Feminism

Feminism has been derived from the Latin word Femina meaning woman. It was first used consider to the
issues of equality and women’s Rights and Movement. Feminism is a wide scope of social developments,
belief systems, and political developments that offer a shared objective to characterize, establish and
accomplish political, financial, individual, and social equality of genders.
At the beginning of human civilization, women have been given a secondary status by male-dominated
social discourse and western philosophical tradition. The history of every civilization shows that women
have been subordinated to a position where they have no means to reclaim their identity, experiences, and
insights. Women have to define themselves against the male informed ideas and beliefs that are passed
down from generation to generation. These beliefs have produced a dominant system by creating female
subjects who are conditioned to accept the values of the system. Feminist literary theory is the extension
of feminism into the philosophical framework to analyze causes behind women’s less status and to
explore the literary tradition of women.
The history of the modern western feminist movement may be divided into three waves. It was Maggie
Humm who divides the rise and the growth of the modern western feminist movements into three waves.
All three feminist waves deal with different aspects of the same feminist issues. The first wave feminist
movement started in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. During this period women raised their
voices for equal right to vote and equal access to the parliament.
The second-wave feminist movement began in the 1960s and was associated with the diverse thinkers
who campaigned for equal legal and social rights for women. In this period many feature works arrived
in the literary arena, making the powerful advocacy for women’s liberation from masculine coded
language and philosophical system.
The third-wave feminist movement was a continuation and reaction to the realized failures of second-
wave feminism. This movement began in the 1990s and extended into postcolonial feminism,
ecofeminism, and gender studies. The feminist scholars related to this development pushed social equity
for ladies.
Feminism was a social movement, introduced through a series of resistance movements against the notion
of patriarchy, social inequality, and the role of capitalism in the oppression of women. Women were
always taught to help men and derive their existence in relation to them. Women have enjoyed lesser
rights than men. Women were discredited to perform social roles in the public and private sector which
would have enhanced their economic condition. It is clearly seen that literary works as society’s portrait
can human’s values and actions which are shaped by both feminist thoughts and gender inequality.
How does begum rokeya dismantle the patriarchal norms in sultana's dream
Or
Mid (What are the dreams that Begum Rokeya talks about in "Sultana's Dream"?)

Sultana’s Dream is written by Muslim woman intellectual Begum Rokeya Shekhawat. She spoke against
patriarchy in the Muslim community. Women were thought subordinate to the males in the society where
Rokeya lived. Women fell behind in each regard during Rokeya's time. Social conservativeness and lack
of awareness were the prime reasons that worked against the progress of women, who could not accept
the opportunities to develop themselves as real and independent human beings. These narrow social
attitudes with women’s own unwillingness disable the spirit of women. They lived in the depth of
darkness, they were against female education.

Sultanas Dream is structured around the portrait of a nation of women. Women find their freedom
through scientific advancement and education. Rokeya welcomes with Sultana's Dream, women of her
society to envision an illusionary realization of freedom that exists outside purdah.

Sultana's Dream is an idealistic abstract work and a strong attack against the male-dominated social
system. She creates an imaginary world in opposition to the existing patriarchal world. In Sultana's
Dream, the men are at the opposite pole to that of men in reality, and are portrayed as coward, defeated,
broken, and spineless. In Ladyland, men perform the duties of women. They take care of the babies at
home, cook for family members and even feel shy at the sight of women. Sultana asks about the men’s
address to Sister Sara:
“Where are the men? I asked her. In their proper places, where they ought to be. Pray let me know what
you mean by their proper places. O I see my mistake; you cannot know our custom, as you were never
here before. We shut our men indoors. Just as we are kept in zenana.”

Women are here made to run universities, to discover scientific enterprises, to practice the rules of
hygiene, so that they take the ultimate control of Ladyland leaving their male sympathy dependent.
Rokeya always supported the equality of both sexes. The common practice of making women remain idle
has been challenged in her writing. Her Ladyland imaginaries the facts of women’s equality in
comparison with men. In the Ladyland, girls are not permitted to have an early marriage and education
has been made compulsory for women.

