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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
– Nelson Mandela

6 Universities

8 Courses

3 Subjects

Week 3 Discussion Forum 1 : Family and Gender in Literature [WLO: 1] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3]

Week 3 Discussion Forum 1

Q Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read the essays “Valley of the Gun,” “The Wedding,” “Monsoon Wedding,” “The Myth of the Latin Woman,” and “Family Dining” in your course text. In addition, read “Girls at War,” a Short Story by Chinua Achebe. The essays and short story you read this week depict family life: marriage, relationships between parents and children, gender roles and expectations within the family, and family customs and traditions. Choose two of the texts, and compare how the authors explore one aspect of family life. In your initial posting, consider the following questions: What conflicts or issues does each author raise in the depiction of family life or gender roles? Is the author’s narrative purely personal, or does it address larger social or cultural issues? Does the author use language (or imagery and metaphor) in an interesting way to highlight the issue presented? Does the author address the liabilities or advantages in embodying specific roles (e.g., in being male, female, old, young, etc.)? Does the author offer a solution to family problems?

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In both Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “The Myth of the Latin Woman” and Firoozeh Dumas’, “The Wedding” gender stereotypes and the societal image of the “ideal woman” have been pointed out. In “The Myth of the Latin Woman” Cofer expresses her detest towards the various stereotypes, degrading assumptions and inequalities that Latin American women are categorised with. Cofer discusses the origins of these preconceived notions before empowering Latin American