A Child is Born, Germaine Greer

                                                          A Child is Born

Summary

           The essay, "A child is born" was written by Australian writer Germaine Greer . in this essay, the writer presents differences between traditional, eastern society and modern western society in the matters of pregnancy, child birth and child rearing.

          There are many good methods of managing child birth in traditional society. Most of which are accepted culturally and collectively. Therefore, a pregnant woman doesn’t have psychic burden of reinventing of new methods. There are many rites and rituals prevailing in traditional society which make child birth an easy experience. The emotional support provided to the pregnant woman by her husband, family members and members of the society increases her sense of security. In modern society, on the other hand child birth is virtually unattempt. The pregnant women are taken to hospital to deliver a child. In the hospital the staffs are not cooperative. They do not understand the language of their patients and the doctors sometimes make mistakes.

   Though infant and maternal mortality rate in modern society is far lower than that of traditional society, the women of the modern society have been deprived of getting real experiences of having a child in their anxiety to avoid death. They cannot make choice according to their own sense of values.

      In many traditional societies women start living with their mother in law and wives of their husband's brothers. In most cases those women are not accepted as family member until they have had a child. The western people think that this kind of treatment towards women is cruel, unjust and wrong. Seminars are held at international level to discuss the problems of the women of traditional societies but the women who take part in such programmes are told about their problems instead of being consulted. They cannot share their experiences at the program because the programs are conducted in the languages which they cannot speak with fluency. In traditional societies, the women have to change their family name according to their husband's family name and are usually identified by the name of their first born child. The relation of woman with her relation with her children is more important than her relation with her husband. The relation of a child with other members of family is also as important as his relationship with his parents

          In traditional society the occasion of child birth becomes a celebration fall of joy and happiness. Thr women spent several months before and after child birth at her mother's house, where she is given new clothes and delicious food. She is loved , cared and rewarded in various ways that dramatize her success. On the occasion of child birth, the members of the society, especially the female members of the society, especially the female members assemble and enjoy  singing songs, cracking jokes and eating 'pan'. Child raising in traditional society is a collective effort. Every member of a family contributes significantly to raise a child. As a result, there is strong bond among the members of joint family.

     Western medicine and medical practices have left disastrous effects in traditional methods of managing child birth, the  people of those societies have depended on allopathic doctors who use expensive drugs and sparkling equipment. As a result, the pregnant women are seen groaning and writhing lying in pools of blood in hospitals. The nurses assigned to look after the laboring woman try to ignore them as far as possible.

              Women will no longer be ready to after their bodes to the brutal act of having a child unless they are praised, their babies are readily welcomed and they are supported to raise their children. Otherwise, the problem of over population will take care of itself.

   1.    What differences does the writer show between a traditional society and a modern society in matters of pregnancy, child birth and child bearing?

                In traditional societies, when  a woman becomes pregnant, she has to observe certain prohibitions and carry out the set rites. All these taboos and prohibitions help her keeping herself mentally free and to lessen the pain and fear. The pregnant lady is helped by her husband and other members of family and community which enhances her sense of security. But in the modern west societies, the pregnant lady has to take care of herself. In such individualistic society, no other family member renders any support that helps the pregnant lady feel secure. She has to undertake all the preparations for new comer by herself.

           In traditional societies, child birth irrespective of its sex is celebrated although there is a greater risk of the lives of the mother and the baby. The woman, after the birth of the child is fully accepted by the new family and she is allowed to visit her father's house. The women in such societies are started calling after the names of their children ignoring their original identity which the western people criticize calling it a wrong behavior. However, in the west although modern and sophisticated hospitals are there, a child is born in isolated hospital bed surrounded by modern medical equipment. There is no one to welcome the child and to support the lady emotionally to help lessen difficulties in western societies.

    In traditional society, the children are usually looked after collectively by the family members. The entire family is involved to bathe and to feed the children collectively. In the evening, children are told fairy tales by other members of the family. However, these practices aren’t seen in modern western societies. The respective family mothers have to take care of their children by themselves as there is no help from other family members in the matter of child care.

     The writer argues that the traditional east is far better than the modern we in matters of pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing although there is high risk of mothers and children mortality rate in these societies.

   2.    Why does the writer bring in the examples of the traditional societies to discuss the problems of a modern, especially a western society?

