Essay Questions

Do you agree with the author that gender-based violence has denied women access to equal opportunities in society?

The author narrates about Zapatista's women and the struggles they have gone through as the weak gender. Most women in this society have gone through various forms of abuse since their childhood. The community has made the women believe that they are properties of men. Gerardo witnesses how his father mistreats his mother throughout his life until he becomes an adult. Beatriz and Ines are born in a family characterized by domestic violence against their mother. Their fathers remind even the young girls that their role when they grow up is raising children and taking care of their husbands. Therefore, subjecting women to domestic violence and restricting their potential hinders them from success in life and ensures that men remain dominant.

How significant is the title ‘Women and Alcohol in a Highland Maya’ Christine Eber?

The first impression the reader gets before reading this book is that women are drunkards. However, that is not the case because the author intends to educate the reader on how alcohol negatively impacted Zapatista's women's lives. The main reason why men are violent towards women in this society is alcohol. Most men are drunkards, and they subject their women to misery. For instance, men physically abuse women after they are drunk. Similarly, alcohol has made men ineffective economically, leaving the burden of fetching for the family to women. Thus, this book's title is significant because it satirically symbolizes how alcohol has subjected women to misery.

Why is the author terming the drinking ritual as ‘The water of hope’ for women?

The author's statement is ironic because it explains how the Zapatista women rescued themselves from gender-based inequality and violence. Men became drunkards and ran away from their primary responsibilities of providing for their families. Women became more aggressive in taking both the duties of taking care of the children and working to find food for their families. With time, women realized that they could do better than men in almost all aspects of life. Therefore, women opened their eyes and started demanding their rightful place in society. The current woman is independent and free of domestic violence. Thus, the author says that alcohol is the water of hope to explain how women overcame the drinking ritual that crippled their husbands to emerge victorious in all aspects of life.