Wednesday, October 2, 2019
The Role of Hermaphrodites in Society Essay -- Sociology Essays Resear
The Role of Hermaphrodites in Society In Ruth Gilbertââ¬â¢s At the Borderââ¬â¢s of the Human, she discusses societyââ¬â¢s interest in hermaphrodites in terms of ââ¬Å"peopleââ¬â¢s desire to examine, scrutinize, and display objects which are alien, strange and otherâ⬠(6). The anomalous and bizarre spectacle of the hermaphroditic body has drawn the focus of scientists since the early sixteenth century. Hermaphrodites have long evoked a ââ¬Å"mixture of disgust and desire, and fear and fascinationâ⬠(Gilbert 150) that has led to their position as objects of scientific scrutiny. As defined by Random House Websterââ¬â¢s College Dictionary, a hermaphrodite is ââ¬Å"an individual in which reproductive organs of both sexes are presentâ⬠. Besides hermaphrodites challenging societyââ¬â¢s physical norms, they challenge and have recently changed its cultural norms as well. In ancient societies, dual-sexed beings were either ââ¬Å"exterminated, considered to be beings of suffering, or regarded as strange phenomenaâ⬠(Brisson 40). Their roles in society were nonexistent because they were viewed as ââ¬Å"threatening deviance from the...
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