Cultural Identity Interview and Analysis Essay Example for Free

Cultural Identity Interview and Analysis Essay An interview with a member of the Mexican American community was conducted on December 1st, 2007. This research will provide a summary of that interview; particularly, it will include a description of the rules, norms, traditions, and values of Mexican American culture. The research will also discuss: a) how the assumptions regarding cultural norms affect the interviewee’s behavior in his daily life; b) any disadvantages related to his culture being outside â€Å"the norm† and how he reacts to that; c) any advantages related to being assimilated to the â€Å"normative† culture and how he reacts; d) his sources of strength or support; e) an analysis of the four dimension theory and how it relates to the interviewee’s life. Finally, the research will provide some insight on how one can effectively communicate with people of other cultures. In fact, communication with various members that belong to other ethnic groups (i. e. Arab Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, etc) may be difficult some at times because of the cultural difference that exists between the groups. Jose Luis Aguilar was born in Tijuana, Mexico on January 7th, 1972. Mexican is the ethnic group he belongs. He lived in Mexico for 29 years. In 2001, he immigrated in Los Angeles, California. Job opportunities, presence of family members, and the presence of a massive Mexican community were the factors that brought him to immigrate into the United States. Mexican Americans are the largest Hispanic or Latino ethnic group in the United States. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 20 million Hispanic or Latinos of the 35 million in the United States are Mexican Americans (U. S. Census, 2000). Mr. Aguilar’s native language is Spanish. However, during the past years spent in California, he was able to learn basic English, although it remains a second language as the majority of the Mexican American who live in the United States. Richard Schaefer stated â€Å"as of 2002, about 23 percent of Mexican Americans are English dominant, 26 percent are bilingual, and 51 percent are Spanish dominant† (Schaefer, 2006, p. 241). Mr. Aguilar’s religion is Catholic. Indeed, Mexican Americans represent â€Å"the largest number of Catholic immigrants to the United States comes from Mexico; Mexico also sends the largest number of Protestant immigrants to the United States† (Murray, 2006). Mr. Aguilar is married. He has a 1 year-old son. Aguilar’s family has a patriarchal organization as the same as other many Mexican American families have. According to Kathleen Niska, Mexican Americans Families â€Å"continuity was characterized by mothers doing tasks inside the house, fathers doing tasks outside the house, and both parents performing toddler and early childhood tasks† (Niska, 2001). One of the Mexican traditions that Mr. Aguilar mentioned during the interview was â€Å"quinceanera†. This ritual is celebrated in church when women reach the age of 15 to thank God that they arrived to this stage of their lives. Similar to a wedding day celebration, the celebration of a girls fifteenth birthday is a major event in most Hispanic girls’ lives as it means that she begins her journey to adulthood (Mattel, 2001). They are ready to get married. The ritual of quinceanera is viewed not only as a gesture to strengthen faith and family but also as a means to prevent teen pregnancies. A quinceanera also allows for sending a message of sexual responsibility (NC Times, 2008). Mr. Aguilar is an independent contractor mainly for real estate management companies. He provides general maintenance services at $10 an hour. So far, he had limited choices regarding the jobs (e. g. janitorial, landscaping, and maintenance) he could do since he moved into United States. Lack of education and his pending status with INS (he has not received his green card yet, work permit only) were the obstacles that did not allow him to obtain better paid jobs. According to David Spener, â€Å"Mexican immigrant workers play an important economic role inside the United States as well. They constitute a significant portion (8 percent) of the total U. S. manufacturing work force† (Spener, 2000). Mexican Americans are usually have been seen by American companies as â€Å"cheap labor†. Mr. Aguilar shared that members of his culture had been affected by any form of racism, prejudice or discrimination. In particular, he pointed out the bilingualism issue and the tension that the proposition 227 created among his community. Proposition 227 went into effect in 1998 and required that all public school instruction had to be in English. A) How do assumptions about cultural â€Å"norms† impact your interviewee’s behavior on a day-to-day basis? Mr. Aguilar pointed out how one particular assumption regarding Mexican Americans culture affects his life on a day-to-day basis. He mentioned that one of his cousins was a gang member; he was killed months ago. A popular assumption is that Mexican American gang membership is generational which means the membership from a father to a son or from a family member to another one. Therefore, based on this assumption, people believe that he is a gang member. So, Mr. Aguilar’s behavior is direct to prevent anything that may mislead people in this sense, e. g. wearing red or blue, or specific clothing, or having tattoos. B) Does your interviewee recognize any challenges or disadvantages related to her/his culture being outside the â€Å"norm†? How does he/she respond to those challenges? Similar to several other fellow Mexican Americans, Mr. Aguilar is able to communicate in his native language without learning English properly. In fact, Spanish language is commonly spoken in the city of Los Angeles. Almost every place (grocery stores, restaurants, public offices, and so forth) has signs and directions in Spanish language. This massive promotion of Mr. Aguilar’s native