Please help me !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even without the appropriate toys and clothes, lessons in the art of being feminine lay all around me and I absorbed them all; the fairy tales that were read to me at night, the brightly colored advertisements I pored over in magazines before I learned to decipher the words, the movies I saw, the comic books I hoarded, the radio soap operas I happily followed whenever I had to stay in bed with a cold. I loved being a little girl, or rather I loved being a fairy princess, for that was who I thought I was.

As I passed through a stormy adolescence to a stormy maturity, femininity increasingly became an exasperation, a brilliant subtle esthetic that was bafflingly inconsistent at the same time that it was minutely, demandingly concrete, a rigid code of appearance and behavior defined by do’s and don’t-do’s that went against my rebellious grain. Femininity was a challenge thrown down to the female sex, a challenge no proud, self-respecting young woman could afford to ignore, particularly one with enormous ambition that she nursed in secret, alternately feeding or starving its inchoate life in tremendous confusion.

“Don’t lose your femininity” and “Isn’t it remarkable how she manages to retain her femininity?” had terrifying implications. They spoke of a bottom-line failure so irreversible that nothing else mattered. The pinball machine was registered “tilt,” the game had been called. Disqualification was marked on the forehead of a woman whose femininity was lost. No records would be entered in her name, for she had destroyed her birthright in her wretched, ungainly effort to imitate a man. She walked in limbo, this hapless creature, and it occurred to me that one day I might see her when I looked in the mirror. If the danger was so palpable that warning notices were freely posted, wasn’t it possible that the small bundle of resentments I carried around in secret might spill out and place the mark on my own forehead? Whatever quarrels with femininity I had I kept to myself; whatever handicaps femininity imposed, they were mine to deal with alone, for there was no women’s movement to ask the tough questions, or so brazenly disregard the rules.

Femininity, in essence, is a romantic sentiment, a nostalgic tradition of imposed limitations. Even as it hurries forward in the 1980s, putting on lipstick and high heels to appear well dressed, it trips on the ruffled petticoats and hoopskirts of an era gone by. Invariably and necessarily, femininity is something that women had more of in the past, not only in the historic past of prior generations, but in each woman’s personal past as well—in the virginal innocence that is replaced by knowledge, in the dewy cheek that is coarsened by age, in the “inherent nature” that a woman seems to misplace so forgetfully whenever she steps out of bounds. Why should this be so? The XX chromosomal message has not been scrambled, the estrogen-dominated hormonal balance is generally as biology intended, the reproductive organs, whatever use one has made of them, are usually in place, the breasts of whatever size are most often where they should be. But clearly, biological femaleness is not enough.

Femininity always demands more. It must constantly reassure its audience by a willing demonstration of difference, even when one does not exist in nature, or it must seize and embrace a natural variation and compose a rhapsodic symphony upon the notes. Suppose one doesn’t care to, has other things on her mind, is clumsy or tone-deaf despite the best instruction and training? To fail at the feminine difference is to appear not to care about men, and to risk the loss of their attention and approval. To be insufficiently feminine is viewed as a failure in core sexual identity, or as a failure to care sufficiently about oneself, for a woman found wanting will be appraised (and will appraise herself) as mannish or neutered or simply unattractive, as men have defined these terms.

We are talking, admittedly, about an exquisite esthetic. Enormous pleasure can be extracted from feminine pursuits as a creative outlet or purely as relaxation; indeed, indulgence for the sake of fun, or art, or attention, is among femininity’s great joys. But the chief attraction (and the central paradox, as well) is the competitive edge that femininity seems to promise in the unending struggle to survive, and perhaps to triumph.

In the first two paragraphs, the author describes experiences from her girlhood and early adulthood primarily to


A. Show that attitudes toward femininity can change over time

B. Imply that uncritically embracing femininity is immature

C. Argue that the strictures of femininity are less severe for young girls

D. Foreground the comforting aspects of adhering to feminine ideals

E. Introduce two different attitudes toward femininity

Why didn't Ji-li go through with her plan to change her name?

She was so tired she decided to hit the sack early

A:metaphor
B:personification
C:idiom

Which elements make up the structure of a speech presenting an argument?

Explain how "The Pardoner's Tale" is a good story told for a bad reason. Use evidence from “The Pardoner’s Tale” to support your answer.

A hummingbird is a very small tiny bird. Its wings move very fast. The hummingbird has a long bill which it uses to get nectar from flowers. This bird gets its name from the soft humming sound its wings make when it flies. Hummingbirds are very brightly colored and beautiful.

Which word is NOT needed in the underlined sentence?

A.is.
B.hummingbird.
C.tiny.
D.bird.​

Which of the following took place during the restoration period ( Help asap please)

A. France won its independence

B. The american colonies won

C. England strengthen its rule and expanded its holdings in american

Read the excerpt from a New York Times review written about the play entitled A Man's World.

Well, for one thing, as per the caption of Miss Rachel Crothers’s play, that this is a man’s world. But what is isn’t necessarily right, though there are a lot of people who go on believing so. However, as Miss Crothers probably knows as well as any one, this play and many others equally strong and to the point will not change conditions.

