forest trees had grown and over-shadowed it again, and there were very few flowers that would live there are that time.” (1224)  In this case, the phallic imagery of the trees, standing for men, is overpowering the feminine aspects—the flowers. These flowers signify the women in the story and in Victorian society; they are unable to grow because of the large trees blocking the sun. Symbolism of the trees blocking the sunlight means the sturdy, rough, thick, and unmoving roots of men are grounded in patriarchy and their tall, towering, shadow inhibits the enlightenment, the wisdom, the creativity, and the energy of women. Where the seeds of the flowers fell is where they were destined to grow, just as in the case of women in Victorian society. This imagery also shows the importance of how men viewed women in the Victorian era as “inferior in all ways except one that counted most to man: her femininity.” (Altick, 54) Victorian society enforced and encouraged women to hold feminine qualities such as submission and humility. By keeping the feminine gender as nurturers and mere “dolls in the dollhouse,” (54) men were able to presume their masculine, domineering, and controlling societal expectations as seen in Lord Furnivall. This power of men over women is seen throughout the story. Hester questions if she should return to her father’s house where “if we live humbly, we lived at peace.” (Gaskell, 1232) In other words, she will be under a man’s roof no matter where she lives, and she must do as the head of house pleases in order to keep the peace; however, that is not the meaning of peace. To have peace, there must be a mutual harmony between both parties. The word peace also is defined as a sense of freedom, which Hester does not have.  Hester states she does as she is asked by the men, though she does not want to, “for fear he should complain of me to my lord.” (1224) Aside from the division of gender, division of social class emerges here because the lord sends his gentlemen workers to attend to the ladies, but the narrator speaks as if she and Rosamond are burdens to the workers when “He, too, shook us off and we were left, two lonely young things.” (1225) The two Furnivall sisters also fall into the male power trap as they are in love with the same foreign musician, who is brought in by their father, Lord Furnivall, a man holding a passionate obsession with music and “would pay any money for it.”(1232) In the Victorian period, the economic survival of women rested on the financial support of the father or the institution of marriage. Not only were they to marry, but to remain sexually pure until the wedding day. The social expectation of marriage caused a strain in the relationship between the sisters causing them to both give into their passions for a man, and in return their desire broke their sisterly bond. At this point, they no longer are described with the Victorian feminine characteristics. Miss Maude and Miss Grace are attributed to “handsome” appearances and are described of carrying their father’s masculine and haughty attitude.  The overpowering masculine qualities are what cause their relationship to crumble, just as their lame father is crippled and needs the support of the phallus, the crutch, to support his own body.

            Gaskell aims to point out the class differences in society and the behaviors associated with the classes. Hester’s position of nurse or governess reflects the employment opportunities for women. “Over ten percent of the female population were working as maids,” (Altick, 52) and aside from the two sisters who are heir to their father’s estate, the women in the short story are all servants of Lord Furnivall. Hester feels she must meet an expectation of social importance when she states, “I was well pleased that all the folks in Dale should stare and admire, when they head I was going to be young lady’s maid at my Lord Furnivall’s Manor.” (Gaskell, 1223) She wants a social status of significance and feels this employment opportunity is the only situation where she can be seen and noticed. A hierarchy not only exists between the upper and lower classes, but also between the servants themselves. Even so, the servants of Furnivall Manor are depicted by Hester as “so hospitable and kind. I would never wish to meet kinder people.” (1225) It is important the narrator mentions the relationship between the servants James and Dorothy.  Even though he is in a lower social class position himself, he “looks down on his wife” because she had only lived in a farmer’s household until she married him. Again, Gaskell is illustrating the pressures of marriage on women in the Victorian period. Women married because it was one of few options open to them. Because of limited working opportunities available to women, they depended on the financial support of men.