     The writer brings in the examples of the traditional societies  to show that the problems of modern societies are greater and serious than that of traditional societies when compared. She portraits the picture of strong individual life in the west where the whole matter of pregnancy is personal and pshycic burden for the mother but in traditional societies whole child bearing process are termed as collective responsibility of the whole family. According to the writer, the modern societies are selfish, boring, dry and cruel but the traditional societies are cooperative, generous, kind in terms of child bearing.

   3.    Write a paragraph citing an example of position of a Nepali mother in the family?

     Mothers are the creator of a family. Although father are considered head of the family but without mother a family become fragile. In Nepali society, mothers are worshiped as Goddess of creator. She makes a family, like a family. She is not only a creator but also protector of the family. She protects and take care of the family member. She also helps to maintain peace and harmony in the family. For a child house is considered as the first school and family members as the first teacher in his life but among all members mother is the headmaster for a child. She  teaches her child to speak, walk, discipline, behavior, etc. She nourishes her child with her breast milk and make her child physically and mentally strong . Presence of mother in family provides psychological comfort to family members. The mother is the light of the home.

   4.   Write an essay about the values held by traditional Nepali society in which a women who cannot bear children is considered as a failure in her personal life and a useless woman in the eyes of society. Give your own views on the subject.

    Nepal is a culturally and traditionally rich country. Nepalese people have great respect to their traditional beliefs, culture, rites and rituals. In Nepalese society there is universality of marriage. Every parents want to see their daughter to get married. In Manuscript, it is sated that marriage of daughter show the way to heaven. After getting married it is not sure that the girl will have secure and happy life until she gives birth to a child.

       Our Nepalese society is too much child demanding that a newly  married is not given respect or accepted as a family member until she gives a child especially a boy child. She is treated badly by mother-in-law and husband's brother wives. Among the high castes (Brahman and Chhetri) of Nepali, a healthy, growing family brings substantial social reward, while childlessness is punished. Yet childlessness is not feared because it incurs negative social and cultural sanctions, but also because of the lack in Brahman- Chhetri society of viable, institutionalized alternatives to having one's own children. A discussion of childlessness in the Hindu context amounts to a discussion of an extreme a negative end point in the spectrum of life's possibilities.

               A Hindu woman's status is directly dependent on her fertility and that the childless woman is subject to pity and contempt. Not only she is excluded from many social and ritual activities, she is also very likely to be accused of witch craft. It is clear that the childless woman faces a perilous position. Nevertheless, in some contexts the mere presence of such childless woman is considered unlucky. For instance, it is said that the orthodox should immediately bath themselves for purification if they spot such a woman upon walking in the morning.

         In my view, this negative behavior towards a childless woman or woman who can't bear a child is just like spraying salt over a wound. But our traditional and orthodox society considers a woman who cannot bear a child as a failure in her personal life and a useless woman in the eyes of society.

   5.    How is child birth celebrated in the Sylheti community in Bengal in India?

   Child birth is celebrated in unique way in the Sylheti community. If a girl is lucky and her parents are alive, She goes to her mother's house for the few months of her pregnancy and the first three months of the baby's life. There she gets a lot of love and care. When the baby is born it is an occasion of joy for the whole family. The naming ceremony is held when the baby is seven days old. There is feasting and singing until late at night.  The women and girls gather and sing. Garlands of turmeric and garlic are warn to ward off evil spirits. The ceremony is held for the birth of a boy or girl. Family members and members of society sit together eating pan and singing. There are so many jokes, so much laughter in between the people gathered to celebrate the child birth.

  6.    Describe the appealing scene Sheila Kitzinger observed in the hospital set up for Bantu patient in South Africa.

All technological change causes social problems, the impact of western medicine in traditional societies is one of the most problematic areas of modernization. When Sheila Kitzinger observed inn the hospital set up for Bantu patient in South Africa she found the following appealing scene. The delivery ward was full of groaning, writhing women the majority were laboring alone. Oxytocin drips and pumps were in widespread use. This hospital was the meeting place of the old Africa and the new technology of the West. Pools of blood were laid on the floor like sacrificial out pourings and Bantu nurses were happy to leave them there as a witness of the blessings of the earth, while they busied themselves with technologically sophisticated modern equipment and ignored the laboring women as far as possible, which it was not so difficult to do as they did not speak the same languages anyway. Birth was very far from normal here and it was conducted in such a way that it wasn’t seen anywhere.

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