Which statement best describes this excerpt?
It contains facts about whether or not A Man’s World will impact social norms.
It contains facts about how A Man’s World will impact viewers.
It contains the opinion of a person who saw A Man’s World.
It contains the opinion of the person who wrote A Man’s World.

seriously help like fr giving 20 points!!!!

After he is shown the dead woman, George sneaks into the bunkhouse and
gets
O Candy's money
O his belongings
Carlson's Luger
O the magazine article
this is for the book of mice and men

4 The author claims that there is a problem with the current labeling on food products. Which choice best summarizes this claim? F Manufacturers don't want to comply with new label guidelines for their "party size" foods. G Manufacturers don't want to add new labels based on package size. H The labels' recommended serving sizes don't match what consumers actually eat. J The dual-column format is required if a package contain at least two times the reference amount.

What does the fire symbolizes in lord of the flies

When people make sacrifices, which of the following must be true?

A. They give something up

B. They hope to make money

C. They have faith in themselves

D. They offer someone an apology

Why does Gladwell provide a list of colleges of Nobel laureates in Chemistry? * To disprove the "threshold effect" To disprove the "10,000" rule To provide evidence for the "10,000" hour rule To illustrate the "threshold effect"

Marley came to Scrooge's home because he was on a mission. He went to great trouble to arrange this visit with his old partner because: a He hadn't been honest with Scrooge about the business they shared. b All ghosts come back to haunt the people they knew when they were alive. c He learned his lesson too late and wanted to save Scrooge from an afterlife of misery. d He yearned to visit with him one more time.

2. When does the novel open? A. a week before Christmas B. two days before Christmas C. Christmas Eve D. Christmas Day

PLZZZZZ HELP ME Read the excerpt from "Homesick." "As soon as Miss Williams was gone and my mother was sitting down again, I burst into tears. Kneeling on the floor, / buried my head in her lap and poured out the whole miserable story. My mother could see that I really wasn't in one piece after all, so she listened quietly, stroking my hair as I talked, but gradually I could feel her stiffen. I knew she was remembering that she was a Mother." What is the tone of this excerpt from "Homesick?" indifferent outraged O joyful​

why might a missing call be a sign that a rainforest is in trouble

TIMED PLEASE HELP

Choose which of the following uses these marks of punctuation correctly.

A.

Freedom’s Journal (established in New York City in 1827) was the first newspaper in the United States published by African Americans.

C.

[Freedom’s Journal] established in New York City in 1827 was the first newspaper in the United States published by African Americans.

B.

Freedom’s Journal established in New York City (in 1827) was the first newspaper in the United States published by African Americans.

D.

Freedom’s Journal established in New York City in 1827 was the first newspaper in the United States published by African - Americans.

can somebody give me a body paragraph title thing that I should talk about lol I have no ideas. it's for my essay title "why is Christmas the best holiday of the year" lol thanks

will mark brainliest just for this

Based on the text, which sentence best states Andrea's thoughts on her mother's career? A. She thinks her mother's career is easy. B. She respects her mother's career. C. She has no interest in her mother's career. D. She thinks her mother's career is boring.

Look at the picture :) it’s number one

What examples can you find to describe the steps that led to the success of Nintendo's Mario Brothers' games? Explain and write a conclusion.

Plz, help ASAP!

HELP ASAP !!
Read the excerpt from The Call of the Wild.

A poor substitute for food was this hide, just as it had been stripped from the starved horses of the cattlemen six months back. In its frozen state it was more like strips of galvanized iron, and when a dog wrestled it into his stomach it thawed into thin and innutritious leathery strings and into a mass of short hair, irritating and indigestible.

Which phrase from the excerpt uses imagery to help readers visualize how the meat looks and feels to the dogs?

a poor substitute for food was this hide
had been stripped from the starved horses
when a dog wrestled it into his stomach
thawed into thin and innutritious leathery strings

A _____ is a brief statement of the main ideas and supporting details in a piece of writing.

please helppp

Which word from paragraph 1 of 1918 Spanish Influenza Outbreak: The Enemy Within provides the best clue to the meaning of afflicted as it is used in this paragraph?
died
stalked
survivors
unburied​

However, heavy the burden may be, you cannot ______ your responsibilities as the head of this household.
(a). alienate
(b). acclimate
(c). abdicate
(d). abets
(e). abhor​

Read the excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank.
Anne. Mouschi! Mouschi! Mouschi! (She picks up the cat, walking away with it. To Peter) I love cats. I have one . . . a darling little cat. But they made me leave her behind. I left some food and a note for the neighbors to take care of her . . . I'm going to miss her terribly. What is yours? A him or a her?
Peter. He's a tom. He doesn't like strangers. (He takes the cat from her, putting it back in its carrier.)
Anne (Unabashed). Then I'll have to stop being a stranger, won't I?
What does this dialogue reveal about Anne?
She is stubborn and impolite.
She is clever and confident.
She is quiet and understanding.
She is sad and confused.
Mark this and return

hi, Would you rather never being able to lie, or never be able to tell the truth?

What does the speaker suggest in line 17: “Thanks to, because, and yet, in spite of”?