Rokeya presents her inner desire to take rightful revenge on the menfolk. She overthrows the whole male
community to the dark hole of the mardana to make them realize how women are treated and are shut in
the heart of darkness. The qualities which men usually possess in the conventional social system are
absent in Sultana’s Dream. They are portrayed like parasites having a large body but empty inside.
Rokeya constructs a feminist social structure where men are devoid of their traditional role of master.

The women are shown to enjoy their reversed roles in Ladyland which has also been imaginaried.
Rokeya's inner pleasure of making women free from their religious and social prejudices gets a simple
outlet in her writings. Women are here shown to be the masters of houses and doing all the important
business. The ladies of Sultana’s Dream prove themselves equal and are even advanced to some extent.
They take over the power and the queen very easily governs the country and takes advice from the lady
teachers whenever needed. Rokeya portrays the equality of women.
In conclusion, Rokeya freely expresses her complaints against a male-dominated society in her Sultana’s
Dream to make women of her time aware and alert of their rights and benefits in society. She spoke in a
time when society was fully under the control of male members. She doesn’t lose heart to give her
criticism against male dominance. She teaches women the values of education and self-confidence. She
thinks about the freedom of women from these chains and bindings and writes Sultana’s Dream is her real
intentions about women are displayed much with the equal and active participation of men in all aspects
of their lives. The marginalized women of the real world are dreamt of enjoying the realities of their lives.

Mid (Mardana)
Sultana’s Dream was written by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain in 1905 which is a short science fiction story.
In this story, she mentioned Men as Mardana. Mardana is the name of the outer part of a household for
men.
Begum Rokeya belongs to an age when women abounded in their houses. They were not even allowed to
meet their relatives. Rokeya was a victim of it. Women were thought subordinate to the males in the
male-centric society. Social conservativeness and lack of awareness were the prime reasons that worked
against the progress of women, who could not accept the opportunities to develop themselves as real and
independent human beings. She is saying to Sister Sara that she is not even free to a walk unveiled as she
is a victim of this Jeanna culture. The Mardana society controlled the whole Jeanna. Jeanna only takes
care of the babies at home, cook for family members and even feel shy at the sight of women. She tried to
make women aware and alert of their rights and benefits in society. She wanted to get women out of this
Mardana torture. She said these women on purpose, “Your kitchen is not inferior to a queen's boudoir!' I
replied with a pleasant smile, 'but we must leave it now; for the gentlemen may be cursing me for keeping
them away from their duties in the kitchen so long.' We both laughed heartily.”
Rokeya overthrows the whole male community to the dark hole of the mardana to make them realize how
women are treated and are shut in the heart of darkness. Women have portrayed a body without a heart,
any desire, wish, please. The characteristics that men ordinarily have in the traditional social system are
missing in Sultana's Dream. Rokeya makes a feminist social structure where men are devoid of their
traditional role of master.

