The question:

Discuss the term “evil” and how it is applied to women in at least three of the works we read for this semester. What is the role of the “evil woman” in these works?

Ms. Lloyd’s answer:

The word “evil” is often used in epic poetry. Mostly, the word connotes a lack of thought and decision. If something, such as a woman, is evil, then the culture does not have to think about the implications of actions taken towards the person or thing. “Evil” then becomes a term to excuse actions taken against people or things that went against the beliefs of the culture. The Greeks at the time of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Euripides’ Medea were in a patriarchal society. The women who did not succumb to the patriarchal society and live in dominion of a man were therefore, termed “evil” and in order to excuse actions taken against the woman and prevent the other women from doing the same things.

In the Iliad, Helen is the archetypical “evil” woman by the standards of her time. Helen leaves her husband to live with Paris from the Trojans, which starts the Trojan War. She is the excuse needed for the Achaeans to wage a war against Troy. She is described as evil by many of the characters in the play because Helen committed infidelity with Paris. She steps out of her role as a mother, wife and Queen in the patriarchal society to further her own whims and seek love. This act is unacceptable by the culture, because men are the highest authority of the home. When Helen chooses to leave and commit infidelity, she is directly opposing the male authority in the patriarchal society. Since the men of the time can not have women doing as Helen did, they say Paris “swept Helen off, her famous Father’s child” instead of saying that Helen left of her own accord (6. 212). The men also describe her as “evil” in order to ward off this act of self-fulfillment of the women, by Helen’s example. Hector’s wife, Andromache, is given a higher position in the next passage when she is described as “his loyal wife” which serves to further the patriarchal value by juxtaposing Andromache and Helen.

Another woman, Circe from the Odyssey, serves to further this idea of the patriarchy. Circe is described as “evil” or as a witch, simply because she chooses to live alone in “an open glade” in a “wild wood” instead of in civilization under a man’s dominion (10. 224-5). When Odysseus’s men enter the “hall of Circe” they are amazed by the tame “wolves and mountain lions” lying in Circe’s hall (10. 223-4). The wolves and lions serve to further this idea of Circe being “evil” because she has castrated them to make them tame. This act is unheard of by the patriarchal society and is a blatant disrespect by Circe toward man’s dominion. This symbol of the male figure, castrated, serves to further the idea that Circe is a single woman living outside the male dominion, and therefore, the men term her “evil” and fear her. The men are scared of the lions and wolves not because the creatures are a threat but because the creatures are a symbolic representation of themselves, out of their typical role and under a female dominion. Circe serves in the story to show xenia, or hospitality, and to foil Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. When Circe turns Odysseus’ men into pigs because they act like pigs at her table, the act is not seen as Odysseus’ men violating xenia, but as Circe being “evil.” The term “evil” then is proven to connotate a lack of responsibility, or as an excuse, because Odysseus’ men refuse to take fault for being rude guests because Circe does not fit under the male, or their, dominion. Therefore by terming Circe “evil” the men have an excuse for their actions. Further along, the comparison of Circe and Penelope shows how different Penelope is from Circe in the male perspective. Penelope is a “good wife” because she fits under the patriarchal society and knows her place. Circe is not a good woman, but “evil” only because she desires to think and act for herself out from under the patriarchal society.

In Euripides’ Medea, Medea is the “evil” woman because she kills her children, kills Jason’s new wife, and runs off to live with another man. The idea of “motherhood” in a patriarchal society is why Medea is termed “evil.” The symbolic role of a mother is to care for her young in the patriarchal society, which Medea is a foil for when she kills her children. Jason describes Medea as “a monster not a woman, having a nature/ Wilder than that of Scylla, in the Tuscan sea” (lns. 1317-8). When Jason describes Medea as wild and full of rage, he is negatively viewing her as a male in the patriarchal society. Medea’s wild nature is not a fit attribute for a wife and mother under male dominion, and Jason further exemplifies this fact when he wishes he had married a less “destructive match” (ln. 1316). In Medea’s famous speech, she expresses the place of the woman in a patriarchal society and clearly says “women are the most unfortunate creatures” for “it is required for us to buy a husband and take for our bodies/ a master; for not to take one is even worse” (lns. 229-32). These lines are significant, for it shows the male view of women. Women have to take a “master” like a slave, for not to “take one is even worse.” Medea, Circe, and Helen are all trapped in this slavery, forced to take a husband, and not allowed to further their own whims. The irony is that Medea’s story would not be “evil” if she had been a man. Many male characters in the epic poems kill their children, such as Agamemnon when he kills his daughter as a sacrifice. In Medea’s case, the only difference is that she is a female in a patriarchal society.