The institution of hierarchy and power of the aristocracy is illustrated as crumbling. “It was the continued existence of class lines at the same time that the diving barriers were breaking down, consequent upon the increasing wealth of the bourgeoisie and the declining wealth of the aristocracy.” (Houghton, 186) The imagery of the degenerating aristocracy is shown in several instances on the story. The manor is described as old and in ruins. Lord Furnivall, the defender and upholder of this hierarchical power of the aristocracy is lame, crumbling, and his only support rests on a crutch, a phallic symbol, the only thing left that gives him power. He uses it to harm the innocent child born to the sister, Miss Maude, and the musician. Sisterly relationships also deteriorate after they adopt their father’s qualities of giving into selfish, obsessive passions and pride. The organ built into the wall of the manor is representation of the Lord whose identity is also built into money and social status. The organ is described as “so large it took up the best part of that end,” just as Lord Furnivall’s pride and power fills the entire room. (Gaskell, 1231) This “loud and thundering” (1231) organ continues to play music which relates to the lord’s loud, thundering, and angry behavior towards his daughter. Continual music is heard by the women after the lord’s death which signifies the position or title of “Lord” is never stamped out and the voice of patriarchy is never silenced; the story refers to a current Lord Furnivall that is Miss Rosamond’s cousin, and the belated Lord Furnivall who haunts the mansion. “He was a stern, proud man, as they say all Lord Furnivall’s were.” (1223) One lord is replaced with another, alluding back to the title—the old hegemonic patriarchal cycle continues. Although the exterior cosmetics prove the organ to be functional, it is actually also “broken and destroyed inside” (1227) just as Lord Furnivall.  He is characterized as a ghost because he is broken and destroyed inside, empty, lost to his own body, and is powerful only because of social status. 

Karl Marx’s writes, “Money is the pimp between man’s need and the object, between his life and his means of life. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power.” (Marx, 165) Lord Furnivall wants to be the musically accomplished artist, and he only becomes so not because of his individuality and creativity but because of money. If it were not for his money, he would not have an abundance of leisure time to learn to play a variety of instruments, nor would he be able to purchase the instruments. Money leads to his consumption and obsession with music causing him to become alienated and foreign to the idea of loving his daughters and accepting their individuality. After the jealous sister reveals the adulterous relations between Maude and the musician, the father, the lord, grows angry. His anger originates from his loss of power and control over his daughter; he was unaware of the relationship between Maude and the musician.  His anger also is attributed to the fact a women, Miss Grace, had to enlighten him about the affair. He strikes the child with the crutch and cold-heartily shunned the two out of the manor, and left his daughter and granddaughter to die in the cold. He shows one last act of his power over the women.

            “Social order is the cause of woes. As individuals we are potentially perfect and not responsible for the ills about us, which are to be cured in the most agreeable of all possible ways, by casting down the covetous, selfish, and powerful.” (Wesson, 153) Hester characterizes the slaves in society while the Furnivall’s are the masters. Slaves have limitations set upon them by society, but instead of developing their identities in materials, like the masters, they develop intellectually within their minds. Slaves have compassion for their community as seen in the love Hester shows for Rosamond and in the servants that work beside her. She selflessly offers herself to Rosamond, a child who is not her own, yet Hester willingly offers her body as a protective covering to Rosamond when peril arises. Hester is contrasted with the aristocracies who have no societal limitations other than their own pride, love of money, and a detached or alienated life. Their dependence on slaves, material consumption, and hierarchal system implodes or crumbles on itself.

Works Cited

Gaskell, Elizabeth. “The Old Nurse’s Story.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature.                                                  Ed. Reidhead. 8^th ed. New York: Norton. 2006. 1222-1236. Print.

Altick, Richard. “The Weaker Sex.” Victorian People and Ideas. New York: Norton. 1973.           50-57. Print.

Houghton, Walter. “Moral Attitudes.” The Victorian Frame of Mind. London: Yale University     Press. 1957. 183-195. Print.

Wesson, Robert. “Marxism in the Modern Western World.” Why Marxism? New York: Basic                   Books. 1976. 145-188. Print.

Marx, Karl. “The Power of Money in Bourgeois Society.” Economic and Philosophic                                Manuscripts of 1844. New York: International Publishers. 1964.165-169. Print.

Betty Thomas

The Plow That Broke the Plains

            Unlike the lack of narration in Listen to Britain, the question that one may ask is if this documentary can still be classified as poetic because of the role of the narrator? Does poetry differ from prose? British poet and philosopher William Wordsworth says, “A large portion of the language of every good poem can in no respect differ from that of good prose.” Like poetry, prose contains read between the line elements and can be just as rhythmic, just as ambiguous, and just as beautiful or meaningful as poetry. A popular literary example proving this fact is the book House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. So, the mere presence of prose does not make the film less poetic, but the actual words being used by the narrator does not leave the audience with an interpretive meaning and may manipulate or distort the meaning.

