Women in Power: Masculine or Sensitive?

As seen in Shakespeare’s famous play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is a character of undeniable spirit.  Although her disposition is meant to be seen as evil and power-hungry, it is obvious that she is passionate and eager in her plan to gain the throne.  In today’s society, it seems that in order for any woman to attain power, she must first release her masculine side on the world.  To become a great leader, one must hide emotions and portray bravery and dominance.  For men, this wouldn’t be a problem, seeing that men often don’t possess the same emotional standards as women.  Women have a tendency to let their emotion spill out of them, whereas men grow a barrier in order to seem strong.  The people want a strong leader, rather than a weak and whiny one.  How can women become leaders if they are so emotional?  Society proclaims that they should mask their emotion and have their masculinity shine forth.  I disagree with this idea.  Women and men are different for countless reasons. A woman is a woman for a reason; she must provide the absent sensitivity when ignorant men dominate.  A woman can be strong and independent without being manly.  For example, Queen Elizabeth was a strong and independent leader who ruled England for 44 years.  She never married because she desired power, yet she was not an overbearing queen.  She was well-liked for her feminine attitude and disposition.  Another example would be the first woman prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who brought the country out of a recession, led a war in defense of the British Falkland Islands, and confronted unions.  Her vigor was evident, yet she didn’t need to grow a mustache and muscles to prove how keen and strong she truly was.  Women do not need to show how masculine and tough they can be in order to gain respect.  Women use their brains in order to win battles.  In recent years of politics in America, Hillary Clinton is a woman who passionately ran for president against our current president, Barak Obama.  Hillary believed that showing her firmer and more manly side would attract voters.  In one article from the New York Times Op-Ed, she was reported crying and showing her “humane” side.  This revelation of her womanhood pulled many voters to sympathize for her and see that she is a person rather than just a candidate.  Woman can be strong while still keeping their God-given ability to show care and sensitivity.

"Can You Learn Anything from a Void?"

In such scenarios as that of Macbeth and the Holocaust, innocent lives were lost out of greed and hatred.  For some of the malevolent murderers, remorse and guilt could not be further from their minds.  In the article “Can You Learn Anything from a Void,” written by Adam Kirsch, Kirsch uses information and references from The Druggist of Auschwitz: A Documentary Novel, written by Dieter Schlesak and Reluctant Accomplice: A Wehrmacht Soldier’s Letters from the Eastern Front, written by Konrad Jarausch, to investigate the different attitudes of those people who are accomplices to evil.  Kirsch wrote about a doctor named Victor Capesius, who was a personal and professional friend to many Jewish citizens, and yet, he betrayed them when he began working for the German Nazis.  His greatest fault when he was on trial was his lack of emotion towards his wrongdoing.  He did not seem to feel upset or guilty by his actions during the Holocaust.  This lack of feeling is said to be the “void” by which a person lacks the capability to see a situation from another’s point of view.  Victor Capesius obviously lacked the sense to see his mistakes.  In such a scenario, Capesius was a bystander and onlooker of the Nazi cruelty during the Holocaust.  His responsibility should have been to stand against such cruelties and injustices.  Instead, he disregarded his humane duties and kept quiet.  In Macbeth, the three murderers who killed Banquo were simply assets in Macbeth’s plan to become king.  Their consciences should have prevented them from fulfilling such a treacherous act; however, they ignored their morals and carried out the malicious deed.  They are as guilty of murder as Macbeth.  These murderers, and those of the Holocaust, are as guilty of the crimes committed, as those who actually planned the crimes.  They could have declined their leaders and accepted the consequences instead of denying what they knew as moral.  In the article, Kirsch wrote about one man’s defiance of the “Nazi tide.”  Konrad Jarausch was a gentleman in Hitler’s army who did not agree with the views and decisions made by the men and leaders of his country.  He was able to escape this point of view due to the fact that he retained the ability to feel compassionate towards others, such as the Jews.  This compassion for others is the key to fight against the ascendance of evil.  Without such convictions and compassion, the world would be a pitiless and dark place.  It is important to always feel compassion and to step into the shoes of others to experience their point of view.