Emily Grise – DBQ

1. Ban Zhao describes the duties upheld by husbands and wives in an ideal marriage. A husband

is the control his wife. A wife is to fear and serve her husband. The fear is of disgracing parents,

multiplying difficulties, and messing up kids (1). This expectation of servitude is shown when

Zhao writes that wives should “rise early to duties...” (1). By portraying these roles, they are

being worthy, but to do anything outside of these roles would make them unworthy. This aligns

with the Confucian virtue of propriety, conforming to socially accepted standards of behavior,

along with Confucius’s relationship of husband and wife. Their respective duties are “intimately

connected with Yin and Yang” (3). The correct relationship maintains the roles with harmony

and intimacy. They are to control and serve, and to not do these disrupts the natural order,

resulting in a bad marriage. Zhao later writes, “If husband and wife have the habit of staying

together, never leaving one another, and following each other around within the limited space of

their own rooms, then they will lust after and take liberties with one another.” (5). She goes on

the tells readers how this results in a loss of respect for the husband from the wife. This example

shows one way a marriage’s harmony could be disrupted.

2. Modern critics would disagree with Ban Zhao’s idea of a successful marriage and what that

looks like. The spouse roles of control and servitude are vastly different from the roles held

today. The first paragraph of page 5 of this document describes what Zhao sees as a way to

disrupt the perfect harmony in a subordination-based marriage. This depiction involves a couple

who spends a lot of time together, leading to mutual respect. While Ban Zhao sees this as a way

to ruin marriage, modern critics would say this is exactly what is necessary for a perfect

marriage. This kind of marriage involves partnership and equality. Husband and wife respect

each other and work together. Ban Zhao describes the four qualifications of a good woman to be
not smart, not clever with her words, not pretty, nor skilled at work. Today, critics would use the

exact opposite of these qualities to depict the ideal woman. One part of Ban Zhao’s work that

critics would agree with would be her push on education equality. She questions why young girls

should not get an education if their male counterparts do, and this would be applauded by

modern critics.

3. Ban Zhao’s descriptions of Husband-wife relations and her advocacy of education would

apply to those in patriarchal societies. She affirms the roles within a marriage but puts the ideas

around inequality of education into question. The societies are the types to enforce the women

roles described in Ban Zhao’s writing. Here, women are subordinate to their husbands, following

their lead. One example in modern times that comes to mind is Indian culture. In this culture,

wives follow behind, rather than alongside, their husbands when walking. Here, the husband acts

as a guide rather than a couple of equal status. There are societies today that do not have equal

education opportunities for men and women. These people could use Ban Zhao’s advocacy to

see the importance of equality within education. Ban Zhao’s arguments are relevant throughout

Chinese society of her time because her description and the expectations she sets set the gender

role standards for this time period.