            What gives this documentary the ‘poetic’ title is the artistic screen shots; for example, in the opening scene, the sky, the cattle, and the grass-covered plains are symmetrically shown in a panning motion. Wide shots are mainly seen in the beginning to emphasize the open spaces and uninhabited plains. Throughout the film, the shots become busy and crowded with tractors, tilling machines, army tanks, and people; this symbolizes the spoiling of the land. After the land has been exploited, the scenes move from grassy plains to dust storms (standing for the public’s clouded perception), cattle skulls, and struggling farmers. To accompany the drastic change, the music switches from a major mode of cheery folk tunes to a dark, slow, and minor mode. The subject matter deals mostly with nature, the human condition, and mutability, which are all popular poetic motifs. The chronological movement is visually shown through the linear plow lines in the soil; cause and effect is also the progressive driving motif in the documentary. Cause and effect is an element of poetics as Wordsworth explains in his essay “What is a Poet?” He writes, “A poet considers the man and the objects that surround him as acting and reacting upon each other so as to produce an infinite complexity of pain and pleasure.” Cause and effect is referenced centuries before in Eastern Taoism and called yin and yang. Yin and yang is used to explain duality in the world like night and day, masculine and feminine, sadness and joyfulness. All the dichotomies work together to produce balance in nature.  This is represented in the film through plentiful growing seasons, economic success, and increased prices in grain and contrasted with drought, war, and the economic crash. The subjects in the film do not allow for balance to happen because of the exploitation of the land.

If the message of the documentary is poetic and ambiguous, are audiences receiving the correct message? One may wonder if any meaning was taken from this documentary because exploitation of the land is still practiced today. Americans live in an instant gratification society; applying this to agriculture means farmers are not allowed to let the soil rest due to high demand of produce. Perhaps, an interpretation of the documentary is that humans never learn from their mistakes, and exploitation is a cycle we continue even today. This circular imagery of a continuing cycle is seen in the wagon wheel, the turning windmill, and the repetitive music. Benjamin Hoff, author of the “Tao of Pooh” offers an insight related to this idea:

“Looking back a few years, we see that the Puritans practically worked themselves to death in the fields without getting much of anything in return for their tremendous efforts. They were actually starving until the wise inhabitants of the land showed them a few things about working in harmony with the earth’s rhythms. Now you plant; now you relax. Now you work the soil; now you leave it alone. The Puritans never really understood the second half and never really believed in it. And so, after two or three centuries of pushing, pushing, and pushing the once fertile earth, and a few years of depleting its energy still further with synthetic stimulants, we have apples that taste like cardboard, oranges that taste like tennis balls, and pears that taste like sweetened Styrofoam…all products of soil that is not allowed to relax.”  

Betty Brews

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Originally cultivated in East Asia, Green tea has played a role in traditional medicine for more than 4,000 years in Indian and Chinese cultures. Due to scientific and population based studies, the importance of drinking Green tea is making a popular appearance in the Western world.

Green tea is made from the same plant as black tea, camellia sinesis, but what makes green tea different is that it undergoes less processing compared to black tea. Green tea leaves are plucked and briefly steamed making the leaves soft and pliable; the leaves are then set out and dried with hot air. Steaming the green leaves prevents oxidation that happens during the processing of black tea. Oxidation refers to the fermenting or browning of the leaves, just like a cut apple that begins to turn brown after it sits for a while.  The oxidation process in black tea takes up to three hours, but for green tea, the short method of steaming or pan frying prevents the leaves from fermenting and changing color. Naturally, since green tea does not oxidize, it contains beneficial health components and a higher concentration of antioxidants. The antioxidants in green tea help fight free radicals, which are compounds that change, damage, or even kill the cell structure. Free radicals can cause early aging, illness, or disease.

