Half The Sky Analysis

This book is a crucial dose of reality for those of us that are spoiled by the comforts we have grown used too. Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explain in the book “Half the Sky” why empowering women in the developing world is ethically right and extremely vital.It is a gripping story of how customs and culture have historically oppressed women. The strength of the human rights movement and of actual change across all cultures is going to be asteadfast task of courageous women who give themselves permission to say no to so many years of unthinkable tyrannical cultural customs and fight for a new way of life. Many of us close our eyes

Farah Ahmedi was a girl who was desperate to escape her war-torn country of Afghanistan by crossing the border into Pakistan. Annie Johnson was a fierce woman who wanted to support her family by starting an intricate business that cooks meals for factory workers. The next mission missionary was Theodore Boone who was a 13 year old boy who wanted to prevent a bypass from being built through homes and farms, but not until his friend's farm was in the danger zone. However, all three wanted to help, whether it was them self or others.

The examples shared in Half the Sky illustrate how patriarchal norms contribute to the objectification of women and constrain their autonomy, perpetuating cycles of exploitation and poverty. To challenge these norms, it is crucial to address power structures embedded in society and promote gender equality across all levels (Half the Sky

Farah Ahmedi was a girl who was trying to escape her war-torn country of Afghanistan by crossing the border into Pakistan. Annie Johnson was a woman who wanted to support her family by starting a business that cooks meals for factory workers. Theodore Boone was a 13 year old boy who wanted to stop a bypass from being built through homes and farms, including his friend's farm. However, all three wanted to help, whether it was them self or others.

The author’s purpose in Half the Sky, a nonfiction book written by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, is to educate the reader about the challenges that women and girls in low-income countries face and to offer solutions on how to turn this oppression into opportunity for these women and the countries that they come from. Kristof and WuDunn are able to express their purpose by connecting real stories from women half way across the world to facts about the situations that they are in, “Saima [a Pakistani women who has defeated all odds by utlizing microcredit] is a successful participant in the microcredit revolution sweeping the developing world....Captialism, it turns out, can achieve what charity and good intentions sometimes cannot”

Detailing the struggles faced by women across the developing world, Half the Sky is an emotional and compelling text providing insight into issues that are essentially, a world away. Half the Sky covers with great depth the hardships and injustices that women are faced with – often as a direct result of cultural, political or economic forces. Throughout the chapters of this book, I was made aware of hardships I had never thought to look into – and have begun to think of the real world implications of my actions, and how I may alter those actions to have a greater impact on disenfranchised populations around the world.

Nobody fully understands what drives people to undertake a mission, but it often causes people to take many risks. For example, Farah Ahmedi climbed a mountain on a prosthetic leg with a sick mother just to reach freedom. Rikki-Tikki fought for his life to save his family. John Steinbeck eavesdropped on people's conversations just to get material for his book. These stories show different people who had each set a goal for themselves. Ahmedi and Rikki-Tikki fought for their lives to survive and save their loved ones. While Steinbeck traveled to great lengths to write his book. Their goals may be different but they all had set a goal and they all eventually accomplished their goal.

The documentary, Half the Sky Part II: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2012), is based off of a book written by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The setting of this documentary is in three poor countries, Kenya, Somaliland, and India. This is a nonfictional documentary where maternal mortality, prostitution, and economic empowerment tend to be common constant struggles in many developing countries. Kristof and WuDunn travel with three talented celebrity activist to witness these struggles first hand and helped spread global awareness. These celebrities come face to face with three passionate women in each country who fight daily to make a difference and change women’s inequality in their countries. Women in these countries and in many other countries deal with maternal mortality, sex trafficking, violence, and discrimination threats every day. Some women do not know different and are lead to believe this is their destine while others are frightened and are begging for change. Although, these countries are on different parts of the map they have common struggles due to common causes.

“Women aren’t the problem but the solution. The plight of girls is no more a tragedy than an opportunity” (Kristof & WuDunn, 2009, p. xviii). This quote does an excellent job of introducing the issues discussed in the book Half the Sky. In this book, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn present us with the issue of the unjust and cruel treatment of women in today’s world. Women throughout the world are treated in unthinkably bad ways, but the majority of people are not even aware of the suffering these women face on a daily basis. According to Kristof and WuDunn (2009), “Women aged fifteen through forty-four are more likely to be maimed or die from male violence than from cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and war combined” (p. 61). However, Kristof and WuDunn (2009) also point out that if something dramatic such as a school shooting or bombing takes place, it makes breaking news, and everyone is aware of it all at once (p. xiv). Plenty of women are being mistreated every minute of

Former president and religious leader Jimmy Carter, among many other actions he’s taken to try and better this world, has, in an attempt to expose some of the atrocities committed against women from practically the beginning of time to today’s day and age, through advocacy and his book A Call to Action, brought to the attention of the masses the deplorable issues of inequality this world sees constantly. From barbaric practices done in underdeveloped countries such as FGC (female genital cutting) and , to discriminatory, violent acts seen in today’s modern, civilized society such sexual assault and abuse toward women, Mr. Carter addresses the issues many are ignorant to. He not only addresses the issues of inequality, but makes strides to diminish violence entirely

In the novel, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, written by authors Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in 2009, these two call attention to the oppression of women. These authors label the incidents that occur throughout our world involving women oppression as an epidemic of our generation. The novel demonstrates the severity of sex trafficking, sexual violence, and lack of education of women that are seen amongst us. There exists many relations of opportunities concerning educational and professional studies among the women portrayed in the novel and myself. Although, related opportunities are seen, the underlying severity of what these women endure to reach those opportunities are much more challenging than mine.

Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s novel, Half the Sky, is primarily a call for social equality and freedom from oppression for women across the globe. The authors are actively taking the first step of achieving a global feminist movement by informing Westerners of the injustices are that are being done to women worldwide in the name of tradition and culture; they do this through personal stories and by exposing legal or cultural inequalities. As Cynthia Enloe (2004) writes in The Curious Feminist, “if something is accepted as “traditional”- inheritance passing through the male line…it can be

There are countless injustices experienced by people throughout the world today, but one in particular that stands out is women’s rights. In a few places such as China and India, parents are willing to kill their daughters at birth since it is more honorable for a family to have a son. This is more commonly known as infanticide, which is an extremely unjust way to treat women. Another example of females not having equal rights to men arises in the South African country, Lesotho. Women encounter a problem when attempting to acquire large sums of land; whereas, men can simply buy whatever their money can purchase. My final third world example emerges in the middle eastern country, Saudi Arabia. One of the lesser injustices faced by women is their

Women, unfortunately, have been very discriminated against, even in this century. Women are so cruelly thought of that now, women see nothing wrong with mental and physical cruelty towards them. Since the status of women in Africa, is so low, it has caused many men to overpower women…physically. More

According to Creighton & Yieke (2006), women in Kenya constitute a subordinate, disadvantaged and muted group who are routinely treated as inferior and who face coerced sex, harmful cultural practices, stigma and discrimination. Their inferior legal status in relation to marriage inheritance, guardianship, property ownership, places them in disadvantaged position economically and politically.