Joan of Arc & Vision: Women's Supernatural Power in a Male-Dominated Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

Joan of Arc is a film that is based on the main character called Joan, who has superior leadership attributes. Based on the characteristics that she has, she leads her army in defeating enemies. However, in the long run, she is burnt to death, and later, she becomes a saint through canonization. That is a highlight of the supernatural powers of a woman, despite it being a male-dominated society. The other film, Vision, is based on the main character, Hildegard of Bingen. She is gifted with multiple talents, which she uses to establish herself as being superior in society. She is intelligent and has many skills, which she uses to highlight her dominance in society (Hildegard von Bingen 1). Based on the superior attributes that she shows, she becomes celebrated in the community to date. Based on the two films, it is evident that there is the glorification of the abilities that women have. That is, although the society at that time, there was the idea that dominance and ability were set aside for men. The two characters in the films establish themselves, contrary to popular belief against the skills of women.

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The women in the films established their character during the medieval times, where male authority was more dominant as compared to current times. Although they had superior abilities, they still operated in some way, within the medieval boundaries. That was because the culture informed their actions of the society that was dominant at that time. It is factual to state the women dominated because of their abilities. However, their dominance was not complete as it would have been for women. They were still, to some extent, dominated by the men in the society. For example, the fall of Joan, which led to her death, was plotted by men. That was even though she can resist their influence on her. That shows that although the women had superior abilities, they were still within the control and power of their male counterparts in the society at that time.

There are various ways through which the two characters in the films managed to get what they wanted. First, taking the example of Joan, she had a supernatural vision and was violent from when she was a child. “I am not afraid... I was born to do this”, she is quoted in the film (Joan of Arc 2). That shows the courage that she had. At that time, that was a great combination of attributes that a leader would have. Therefore, in leading her troops, she used her attributes to enable her to be in control. On that basis, she was capable of getting whatever she wanted. That was because her attributes gave her an advantage over the other people that did not have the qualities which she possessed. On the other hand, there was Hildegard of Bingen, who established her character despite being male dominance in society. She had multiple talents, which made her a superior individual in society (Hildegard 5). Although there were several men in the community, they could not matcher her qualities because of the personal attributes she possessed. Based on the multiple talents and abilities she had, she was able to get what she wanted. The expertise and skills she had given her much bargaining power in society, which enabled her to establish her character, hence dominance.

Given the chance that she did not have multiple talents, there was no way she would have been able to establish her character in the film. The characters get all they want without impersonating as the male gender, which was dominant at that time. However, in Joan of Arc, Joan is forced to wear men’s clothing so that it is not known she is a woman, hence a witch. She is deceived by a man, which leads to her downfall as she is burned to death. That highlights the obstacles that the women face as they sought to get what they wanted in society. The fact that it is a man that led to her downfall further establishes the fact that it was a male-dominated world. The women were capable of achieving their different levels of success despite the dominance of the male gender. For example, she successfully led the army clad in armor, without changing herself to a man. That also highlighted the use of her superior abilities to get what she wanted. Therefore, the character and dominance of the two women are based on their excellent skills.

The two films highlight the two women; Joan and Hildegard of Bingen as extraordinary women. That is based on the way they use their attributes to gain the achievements they made over time. However, in the plot, it is evident that they are still medieval, where there were civilizations and gender inequality. For example, Joan was an able leader and would have achieved a lot in her capacity. However, because she was a woman, she was subjected to humiliation, making her development hard. For example, the army at the battlefield did not trust in her leadership, which took great effort to enable her to develop and convince them about her ability to serve. Furthermore, her downfall was because she was a woman, and people did not believe in her abilities. If she was a man, she would have made great strides in her capacity. That was because she would have received as much support because of the abilities she had.

Furthermore, her success would have been consistent with the culture of the people. On the basis of cultural favor, she should have been more successful. She would not have been betrayed, and people would have followed her leadership readily without much resistance. The films highlight the women as being modern but lived in the medieval ages. During those ages, the women were not willingly allowed to prosper. That was because they were always meant to be subordinate to their male counterparts. For a woman to succeed, it took so much effort, and in most cases, her downfall would be plotted by men. That was because they felt inferior to the woman, and were threatened by the level of success in most cases. Therefore, the characters in the film show the example of a woman trying to be successful but are held back by medieval traditions. That was why the roles in the films did not achieve the level of success and influence they were capable of. With those abilities, if they were men, they would have been far much more successful than they were.

The women achieved the success involved making some decisions, which in some cases, were within their best interest. For example, Hildegard of Bingen’s family gave her to the monastery, because of the multiple abilities that she had. She acted as the agent of her family by displaying her skills and making them famous in the long run. They benefited from her fame because of the various abilities that she displayed in the film. Therefore, she was a great agent of the family, as she served in their best interest, leading to them being famous in the long run. The other highlight of agency in the films is about Joan, who decided to act in her best interests. That was through pursuing her best interests, which was of benefit to the general population. Through her efforts, she was able to lead a battalion at war and achieved much success. However, she was later a victim of her own interests and success, which led to her death in the long run. These characters were perceived as exceeding the degree of success that was allowed for a woman during the medieval ages. Therefore, the culture at that time turned against them, leading to their downfall. A good example is Joan, who was killed because of the efforts she had made, which were for the good of the society. Through the films, we notice the difference between medieval times and currently. Earlier, the agency was taken so seriously because the communities were closely associated with each other. Currently, people prefer living individually and making their own decisions. Furthermore, during those times, there were more monolithic institutions. That was because there were no solid structures, and there were few women in power.

Works Cited

Hildegard von Bingen. “Excerpts from the Writings of Hildegard von Bingen.”Trans. Barbara Newman.http://www.wheeloftheyear.com/reference/hildegard.html(last accesses on 21/05/2020).

Hildegard von Bingen. "Writings of St. Hildegard von Bingen (11098-1179) on the Holy Spirit Wisdom." Trans. Barbara Newman from Sister of Wisdom, St Hildegard von Bingen. "

Writings of St. Hildegard von Bingen (11098-1179) on the Holy Spirit Wisdom." Trans. Barbara Newman from Sister of Wisdom, St Hildegard's Theology of the Feminine (1987).http://www.wheeloftheyear.com/reference/hildegard.htm(last accesses on 21/05/2020)

Hildegard's Theology of the Feminine (1987).http://www.wheeloftheyear.com/reference/hildegard.htm(last accesses on 21/05/2020)

Joan of Arc: Trial Transcripts.” Excerpts. Gavel2Gavel. http://www.re-quest.net/g2g/historical/trials/joan-of-arc/index.htm(last accesses on 21/05/2020)