An introductory paragraph is a way to help your reader make the transition from the world outside the essay into the textual and analytical space of the essay. It usually starts broad (sentence 1). It then narrows to the specific topic that you will explore in the essay (sentence 2). It ends with a clear and concise statement of your position on the subject.
The Mistress of the House
The Mistress of Bhatia House is the fourth book in Sujata Massey’s Bombay-based series about the city’s first female solicitor. Polite, respectful, and traditional, yet open-minded to the swell of progress around her, Perveen is an intriguing character.
She has to protect the interests of her family. She must manage the household’s finances and accounts, carefully weighing her purchases of meat, sugar, and other commodities and keeping track of every expense. She must also oversee her responsibilities for her servants, including organizing a dame school to educate village children and care for her family members.
She must also be a source of strength and honor to her husband, children, and relatives. She must be a good cook and capable businesswoman, not to mention a caring mother, wife, and daughter. She must also be a good friend and supporter of other women, especially the oppressed.
She must be a model of strength and independence for her younger sisters. The tale echoes the story of Ta-Kheru, an ancient Egyptian princess who refused to be bound by the customs of her time. Her inscription on her coffin reads, “Her strength and honor are her clothing; she will not be ashamed in the time to come.” She fought against male authority with determination and courage. Her family and her friends admired her for her strength.
The Lady of the House
The lady of the house is a figure who is responsible for the running of the household, including cleaning and cooking. Typically, she is the wife or mother of the household. She also has the traditional role of being in charge of the family’s finances and is in control of all domestic affairs.
The Figaro’s vitriol probably had two causes. First, it may have reflected the recognition that Lady of the House was not a true ‘gentlewomen’ magazine by its own deeply conservative and upper-class standards. Secondly, the publication was a thinly disguised advertisement. It was published by Wilson, Hartnell, and Co., one of Ireland’s earliest advertising agencies (this will be the subject of another blog post). Each issue ended with about ten pages of a wine and grocery price list from Findlater & Co.
The other exciting aspect of Lady of the House is its consistent and sometimes surprisingly progressive politics on social issues. It consistently steered clear of the party and national politics but spelled out a view of women, which was generally quite liberal for its time. For example, it was a strong supporter of women’s education at the university level. It also firmly supported the right of married women to work outside the home and even ran articles on activities such as bee-keeping and poultry farming, which might be regarded as ‘acceptable’ ways for middle-class women to earn some money.
The Mother of the Family
For centuries, mothers have been perceived as the heart of the family. They provide the emotional nurturing and support needed to build a sense of family identity and nurture their children to grow into healthy adults. The idea that the mother is the heart of the family varies across cultures and may not be accurate in all family structures.
From a biological point of view, the family is simply an organism that includes a man, a woman, and their resulting offspring. But from a social and, above all, an emotional point of view, the family is a construction rooted in closeness, empathy, collaboration, and love. The latter requires that women, for centuries subjected to the constraints of cultural traditions and social inertia, rethink their role.
Traditionally, in most countries of the world, a woman could only become a mother if she was married, and birth outside of marriage carried a significant social stigma. However, this is changing radically, and the idea that a single mother can be just as important to her children is becoming more widely accepted.
Moreover, modern technology makes it possible for women to become pregnant without the help of their partners or, even more remarkably, for couples who are unable to conceive or have children through other means. These new possibilities evidently reformulate, from a biological point of view, the role of the mother and that of the family in general.
The Family Relationships
A person’s relationship with their spouse, children, siblings, and extended family is a significant factor in their well-being. Poor relationships can contribute to anxiety, fear, and helplessness, resulting in depression and low self-esteem. Complex family relationships can take many forms – an overly critical dad, a sibling’s jealousy that causes tension at family functions, or in-laws who mistreat you.
There is growing interest in understanding the role of family relationships in adulthood. Recent studies show that family relationships have a substantial impact on mental and physical health, particularly in older adults. This is especially important given that a significant portion of the population will reach their late years and may need support from family members for caregiving. Future research should pay greater attention to the diversity of family structures, relationship quality, and intersections of social statuses to inform health promotion initiatives.
In adolescence, the quality of a person’s family relationships is influenced by several factors, including emotional abuse, sexual violence, parental neglect, and parental alcohol use during pregnancy (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, FASD). However, most of these issues can be resolved with intervention. Moreover, many things that happened in the past have had lasting impacts on family relationships. For example, if an explosive argument between you and your son remains unresolved, he may continue to resent you even after you have both moved on.
