Durkheim

Posted: January 4th, 2023

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Introduction

Although offered little space in his scholarly works, Durkheim considered the notions of sexuality and sexual directives as fundamental aspects of social organization. Whereas Durkheim acknowledged that sex gains from marital institution, he also felt that the disjunction between people’s desires and their capacity to reach the objectives cause a state of anomy where the norms set by culture or the society are no longer effective in regulating behavior. Durkheim went further identify conjugal anomy to show how the societal norms no longer regulate how people indulge in sexual activities to show how the act is rampant and almost part and parcel of the society. The happenings of today give a clear meaning of conjugal anomy where many people would not wait until they enter into a marriage relationship to indulge in sex. Presently, nearly all societies have experienced the challenge of reconciling the urge for regulating sex with that of offering it enough awareness and expression, and all have addressed the issue by some fusion of injunctions, regulations, and taboos. Prohibitory directives curtail the socially highly disruptive behaviors of sexual competition, while permissive directives permit at least the least desire satisfaction needed for the well-being of an individual. Very often, moreover, sexual behaviors are specifically enjoined by binding regulations where it happens straightforwardly to clash with the society’s interest. The study shows how a suitable way to understand the place of sex in the society is to examine three ancient texts, Lysistrata by Aristophanes, The Odyssey by Homer and the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, that give adequate insight into how people perceive sex. The presentations by the three ancient works by Aristophanes, Homer, and the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite affirm that sex holds a special place in the society and people would do anything, including ceasing war, entering into war, and extramarital affairs to satisfy their sexual urge.

Reading Aristophanes’ Lysistrata provides adequate insight into the place of sex in the society by showing how men would go to any length to secure their conjugal rights. The classical Greek comedy initially performed in 411 BC tells the story of a woman called Lysistrata who embarks on a mission to bring the Peloponnesian War between the Greek states to an end. Lysistrata mobilizes other women to deny their husbands or any other men of the land their conjugal rights, which is what many men really desired. Lysistrata thinks that by withholding sexual from their lovers and husbands, women would force their men to enter into a deal that would bring the war to an end, a technique, nevertheless, that crates so much conflict between the two sexes (Aristophanes,Lysistrata, 2). Lysistrata introduces readers to the problem through her conversation with Calonki where the two men discuss the need to find a lasting solution to the devastating effects of the war, particularly with the way it keeps men out of their homes, while so many others lose their lives. Lysistrata tells Calonki that “No something else bothers me for quite some time now, which has made me to lose so much sleep contemplating over the matter (Aristophanes,Lysistrata, 2). Lysistrata tells Calonki that the solution to city’s tribulations lies with the women’s clits and tits to mean that denying me sexual favors will make them reconsider their stand about taking part in the war that appears to cause more social issues as it progresses. Lysistrata tells Calonki that the plan would yield peace among men, and no man will ever throw his spear again against another person. Lysistrata also convince other women once they all assemble by asking them questions that would prompt them to adhere to the call (Aristophanes,Lysistrata, 4). Lysistrata specifically asks the women whether they miss their husbands while they are at war considering that none of them is at home at the time of the meeting.

Lysistrata, however, experiences some hardships advocating for her idea, which illustrates how difficult it is to deprive people of their sexual desires. Soon as Lysistrata makes her plan known to everyone, a few women start to walk away, which others openly challenge her. Myrrhini, for example, says that she cannot adhere to the plan and prefers that the war continues. Calonki also oppose Lysistrata’s plan saying that they are ready to do something else other than denying their husbands their conjugal rights. Lampito who also attends the meeting says that “better in the fire than out of the bed” (Aristophanes,Lysistrata, 5) but later changes her position to support Lysistrata’s strategy. The men also oppose the plan once they learn about it but have no option, but to give in. Cinesias, for example, says that his life has been miserable since his wife started to adhere to the plan, and the food is tasteless (Aristophanes,Lysistrata, 25). The oppositions Lysistrata faced while trying to sell her view of ending the war suggest that sex has a strong place in the society, which might be hard or even impossible to eradicate or diminish.

