Shrines! Shrines! Surely you don't believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?
AristophanesRead
Calonice: My dear Lysistrata, just what is this matter you've summoned us women to consider.What's up? Something big? Lysistrata: Very big. Calonice: (interested) Is it stout too? Lysistrata: (smiling) Yes, indeed -- both big and stout. Calonice: What? And the women still haven't come? Lysistrata: It's not what you suppose; they'd come soon enough for that.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the camaraderie and intrigue among women discussing an important matter.
In this exchange from Aristophanes' play, the characters Calonice and Lysistrata engage in a humorous yet insightful conversation that encapsulates the themes of women's solidarity and the importance of unity in addressing significant issues. They express anticipation and curiosity about an essential matter, implying that the collective voice of women can influence change, particularly in the context of societal struggles.
In practice
In a women's empowerment workshop to inspire action towards community issues.
Shrines! Shrines! Surely you don't believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?
[Y]ou [man] are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with [woman=] me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily.
Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
Open your mouth and shut your eyes and see what Zeus will send you.
When men drink, then they are rich and successful and win lawsuits and are happy and help their friends. Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
These impossible women! How they do get around us! The poet was right: Can't live with them, or without them.
Each marriage starts with two built-in handicaps. It involves two imperfect people.
Does not a man physically tremble under the mere look of a wild beast or fellow-man that is stronger than himself? Does not a woman redden all over when she feels her lover's eyes on her? How then should one doubt the mysterious power of one individual over another?
No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.
You have never had any confidence in him. And if he has no confidence in himself it is because he sees himself through your eyes.
If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?
Our lives are stories, and the stories we have to give to each other are the most important. No one has a story too small and all are of equal stature. We each tell them in different ways, through different mediums—and if we care about each other, we'll take the time to listen.
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