Listed below are some of the many health benefits of green tea found in The Natural Medicine Comprehensive Database:  

·         Keeps arteries healthy, helps fight high cholesterol, and an aid in preventing heart attacks

·         Holds antibacterial properties to fight foreign intruders of the body

·         Reduces redness and inflammations of the skin associated with acne

·         Found to improve bone health and prevents tooth decay

·         High in Vitamin C and boosts the immune system

·         Known to reduce the risks for skin, lung, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancer

·         Used topically to soothe sunburned skin

·         Works as an appetite suppressant

·         Boosts metabolic rate resulting in weight loss

·         Contains anti-aging properties by reactivating skin cells that were almost at the end of their life cycle

Green tea is not a miracle drink, but numerous studies have given evidence of the many benefits of drinking green tea. Teaming this drink with a healthy diet and regular exercise routine may produce greater results. In tea drinking cultures, the recommended amount is 3 or 4 small cups a day.

 Compared to black tea, some claim green tea has a bitter flavor; however, adding lemon, raw honey, pure maple syrup, or stevia can naturally sweeten and give a better taste.  

Freshly brewed tea is best; tea in a can or a bottle has less antioxidants and usually contains high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Loose tea leaves are ideal, but if buying by the box, check that the ingredients read “100% natural green tea leaves.” Many popular brands of herbal teas have additives such as food coloring, preservatives, and artificial flavors.

Betty Boop and Gender Roles

This is the paper I have worked out for the entire semester. There is no conclusion...yet. I will pick up where I left off next semester with research in mass communication.

Traditional gender roles are continued and learned through patterned and structured television portrayal of content. These roles begin even before birth; there is no before exposure condition of television since children can respond to what they hear even inside the womb. Women are objectified and stereotyped through television, specifically prime-time television and the Food Network. The majority of learning is done through sight, and when gender roles are continually exposed to children and adults, they adopt these perceptions as their identity and reality. This paper analyzes this concept through cultivation analysis and cultural theory. The purpose of gender roles is instilled by social and economic institutions in order to cause humans to self-discipline themselves, to separate individuals, to gain control through their division while constructing and shaping identity, and to fuel capitalism enforced by the dominant patriarchal society. 

The topic for this paper, gender slant on the Food Network, emerged from observation of  married couples who did or did not participate in viewing the content of the Food Network together. Couple X watches the programs together regularly. Couples X both exhibit a happy marriage of 40 years and share domestic chores because both are employed outside the home. The husband cooks frequently and the wife cleans. Couple X finds balance between the feminine and masculine qualities of themselves not only in the kitchen but in other aspects of life. The results observed are balanced individuals and an equal marriage.

            In relation to Couple Y, the female watches more Food Network content by herself. Gender roles are traditional in the actions of their marriage; for example, the wife stays at home with children, works at home, and tends to the domestics. The husband works at a machine shop, fixes the cars, chops wood, tends to the yard, and other tasks our society deems “masculine”. Couple Y currently expresses extreme frustration, unhappiness, and constant stress in their marriage. The couple claims if it were not for their children, they would no longer be married.

PHILOSOPHY OF GENDER ROLES

To offer of contrast of Western society, Eastern philosophy instructs that to maintain a happy life, one must transcend traditionally accepted gender roles of the time and embrace both yin (feminine) and yang (masculine); this is the principle of dynamic balance within nature. (Dreher. 2000) For example, winter causes nature to die, while spring brings new life. Neither is greater than the other, but both seasons are necessary in order to achieve balance in the world. In the western world, women are expected to be passive, dependent, nurturers, (yin) while men should be strong, aggressive, leaders (yang). This western practice of imbalanced gender perceptions and applications of feminine and masculine qualities may cause unhappiness in a marriage or an individual. Writer and philosopher of the Tao Teh Ching, Lao Tzu, cautioned against adopting extremities on either side of yin and yang, and urges individuals to surpass the idea of adopting only yin or yang qualities, but encourages one to carry both yin and yang qualities. Then, one can be a step closer to becoming a balanced whole character. Lao Tzu instructs too much yang would cause one to become uncentered, impatient, too busy doing and not enough time listening; however, too much yin would cause one to become shy, submissive, and weak. (Dreher, 2000)

SEX ROLES

A role is the intangible idea of what is acceptable speech or appropriate behavior in societal situations. When a child is born into the world, most parents begin shaping their identity immediately. Even before a child is born, their identity can begin to be shaped in the womb after the hearing capabilities are developed. Babies can hear noises at 22-24 weeks and definitely respond in the womb to any outside noises. (Anderson, 2012)  Mothers have read stories or spoken to their children while in the womb, and new-born babies were able to recognize their mother’s voices. Mothers have also played classical music through headphones that rested on their pregnant stomachs; the children developed musical abilities later on in life. If babies can respond to the arts, food, or their mother’s voices, they can also begin gender identity construction in the womb as well.

