When we started talking about witches and wizards I thought of the show Wizards of Waverly Place. For those of you who have never watched the show, it's about your typical middle class family who owns a sandwich shop in New York City. There are three children who are wizards in training. The inherit their magical abilities from their dad who is a former wizard. When you think of witches, you may think of them using their powers for evil, but this family uses them for good. They live in a society with other human beings so it seems like they fit in which is what Palmer talked a bit about in his essay.
While searching for the technical definition of what a wizard and which were I found that a wizard is defined as a man who has magical powers. Whereas a witch is defined as a woman thought to have evil magic powers. Witches are popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat, and flying on a broomstick. When I think of a wizard, I picture an old man with a white long beard wearing a blue cloak with yellow stars on it or some brightly colored garment. A witch has a negative connotation to it which makes people view them as more evil than wizards.
Palmer stated, "Blurring into these popular beliefs in women's nocturnal spirit world were conventional gendered wisdoms, which associated women with natural deception, inordinate vanity, and insatiable lust-- a set of inferiorities, counterposed to idealized male virtues, that "harnessed [women] to the active promotion of evil in the world." Alex, the daughter in the family is a wizard and not a witch. This shows that times are changing and back in the medieval times, women were categorized as witches and being evil. This girl in the show is friendly and the way she dresses also doesn't stereotype her as a wizard. Gender roles have changed and Palmer talked about it when he said it "harnessed [women] to the active promotion of evil in the world."
In conclusion, modern time wizards have changed throughout the years and have brought up cases of gender roles with women and inferiorities. Wizards of Waverly Place is just one example of how wizards are viewed in today's culture and how they can blend in easily with what societies norms are.
While searching for the technical definition of what a wizard and which were I found that a wizard is defined as a man who has magical powers. Whereas a witch is defined as a woman thought to have evil magic powers. Witches are popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat, and flying on a broomstick. When I think of a wizard, I picture an old man with a white long beard wearing a blue cloak with yellow stars on it or some brightly colored garment. A witch has a negative connotation to it which makes people view them as more evil than wizards.
Palmer stated, "Blurring into these popular beliefs in women's nocturnal spirit world were conventional gendered wisdoms, which associated women with natural deception, inordinate vanity, and insatiable lust-- a set of inferiorities, counterposed to idealized male virtues, that "harnessed [women] to the active promotion of evil in the world." Alex, the daughter in the family is a wizard and not a witch. This shows that times are changing and back in the medieval times, women were categorized as witches and being evil. This girl in the show is friendly and the way she dresses also doesn't stereotype her as a wizard. Gender roles have changed and Palmer talked about it when he said it "harnessed [women] to the active promotion of evil in the world."
In conclusion, modern time wizards have changed throughout the years and have brought up cases of gender roles with women and inferiorities. Wizards of Waverly Place is just one example of how wizards are viewed in today's culture and how they can blend in easily with what societies norms are.
That is interesting, I guess i have always just thought of wizards as male witches but there is defintely a negative connotation given to the witches that wizards just don't have. Does the show use the term witch at all or do they refer to all people with magic as wizards? This does show though how sexisim was kind of a part of society in the past and now choosing to call someone a wizard rather than a witch is a little step forward to unroot that social norm. I wonder where the term warlock fits into all of this.
ReplyDeleteI think metaphorically speaking there has always been a dividing line between genders. Identified as wizards and witches, there has been a difference even though if you look into the specific details of them, they are the same. They both have powers and they both are out of the norm. In the real world I think that that same gender difference is still seen. Women have generally earned less than that of men. Even though that shouldn't be the case.
ReplyDelete