language in the United States encouraged by Mass Media represents a disadvantage. Radio and television have also been factors that allowed Mexican Americans, as Mr. Aguilar, to maintain their original cultural values. In fact, in 2004, there were over 678 Spanish language radio stations compared to 1982, when there were 12 Spanish language television stations in the United States. This number more than doubled within 10 years. Several artists (e. g. Jennifer Lopez or Shakira) helped to promote their cultures by singing in their traditional languages (Jandt, 2007). Mr. Aguilar has responded to this challenge by enrolling himself in an adult school in order to improve his English. However, as of today, he is still struggling to write, read and speak English fluently. C) Does your interviewee recognize any privileges or advantages associated with assimilating to the â€Å"normative† culture? How does he/she react to that recognition? Mr. Aguilar recognized that being assimilated to the â€Å"normative† culture has some advantages. In particular, he stated that a positive aspect is that immigrants learn the language of the â€Å"normative† culture; they are able to avoid any form of isolation and segregation. Furthermore, these immigrants likely will not face any prejudice from the dominant society as he experienced during his stay in the United States. During the interview Mr. Aguilar recalled a few family acquaintances with 3rd generation sons and daughters who had an adaptation in the American culture different compared to their parents. In fact, they were able to go to school, learn the language, get a college education, and obtain a good job. They became a part of the American culture. In fact, they celebrate the 4th of July and the Thanksgiving, which are truly American holidays. They also had to learn about professional sports other than Mexican soccer. He now is also watching baseball, basketball, and American football games. D) What does that person cite as being sources of strength or support? Mr. Aguilar cited church and family as his sources of strength or support. As many others fellow Mexicans Americans, Mr. Aguilar gives exceptional importance to religion and family on a day-to-day basis; he is very active in his community especially with humanitarian initiative promoted by his catholic church. Mr. Aguilar is very family orientated. He tries to spend as much time as possible with his family; it may be common to see him doing business with his families around. E) An analysis of the four dimension theory and how it relates to the interviewee’s life A theory from the course that was well related to Mr. Aguilar’s interview is the â€Å"four dimensions of culture† by Geert Hofstede. Particularly, Aguilar’s interview confirmed that in the Mexican culture masculinity is predominant, mostly due its history. Mexican families were mainly patriarchal therefore men were in charge of the family; they were working to provide money and food while women were at home taking care of the children. Mexican culture is based more on collectivism due mainly to the fact that more people with financial difficulties seek to one another for help or gather together (e. g. two or three families living in the same apartment). Power distance is embodied in the Mexican culture. Mexico is a developing country with significant financial problems. The difference between people (e. g. poor and rich people) is well marked. Finally, the fourth dimension, uncertainty avoidance, is correlated to religion and history of the cultures (Jandt, 2007). Roman Catholic Christian cultures and cultures with Romance languages (e. g. Mexico) tend to score high. In conclusion, communication with various members that belong to other ethnic groups may be difficult at times because of the cultural difference that exists between the groups. However, inclusive language can be an effective way to communicate with such members. Mr. Aguilar and the interviewer are from different culture backgrounds. There were times during the interview where inclusive language was used to avoid miscommunication. Choosing the right words when communicating with members who have different backgrounds may help to prevent miscommunication that may end up stereotyping them on the basis of race, gender, disability, religion, or other factors. Furthermore, conducting research and gathering information on members with different backgrounds may help not only to overcome language issues but also can assist people in becoming more culturally sensitive. References Jandt, F. E. (2007). An introduction to intercultural communication (5th ed. ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Mattel Inc. (2001, May). Happy fifteenth quinceanera barbie ®! mattels girls division launches first hispanic-tradition theme barbie ® doll. Retrieved on January 11, 2008 from http://www. shareholder. com/mattel/news/20010515-43065.cfm Murray, B. (2006, January). Latino Religion in the U. S. : Demographic Shifts and Trends. Retrieved on August 19, 2007 from http://www. facsnet. org/issues/faith/espinosa. php Niska, K. (2001). Mexican American Family Survival, Continuity, and Growth: The Parental Perspective. Retrieved on August 19, 2007 from http://nsq. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/14/4/322 NC Times. com (2008, January). For Latino Catholics, Quinceanera ritual provides lessons on faith, family - and sex. Retrieved on January 11, 2008 from http://www. nctimes. com/articles/2008/01/05/faith/17_56_271_3_08. txt Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Spener D. (2000). Mexican labor at the center of North American economic integration. Retrieved on August 19, 2007 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3688/is_200007/ai_n8892489 U. S. Census Bureau (2000). Profile of General Demographic Characteristics:2000. Retrieved on August 19, 2007 from http://factfinder. census. gov/servlet/QTTable? _bm=y- geo_id=01000US-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U.

Gun Control Essay -- Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

Gun Control in the United States   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  News is all around us and is readily available to everyone. There are many flaws in the system that hurts the authenticity of the news when you see it. The media is indirectly part of the political system. Most news is either considered liberal or conservative by many.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The media is often considered to be biased. The reason for this is because they do not act neutral on the things that they report on. They usually give their point of view and tend to warp the information so it’s easily digestible by the average person. This type of â€Å"nugget feeding,† can influence the judgment of some one who has no idea what is going on. The media tends to sensationalize the news by making it seem dramatic, and compelling. This hooks the viewer, and keeps them tuned in. The purpose of this is for ratings, and most importantly money. The media has become less professional, and their morality has gone down hill. The editors/gatekeepers decide what information is sent out for the public to see, and hear. This is another way that the news is shaped for our viewing pleasure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The news media rejects the fact that they are biased. They claim that they are the â€Å"middle of the road,† and are neutral on the stories that they cover. Publishers also claim that they are the watchdog for the political system, and they make sure that the system is free of any corruption, or wrongdoing. Th...

1920s Essay

1. Two philosophies, Social Darwinism and eugenics, were two philosophies that affected societal actions from the 1900s well into the late 1920s. Examine the social issue of Social Darwinism and eugenics. Assess the consequences these two issues had for individuals and society in general; consider how the fallacy of these two issues was brought to light. (6a) 2. Red Scare- The U. S. experienced inflation at the end of WWI and this inflation resulted in riots and a. What main ideas prompted the Red Scare? b. Compare and contrast the Red Scare with Social Darwinism. (6a) 3.Immigration- Immigration was a contentious issue for the country during the 1920s; the United States passed the National Origins Act in 1929. a. As a citizen of the 1920s, question your congressional representative by assessing the social and economic consequences of this act. (6a) b. Speculate on that you think what the societal impact of present day immigration policies is. 4. Prohibition- The prohibition era was u shered in by the 18th Amendment which outlawed the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages; however, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th amendment in 1933. (6a) a.Identify the ideas and the historical highlights that led to the Prohibition era. b. Analyze the positive and negative effects of this era. 5. The Changing role of women- The text describes the 1920s as a time of the emergence of the â€Å"New† woman (Carnes 647). a. Evaluate the democratic means used to bring about the passage of the 19th amendment. In other words, what democratic processes were utilized to achieve this victory? (23b) b. Analyze the impact of the 19th amendment which changed the role of women? c. Preview the characteristics of the new woman and describe the impact that technology played in bringing about this change. 6a) d. How are women’s roles changing this today and how does these changes affect men? 6. Urban-Rural conflicts emerged during the 1920s and one of these c onflicts was fundamentalism. â€Å"Fundamentalists rejected the theory of evolution as well as advanced the hypotheses on the origins of the universe. † (Carnes: 653). Part of rejecting this theory was to prevent schools from teaching the theory of evolution in science classes. a. Describe the court case mentioned in chapter 24 that tested this issue. b. Distinguish between the roles played by Clarence Darrow and William Jennings. c.Think critically about the evidence presented by both lawyers and prepare questions that you would have asked them had you been the judge in this case. 7. New Technology flourished during the 1920s and brought a measure of prosperity to the country. Among the new technology was the automobile industry which thrived during the 1920s as a result of consumer demands. a. Assess the impact that Henry Ford had on the auto industry and on American society. (6b) b. Assess the impact that the automobile had on society. 8. Aviation Technology- The Great War hastened the evolution of airplane technology.Many new pilots showed off their aviation skills performing aerial acrobats and other adventurous feats at county shows in the 1920s. But an early aviation pioneer, Charles Lindberg, achieved a different type of aviation accomplishment in the 1920s. a. Examine the impact that this event and Lindberg had on the field of aviation and on American society. Thinking Critically In a paragraph, synthesize your thoughts about the cause and effect of the significant events, social issues and individuals of the 1920; consider how this decade contributed to the history of the United States and the identity of its citizens.Intro (revise): The 1920s enabled the United States to assume a greater economic role on the world stage. Unlike the major European powers at the time, the U. S. did not have to rebuild its economic infrastructure following World War I, enabling it to flourish and exhibit influence over many aspects of life during this decade. Th is included an increase in item production, the emergence of the automobile and the radio, and changes in American social and cultural life. The 1920s were an important decade in American history.This would be the decade that laid the foundation for the journey that would propel the United States to the status of greatest world power. The 1920s had an impact on all parts of the American development. {{Consider: Ninety years ago, the United States was a different place. There were 107 million people living here; life expectancy was 54 years for men and 55 for women; the average annual salary was $1,236, and Gangland crime was rampant in major cities. The Ford automobile was mass produced and one could be had for $290 — although it took 13 days to reach California from New York due to the lack of paved roads.And, On Aug. 26, 1920, women were granted political power for the first time. }} Social Darwinism/Eugenics: Social Darwinism was a popular theory of society that emerged in the late 19th/early 20th century. It was the ideology that people are the products of their social environments– that poverty is in fact a social condition and that people become criminals because of social and economic conditions, etc. It developed the belief that society's problems were not caused by oppressive economic conditions, but rather that social problems were caused by genetic inferiority.This was adopted by many wealthy and upper-class Americans and was related to the development of the ideology of â€Å"Social Darwinism,† the idea that certain people were â€Å"genetically† more fit and that the more fit legitimately had  the right to rule the inferior. The idea that poverty, crime and ignorance are a product of social conditions was a threat to the dominant members of society because the call was for these dominant members of society to reform their ways to create increased equality for all people.It is out of all of these ideas that the America n eugenics programs began, funded by wealthy Americans such as Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller. The idea was that people were born poor or born criminal, etc. They were â€Å"bad seeds†, and thus the problem of poverty was not really a social problem, it was a problem of bloodline, to be fixed by selective breeding programs, forced sterilization, and the maintenance of â€Å"racial purity†. Racial purity was the idea that races â€Å"should not mix† out of the fear that if whites and blacks ixed the inferior black bloodline would â€Å"corrupt† the white bloodline, leading to more crime, poverty, and ignorance. Between 1900 and 1930 in the United States, support for eugenics continued to grow. The fallacy of selective breeding in humans was only realized when the wealthy were suddenly poor, and the reality of genocide had demonstrated the extreme end of eugenics—in other words, with the shock of the Great Depression and the rise of Adolf Hitle r in Nazi Germany, which ushered in the Holocaust.But the dissolution of eugenics in the United States was a slow process, because racial discrimination persisted. Involuntary sterilization laws, enacted in the early 1900s, were finally repealed in 1979. The Red Scare: The Red Scare of 1919 occurred at a time when the American people felt threatened by the rising tide of Communism in Russia, widespread labor unrest, and the often bizarre forms of Anarchism and Anarcho-syndicalism that were supported by some recent immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe.The Scare itself was caused by the revelation in April of that year that a militant Communist group existed in the United States, and that it was plotting to send mail bombs to a number of prominent figures in the government (Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, for example) and several rich capitalists (J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller, among others). On June 2nd 1919, bombs exploded in eight different cities within an hour of each other. One of the targets was Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, whose home was bombed. He was unharmed, but very angry! The most important government response was the beginning of the Palmer Raids.These were a series of mass arrests and deportations of immigrants who were suspected of being Communists or radicals. Between 4,000 and 10,000 individuals were arrested over the next two years. (J. Edgar Hoover, only 24 at the time, was placed in charge of the Raids). Prisoners were questioned without access to attorneys and their bail was often set so high none could afford it. Many were beaten during their arrest or questioning. The raids were initially highly praised by the public and press. In the early years of the 1920s, the scare seemed to disappear as quickly as it had begun. Immigration:Passed in 1924, this law placed a limit on immigration. Americans were becoming outraged at the amount of jobs they were losing to immigrants and there was also a wide-spread pa nic of potential spies amongst the immigrants. The act sharply restricted the total number of immigrants who could come to the United States and established quotas for various nationality groups. The chief purpose of the act was to limit the number of â€Å"less desirable† immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and from Japan, many of whom had played a vital role in the nation's industrial development. The Prohibition:Prohibition was a period of nearly fourteen years of U. S. history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor was made illegal. It led to the first and only time an Amendment to the U. S. Constitution was repealed. After the American Revolution, drinking was on the rise. To combat this, a number of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement which attempted to dissuade people from becoming intoxicated. At first, these organizations pushed moderation, but after several decades, the movement's focus changed to complete proh ibition of alcohol consumption.The Temperance movement blamed alcohol for many of society's ills, especially crime and murder. Saloons, a social haven for men who lived in the still untamed West, were viewed by many, especially women, as a place of debauchery and evil. Prohibition, members of the Temperance movement urged, would stop husbands from spending all the family income on alcohol and prevent accidents in the workplace caused by workers who drank during lunch. Changing Role of Women: The Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote.It was proposed on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920. Consequently, the impact of this was enormous–it gave to women the same power and control that men had, although still held back by the values of the day. But it did create a strong influence and created a cultural impact. It gave women of the era more confidence and a sense that they could accomplish more. –and a thirst for more freedoms in a world where previousl y they were considered second class and only as a man's property. The lifestyle changes of the 1920's showed how big and important that impact was.Women became much more confident and wanted to utilize this new â€Å"power† in other areas, too. They gave up many of the â€Å"controlling† aspects of the Victorian age, from the long and buttoned up clothes to new aspects of personal freedom–they started to live outside the confines of being a wife and homemaker–women got jobs outside the home, they started playing sports, they shortened their dressed and bobbed their hair–and had fun! The Roaring Twenties was a new age, and an age where women first started enjoying more freedom and influence.That has continued on to this day, although there is still work needed to level the playing field between men and women. Technology: He had a huge impact on society by inventing and mass producing the Model-T car, which made cars all the rage from that point onwa rd. He is basically the father of the modern auto industry. He also helped America out of the Depression when he contributed to build the Hoover Dam, which at the time when it was built was the largest hydro-electric dam in the world.Aviation Technology: Charles A. Lindbergh did not just open a passageway to Europe; he opened up the hopes and interests of people who never thought they would see beyond their continental boundaries. His flight opened up possibilities. Prior to Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, it seemed travel was confined to the ground or the sea; and even cars and wagons were blocked by waterways or treacherous terrain, and boats exposed to rough seas. Travel had boundaries rior to Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, but after his flight people could see beyond those boundaries. Works Cited: Social Darwinism: Consequences: http://rationalrevolution. net/articles/rise_of_american_fascism. htm http://www. vectorsite. net/taevo_05. html Fallacy brough t to light: http://www. freemarketfoundation. com/ShowArticle. asp? ArticleType=Publication&ArticleID=170 http://immigration. laws. com/national-origins-act

The Role of Women in Heart of Darkness - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1334 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Heart of Darkness Essay Did you like this example? In Joseph Conradrs Heart of Darkness, despite the disparaging comments made about women, numerous feminine figures in the story display or exercise a more notable amount of power than the male characters. Joseph Conradrs, Heart of Darkness, discusses social issues such as racism, sexism, and corruption. The power possessed by the female characters closely relates to how paramount these women are in the development of the story and plot. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Role of Women in Heart of Darkness" essay for you Create order Initially, Marlow commences by referring to female characters found in the story as girls and does not call them women. Those who oppose could not find any importance behind this. With this in mind, Marlowrs comments demonstrates an automatic response from the male sex to view women as infantile or miniscule. Furthermore, a vast number of females are interchangeable as the female stand- in. Some readers refer to this as Conrad demeaning those women and making them seem as secondary character. Marlow speaks Girl! What! Did I mention a girl? Oh, she is out of it†completely. They†the women I mean†are out of it†should be out of it (Conrad 108). Those women are being diminished and their role of power is being stripped from them, not only in Joseph Conradrs Heart of Darkness, but the world in which they lived in at the time. During the Victorian Period, women did not live as well as their male counterparts. Women during this time lived in the shadow of their men. I n most cases, they were thought of as weaker, fragile, or slower. Furthermore, the Victorian Period was vastly what would be referred to as a patriarchal society. Patri- derives from the Latin word pater-, meaning father. Patriarchy is a social system in which a male-dominated power structure takes place. For instance, women did not obtain the right to vote, that not happening until years later. Women were not allowed to own property, but men could possess as much as he longed for. To sum up, it is a system in which men have more power than women, men have