Agnes Flashcards
Quote 1:
“They will see the whore, the madwoman, the murderess, the female dripping blood into the grass and laughing with her mouth choked with dirt. They will say ‘Agnes’ and see the spider, the witch caught in the webbing of her own fateful weaving. … But they will not see me. I will not be there.”
Argument:
A patriarchal society will isolate those who challenge or deviate from societal norms as a means of maintaining power.
Analysis:
- “whore” – immoral, licentious –Agnes is degraded to a negative stereotype, casting her outside of accepted moral norms, highlighting how a misogynistic society will judge and isolate women who step outside of prescribed moral boundaries.
- Metaphor of “spider” – likens Agnes to a creature that evokes fear and disgust- dehumanises Agnes, reflecting how society perceives Agnes as something to be feared, reviled and avoided, reinforcing her status as an outsider within society.
- “Not see me” - reinforces a sense of alienation and isolation – society prejudices have entirely erased her genuine identity, leaving her feeling as though she no longer exists in the eyes of others. This positions readers to recognise how a society which serves to vilify and eclipse one’s true self, not only dehumanizes individuals but also robs them of their personal narrative and humanity.
- Those who deviate from societal norms, particularly women, are often ostracized and reduced to harmful stereotypes, as power structures wield fear and prejudice to isolate them rather than understanding their actions in the broader context of their circumstances.
