BookRags.com Literature Guides Literature
Guides
Criticism & Essays Criticism &
Essays
Questions & Answers Questions &
Answers
Lesson Plans Lesson
Plans
My Bibliography Periodic Table U.S. Presidents Shakespeare Sonnet Shake-Up
Research Anything:        
History | Encyclopedias | Films | News | Create a Bibliography | More... Login | Register | Help


Student Essay on Higgins' Chauvinism

Print-Friendly  Order the PDF version  Order the RTF version
George Bernard Shaw
About 3 pages (777 words)
Pygmalion (play) Summary

Bookmark and Share Questions on this topic? Just ask!

Higgins' Chauvinism

Summary:   In George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion." the phonetician Henry Higgins displays chauvinistic opinions and feelings of his own superiority through his generalizations about women and mistreatment of his student and "project," Eliza Doolittle. Although Higgins succeeds in transforming Eliza's speech and manners from her cockney origins to what is proper and ladylike in polite society, his blatant disregard for women works against him in trying to control an otherwise rebellious Eliza.


George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion tells the story of Henry Higgins, an expert phonetician, who takes Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower girl, as a student. With Eliza as his linguistic protégé, Higgins tries to alter Eliza's speech and transform her into a verisimilitude of a duchess at ease in a polite society. Higgins is stubbornly self-righteous and a spoiled eccentric. Upon mentoring Eliza, Higgins demonstrates brazen disregard for her and women in general. As a result, he cannot succeed in controlling Eliza, and she rebels. Higgins is chauvinistic and convinced of his own superiority based on his condescending attitude toward women and his inhumane treatment of Eliza.

Higgins' sexism is shown by his disdainful attitude towards women. When Colonel Pickering, Higgins' friend, questions him about his morality regarding women, Higgins states that "[women become] jealous, exacting, suspicious,.....

This is a free excerpt of 135 words. There are 777 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) in the full essay.

Read the rest of this Essay with our Higgins' Chauvinism Access Pass.

View all | View only answered questions | View only unanswered questions
who is the protagonist and antagonist in act 3 of pygmalion and why?
10

What Points Mean

The best answer to this question will earn 10 points. All other answers will earn 1 point. Click for more information.
In Literature | Asked by Cramsaroop | 0 answers | Open for 2 more days
Asked from the Pygmalion (play) study pack
(1 question)
Ask any question on Pygmalion (play) and get it answered FAST!
Answer questions in BookRags Q&A and earn points toward
discounted or even FREE Study Guides and other BookRags products!
Learn more about BookRags Q&A
Copyrights
Higgins' Chauvinism from BookRags Student Essays. ©2000-2006 by BookRags, Inc. All rights reserved.



Join BookRagslearn moreJoin BookRags


About BookRags | Customer Service | Report an Error | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy