Male Dominance free essay sample

We live in a mans world. Male dominated and controlled societies. It could be that it has been a cultural tradition, the man was given a more powerful and influential role in the community than women and it takes a long time for traditions to wear down. Or it could be the question of gender bias, the belief that man is stronger and wiser, thus the obvious choice for a leader. In â€Å"Girls at War† by Chinua Achebe and â€Å"The Collector of Treasures† by Bessie Head, the destructive nature of a patriarchal society is explored through the narrative voice and the use of irony. In â€Å"Girls at War†, Achebe uses a third-person and heterodiegetic narrator. Yet, the voice is from a male perspective. The narrative focuses on the character Reginald Nwankwo and his thoughts and actions. This perspective doesnt directly tell about the harm of male dominance, instead it is up to the reader to interpret the text and notice the downfalls. We will write a custom essay sample on Male Dominance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Reginald Nwankwo compares female involvement in the war to children pretending to be soldiers. â€Å"He didnt doubt that the girls and women took themselves seriously, they obviously did. But so did the little kids who marched up and down the streets at the time drilling with sticks and wearing their mothers soup bowls for steel helmets. † (2-3). The women in this story are criticized by the men for being simple and for being what men have made them into, for their own pleasure. Nwankwo clearly shows his ambivalence in this area when he muses that, â€Å"He might just as well slept with a prostitute It was clear as daylight to him now that she was kept by some army officer. What a terrible transformation † (9). He reflects on the problem without the realizing his part in it. The issues with patriarchy are clearly discussed in Bessie Heads, â€Å"The Collector of Treasures†. This short story is also from a third-person, heterodiegetic perspective, but the narrative voice is female and directly confronts the problem. The character, Dikeledi, voices her opinion about the kind of male that runs rampant in their society. One that, â€Å"created such misery and chaos that he could be broadly damned as evil† (162). Dikeledis husband Garesego Mokopi is a perfect example an abuse of power and control. He doesnt care for his wife but cant handle the thought, â€Å"that another man had a stake in his hen-pen† (169), when he learns that Dikeledis neighbour, Paul, has been trading household goods for her services, only believing that Paul would only do so, â€Å"for women they fuck† (169). These stories are both examples of how a male dominated relationship or society disregards the needs of the women. Irony is used profusely in both, â€Å"The Collector of Treasures† by Bessie Head and â€Å"Girls at War† by Chinua Achebe, to reveal the issues that arise in a male dominated society. In â€Å"Girls at War†, it is ironic that Nwankwo is the one to survive at the end while Gladys is killed. Being a leader Nwankwo only tried to protect himself, while Gladys heroically tried to save the child soldier. There is an abundance of irony in the fact that Nwankwo openly criticizes girls and their shopping for, â€Å"shoes, wigs, pants, bras, cosmetics and what have you †(7), yet it is exactly what he expects women to do. He wants Gladys to become, â€Å"the girl in khaki jeans that searched him at the checkpoint..  Ã¢â‚¬  (7), but when he sees her made up in a, â€Å"high-tinted wig and a very expensive skirt and a low-cut blouse. † (4), he calls her a, â€Å"beauty queen† (4). The situational irony in, â€Å"The Collector of Treasures†, is clearly shown through how Dikeledi, â€Å"found gold amidst the ash† (161) and freedom in prison but when she was legally free she felt bound by her husband, Garesego. In prison, she is no longer a slave to men, instead, â€Å"male prisoners handed each woman a plate of porridge and a mug of black tea  Ã¢â‚¬  (159), getting served by men. In conclusion, the dangers of male dominance are clearly illustrated in Bessie Heads, â€Å"The Collector of Treasures† and Chinua Achebes, â€Å"Girls at War†, through the use of the narrative voice and irony. Both texts display the dissatisfaction of both men and women in a patriarchal society and the breakdown of relationship it brings with it. The struggle for equality, love and purpose is clearly shown through the women in the stories, while the men are shown as selfish and shallow in their dominance.