Gender: Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman” (pp. 769-777) and Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” (pp. 107-108) are both texts that focus on gender roles in their respective cultures and time periods (China of the early 20th century, and West Indies of the mid-to-late 20th century). What are these texts saying about the female gender role and the rules that women must follow, specifically regarding their sexuality? How are these rules and regulations similar to or different from the modern-day American gender role for women? Main question: Make an argument regarding the progress of women’s rights in America and/or worldwide. Would you argue that there has been adequate progress and that both genders now have equal opportunity and rights, or would you argue there is still much progress to be made, or is it something in between? Optional: You may consider aspects that complicate this topic, such as how race, culture, ethnicity, and other factors of identity might make a woman doubly oppressed (research the term “intersectional feminism”). You may also consider men’s gender roles, and the way in which men and boys are also held to strict rules and regulations regarding their gender expression, and the effects of this on individuals and society. For this topic, you must use six sources total: Kingston, Kincaid, and one other text from class (choose from Woolf, O’Brien, Roethke, or Hayden); plus three researched sources (articles, books, documentaries, etc.)