 Roles are learned through interactions with their environments and gauging responses based on the pre-conceived expectations of their observer. The child then finds their identity in the persona they adopt based on the negative or positive responses of their surrounding environment. Girl babies are born and immediately spoken to in a softer tone of voice, frosted with lacey dresses, pink ribbons and bows, and given dolls or teddy bears to eventually nurture—an early practice for the anticipated maternal role later in female life. Parents and peers wish for the women to be interested in family, the home, and the domestics; also, encourage her to participate in an active social environment, because these social and domestic skills are what will eventually “attract a husband”. Boys are born, and the proud papa’s break out blue, bubble gum cigars, dress him in camouflage attire, and gradually shower him with masculine toys like Tonka trucks or hot wheels, sports and outdoor equipment. The boys may be called “sissy,” “nancy-boy”, and “pansy” if they do not fit the pre-determined character traits associated with their masculine gender. This applies to women as well as they are called “tom boy “or “dyke” if they portray a greater side towards what western society had labeled as masculine qualities. Language and gestures can happen through generational learning and by repeating what is observed. (Purnell, 1976)  Learning through mimicry takes place in reality, and identities can be observed and repeated from the world of television as well. Children who are still developing psychologically and socially are exposed to traditional yet imbalanced portrayals of sexes.

Robert Ezra Sparks states, “We come into the world as individuals, achieve character, and become person’s.”(Goffman, 1959) The word person comes from the latin word persona meaning mask.  Adopted gender roles become masked performances, and “social fronts become institutionalized based on stereotypes and expectations.” (Goffman, 1959) Media institutions dominated by western ideas produce television content with traditional gender roles. Men on television are characterized as working outside the home, outnumbering women by a 3-1 ratio, and women in prime time television are likely be “portrayed as young, energetic, attractive, married, and displayed within the context of the home.” (Signorelli, 1982).  

 

CULTIVATION

A ‘before exposure’ of television does not exists; television enters life during infancy. Out of all species, humans are the ones to “live in a world erected by the stories we tell.” (Gerber 1998). Communication and sharing experiences are necessary for continuation of a culture; however, stories are now fabricated and mass produced by distant corporations and driven by market value instead of being homemade and community inspired. Television content follows narrative patterns; it has become the centralized theme of storytelling, and the source that spreads images and messages to the masses. These stories become a part of our symbolic environment from either the day we are born or even during prenatal growth as some mothers read stories to their children while in the womb. These structured stories have the ability to shape the listeners identity or reality. Gerbner (1998) refers to the process of cultivation, which means analyzing message content and context to discover a re-occurring model that over long periods of time can influence perceived realities. Cultivation analysis proposes that people come to accept the world as it is portrayed on television and accept this view as an aspect of reality; furthermore, audiences accept their fears, understandings, and hopes based on re-occurring themes on television. (McQuail, 2012) The messages are formatted and patterned for audiences; television content becomes systematic, constantly repeating information that will inevitably embed within audiences over time. Theorist James Carey refers to this process as the ritual model, a model that depends on “shared emotions, experiences and requires some element of ‘performance’ to be recognized, meaning messages reflect the collective and constructed cultural identity instead of an individuated identity. (McQuail, 2012) Carey writes that the same type of programs with the same type of characters are produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed “overtime for purpose of control”. Goffman agrees as he explains, “Through social discipline, then, a mask of manner can be held in place from within.” Social philosopher, Foucault, speaks of this process as self-discipline and the “primacy of practice over belief”. Foucault expands that bodies becomes trained, shaped and stamped by continuing historical forms of identity, desire, masculinity and femininity. The prevalence of these characteristics are instilled through the disciplinary mechanism of social, political, or economic institutions that organize and regulate time, space, and movements in our daily lives. (Bordo, 2007) Aside from learning bodily functions, Carey’s model is applied to the re-emergence of gendered and transformed television content that is only different through genre or the title of series. For example, the television show “The Honeymooners” is re-formatted to “The King of Queens”, “All in the Family” has satirically transitioned to “Family Guy”, and it is not coincidence that  “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “According to Jim”, and “My Wife and Kids” carry the same character types and plot settings.  Through formulaic and patterned programming, both children and adults are exposed to imbalanced gender portrayals on television. The heavy television watchers are more likely to adopt the ideas presented in fictional television as reality, and despite the progress of the women’s movement in recent decades, women on shows such as dramas, daytime soaps, sitcoms or comedies, and music videos are associated with images of traditional motherhood, devotion to family, and displayed as sexual objects for the traditionally labeled “sexually driven males.” (Morgan and Shanahan, 2010) “83% of learning is through sight…and 50% of what an individual retains in based on what they see and hear”. (Cameron and Wilcox, 2012) Adults are learning or reinforcing what they see and teaching it to children alongside of their viewed media content. Mass media is guided by audience interest and demands; however, “the audience is only known by its television selections and responses to what is offered”. (McQuail, 2012)  The homogenized culture that adopts and practices gender roles and sexual objectification will continue to be a self-perpetuating cycle until society relieves itself of being exposed to “7 or more hours of television a day”, (Gerbner, 1998) or until media institutions change the content or structure of its gendered messages. The change will most likely not happen, because gender roles or women as objects preserves and enhances the structure of western patriarchal society and capitalism.

GENDERED TELEVISION

Again, gendered television is even exposed to children in animated cartoons or movies. Disney is known for its beautiful, yet submissive princesses. The father characters on children’s cartoons or films are represented as “controlling, aggressive, protective disciplinarians while mothers are “nurturing, affectionate, and self-sacrificing.” Viewing such depictions at an impressionable age enforces children’s attitudes and beliefs of gender roles, and children are more likely to identify with the perceived behavior if the characters demographics relate to the child’s or if the character is physically attractive. (Granados & Smith, 2008).

Women are poorly represented on various day-time television cooking episodes on Food Network; this time of the day is usually geared to an audience of stay at home parents, particularly mothers or housewives, and retired women. Some of the popular channel stars who appear in the time slots are Giada de Laurentiis, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and Sandra Lee. 

            Giada exemplifies the idea of women as objects in the kitchen. Every episode she is adorned in glamour hair and makeup, while dressed in a cleavage baring low-cut blouse. Some would argue this is just the attire of show business; possibly so, but even such an appearance gives the audience an impression that women should meet these expectations of sexy mothers or housewives. In addition to sexy housewives, women are taught now to double their roles as independent career woman, yet still remain a nurturing, maternal, family care-giver. Women are influenced to adopt these roles through this re-occurring pattern on several Food Network viewings.

            Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee are both other hosts who portray beauty in the kitchen as a commonly accepted expectation of women. Paula Deen also promotes the commercialized beauty industry and cosmetic surgery. Instead of wearing her true self, or aging naturally, the beauty corrections are the messages transmitted to influence her viewers; thus literally molding or ‘masking’ herself and constructing audience perceptions to fit what is considered pleasant or attractive. Viewers  may look up to these Food Network stars, since they are a type of celebrity, and it is undeniable Americans look up to and fantasize themselves being in the same position as celebrities, a status of fame, wealth, youth, and beauty. Messages audiences receive from Food Network celebrities are hardly more than beauty, buying, and boobs. Feminist theorist, Susan Bordo, explicates that “historically the discipline and normalization of the female body is perhaps the only gender oppression that exercises itself.”(Bordo, 2007)

The television stations use of commodification, product placement, and commercial products propose the idea to audiences that they will achieve their ideal cultural or social status if they participate in conspicuous consumption thus fueling our capitalistic society. Viewers are not discovering the real self; however, they only gain a false sense or false consciousness of their real selves and their relation to reality because “media can never be a true account of reality.”(McQuail, 2012) Furthermore, the appropriate presentation of self is only surface area and becomes a masked performance. (Goffman, 1959) 

            Perhaps the glamorous presentations of female appearance is another marketing tactic to bring a male audience of non-chefs into the demographics; however, while reaching to a new audience is a reasonable goal of marketing, the method Food Network uses objectifies and stereotypes women as objects who should put on something cute and cook. Women have historically been stamped with this role due to various institutions dominated by the westernized patriarchal society; because of this, women have become the credible source for knowledge of learning to prepare food for male viewers. Men hosts on Food Network are not completely foreign, but the gender roles carry over on the episodes geared for men as well. Bobby Flay is grilling on “Throwdown” and Guy Perrelli is portrayed as a free man driving his convertible, classic sports car and traveling to various “Diners and Drives.”

