Aristotle's argument that women are subsidiary to men Essay

Aristotle's argument that women are subsidiary to men - Essay Example Aristotle, despite his appreciation of some attributes of women, including their intelligence, he was of the opinion that that they were subsidiary to men and because of this they had to submit themselves to men in their lives since women are â€Å"more mischievous, less simple, more impulsive... more compassionate† (Aristotle 28). Aristotle justified his opinion by actively supporting those laws that denied women the right to own property, and if they got married, with the said property it should be transferred to their husbands on such an occasion. Considering that he also believed that women had to stay only in female quarters of the household, except during extreme need, shows his belief that women had to be contained, which in essence was similar to enslaving them. Aristotle was an extremely prominent scholar of the ancient world and he had a lot to say concerning women and their subservience to men. While his writings seem to indicate that he was exceedingly liberal abou t the roles of the various sexes in many aspects of life, it is a fact that he was a believer in the inferiority of women to men (Francis 144). Despite the fact that he may have seemed to be a liberal in some matters concerning the sexes, Aristotle, being true to his era, had some positive things to say concerning women, but while he did so, he also showed that he still believed them to be subservient. It is possible that perhaps Aristotle’s teachings, which might be considered liberal, would have had a deeper meaning, displaying that while women were a gifted lot, they were supposed to remain in the background, since that was their designated place in society. This scholar was known, from time to time, to deviate from the norm concerning the role of the sexes in his society. Aristotle’s writings, while being conservative in nature, display a characteristic that was particularly common among the writers of that age; they were liberal to a certain extent and their opini ons were openly stated. However, when it came to undertaking something to change their societies so that they would conform to their liberal views, they took no action. Therefore, it can be said that although Aristotle in his writings displayed several instances of being liberal concerning the roles of the sexes in the society, most of his comments concerning this issue remained conservative â€Å"†¦.the courage of a man is shown in commanding, of a woman in obeying.† He continued to advocate for a male dominated society, supporting the role of a subservient woman, who had to submit to the will of man (Klosko 163). In a majority of his works, Aristotle displays respect for the competence of women, which is truly surprising for a man of the ancient world, where women were considered nothing more that bearers of children. Most of his works about women are based on the influence of his societal, physical and mental opinion of them. In some of his work, he states that women are much more emotional because of the belief in the ancient world that women are particularly closely tied to the earth than men. Aristotle in general shows a strong admiration for women, and he states that they are more gifted than their male counterparts. Alongside this admiration is also his belief that women are

Culture Shock among International Students in the UK Essay

Culture Shock among International Students in the UK - Essay Example One of the biggest contributors to culture shock is the climate in the UK where individuals who come from warm environments come to experience the dampness that is prominent in the country for the first time in their lives. This is especially difficult for them to deal with during the winter months because international students have never experienced it before. The need to wear heavy clothing in order to protect themselves from the cold is always cumbersome especially in situations where they are used to light clothing. In addition, there are situations where international students come to find that the food in the UK is strange and that the familiar foods that are prominent in their home countries are hardly ever available. There are instances where these students live in self-catering accommodation and as a result of familiar food not being available and their inability to cook for the unfamiliar food that is available, they end up relying heavily on fast food. Culture shock in th is situation arises as a result of these students’ eating fast food rather than the diet that is used to, making it difficult for them to adapt to their new environment. Language is another contributor to culture shock because a large number of international students do not speak English as their first language. When they come to the UK, they often have a difficult time communicating with the local people as well as with their fellow students and tutors. The constant use of and listening to a foreign language can at times be very tiring for international students because it creates a situation where they come to feel nostalgic for their own language. Not being around people from their own countries who can speak the same language in a strange environment is often difficult for international students because they feel isolated in an unfamiliar environment.