MISOGYNY

Misogyny is the dislike, contempt or prejudice against women. In our society, we can find misogyny in a numerous way, including social exclusion, sex discrimination, hostility against female sex, androcentrism, the patriarchy of male privilege, violence against women and sexual objectification. If we study different philosopher, the put forth different notions about misogyny, according to Allan G Johnson ‘’Misogyny is a cultural hatred against females because they are females’’

Sociologist Michael Flood at the University of Wollongong defines misogyny as the hatred of women and notes: Though most common in men, misogyny also exists in and is practiced by women against other women or even themselves. Misogyny functions as an ideology or belief system that has accompanied patriarchal, or male-dominated societies for thousands of years and continues to place

women in subordinate positions with limited access to power and decision making. […]

Aristotle contended that women exist as natural deformities or imperfect males […] Ever since,

women in Western cultures have internalized their role as societal scapegoats, influenced in the twenty-first century by multimedia objectification of women with its culturally sanctioned self-

loathing and fixations on plastic surgery, anorexia, and bulimia.^[5]

 In English Literature many writers got the peak of success due to being misogynist like Aristotle who said that,’’ Females are inferior to men, because as by nature man is ruler and female is subject, an ugly man is sufficient for a beautiful woman, women have fewer teeth than men, women are

incomplete than men, in short, according to Aristotle female is nothing without a male.’’

This is all about our social life where we find misogyny, but if we study every religion of the world where we also can find the evil concept of misogyny. Jack Holland argues that , there is evidence of

misogyny in ancient Greek mythology that Pandora was the first woman due to her and her mistake

evil , sickness, old age and death came into this world. In Buddhism ,w e can find the same concept

that the label woman as an evil creature on the surface of the earth. Same sort of misogynist

concept we can find in Christianity there is also a strong sense of hatred for females. In Islam we can

find complete freedom for females , but unfortunately today around the world Muslim are also

follow the concept of misogyny and we also hate female sex strongly. In a nutshell, misogynism is a

sense of hatred and prejudice against female section and every individual, society and religion follow

it with great  reverence.

‘’All human beings deserve equal treatment, no matter their gender identity or sexuality’’

   

MISOGYNISM IN THE EPIC POEM ‘’RAPE OF THE LOCK’’ BY ALEDANDER POPE

                                                             Alexander Pope was a religious man, because his family tree

connects with Roman Catholic and Roman Catholic people follow religion and religious customs and

rituals zealously and we can say that their outlook is stern in religious matters. This is the clear

 example of their being stern religious that Alexander Pope couldn’t allowed to attend university due

to their being so religious. Rape of the lock is  mock epic poem where we can find Alexander Pope as

a callous misogynist , who criticize the female section with drastic and firm words. When the poem

starts Belinda a young girl gets up early in the morning , her two guardian angels Sylph and Ariel are

standing near to her. From the very start of the poem, we come across a sort of criticism on females ,

in the sense that these females are not able to stand alone even in their bedroom , as Aristotle says

            ‘’Females are incomplete without men’’

When Belinda gets up , her two guardian angels inform her about some bad omen is going to

happen with Belinda on that very day. Again here we can find the misogynistic concept of Pope that

a female cannot face any situation or condition in her life being aware before from happening.

Belinda sits all the time in the front of the mirror  and we can find her busy with herself all the time. She always busy with adornment just to attract the attention of boys, she doesn’t think that the real

beauty lies in the heart not on the face as Pope says,

        “Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll; 
Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.”

This is the chastity and simplicity of a female that makes her beautiful and distinguishes in the society,

not these artificial entities of make- up.  Belinda attends every party with such high making and like bees, all the boys

follow her. This is her main intention to attract the boys through make-up and

this is her adornment that brings troubles and pains to her when Baron cut her one lock.

      “Yet graceful ease, and sweetness void of pride,
Might hide her faults, if belles had faults to hide:
If to her share some female errors fall,
Look on her face, and you'll forget 'em all.” 

                           In this epic poem we can find Alexander Pope as a stern misogynist , because

through Belinda he harshly criticize the female section. According to him they cannot stand alone

in the society, they manipulate men, they always decorate themselves, etc etc. Although Belinda

 at the end of the epic poem gets her revenge from Baron, but this little favoritism of Pope with

 females is not sufficient for saying , he is not a misogynist. Thorough out the poem he supports

the male and put a bundle of harsh criticism on fthe emale section. Pope totally take the side of the male

when he says,

First, rob'd in White, the Nymph intent adores
With Head, uncover'd, the cosmetic Pow'rs.
A heav'nly Image in the Glass appears,
To that she bends, to that her Eyes she rears.

                                                        We can find Belinda at the front of mirror all the time, this is a

 foolish and trifle work that she is doing and she not only decorate herself rather she worship her

beauty,

The Fair each moment rises in her Charms,
Repairs her Smiles, awakens ev'ry Grace,
And calls forth all the Wonders of her Face;
Sees by Degrees a purer Blush arise,
And keener Lightnings quicken in her Eyes

 Over here Pope not only just criticize Belinda , but through Belinda the whole female section. As

we know that Pope is religious man and in Christianity women are consider as a the reason of sin

and by nature the considers them evil , because the wholly and thoroughly thought Eve as a

responsible for throwing out Adam from Heaven. So due to this reason Pope being a religious

 man has criticized female in the epic poem Rape of the lock. When she attend toilet, when she

sits in the front of mirror, when she examines her face, when she goes to the party , in each and

 every point we can find Pope as a misogynist in the epic poem Rape of the lock.