The discriminatory practices of the male folk of the society are not new. Abuse and violence is a way of establishing the supremacy over the opposite sex. Even in the age of advancement where several feminist movements have dared to challenge the very roots of the patriarchal society, domestic abuse is one the greatest impediments for the female who are being constantly battered by the insensitivity and chauvinism of their male counterparts.
New York is a city where many women face the peril of domestic violence. Statistics show that in the year 2012, 68 percent of the total number of women who were murdered in the city got killed in acts of domestic violence. Brooklyn and Bronx remain the most afflicted areas which have shown such cases. Domestic violence and sexual abuse thus is a very major societal issue which needs to be addressed with immediacy.
Creative artists have come forward to portray this social evil in their works to raise awareness and bring in the change for the better. The mass appeal and emotional effect of literary and cinematic works stir the souls of the audience and make them pine for a better world.
Films Which Expose the Reality
An issue such grave as this has been appropriately portrayed in the cultural markers of the Western society. Films, which is one of the most popular modes of creative expression in the present day delve deep into the societal issue and explicate the intricacies which are involved. Such seminal works are outcries against the surmounting evil of domestic violence and urge the people to become conscious and raise their voice of protest against the issue. Joseph Ruben’s famous cinematic work, Sleeping with the Enemy, is such a moving film which focuses on the burning issue of the day. The desperation of the periled lady reaches its height when she tries to escape from the bondage of her conjugal life faking her own death. Her husband is controlling and does not give her the due respect. This kind of attitude is prototypical of most males in the society. It is very significant how the most important issues of the world society get reflected in arts and aesthetics, it being the mirror of the society. The artist critiques the ominous presence of such immoral practice and portrays the issue to create affect among the audience.
James Foley’s film, Fear, deals with the violent streak of a girl’s boyfriend and the impending trauma of the girl when she faces such tormenting times. She wishes to run away from such impediment, but it haunts her. The film juxtaposes the brutality and insensitivity of the male and the psychological trauma and agony of the female. This is reflective of the society’s occurrences and how the male member of a nuclear relationship treats the woman as inferior and weak making her submit in front of his violence and rage.
Both these films reflect the urban masses issues and delve deep into the complexities of relationships and the victimization of the females. Brian Gilbert’s film, Not without My Daughter, complicates the issue with the Eastern milieu and the daughter who needs be rescued as well.
Poems of Agony
http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/battered-woman
http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/domestic_violence_poems_1.html
The internet provides the victims to pour their heart out to the world through the literary expressions of their personal experiences of domestic abuse. One such poem is Battered Woman by Edelwina Asinas who is herself a hapless victim of trauma. Her whereabouts cannot be known, but her expression transcends the geographical and cultural boundaries to reach universality. The poem gives a detailed description of the torment of the wife in the hands of her husband. A poem by the title, Learned Helplessness by an anonymous writer gives a first-hand account of the painful life of a woman who is tortured by her partner. The poet uses emphatic metaphors to explicate her feelings and the poem leaves the avid reader moved with the autobiographical story of the lady. One can only wonder how the women of the urban city of America put up with the jeopardy and still keep on living with persistence.
A Play Depicting the Truth of Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT0_EMyRgwk
Sherell Rosegreen, the singer and writer in the play, Abused under His Charm, tells the true story of abuse which was meted out by this brutal man. The play stirs the audience with the harsh reality of domestic violence and abuse through the hard-hitting scenes and powerful portraiture. The play depicts how the man uses his charm as a garb of his actual nature. The play is a serious warning to the society about the dangers of such criminality.
Hoping for a Better Future
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/violence-against-women/
Domestic violence is one of most heinous crimes in the society as it subverts the very norm of humanity and threatens the structure and relationships within a nuclear family which make the society. Herbert Logerie who is a Haitian-American, in her poem, Violence against Women, depicts the ill of violence and supremacy which the male folk propagate. Instead, she urges on the spread of the message of love between the two sexes as they are meant to love and respect the other. The poem exudes this optimistic essence which still has faith in humanity and that the status quo would be transformed to a favorable one for the women.
The Facts that Stir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4rORP1HaWc
A video by the title Appeal for Widows 2013 goes on to explain the statistical figures of women who get abused all over the world. The numbers are shocking and one can only comprehend that this social evil has spread like an epidemic not only outside America, but also in the heart of a city like New York itself. Thus, the cultural markers have been used emphatically to express the plight of the women.
Thus, it is the utmost need of the hour to rise against this evil and make the women folk unite against this crime. Awareness, morality and the strength to rise are the ways to deal with domestic violence.
Works Cited
“Appeal for Widows 2013.” Saynotoviolence.org. 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
Asinas, Edelwina. “Battered Woman” FamilyFriendPoems. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
Anonymous. “Learned helplessness”.Hidden Hurt. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
Fear. Dir. James Foley. Perf. Mark Wahlberg, William Petersen, Reese Witherspoon.
Imagine Entertainment, 1996. Film.
Logerie, Hebert. “Violence Against Women” PoemHunter.com.2012. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
Not Without My Daughter. Dir. Brian Gilbert. Perf. Alfred Morina, Sally Field, Sheila
Rosenthal. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1991. Film.
Rosegreen, Sherell. Abused Under His Charm. Bloomington: Trafford Publishing, 2011. Print.
Sleeping with the Enemy. Dir. Joseph Ruben. Perf. Patrick Bergin, Julia Roberts, Kevin
Anderson. 20th Century Fox, 1991. Film.
