One more time, I find Aristotle’s thinking very interesting. In the reading “Aristotle: On a good wife”, he finds a way to describe, something that nowadays would sound completely misogynic, in a beautiful way. In the present time, if that reading went public, it would cause a huge controversy. Feminists and women in general, would freak out and complain because the reading seems to portray women as if they were worth less than men. But I am pretty sure that in the ancient times, this was written to persuade women to be good wives and to empower them.
Throughout the whole reading he expresses the obligations, qualities and characteristics that a good wife must have. He refers to women as the ones that control the house and everything that go on inside their homes. Women are also in charge of raising the children well. If you think about it, the most important things in their lives and their families were completely ruled by women. In those ancient times men thought that women weren’t as smart as them and for this reason women weren’t expected to make decisions. But inside their homes they had control over everything; men weren’t even expected to have knowledge all the passes within the house.
“Her husband’s wishes are as laws appointed for her by divine will”, this was like a law back then, but is it really that different nowadays?
I found it interesting that women would take care of the house, manage home finances and serve their husbands, all of this in exchange for loyalty, love and guidance from their husbands. A good wife deserved to be loved and be treated with respect, and men had that clear in their minds.
Nowadays, women keep trying to prove men their independence by not dedicating their whole time to their homes and children. Women feel empowered when they have the option to face the world just as men do. My question is: which family structure works better? Should independent working women not have a family and just dedicate their time to their professional life? Is there an actual balance?
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3 comments:
Ha feminists do kind of love this! I agree with you completely, i think that instead of attempting to portray woman as weak, or unimportant, he was trying to empower them, as you said. Rome seemed to have a forward thinking way of dealing with woman, as abortion was legal, and woman were free to deal with business.
I think that it is best to not equate all of the thinking of the ancient greeks with Aristotle's. To say that his thinking was "outside the box" for that time is probably an understatement. What he wrote and thought was not likely to be reflective of the majority of the population either. I am sure there were still many men, (and are still) who absolutely did not think of women as equals in any way and controlled their homes and what went on in them as closely as they did a business deal or anything they did at work. Many women, to this day, would resent any man, no matter how smart he believes he is, telling them their business and how they should or shouldn't run their homes or be a good wife to their husbands. Rightly so if you ask me. So while his intentions MAY have been good, I can see how he would have been seen as arrogant and meddeling in affairs that were none of his business. What about the call to hearken to her husbands wishes in all respects and to obey them? Men would often marry off their daughters more for financial gain than according to the wishes of their daughters (or wives) hearts. There is so much language in this writing that is patronizing and offensive that I have a hard time believing that you guys agree with him. When he says "If she endures them with patience and gentleness, she will rule her home with ease; otherwise, not so easily.", there is a thinly veiled reference to punishment, carried ot by her husband. Again in the next sentence, "Therefore not only when her husband is in prosperity and good report must she be in agreement with him, and to render him the service he wills, but also in times of adversity." What is the service she must render? Cooking, cleaning and upkeep of the house, child rearing for sure, but also sex, whether she feels up to it or not. I'm just saying that things have come very far since his time. Women have worked hard to change the hearts, minds and laws that govern what they can and cannot do in this world. I am not a feminist, but I do want my wife to continue to be able to vote, own property, make money and be treated with respect as an individual. That was not happening at the time of this writing.
I think he (Aristotle) had some good ideas of what a good wife is. Obviously, I don't agree with everything he said and the thinking of the day is definitly dated. But, I like how he portrayed the woman of the house to be a well rounded individual. Handling the matters of the house with grace and authority. Sometimes I think some women today are trying too hard to prove themselves and prove that they are better then men. I'm glad we have the freedoms we do but there is absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting to be a career woman. You have to have the personality for it. Some women are perfectly happy nurturing their families and being stay at home mothers. I don't think they aren't "enlightened" because of this. You were talking about if women can find balance among their many roles today. It's very possible but I think all women have to know their limits and find out what they truly love doing.
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