- Introduction - Okay. Today my IO is gonna be is the field of culture, identity, and community, and my global issue is the inner self-worth of women. - Im gonna explore this global issue first through Women at Point Zero by El Saadawi, which tells sthe story of Firdaus as she gradually realizes her self-worth in a world of full of oppression against women. - And then second, through Frida Khalo’s painting self-portrait with cropped hair, which demonstrats that her inner self-worth is regardless of external appearance and other's view. - Ultimatley, both women in the works value themselves from intrinsic measures, independent of external validation, with the belief that they are inherently valuable, powerful, and deserving of love. - WAPZ - Let's first take a look at Firdaus in Women at Point Zero. My extract takes place when Firdaus was walking down the street after killing Marzouk who abused her. - First, with the use of hyperbole, we can see Firdaus's self-worth through her power and confidence. - In line X, Firdaus described herself as "holding her head high to the heavens, with the pride of having destroyed all masks to reveal what is hidden behind." - While it's impossible to truly destroy all masks, this exaggeration indicates Fridaus's high level of confience and agency. - Firdaus's self-perceived power futher reflects her high level of self-worth, because one only has the courage to "destory all masks" if they value themselves and deem themselves capable. - Second, through the use of repetition of "No", Firdaus's assertion of self-worth is shown in the high price she demanded. - In line X, when an self-proclaimed Arab Prince proposes to buy her service, Firdaus repeatedly said "No" and "You cannot pay my price" to him, demanding higher price. - Here, while most prostitutues say yes without dignity, Firdaus has the courage to repeatedly decline the offer of an Arab prince exactly because she values herself higher than everyone else and believes in her intrinsic value. - Third, Firdaus's self-worth can be seen through her externally-perceived identity, with the use of two rhetorical questions. - She asked: "For who else would hold her head so high as she walked? And who else’s footsteps could resound in this way as they struck the ground?" - These two rhetorical questions demand no answer, but underscores the fact that no one would have recognized Firdaus, who looked no different from a respectable, upper-class woman. - Since only someone who values herself a lot would spend so much energy dressing herself up, here, Firdaus's externally perceived identity serves as a perfect testament of her inner self-worth. - In summary, Firdaus's inner self-worth is shown in her power & confidence, in the high price, and in her externally-perceived identity in the extract. - Next, moving to the whole body of work. In the whole book as Firdaus grew from a powerless girl to a dignified woman, there are other instances that highlights the importance of her self-worth - First, when Firdaus was still working for Shariffa as a low-status prostitute, what Shariffa taught Firdaus reflects her lack of self-worth at that time. - In a didactic tone, Shariffa told Firdaus that she "failed to value herself highly enough." She said a woman "is the one who determines her value." - This underlines the fact that at that time, Firdaus was still feeling strongly inferior and lack self-esteem, indicating a low level of self-worth, which pontetially explains her low status - However, moving on, Firdaus gradually realizes that self-worth is actually the secrets to "being a successful prostitute". - There is not without some irony whe Firdaus expalins taht while a prsotitute always yes, she was not a prostitute in that full sense because she said no frok time to time. And As a result my price kept going up. - Firdaus concluded from her expeirence that self-worth and valuing yourself high is the key to making others pay you high. A high level of self worth is the secret to success. - To sum up, looking at Women at Point Zero from a macro view, we witness the growth of Firdaus from a vulnerable and powerless girl who lack self-esteem to a capable and strongminded woman who gives herself high self-worth and thus is able to live her life with a certain level of dignity. - Frida Kahlo - With that, we wrap up Women at Point Zero and move on to Frida Kahlo's paintings, starting with her Self Portrait with Cropped Hair. In the painting Kahlo portrays herself in a traditionally masculine suit, seated on a chair. - Looking at the paiting, one of the most powerful features is Kahlo's defiant expression and powerful gaze. - By actively gazing directly at the audience, Kahlo asserts her power and strenght, which reflects her self-worth as she deems herself capable of defying gender norms and defining her own identity - Apart from the gaze, her cropped hair as a symbol highlights the message that her self-worth does not rely on her physical appearance. - After getting rid of her long hair that usually defines her beauty and value as a woman, Khalo gains the power and courage to reassert her own self-worth and declares that she is valuable, beautiful, and deserved to be loved in her very self, regardless of any external measurement. - This suggests a shift from value based on physcial appearance to inner self-worth. - Finally, through verse of a song on the painting, Kahlo further strengthens the message that her self-worth is intrinsic and does not depend on other people. - The lyric says, "See, if I loved you, it was for your hair, now you're bald, I don't love you any more." - Her similarly, by cutting off her hair and refusing to crave for other people's love, Khalo makes the statement that her inner value is not buiky upon the view and taste of any external subject. - Ultimatley, in her Self Portrait with Cropped Hair, Frida Kahlo's power gaze demonstrates her self-worth, which is independent of her physical appearance or other external judgements. - Next, zooming out, the theme of self-worth can also be found in Frida Kahlo’s other paintings. - In The Broken Column", self-worth in shown in her resilience. - In the paining, the nails on her body symbolizes the pain and suffering she underwent. But despite all the pain and suffering, and despite the column inside her body appearing to be on the verge of collapsing, Frida looks pretty and strong. She peacefully and calmly looks into the distance, and refuses to define herself as a victim of her pain. - As only someone who believes in her very own value to survive would have the courage to withstand all the pain, this painting conveys her inner self-worth through her fortitude. - On the contrary, another one of her paintings, Diego and I, shows a different side of the story when Kahlo lost her self-worth - In the painting, Diego's head occupies all her forehead. This symbolizes his importance in Kahlo's mind and life, illustrating that Kahlo gave herself wholly to Diego, founding her entire value on Diego's love. - And that’s why once Diego abandons her, she lost all her value and becomes a weak and powerless woman in need of love, shown by her tears and unorganized hair. - As a result, in this painting, Kahlo lost her strength shown in her other portraits due to losing her sense of self-worth, as she seeks to establish her value on external validation from Diego. - To sum up, in Frida Kahlo's other paintins, some show her self worth through her resilience, and others portrays her lack of self-worth as she seeks external validation from her lover. - Conclusion - All in all, both Women at Point Zero and Frida Kahlo's painting explores the issue of women's self-worth through different angles, with Women at Point Zero showing the growth of Firduas as she gains self-worth and dignity, and Freda Kahlo's paintings illustrating herself both at times with and without self-worth. - Intrisic value for women is significant fundamentally because, in a world where systemic inequalities persist, recognizing and honoring their inherent worth fosters genuine equity, empowers their contributions to society, and challenges narratives that reduce their value to external factors. Just like what Shariffa said, it should be remembered by all members of the society and one and only themselves is capable of defining their own value.