female oppression

no one who has studied history, even superficially, will for a moment dispute the statement that there has brooded very steadily over1 the female half of the human family an air of repression, of limitation, of hindrance , of disability, of gloom, of servitude. if there have been epochs during which women have been regarded equal to men, they have been brief and abnormal.

among the hindus2, woman was the slave of man , forbidden to speak the language of her master, and compelled to use the patois3 of the slaves. the hebrews pronounced her an afterthought4 of the deity, and the mother of all evils. the greek law regarded her as a child, and held her in life -long tutelage. the greek philosophers proclaimed her a “monster”,“ an accidental production”. medieval councils declared her unfit for instruction. the early christian fathers denounced her as a“ noxious animal”, a“painted temptress”, a“ necessary evil”,“a desirable calamity”, and a“ domestic peril”.

in marriage she has been a serf; as a mother she has been robbed of her children; in public instruction she has been ignored; in labor she has been a menial, and then inadequately compensated; civilly she has been a minor, and politically she has had no existence. she has been the equal of man only when punishment and the payment of taxes were in question5 .

閱讀自測

Ⅰ. fill in the blanks with proper prepositions and do not refer to the pass age until you finish the exercise :

1. there has brooded very steadily________ the female half of the human family an air of repression.

2. women have never been regarded ________equal man .

3. as a mother she has been robbed ________her children.

4. she has been the equal of man only when punishment and the payment of taxes were ________question.

Ⅱ. fill in the blanks with proper words :

in marriage she has been a ______( 奴隸) ; as a mother she has been_____( 使失去) of her children; in public instruction she has been ______( 忽視) ; in labor she has been a ______( 仆人) , and then inadequately ______( 補償) ; civilly she has been a minor, and politically she has had no ______( 存在) . 參考答案 Ⅰ. 1. over 2 . to 3 . of 4 . in Ⅱ. serf / robbed / ignored / menial / compensated / existence