Revise essay. east asia and gender essay

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Revise this essay. The words in red are the things that need to revise. Do not use outside

sources/materials. All the readings are in the attached files.

First Paper Assignment(Give your essay a more specific title that reflects your thesis. )

The gender roles in East Asia, according to the ancient traditional principles, urge women to look after household tasks and have instructed men to take care of finances and to take the necessary family decisions. The major decisions in the family were taken by the father of the families mostly but with time it has evolved. However, the conventional approach still designs the household paradigm in East Asia. They had a patriarchal society where women are expected to take care of the home and no matter what they should not disobey their parents and husbands. In the 21st century, women have started to realize their rights and they stand up for what they deserve but the deep-rooted patriarchy in their culture is hard to be uprooted because of the acceptance of traditional gender roles in society.(The focus of this assignment should be on describing some of the key features of traditional gender roles in East Asia. We will look at the continued effects of these traditions on contemporary East Asia later in the class. So, I don't think you need to focus on the 21st century in this essay. )

The ancient literature of East Asia is filled with the instructions directed at women to obey their parents and their husbands and be expert at the household chores. Women were expected to serve their parents and husbands and they were not given the right to live the life of their own choices and wills. However with passing, it has changed and in big cities, women work with men but the deep-rooted patriarchy is seen in the households where only women are expected to take of children. Even in the professional environment, men and women working in

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the same position have discrimination in their wages and the respect that they get because of their work. (this material on the contemporary period should be shortened or deleted)

In the 21st century, women are expected to obey what their husband’s demand, instead of the rational relationship where both men and women make decisions together by mutual understanding. The cultural values of East Asia still follow the traditional gender roles associated with men and women. The deeply rooted misogyny can be seen in the book ‘House Instructions’ by Mr. Yan that women should be trained by men in a way that they obey them, just like children are taught from an early age about the customs and traditions. Just like in war and political methods, women hardly participate just like that the important decisions also need to be taken by men (Yanshi, 2). (Here it would be good to cite a particular quote from the text that reflects these beliefs. )

In ancient teachings, women were taught systematically to follow their husbands and to take care of their homes according to the wishes of their husbands and parents. In ‘Preface to Models for the Inner Quarters’ Lü writes that females teachers used to teach women in ancient days and thus they mastered the art of household chores, advising and had proper speech manner, behavior, demeanor, and ability of clear vision about employment (Lü, 2). Now those instructions are not taught to women, that is why they have become ill-mannered and cannot look after the house or their children. Even today, conventional households believe that the demand for rights of women is baseless because they have the role of play which demands them to be flexible and adjustable according to the demands of their parents and husbands.

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Children are taught from childhood to respect their parents and children used to respect fathers more because of their dominant role in family dynamics. ‘Selections from the twenty-four exemplars of filial piety’ from the 17th century explains the bond and relationship which also shows the love and respect which offspring have for their mothers. (Here you should refer to a specific passage from that text which shows this love children have for their mothers. Also, does this respect for mothers weaken the patriarchal force you describe at the start of this paragraph? )It has been also noticed that offspring treat their mothers the way their fathers treat them. If father disrespects mothers in front of their children, then children would find it normal to talk in disrespecting tone to their mothers. However, there were some clans in ancient East Asia where women ruled and they enjoyed all the rights which men have in major parts of the world (Li, 2). However, it has never been practiced on a large scale. (Li's text is a fictional account about an imaginary world ruled by women. Although there were some matriarchal clans in remote parts of China, that is not what Li is describing in his fictional work. )

Women are expected to follow what their parents demand from them and after marriage; they are expected to obey her husband. In ancient studies, it is defined as the responsibility of women to obey men, no matter what they demand from them. Kaibara Ekken writes in ‘The Great Learning for Women’ that women should obey their parents, husbands, and in-laws without questioning from them. Their husbands are given the position of Lord for women and husband and her parents should have strict instructions for her to keep her on track. It is also mentioned that it is the task of women to make a home because only she can keep the relationship with their efforts (Kaibara, 3). The whole responsibility of the relationship was expected to be on the women. In ‘Instruction to my daughter’ by Song Siyŏl, instructions are

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given to daughter about serving her husband no matter what. The ancient traditional teachings have a long-lasting impact on society (Song, 3). (Until this paragraph, the sources you have used have been Chinese. Now you employ texts from Japan and Korea. It would be good to let the reader know where these pieces are from, and also, you should briefly explain why "Chinese values" are also being practiced / promoted in traditional Japan and Korea. )

In past, the traditional gender roles of men and women were instructed through the literature which made a systematic tradition in which women were expected to follow the role i.e. taking care of households and treat their husbands like a Lord. They had no liberty to live life according to their wishes or make decisions according to their will. Men, however, were expected to rule over the households and they were also expected to instruct women in a way that they respect their decisions.(If this was the case, how do you explain the public role of Ban Zhao, or the fictional accounts of women in Mulan and Chunhyang, where the women protagonists acted according to their desires? And Song Siyol's instructions to his daughter to trust her own instincts? Although Confucianism certainly circumscribed women, I feel you go to far when you say "they had no liberty to live life according to their wishes or make decisions according to their will." ) There are hardly any instructions about the respect of women in ancient literature. Even if there is any respect, that was associated with their obedience and their loyalty and obedience to their husbands and parents. This deep-rooted patriarchy is still seen in society today in the 21st century. (This is a good point, but should be further developed within the body of your essay. Perhaps you could add a paragraph where you present what appears to be instances of relative respect toward women in the works of Ban Zhao, Song Siyol, and

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perhaps the Twenty-Four Exemplars of Filial Piety, but then explain why this "respect" is still premised upon women's subservient status. )

References

Yanshi Jiaxun, House Instructions of Mr. Yan

Lü Kun, Models for the Inner Quarters

Unkown, The Twenty-Four Exemplars of Filial Piety

Li Ju-chen, In the Country of Women

Kaibara Ekken, The Great Learning for Women

Song Siyŏl, Instructions to my Daughter