Anglo Saxon women played a role in the performance of cultural texts by supporting their men through theatrical performances on the sidelines of the battlefield. These women supported their men by providing feedback and encouragement in regards to their performance on the battlefield. The Anglo Saxon women served as witnesses by “reflecting and projecting mirrors which confirmed and incited the actions of men” (Dwight Conquergood). Additionally, women possessed the power to alter the course of events when the men were wavering in battle by offering dramatic theatrical performances of “rape and plunder” as a forewarning of the misery felt after losing battle (Dwight Conquergood). These horrific performances united the men and helped them to find courage within their fear of losing the women.
For the Anglo Saxon people, performance served the rhetorical function of transmitting cultural knowledge about their origins, their cultural identity, and their intransience. The men served as agents of motivation and solidarity as they told heroic tales of their quests and achievements. The males also served as vehicles of intimidation for the enemy. The women, on the other hand, assisted in maintaining cultural knowledge by providing perpetual support for the men by confirming male egos and by providing them with response and critique of their actions. The women also kept the memory of the fallen men alive by succumbing to their grief in a public manner.
The Anglo-Saxon men and women both contributed equally in regards to maintaining and sustaining cultural knowledge by affecting a sense cohesion and communitas among the people. However, women were viewed very highly by the Anglo-Saxon people because of the importance of the supportive, honest, and devoted female role. The men may not have been as successful or the people as united, if the women did not perform their important sympathetic role in the community.
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I like the essay friend. Maybe from here you could compare modern equality as altered upon the imposition of value by the market economy. Worth was attributed to the sexes because of what they produced for the community. Today we produce different things, instead of victorious battles we celebrate victorious investments. What rolls do the sexes play now and how do we attribute value compared to the historic era?
ReplyDeleteMoreover you could use this as a platform to compare and contrast communal psyches. What is the object of desire in either context and what rolls do men and women play in the drive of pursuing that desire? Is there an end, i.e. an attainment of desire?
Don't forget about the important role women had in raising children and imbuing them with the necessary knowledge and emotional connection required to be a good, functioning member of the community. Singing, storytelling, as well as telling riddles and jokes are all ways knowledge, social standards, and community pride are communicated. Some of our most influential performances can be accomplished in the most informal of settings.
ReplyDeleteI wrote one of my blogs to this question. Its a great choice because its great to see the differences between gender roles. I would like to know how you connected to this question. I like all the facts that you gave but what do you think about it? Are things different now compared to the past? As a woman in present,in your opinion- did these roles change?
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