MIXED GENRE

Despite the title of the channel, Food Network can no longer be defined by a special interest television aspect, but mixed rather mixed genres. Program features include drama from the personal story telling of the cooking hosts, from contest shows like “Cupcake Wars” and “Iron Chef America”, or “The Next Food Network Star.” Food Network also has become famous for using persuasive message within the content of show in order to promote consumerism and a production of false needs. Food Network stars like Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Giada de Laurentiis and Emeril Lagasse use product placement, including their own lines of dishware, cookware, appliances, spices, or cookbooks. Aside from encouraging audiences to buy their products, Food Network also promotes consumerism through the kitchen designs of the stars. Not all of the kitchens used on the show are sets; some of the episodes are filmed in the homes of the stars. The possible reason for this excessive and overpowering product placement is in line with the female audience, since women are the biggest shoppers in America. Not only will females by the supplies needed to duplicate the given recipes, but Food Network suggests buying unnecessary cooking appliances and accessories while promoting them as “easier” and “convenient cooking,” instead of giving supplementary tips to avoid excess consumerism. For example, if a recipe calls for buttermilk, the host could give a help hint to mix lemon juice with regular milk to give it the sour taste compared to buying a whole gallon of buttermilk for one cup of use. Newer cookbooks call for more exotic and expensive ingredients in contrast to grandmother’s cookbook which most recipes call for five or less ingredients.

 

References

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Betty Drinks Tea

I am a huge herbal tea drinker. If you drink herbal tea, you win all around because not only do they taste great and offer a variety of flavors, but also provide several health benefits.

Tea of the week: Earl Grey

Earl grey is an English tea, named after Earl Charles Grey, Britain's Prime Minister in the 1800s. Earl Grey is lightly spiced black tea with a fruity flavor of Bergamot, a citrus fruit originally from Asia, but now cultivated in Italy. Bergamot has several health benefits all on its own. The following are health benefits from the fruit that is extracted and mixed with the black tea leaves to produce Earl Grey tea.

One benefit is that bergamot is full of antioxidants. These antioxidants attack free radicals that age the body. In this sense, Earl Grey helps your body and skin look younger, helps fight off infections (even known to cure  urinary tract infections), and helps build your immune system.

The bergamot in Earl Grey is also known as a mood booster that soothes mood swings, depression, stress or anxiety.

Also, bergamot helps improve the digestion system. It aids in reducing indigestion, painful stomach aches, colic, and nausea.  The tea has been used to treat intestinal parasites as well.

Earl Grey is known in the past to reduce fever.

Bergamot has disinfectant properties and natural fluoride which helps fight tooth decay and gum disease.

Recently, a study in the UK shows those who drink 2-4 cups of Earl Grey a day reduced high cholesterol and chances for heart disease; also weight loss was a plus from drinking the tea.

Senior citizens claim they have better memory patterns when drinking the tea regularly. Earl grey also contains ECGC, which inhibits beta-amyloid production, a toxic protein known to infests the brains of Alzheimer’s victims

The citrus flavor of Earl Grey mixed with the smoothness of the black tea makes it an energizing and revitalizing tea—a common tea for breakfast; however, its soothing properties makes it appropriate for enjoying at any time of the day.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2109601/A-cup-Earl-Grey-doctor-away-Fruit-extract-help-lose-weight-lower-cholesterol-prevent-diabetes.html

Betty and Books

Why was the story "James and the Giant Peach" banned?

When a book is banned, the negative responses generally reflect the ideas, ethics, beliefs, or fears within society during the period of banishment. In some cases, a book is involved in the process of acceptance and rejection several times during its life cycle; this is the case with the children’s story, James and the Giant Peach, published in 1960 by the author, Roald Dahl. The structure of the story features a boy who loses his parents and is sent to live with his cruel aunts. After a mystic and divine intervention, he finds an escape from his terrible life by traveling in an enormous peach. He meets lively and artistic insect characters inside the giant peach who show him the meaning of true love and friendship.

