The Meaning Of Woman: A Feminism Analysis Of Existential In William Wordsworth’s Perfect Woman

Introduction

Many facts say that humans are the most perfect creatures compared to other living creatures. Developing technology and science at the present time are the result of the minds that exist in human. They are able to develop the world thanks to the intelligence given to them. The development of this world may be based on human thinking that questions the meaning of them in the world, such as the question arises, for what I live or what I will do today. From such questions, people began to search for answers for themselves. From there they will find a way that is evidence of its existence. That is what distinguishes it. Humans realize their own existence, then question about their existence. Regarding what kind of path they will take, it is entirely the responsibility of humans themselves.

In 1803 William Wordsworth wrote a poem entitled Perfect Woman whose contents were addressed to his wife before they were married. Then this poem was published in 1807. His poem talks about the figure and behavior of his wife. In the poem, William uses the word spirit to refer to the figure of his wife. In this case, the researcher shows the existence of a theory of the existence of women in the poem Perfect Woman.

There are several theories of Existentialism put forward by experts, but in this case which is suitable with the problem here is Sartre's theory. Jean Paul Sartre is one of the important figures who are considered to be the pioneers of existentialism theory. Sartre argues that human existence comes first, and then is followed by its essence. This means that what humans do is of human will. Humans have complete freedom of what they do.

In the poem, the existence of women is shown by how the narrator in the poem conveyed her figure. William describes the figure of a woman neatly so that the reader also got the visual of the figure. The presence of this description indicates that the figure already existed before, and then met with the narrator in the poem whose appearance was then told. The depiction of the figure is in the initial paragraph before further describing how the woman's behavior.

The study of feminism is a study that has been widely studied for the previous period, especially at the end of the 19th century. That is because the condition of women at that time was not as independent as it is today. They have no freedom in their life. They have responsibilities and obligations that they must obey. In fact they are forced to dash their hopes regarding career and education. The poor condition of women at that time provided inspiration for many writers to create a literary work, such as poetry and novels. Therefore, there are many literary works that describe the situation at that time. The wave of feminism is divided into periods. Each wave has different characteristics from each other. Through the description of the appearance and behavior of women in the poem, we found a picture of the wave of feminism at the time of the poem.

Discussion

In the first paragraph, William described the woman when he saw them for the first time. Why did William describe that at the beginning of his poem? Looking at the existential theory of Sartre, it contains the truth that existence arises first before essence. This is indicated by the depiction of the figure that is used first before describing various behaviors and traits of women.

She was a phantom of delight

When first she gleam’d upon my sight;

A lovely apparition, sent

To be a moment’s ornament;

Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;

Like twilight’s, too, her dusky hair;

But all things else about her drawn

From May-time and the cheerful dawn;

A dancing shape, an image gay,

To haunt, to startle, and waylay.

The woman in the poem is a creature seen from the narrator's perspective. In the opening sentence, William mentioned that she might not be human, but it was a hyperbole sentence that was used to express his admiration for the beauty of the woman he had first seen, because the next sentence, he explained directly using soft adjectives.

A lovely apparition is an expression that indicates existence. Appearance such as the shape of the eyes and hair is something that is real and can be reached. From the description it is shown that the figure told in the poem really exists.

The entire contents of paragraph one is about the appearance of the woman he first saw. Through this description, we can conclude that the description in the poem results from direct vision. This shows that the existence of women really exists.

I saw her upon nearer view,

A Spirit, yet a Woman too!

Her household motions light and free,

And steps of virgin liberty;

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A creature not too bright or good

For human nature’s daily food;

For transient sorrows, simple wiles,

Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.

Continue in the second paragraph, William describes how the figure of the woman. In accordance with Sartre's theory, every human being is a creature that has their respective properties. Their attitudes and behavior will shape their body and facial expressions. It was formed from human behavior carried out because of their own will.

The existence of the woman has been described in the first paragraph, and then the next is the essence. The essence of humans is formed from the environment and patterns of life. For example, when a child grows up in an environment that is very religiously compliant, it may be that the child will grow up to be a religious person. In this paragraph described as young women who are agile in terms of household. She moves freely like there is no problem that stressed her.

And now I see with eye serene

The very pulse of the machine;

A being breathing thoughtful breath,

A traveller between life and death;

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The reason firm, the temperate will,

Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill;

A perfect Woman, nobly plann’d,

To warm, to comfort, and command;

And yet a Spirit still, and bright

With something of angelic light.