Mid ("I'm the Rebel Bhrigu; I'll stamp my footprints—I'll tear apart the chest of the whimsical god".)
These lines are taken from Bidrohi. Bidrohi was written by Kazi Nazrul Islam in 1921 which is a popular
revolutionary Bengali poem.
Maharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven extraordinary sages referenced in Hindu Mythology. He had a
great contribution in writing up the Hindu Upanishad, a religious book. He is also known for kicking lord
Vishnu one of the trinities of Hindu religion, on the chest to wake him up, as he was enraged by the fact
that Vishnu was constantly asleep on the Shesha.
The rebellion poet, Kazi Nazrul used this reference to show how much angry he is holding against the
British acting government, who were just as whimsical as Lord Visnu about the ongoing problems and the
sufferings of people. He rebelled through his writing against the British government. He tried to awaken
the revolt among the people which will bring them freedom.
Feminism in Sultana’s Dream
Feminism is an assortment of developments and philosophies which focus on gender as a central issue to
look for value, equality, and appropriate rights. The central idea of feminism is to form equality in society
between men and women. It does not support just being a mere woman. It’s about a political movement,
ideologies, and beliefs that are concerned with the idea of gender difference and its effects. It looks after
the opportunities of being equal with proper dignity. Feminism is the acknowledgment to regard women
as complete human beings as they deserve equal dignity and opportunity in all aspects of society.
It was a social movement, introduced through a series of resistance movements against the notion of
patriarchy, social inequality, and the role of capitalism in the oppression of women. Women were always
taught to help men and derive their existence in relation to them. Women have enjoyed lesser rights than
men. Women were discredited to perform social roles in the public and private sector which would have
enhanced their economic condition. It is clearly seen that literary works as society’s portrait can human’s
values and actions which are shaped by both feminist thoughts and gender inequality.
The history of the feminist movement is divided into three waves in which each of them deals with
different aspect.

 The first wave was started in the 19th through the early 20th century that focuses on women
raised their voices for equal right to vote and equal access to the parliament.

 The second-wave feminist movement began in the 1960s and was associated with the diverse
thinkers who campaigned for equal legal and social rights for women. In this period many
feature works arrived in the literary arena, making the powerful advocacy for women’s liberation
from masculine coded language and philosophical system.

 The third wave of feminism started in the late 1980s to early 20th century. This movement began
in the 1990s and extended into postcolonial feminism, ecofeminism, and gender studies. The
feminist scholars related to this development pushed social equity for ladies.

Empowerment refers to the move from powerlessness to powerful and so in order to ensure women’s
empowerment, women’s active engagement in social, political, and economic sectors should be ensured
and at the same time.

Zenana
In this story, she mentioned women as Zenana. Zenana was prevalent in Muslim culture, where women
were confined within specific spaces, which were away from the vision of men. Zenana is a woman who
has no say in their choices and is dominated by male society. Women were thought subordinate to the
males in the male-centric society. Social conservativeness and lack of awareness were the prime reasons
that worked against the progress of women, who could not accept the opportunities to develop themselves
as real and independent human beings. These narrow social attitudes with women’s own unwillingness
disable the spirit of women. Jeanna only takes care of the babies at home, cook for family members and
even feel shy at the sight of women. Rokeya overthrows the whole male community to the dark hole of
the mardana to make them realize how women are treated and are shut in the heart of darkness. The
characteristics that men ordinarily have in the traditional social system are missing in Sultana's Dream.
They are portrayed like parasites having a large body but empty inside. Women are here exhibited to be
the experts of houses and doing all the significant business. Women have portrayed a body without a
heart, any desire, wish, please. Rokeya makes a feminist social structure where men are devoid of their
traditional role of master.

In Ila who has traveled across the globe with her diplomat family. She was exposed to various societies
from early on. Ila unwittingly ejects borders. For her, the western culture supersedes her own as she
believes it allows her freedom.
She leads an independent life in London. She has out of reach of the conservative, restrictive, patriarchal
society of Calcutta, and makes her own rules. She is trapped between the two cultures being rejected by
one another. But while Tha’mma associates borders with the fight for liberty and national identity, Ila’s
map of difference is breakable. About Cairo, she says,

“Oh yes, Cairo, the Ladies are way on the other side of the departure lounge”.

At the end of the narrative, Ila too is unable to cross the shadow lines of borders of India, England, and
other countries. The lack of materiality in her imagination means that she cannot appreciate differences in
cultures and contexts. Ila bears the burden of representing a postcolonial female perspective. When
Conrad commenting on Nick’s sleeping with other women after his marriage to Ila. She replies,

“I never did any of those things: I’m about as chaste, in my own way, as any woman you’ll ever meet.”

Ila is the only universal woman in the novel, and liberality is constructed as suspect because of its not
being rooted in any one culture.