As Harriet Jacobs explains women have in the past experienced major difficulties within their immediate societies. Many of these societies seem to grant men more rights compared to women while in retrospect women make an integral part of the society. Most of the heroic female figures in history are crowned heroes due to the fact that they are able to survive through the oppression and suffering that they are subjected to within their immediate societies. These female characters are able to make milestone achievements despite the presence of these difficulties that are placed on them by their society. Some of these women include Lady Jessica in Frank Herbert's novel Dune, and the noblewomen Maruyama Naomi in Lian Hearns's Across the Nightingale Floor, and Shirakawa Kaede in Hearn’s' Across the Nightingale Floor and Grass for His Pillow. This paper intends to look at the common battles that these women have in common. This paper also intends to explain the helpers that enhance the success of these woman heroes and how these helpers helped to condition their respective cultures. Finally, this paper intends to explain how their choices were affected by age and education.
First of all, it is important to note the position of women in that many societies has been the domestic sphere. Many women have been confined to the domestic sphere such that they cannot actively participate in the public life of their respective societies. Positions in the public sphere have been left purely to men causing them to be seen as being superior to women. This accounts for the reason as to why many women in different societies have been denied the access to important facets of life that can improve their living standards. This means that women are not given equal opportunities compared to their male counterparts in terms of accessing quality education, the participation in extra-curricular activities, and the participation in positions of leadership. The exclusion of women from these activities creates a situation whereby women have to be dependent on men both in socio-economic matters and also in terms of making decisions regarding public service. One of the commonality that exists among the women mentioned above is the fact that all these women have suffered these oppressions that are subjected to women within their immediate society. These women have been victims of male chauvinism whereby their male counterparts have seen them as being inferior compared to them. However, the perception that their male counterparts have regarding them is not correct. This is because these women have the same capacity and sometimes better with men. This means that when they are given the right to conduct the same activities that are done by their male counterparts they can be able to meet the set expectations of the same tasks that they are assigned.
Another important similarity that exists between these women is the fact that these women have a motivation and determination to carry out their objectives in life. No matter the challenges that these women face within their immediate societies, these women continue to push harder and do not give up. This courage to continue working hard in order to fulfill their dreams is the reason why these women end up being successful. Despite the fact that these women are motivated to continue working hard towards meeting their destinies, these women do not give up on the societal responsibilities that their immediate societies expect them to fulfill. These women continue to take care of their families despite their efforts to expand their responsibilities beyond the domestic sphere to which they are confined into.
It is also evident from these women that age and education play in a key role in ensuring the success of these women. As these women advance in age, it is apparent that their experience and intelligence increases. This is because as these women increase in their age, they experience a lot of challenges which helps them to acquire better ways of handling and solving some of the issues and problems that they experience within their immediate societies. Age is therefore an advantage because women who are older have more exposure to the problems that are directly affecting their immediate societies which means that when these problems recur in the future, they are able to perform the same actions without making some of the mistakes that they have done in the past. Access to education is also an important factor that contributes to success of women heroes. The access to education opens up career opportunities both in the job market and within the society itself. This creates a situation whereby women are no longer dependent on men but can make their own solid decisions.
Though these women may be painted as heroes through the achievements that they make in life, it is apparent that these women have people who assist them in realizing their dreams. This means that the process leading to the success of these women is not purely based on their own efforts but also in the way these women are able to interact with other people and learn from others. Learning from others is an important way of being able to avoid some of the mistakes that people do considering that it is always difficult to perform a given task within the first time without experiencing difficulties or making mistakes. However, the willingness to learn from the mistakes of others is a major reason why these women have been able to successfully achieve their set goals and objectives. It is also essential to understand that the step by these women to go beyond the expectations of culture and society is a risk that they subject themselves to. This means that unless a person is willing to take a risk of performing actions that regarded as being not within the considered norm, then it becomes difficult for the person to be in a position to realize the set objectives.
One important thing that is evident among the women mentioned above is the fact that these women become heroes within the different contexts due to the change that they seek to impart with their different societies. Their clamor for changes within their respective societies is one of the key things that make their efforts notable within their individual society. This means that unless a person is willing to bring a difference within the society, it is difficult for one to be able to make an impact within that society. Changes within society have an impact on the immediate society because the people affected by the change have new ways of looking at issues and also embracing new ideas and opinions within the society.
In conclusion, some of things that these women have in common include the fact that they all face societal challenges and forces which paint the female gender as being inferior compared to their male counterparts. These women are motivated to meet their objectives and never give up. It is due to the desire for change that these women are acknowledged and recognized by their respective societies because their efforts impacted the life of other people within the society.