Therefore, one can assume that “evil” in the epic poetry dictated a lack of thought and responsibility towards actions taken against the women who were deemed “evil.” All three women were only trying to make something of themselves and follow their own vices. The only reason they were termed “evil” is because the male attitude towards women in a patriarchal society demanded subjection by women. If women did not take male dominion, but instead lived under their own whims and vices, then when men acted out against them, the term “evil” served as an excuse for the men to do whatever they wanted without thinking. It also served as a cover-up so that other women would not want the freedom that Helen, Circe, and Medea had, and possibly do the same things.

Many thanks to Erika Lloyd for allowing me to reprint her essay.

Poster 1

The young woman in Kundera’s “The Hitchhiking Game” finds herself stuck between two binary opposites, with neither position representative of the position she really wants. Kundera adeptly illustrates the dichotomy of how women are viewed and judged on the basis of their sexual activity.

She is fearful that she is too boring and plain for her older more experienced before which fuels her engagement with her role as the hitchhiker. The freedom of anonymity grants her the ability to be more sexually demanding than she would otherwise be permitted, but this very license seems to cheapen her in her boyfriend’s eyes. To fully become that character that she thinks he desires, she has to abandon the concepts of purity or chastity that caused him to value her in the initial portion of the story.

It is daring of Kundera to question the fluidity of identity and this serves as empowering women with the choice to control their role. Unfortunately, the choices seem to be limited between two extremes, where a woman is either a prude or a slut based solely on her number of sexual partners.

How does this depiction of sexual ethics differ or resemble our contemporary views? What effects do social views have on the expression of a healthy sexuality and are women still subjected to this double standard of expectations with regard to sexual experience? Do you think that Kundera views these expects as beliefs that are changeable?

My own observations would say that while attitudes amongst individuals are far more relaxed and respectful of an individuals choices, there is still a very strong cultural pull to label a woman who has had multiple partners a “slut” or “whore” whereas it is regarded as de rigueur for a male were to have been with multiple women. Kundera’s exploration of this topic gave me the impression that this issue constitutes one of the fundamental struggles in a relationship because each party is left with conflicting expectations for how to act and how to expect a partner to act.

Poster 2

I like the way [Poster 1] defines identity and sexuality, in regard to the story. It fits together very well. I think that the story’s depiction of this subject is similar to modern views. Contemporary ideas surrounding sexual experience seem to be more relaxed but not to the extent that a double standard does not exist. Like you said, our culture has yet to release of us these labels and rules.

Poster 3

Personally speaking, yes, I have encountered a cultural double standard in which women are expected to be both virgin and whore, and I’m surprised and uncomfortable every time. Then again, I make little attempt to hide upon which side of that line I fall. I’m a woman who not only has had multiple previous partners, but who also often maintains multiple romantic and sexual connections simultaneously — clearly, this is not a tightrope I care to walk, nor is it one that the people to whom I am closest (friends or otherwise) expect me to walk. That said, generally speaking, while I am honest about my lifestyle, I do tend to be a bit more coy in polite conversation, but that is the extent to which I play into the game. While one could argue that this dichotomy is simply about an assertion of male power, I think that there is clear power in this fantasy for both parties, male and female — the moment in which the girl realizes that in being the hitchhiker, “…she alone had the ability to be all women and in this way (she alone) could completely captivate her lover and hold his interest” (613), rings of the same logic that has moved many a copy of Cosmo off the racks of checkout line magazine stands into the hands of women hoping to have this same power over their men. Clearly this logic has its flaws, but power and sex have as steamy a relationship as any two lovers, and the aroma is somewhat intoxicating.

While it calls to mind that cultural dichotomy, I don’t think that with “The Hitchhiking Game,” Kundera is addressing human culture as a whole and holding it accountable for its origins. Rather, I find that a central theme to the story could be summed up as: when people give themselves over to what they are not, they cause harm to their selves and to others. As soon as the girl stops seeing the young man as her young man and rather some rough and indifferent stranger she is free from her jealousy and can give herself over to her role, “…a role out of trashy literature. The hitchhiker stopped the car not to get a ride, but to seduce the man who was driving the car. She was an artful seductress, cleverly knowing how to use her charms. The girl slipped into this silly, romantic part with an ease that astonished her and left her spellbound” (611). The girl never assumes, or actively takes on her role, she slips into it and lets it captivate her as much as she seeks to captivate her lover. She ultimately, in giving her power over to the game, finds herself in great distress when the young man refuses to end it. He has played his role, and, instead of becoming captive to it, he gives himself over to his own jealousy and insecurity.