            James and the Giant Peach struck a dissonant chord with audiences all over the United States. Florida banned the book due to the images of James’ two aunts, Sponge and Spiker. The aunts verbally and physically abuse James, forced him to do all the work around their house, and they do not feed him regularly. The aunts are also prideful and constantly concerned with how “beautiful” they perceive themselves to be, but in reality both aunts are described as ugly. Protestors claimed the description of the aunts cause children to question their outward appearances and question themselves in regards to what is acceptable or attractive in the eyes of peers. Critics also disliked the death of the aunts; they were both rolled over and squashed by the giant peach. The character descriptions of the aunts are vivid, and graphic; however, such depictions are necessary as Dahl uses the imagery to support the grotesque and hateful personas of the two aunts. Structurally speaking, in regards to the plot of the literature, a conflict (cruel aunts) and resolve of that dilemma (death) is necessary for a well-written and entertaining hero’s journey.

            Wisconsin banned the book for profanities because the word “ass” makes approximately three appearances. Also, the character, Grasshopper, speaks of alcohol and tobacco use once. Critics see racism in the book when Grasshopper states, “I’d rather be fried alive and eaten by a Mexican.” (Dahl, 90). Wisconsin banned the book for sexual references. The female spider character is seen as a sexual symbol because she “licks her lips”. Some people see the Wisconsin interpretations of the book as petty and a far reach of actual meaning. If these are reasons for banishing children’s stories, then Sunday school lessons might as well be banned too.

            Other reasons for banishment include disobedience to authority figures, the mystical elements of the magic crocodile tongues given to James by an old man, and the supernatural oversized peach. Ohio banned James and the Giant Peach because of the promotion of communism.

            If viewing the book through a literary Marxist filter, some communist ideals emerge. First, while the aunts are still alive they try to make money from showcasing the peach, charging admission for viewers to experience an aspect of the natural world, even though the peach was chemically or magically enhanced. James lives off the grid, free from authority after his aunts are killed, and James becomes self-sufficient. When he and his friends need food, they eat the peach. When James needs a boat, he floats in the peach. When he needed a hot air balloon, he creatively fashioned the peach to serve that function. The insect creatures he meets inside the peach become his friends. They help each other with their own special talents and represent a free-thinking, communal government. In example, the grasshopper is the musician; he plays music with his legs which is described as a violin sound. His music, songwriting, and dancing soothes and entertains the others. Spider is the weaver, an artist with thread and in several instances aids James when he needs a rope. She also weaves their beds. Earthworm explains to James that he is the most important character because “every grain of soil upon the surface of the land, every tiny little bit of soil that you can see has actually passed through the body of an Earthworm during the last few years.”(Dahl, 74).  The previous statement given by earthworm and the concept of the peach sum up one of the themes of the book (the possible theme causing the most rejection of the book): the natural world will overcome the industrial. The concept is supported at the end of the book when the giant peach lands on top of spike of the Empire State building in New York City. James practices the love he has learned from his insect friends and shares the peach with everyone in the city. After the peach is eaten, James is still independent; he carves out the center of the seed, the pit of the peach, and calls it home while inviting in as many visitors that would like to stop by and hear his story of self-reliance.

     This is an imaginative story for adults and children; the children enjoy the fun characters and mystical elements, while there are obvious social and political overtones for adults. Other than suppression of these ideas, I see no reason why the government should banish the book.

Betty "Bleep Bloop Bleep" D2

What happened here? Creator standing over us.
What happened here? It's shady and mysterious.
It's only been afew years, uncontrolled dependency,
Feeding on our fears, forgotten self-sufficiency.

Rusty bolts fall from the circles
Red windows glow on their own
Mythril in my backbone
Now, I am whole

Machine machine new programming
I have been rewired
Machine machine stop punishing
My gears are on fire

Compute the truth; it wont digest.
Magnet to my head
"Know your place and shut your face."
 Flip the switch to rest

Humans as commodities
Industrial zombies
Feeding on our fears
What happened here?