In the last paragraph is a description of the expectations of the narrator. Up to the last stanza, the writer gives praise to the woman.

In addition to showing the truth of existence which appeared first before the presentation, the description of the poem also illustrates the wave of feminism at that time. In her book Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan mentions several periods of feminism. One period of feminism said that women do not have the same rights as men. They have restrictions that make them what they want to be, not what they want. Betty Friedan said,

They learned that truly feminine women do not want careers, higher education, political rights- the independence and the opportunities that the old-fashioned feminist fought for. Some women, in their forties and fifties, still remembered painfully giving up those dreams, but most of the younger women no longer even thought about them.

Furthermore, Betty Friedan said that at the end of the 15th century, birth rates in the US were higher than in India. That is because many women get married at a young age. The average woman is married when they are still at the senior high school level.

Until the 19th century, many women still felt depressed about the situation. Where they are required to take care of home activities and surrender with their dreams. Feminism Mystique is an effort to equalize the rights of women. Friedan successfully interviewed several women who work as housewives and asked about their psychology about the community's perception that still has not changed.

The situation was also revealed in the poem Perfect Woman by William Wordsworth. William described the situation through the point of view of men. In this analysis, we want to find a link between the description of the woman in the poem and the situation in the century in which the poem was created.

Based on the data we collected, Perfect Woman portrays women in the wave of feminism in years, where women are actually free creatures. They have a desire for something they enjoy. But as he grew up, he had heavier responsibilities.

But all things else about her drawn

From May-time and the cheerful dawn;

A dancing shape, an image gay,

To haunt, to startle, and waylay.

The part of the poem was described by William when he first saw his wife. Previously described that he was a beautiful and cheerful figure, but all that is not something that she always gets. William, from the point of view of men, sees that women are still creatures that have power. They are blessed with beauty to attract attention. Beauty radiates when they are in the process of developing into adulthood. When growing up, the woman has a big responsibility. She did not have the time to play around like when she was young. That is what William described through the part of the poem.

I saw her upon nearer view,

A Spirit, yet a Woman too!

Her household motions light and free,

And steps of virgin liberty;

The next section describes how the woman referred to by William has power in herself. Women at that time seemed to be covered by the assumption that women had responsibility for the household. They are only at home without being allowed to develop what they want. So, it can be said that women at that time all had something in common. They only work for households.

In the part of the poem, William described that the woman he saw was different. She has her own strength. That is why William called it spirit, where she had the strength to oppose that assumption. Although the same, she does what other women do, but she does everything he does in accordance with what she wants, not according to public opinion.

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A creature not too bright or good

Furthermore, the part of the poem above shows how the situation at that time. Through William's point of view that women are A creature not too bright or good, we conclude that it was caused by the situation at that time.

Women are not permitted to study other than household knowledge and who are able to support domestic matters. Bright is interpreted here as intelligence. William said that the woman did not look too smart. Seeing the situation, at that time women did not have many opportunities to learn. Even from a young age, they have been taught to be what they have to do when they grow up.

The very pulse of the machine;

A being breathing thoughtful breath,

A traveller between life and death;

With all her responsibilities, women have a very important role, but that role is not something she wants. Society has some standards on how women should be. Their only obligation is for the family. William said that made her look like a machine that carries out activities that are as usual.

Between life and death here is interpreted as a state in the middle between her desires and obligations. Most women have to give up on their desires because it goes against the obligations that they have to do. Her vanished desire caused half her life to die, because she was forced to do activities she did not like. On the other hand, she must stay alive for his obligations.

Conclusion

The existence of women does exist. In accordance with Sartre's theory, every woman is their own. They live the way they want, from where the essence of their existence is seen. However, people in this situation assume that women's obligations are at home. They are tasked with taking care of domestic life. This correspondence can be seen from some of the images depicted in the poem.

From some of the above data, it can be concluded that the situation of women in William Woman's poem Perfect Woman has similarities with the situation of women in the century before 20. Women do not have equal rights with men. Their lives are organized according to people's perceptions at the time. Although women are creatures that have personal existence, but their essence is still in the confinement of the people's perception at that time, so in the poem, William said, she was a woman but she was like a spirit. Because he saw that she had another power.

Source

1. Friedan, Betty. The Feminist Mystique, 1963.