Also, though we may look at the virgin/whore dichotomy as a struggle between masculine and feminine power, Kundera examines the power that the entire game has over us, stating that:

Even in a game there lurks a lack of freedom; even a game is a trap for the players. If this had not been a game and they had really been two strangers, the hitchhiker could long ago have taken offense and left. But there’s no escape from a game. A team cannot flee from the playing field before the end of a match, chess pieces cannot desert the chess board: the boundaries of the playing field are fixed (616).

Both the girl and the young man are under the power of the game and cannot escape from it. She loses herself to the game when she loses sight of her lover; he loses himself in the very fact that he cannot do the same until he finds that his two images of her have blurred together so thoroughly he can’t tell them apart when she is naked in the very moment that she needs him to see only her. In this moment, they both realize that they can not flee the parameters of the hitchhiker-and-roving-young-rogue game; they are faced with no choice but to play it out to its end: sex in which she is humiliated and objectified, but in which she, achieving climax despite her utter emotional detachment from him and from herself, has “…crossed the forbidden boundary, but she proceeded across it without objections and as a full participant — only somewhere, far off in a corner of her consciousness, did she feel horror at the thought that she had never known such pleasure, never so much pleasure as at this moment — beyond that boundary” (619). In which direction has the girl crossed the boundary between the game and her life, and for that matter, which one is truly the game?

Poster 4

I had to comment on this because I think there is a very blurry line here that I feel strongly about. Women are expected to have many different sides to them, and we do, no doubt and they don’t contradict each other. While some women allow social roles to define them, we all still have needs. I, personally, am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend- A WOMAN. I love all aspects of that and I don’t get lost in a particular role. At the same time, women want to feel loved, respected, protected and sexy! While having all of these sides to us, sometimes we only want to show certain sides to certain people. The girl in this story had something she needed to let out and to someone she trusted. Unfortunately, he wasn’t “man” enough to handle it. She was ready to show herself to someone, let go of that social constraint and allow a confident and willing side take over but he used it against her. We all have that side. One where we just want to let go of all insecurities and be reveled in. She may never be the same after that experience. She may never trust anyone again completely. It’s unfortunate she chose the wrong “young man” to bare her soul to.

Poster 1

I think this is a very accurate reading, [Poster 4]. At the end, any troubles come from the young man’s jealous nature and inability to understand faceted levels of motivation behind the young woman’s actions during the game. If blame is to be assigned for dysfunction in the relationship, it would certainly be assigned to him. He is unable to play their game in a way that can lead to a healthy relationship. To answer [Poster 3]‘s question, the girl seems to grow as a result of her engagement in the game, gaining confidence and becoming comfortable with expressing her desires. The young man is the one who fails to understand his role in the game, and the separation between fantasy and reality, causing an alienated response that could, as you suggest, cause the young woman to never trust anyone completely again.

Poster 5

Trust is a hard thing to establish between a women and a man if there are factors that cause a one not to believe in that person. I agree with you whole heartily that all a women want is to be love unconditionally. I think as females we tend to love hard and this put us in a compromising situation. This can lead some people to play on that sincere love. But that in no way justify one to judge a female for her sincere feelings. We are all different and at the end of the day we all do have needs and your point of view is a valuable one.

1. What do you know about speaker of this poem?
2. Describe what is happening. What is the poem’s central idea?
3. What is the dominant tone or mood of the poem? How is it achieved?
4. How would you describe the language of this poem?
5. What words or phrases in the poem do you find especially effective?
6. List some examples of figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification, metonymy). How do these devices relate to the theme of the poem?
7. Does the poem include hyperbole, irony, or understatement? Give examples.
8. Are there any meaningful sound repetitions?
9. How would you identify the poem’s meter and rhyme scheme(s)?

You can also download a PDF worksheet of this document.

The drop date is this Wednesday, March 3. I would recommend speaking to me before dropping, especially if you’re unsure about your standing my the class.

I’d like to say a few words about my World Lit class’ midterm exams. Please see my writing advice in a post from early in the semester and in Quoting Verse. Many of you are still making these errors and still need to review some basics. Also, you might consider looking at my primer for writing about literature if you don’t recall your 1102 class.