some level of privilege to which women are not entitled. Ironically, power never works in a way we think it does. For example, The Victorian Period was a social culture. People relied extravagant parties, wealth, and social status. Men were mainly responsible for getting things done and lots of women married to high-ranking, influential men. Therefore, these doing demonstrated that although women were seen as minute, they had held most power. As previously stated, women are portrayed as secondary characters in Heart of Darkness. However, those women who seemed to at first have little to no power, represent more than initially thought when further analyzing the female character. To begin, Marlowrs aunt is introduced. Marlow begins to speak and displays sentiment about women through his attitude toward his aunt by saying Itrs queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own. (Conrad ) the aunt holds a significant amount of power. It is because of that women that Marlow is headed towards Africa. With that being said, Marlow later reveals how he obtained his employment as a steamboat pilot. He reveals that he tried the women and set the women to work to get a job (Conrad). Marlowrs aunt shows much enthusiasm towards her nephew and would love to give him a hand. Marlow is indifferent and would only respect his aunt if she can obtain employment for him. Therefore, with her power, his aunt was able to successfully get him a job. Not Marlow, but his aunt, a female, pulled it off better than he could ever and she is the only reason he had a job in the first place. To continue, the knitting women that appear in Heart of Darkness also are imperative to the plot. Marlow arrives at the Companyrs office where he comes face to face with two other women, who knitted black wool feverishly (Conrad). Additionally, Marlow describes the old women,She seemed to know all about them and about me, too. An eerie feeling came over me. She seemed uncanny and fateful (Conrad). The women only appear briefly but hold a symbolic meaning. The knitting women correspond to the Moirae the ancient Greek personifications of fate. These powerful women spin, measure, and cut the thread of life. The Fates, who were in the Companyrs office, were measuring Marlowrs life as he embarked on the journey. The Fates are immortal beings who have the ability to see every manrs fate, thus making them very powerful. Moreover, Kurtzrs African mistress plays a vital role in Heart of Darkness. Marlow beautifully described the women, She walked with measured steps, draped in striped and fringed cloths, treading the earth proudly, with a slight jingle and flash of barbarous ornaments.She carried her head high; her hair was done in the shape of a helmet; she had brass leggings to the knee, brass wire gauntlets to the elbow, a crimson spot on her tawny cheek, innumerable necklaces of glass beads on her neck (Conrad). From Marlowrs description of his African mistress, anyone can point out the powerful presences that she holds. She seems to have influence on Kurtz and has him hooked. Itrs ironic to think of the menrs way of thinking during this time, when they would refer to women as less. Men would never admit it, but men need women in more ways than one, and that could also work the other way around and women could need men. Nevertheless, from the detailed description given about the Kurtz mistress, a reader can easily point how much of a trance he is in while admiring her beauty. More often than not, that is all it takes to lure in men, is beauty and they will be in a trance and infatuated. That is where women hold power over the man and could get him to do anything. Notably, the Russian sailor recounts to Marlow how she got in one day and kicked up a row about I wasnt decent I fancy Kurtz felt too ill that day to care, or there would have been mischief (Conrad). From this textual evidence, it can be inferred that the mistress has power over her man and gets things done her way. Moreover, the final notable female character in Heart of Darkness is the Intended. The Intended was Kurtzrs fiance. Kurtzrs fiance waited for Kurtz in Belgium while Kurtz was in the Congo gathering ivory. Marlow later visits her more than a year after Kurtzrs death. Marlow describes their encounter by stating that She had a mature capacity for fidelity, for belief, for suffering (Conrad). His fiance seems to still be in mourning. Additionally, the Intended represents a symbol for colonialism. For example, she is utterly infatuated with Kurtz and only remembers the Kurtz that she knew not the one who did tasteless things. She recalls, I am proud to know I understood him better than any one on earth (93). This textual evidence shows how the Intended is the Europeans; they believe in the greatness of men like Kurtz without knowing the dark and hidden parts of their characters much as the mistress did when remembering Kurtz. To conclude, Heart of Darkness is a densely male dominated story which undermines women, yet women are paramount to the development of the plot. Marlowrs aunt, the knitting women, and Kurtzrs mistress all hold a grip and power of the men in Heart of Darkness. The protagonist, Marlow, often encounters these women at landmarks of his life. Marlow continous to believe women should stay in their own world and stay out of the manrs world. Even if this new lense of viewing the roles of the women in Heart of Darkness is not convincing enough it is intriguing to ponder and relate to this in this century and in real life. With this in mind, after further analyzing Heart of Darkness, the female character are far from powerless in this Conrad classic.