Throughout
history, the family unit has been an essential feature of every society. As
such, certain roles and responsibilities between men and women were created.
These roles differed from society to society and the power that each group held
within a society was contingent on what that society deemed the most valuable.
Men
in Greek Literature
Male
figures in Greek literature are very dominant figures. Their primary responsibility
is to acquire honor by protecting their home and family. They accomplish this
by: being a strong leader (at home and in war) and by exercising self-control especially
regarding emotion. In Oedipus Rex, the statement is made that “...count no man
happy till he dies, free of pain at last. (Oedipus)” The Greeks believed that happiness
was only achieved after constant effort in this life and then happiness could
be achieved in death if you died with honor. In the Iliad, the interaction of Hector and
his son as prepares to leave for war displays the qualities of male figures clearly.
“Hector
reached for his child, who shrank back screaming… terrified of his father’s
Bronzed-encased face…This forced a laugh from his father and mother, and Hector
removed the helmet from his head… Then he kissed his dear son and swung him up
gently and said a prayer to Zeus and the other immortals.
Zeus
and all gods; grant that this my son become as I am… [That men may say] he is
far better than his father when he returns from war… And may his mother
rejoice.” (Iliad Book 6 lines 491-506)
From this tender passage,
the importance of a father figure who is a strong leader and protectors is
shown as Hector goes to war even when he knows that he might not return. He
also shows his self-control as he “forced a laugh” and then prayed to the Gods.
He knew this could be his last time seeing his son, but he remained composed. He
also expressed the sentiment in his prayer to the Gods that “may his mother
rejoice.” This shows that he not only cares for his son, but also his wife.
Women
in Greek Literature
Women
in Greek literature play very minimal roles. In both the Iliad and Odyssey the
women are often portrayed as weaving or taking care of children. Even communications
between women and the male characters displays that men and women are not equal.
In the Odyssey, Telemachus when speaking with his mother said, “You should go
back upstairs and take care of your work, spinning and weaving, and have the
maids do theirs. Speaking is for men, for all men, but for me especially, since
I am master of this house. (Odyssey lines 376-9)” This statement shows the very
definitive role of the male as the head of household even though the male was
younger than his mother. In Thucydides, women are only briefly mentioned enough
to say, “A woman’s reputation is highest when men say little about her, whether
it is good or evil.” In Greek society, if women were talked about it, that was
not acceptable. Women’s roles in Greek literature are mainly only as side
characters and rarely have depth to their character.
Males
and Females in The Family Proclamation: A Proclamation to the World
In
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, it declares that males and females
have divinely inspired responsibilities and roles within their families. As the
proclamation states, “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and
care for each other and for their children…Parents have a sacred duty to rear
their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and
spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the
commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.” This in
many aspects is similar to Greek culture as well. Parents believed that it was
their responsibility to raise their children, but their concept of
righteousness was different because of their theology of whom the Gods were.
The
Family Proclamation directly divides responsibilities between fathers and
mothers. Fathers responsibilities are to “preside over their families in love
and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and
protection for their families.” Similar to the Greeks protection and providing
for the family was something that was important, however, for the Greeks the
way that they did this was through war whereas, that is not now the case.
The
Family Proclamation deems mothers’ roles to be “primarily responsible for the
nurture of their children.” However, this is then followed by this important
statement that “In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are
obligated to help one another as equal partners.” The Family Proclamation
declares men and women as equals.