I’d like to give you some examples of string exam answers. The first is about Tartuffe:

This passage from Moliere’s satire Tartuffe depicts Tartuffe, the religious hypocrite that has thrown Orgon’s family into division, prodding Elmire, Orgon’s second coquettish wife, into sleeping with him in secret. Unknown to Tartuffe, Orgon listens under the table. The play climaxes in this scene, revealing to Orgon that Tartuffe is but a con artist and all of his actions have only disrupted the patriarchal order of Orgon’s household. Tartuffe’s maxim presented here seems to be what Moliere satirizes: decorum is everything, morality nothing.

The second concerns Pope’s An Essay on Man:

This excerpt is from Pope’s An Essay on Man and shows that Pope’s belief is more orthodox than many Enlightenment thinkers. Pope feels as though humans should fully submit to God’s order. Pope repeats “from pride” in the first line, showing that from man’s hubris comes his reasoning, thus it is tainted and fallible. Man makes the arrogant assumption that God made the world for his benefit, which only further proves man’s hubris. The second couplet asks why man blames God for human flaws, but frees Him of blame in nature. God has made everything perfectly, so the last line reasons: man should submit because he does not have the God’s reasoning.

The third is from Voltaire:

The third excerpt is from Voltaire’s Candide. Cunegonde’s maid, the Old Woman, finishes her story. She questions human nature itself, opposing Pope’s An Essay on Man, suggesting that humans are so willing to accept their situation for what they see as good in the end. This is even contrary to Pangloss’ teaching that “everything is for the best.” The Old Woman suggests that humans should take matters in their own hands, not to kill themselves, but to try to find a way to make a difficult, chaotic life tolerable. Ultimately, humans can’t know why they cling to life despite the misery, and this fact might represent the only true optimism in the novel.

The last two excerpts were from Faust. Here’s one:

In this excerpt from Goethe’s Faust, The Lord outlines Mephisto’s job description: to poke and prod the lazy man into acting. “Good” and “evil” are both part of the Lord’s plan: if people do not know evil, how will they ever know what is good? This excerpt foreshadows the coming action: Faust’s temptation causes him to err, but because of Mephisto’s poking and prodding, Faust continues to strive and ultimately redeem himself. Goethe’s unorthodox cosmology allows Faust to experience all the facets of life, even those that endanger his soul, and still find redemption through another.

Remember, my world lit folks, that there are midterm conferences all next week. Be sure to attend your conference in lieu of class; if you miss, you get two absences. I posted the sign-up sheet on my door, in case you forget your appointment time. Bring your questions and concerns with you to the conference in order that we use this opportunity to your advantage.

What dire Offence from am’rous Causes springs,
What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things,

These first two lines of the famous mock epic The Rape of the Lock are quoted correctly. Notice that they are blockquoted; i.e., indented an inch to the right of the left margin. Notice, too, that the original line breaks are maintained. This is the correct way to quote verse, not: “What dire Offence from am’rous Causes springs, What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things.”

Also, to cite the lines correctly in this class, you should give line numbers following the quotation in parentheses. For example,

What dire Offence from am’rous Causes springs,
What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things, (ll. 1-2)

Correct MLA format calls for page numbers; however, when the primary text is understood, all you need are line numbers. The parenthetical citation will make this easy and convenient, and this method will not interrupt your prose with unnecessary and clumsy phrases like “In lines 1 through 2 of . . .”

When quoting verses from dramas, like Tartuffe or Faust, you could also provide act and scene in your citation. For example, in this quotation, Tartuffe speaks to Elmire:

Now, if you’re still concerned, know Heaven winks,
At carnal joys known quietly in private.
Decorum is the way one will survive it.
It’s whiff of scandal, draws out Heaven’s wrath,
And silent sin still sticks to Heaven’s path. (4.4.151-155)

The citation makes it clear that this quotation is taken from act four, scene four, lines 151-155.

When quoting, remember two rules: one, be precise and exact, and two, help your reader find it easily in the text.

• Plato’s Republic: Book X Notes
• Plato’s Phaedrus: Talk of Love
• Aristotle’s Poetics of Purging
• Plato Revisited: Augustine’s Confessions
• Pope: Essay on Critical Man
• On Kant’s “Aesthetic Judgment”
• Shelley’s Defense of Poetry
• Arnold’s Disinterested Critic

Both exams will be available beginning at midnight on Tuesday, April 21, and will remain available until midnight on Friday, April 30. That means, you should plan on beginning the exams by no later than 9pm on April 30, if you want to have the full time to complete both sections of the exam. Part one has a 30 minute time limit; part two has a two hour and thirty minute limit.

Part one of the exam is closed book. I will trust you to abide by this rule. For the second part, you may use your books in order to cite specific evidence from the texts. You should not rely on your books to furnish the answers; you must go into the exam prepared.

The best answers will show a thorough knowledge of the primary and secondary texts. This should be how you study, including your reading notes. Good luck.

If you feel that your performance might be borderline, I would encourage you to send me an email reminding me about anything extra you might have done for the class, including links, if appropriate.

Finally, if you have not done so by now, I would ask that you take the short survey about LitMUSE/Humanities Online and/or leave some feedback about the course through the tab on the right. Any thoughtful comments will be much appreciated.

Generally, you all are doing your reading, as evidenced by fairly strong performance on the quizzes. Keep up the good work.

On the forums, however, you really need to spend some more time. Please review my notes on the forums. Take that advice seriously. It seemed to me that there was much repetition in the discussions — you guys seemed fixated on the gods and their role in the epic when you should have been discussing more human concerns.

Make sure you are doing your assigned secondary reading. I mention this because not one forum post referred to the secondary criticism. Remember, to get the maximum points on the forum, you should not only cite specific evidence from the primary texts, but also appropriate support from secondary materials.

Some folks are taking quizzes but not posting to the forums. You will not pass this way. Please keep on top of your grades.

Finally, you have probably already seen that there are several sections to be completed in our unit on the Odyssey. I have yet to post a reading quiz for books 21-23, but it will appear in the next couple of days. Be sure you’re pacing yourself on this unit. It will take you some time.

As always, please email with questions and concerns, or you can leave comments below.

Write using paragraphs. No big blocks of rambling text. Yes, this is an informal response, but you must still consider good writing. Have a point to make; this is called a thesis statement in first-year composition. Proofread. Use punctuation. Remember: this is an English class.

You only need works cited entries for secondary texts. Since we’re all using the same primary text, you needn’t list it as a work cited at the bottom of your entry. You must, however, list secondary sources in a works cited section at the bottom of your post. Also, you should still use in-text, parenthetical citations for both primary and secondary texts. See Basic MLA Citation Style.

Your titles should reflect the post content. Remember, a title’s primary job is two-fold: (1) get the reader’s attention, and (2) give some indication as to what your post (essay, etc.) will address. It should be original. Catchy. For example, a poor title for a post in the “Introduction” forum would be “Introduction.” Would you want to read that? Also, a good title will give your fellow students the opportunity to more easily decide whether or not to read your entry — if it will be interesting or useful to them. Consider titles carefully.

Avoid repetition. You should not repeat threads. Why would there be five threads about “hypocrisy” in a Tartuffe forum? Simple, those folks who start a thread have not read the other threads first. This will start earning you a failing grade. Before you post a new thread on a particular topic, read the topics that have already been started. You might not even have to begin a new thread. Remember, the idea is a forum is to communicate with your fellow students. Forum posts are not formal essays. Do not treat them as such.

Your post within a particular forum will never be complete unless you respond to at least one thread. Remember, most forums will be worth ten points, but a thread (post, comment) is worth a maximum of five points. Therefore, you should at least begin a thread and respond to a thread in every forum in the class. However, I recommend doing more than that. If you earn a 4 on one post and a 3 on your second, your final grade for the forum will be a 7 out of 10. Posting one more time will likely make up those three points you are missing. If you want to make the maximum grade, post as much as you are able.

This does not mean quantity trumps quality. The best forum posts have something original to say, use specific evidence from the text, cite secondary sources, and are thoughtful, unique, and personal. Writing on the obvious will, at best, earn you an average grade. Consider a specific portion of the text — a theme, a character, a symbol, a passage — to analyze, to question, to interpret. Stating the obvious or summarizing the plot will not be enough.

Finally, remember what you’re supposed to be writing about in the forum: the primary text for the class, not secondary political, religious, or cultural concerns. I do encourage you to make parallels between the texts we read and current events and debates in our society. However, be sure that they are relevant, respectful, and informed. Part of a liberal arts education is to learn how to read texts — all texts we are presented with in our daily lives — and not take anything at face value, including media portrayals of public figures. It’s up to us to be as informed as possible, not just parrot media commentators. Remember: just because we hear someone from the “news” say something, does not make it true, appropriate, or at all informed.

Remember, the forums are a major part of your grade. This is where I get to see your ideas — your personality, your creativity — more than anything else you will do in the class. Make them the best you can.

Last Updated: 09/01/09