Exemplar A: The Planning Process
1: Brainstorm
A Thousand Splendid Suns
William Shakespeare’s perspective of women
shown through:
Lady Macbeth
The witches
The Handmaids
Tale:
Margaret Atwood
shows us the
perspective of a
nameless woman
whose role is
defined by the
men she serves in
a dystopian world.
Salam Rugby:
Idea:
Representations of
Feminism
The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman writes a novella from
the perspective of a woman driven slowly mad
after being prescribed ‘bed-rest’ as a treatment
for her depression. Her writing is based on
personal experience.
Documentary
shows the
perspectives of
a women’s
rugby team in
Iran.
2: Planning Flow Cart
Idea: Representations of Feminism
a) Describe idea briefly and define key terms:
Feminism has been defined in different ways over the years, but all definitions share the same
core values that women should have equal rights as men. In different time periods, being a
feminst meant different things, and the word feminism wasn't used until 1872. However, for
the sake of this seminar, feminism will refer to any movement or belief that fights for the
rights of women.
b) Introduce perspectives found in the studied texts:
Shakespeare's Macbeth highlights the role of women in a time before feminist thought
became popular. Lady Macbeth is an example of a strong woman, and her power played on a
fear that many man had of what could happen if women were given more power in the
marriage than they were entitled to.
By contrast, The Yellow Wallpaper is written by an early feminist writer who was concerned
with the lack of power women had in their marriage. This 19th century novella makes a
disturbing statement about women's rights.
Shakespeare's Macbeth
The Yellow Wallpaper
Describe Shakespeare's Perspective
Describe Gilman's Perspective:
- Shakespeare wrote during a time
before feminsm, when it was accepted
that women were inferior to men.
Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper based on her
own experiences with post-partum depression. She
was put on 'bed rest' as a treatment - and despite
her objections, was not allowed input into her
treatement.
- The female characters in Macbeth are
strong women who work within existing
social structures rather than trying to
break them down as modern feminists
have done.
Gilman was an early feminist who believed that
women should have equal rights.
Lady Macbeth is an example of a woman
who is able to gain considerable power
by working within the existing social
structures
Shakespeare's Society
Lady Macbeth
The social order placed
women as inferior to men.
Lady Macbeth rises to power
through the position of her
husband.
A theme in Mabeth is that,
by disobeying God's laws,
the natural social order is
disrupted.
Many men found a powerful
woman a frightening thing
The Wierd Sisters
The witches were powerful but their power came from
satan.
The narrator in this text
becomes increasingly insane,
but her madness allows the
reader to see the truth.
Gilman's use of dramatic
irony highlights the
devastating unfairness of
marital relationships during
the 19th Century