Further showing that sex has a strong place in the society is how the men finally decide to end the war to secure their conjugal rights. The comedy comes to an end where the Athenian and Spartan sides come to an agreement to end the war, and Lysistrata and other women agree to restore the intimacy that couples and lovers enjoyed prior to the war. Lysistrata says that “Now that you have come to a suitable conclusion, Spartans can take their women and stand by them, and never to sin again” (Aristophanes,Lysistrata, 37). The play ends in a dance and people drink to celebrate the restoration of sex, thus showing how the act enjoys an elevated place in the society.

Lysistrata develops the same perception regarding sex as what Hormer developed in Odyssey where the leading character, Odysseus strives to reach his home island of Ithaca after fighting at Troy to save her wife (Penelope) from the pressure of more than one hundred suitors trying to seek her hand in marriage. At least twenty years has passed after Odysseus left his home to fight in the war and his prolonged stay convince some suitors that he is dead. The suitors, 108 in total, show the elevated position of sex in the society because other than the desire for companion, each of these suitors want to get the sexual satisfaction that come with marriage. Maybe, the boredom or lack of a female partner drives all these suitors towards the main character’s wife with the hope of being selected. The other factor in Odyssey that shows the society and sex are inseparable is Odysseus’s struggle to reach home to save his wife from the pressure of many suitors who want to marry Penelope. The main character fights the suitors with the help of his son Telemachus, thereby showing how a person can go to any measures to protect their household, including their wife with whom they copulate. Odysseus tells his son after arriving at his home that “But we have killed the city’s major defense, the best of the young men in the city” (Hormer, Odyssey, 5), which show how a person can choose to apply aggressive ways to defend their wife. At one point, Odysseus questions whether any person has the capacity to take away his bed and says that unless God himself descends from heaven to shift the bed no one can do that (Hormer, Odyssey, 8). Odysseus says that “I built my bedroom around a bush of olive, until I finished its construction with stones that I set so well (Hormer, Odyssey, 8). The couple merry upon the reunion and even makes love, which the audience gets to learn about when Athena, the goddess with shining eyes appears after thinking that the lovers have satisfied themselves with pleasure and good sleep (Hormer, Odyssey, 13). Even though the storyline in Odysseus and Lysistrata differ as well as the characters, it is apparent that the scriptwriters in both instances create the impression that the society and sex are two things that depend on each other, and people would do anything to secure their chances to indulge in sexual encounter.

The Homeric Hymns are a collection of 33 Greek poems, mainly dedicated to praise the gods. Specifically, the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite that tells the story of how Zeus installs into Aphrodite’s heart an irresistible urge for Anchises of Troy (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, 1) develops a similar impression about the place of sex in the society as Lysistrata and Odyssey. The story basically revolves around sexual intimacy, which emanates from Aphrodite who manages to seduce Anchises by cheating him that she is a mortal being. Anchises becomes so much frightened that something bad may happen to him because common mythology has it that no man who sleeps with an immortal being regains his full potentiality. The brief description about the Homeric hymn shows so much about society and sexuality just as it appears in Lysistrata and Odyssey. The story, for instance, brings out an appropriate elaboration of Durkheim’s view’s regarding anomy where people no longer conform to the societal rules and regulations in the way Anchises engages in an extramarital affair, and in the way a woman sexually entices a man into sex, contrary to the perception of many people. The sexual affair between Anchises and the goddess illustrates how some people would enter into affairs outside their marriage to indulge in sex, which further shows how people perceive or engage in copulation. Also important is that Anchises fears that he may lose the power of his manhood thereby describing how men fear losing their capability to make love.

The evidence by the three classical texts that sex has a strong place in the society shows the importance of developing better structures in the contemporary times to guide people about sex. Families and learning institutions should not shy away from informing young people about sex and the need to observe high morals when referring to the act. Parents, for example, should train their children at tender age about the importance of being responsible when it comes to sexual affairs, to prevent them from becoming victims of early pregnancies and unwanted diseases. They should also inform them about the importance of waiting until the right time to indulge in sex rather than engaging in unregulated and uninformed acts. Educators should also sensitize learners about the possible transformations they may encounter during adolescence, as well as train them about responsible ways of approaching and perceiving sexuality. It is also necessary to educate adults about sexuality to make them understand the role of sex in the society, and to equip them with awareness on how to indulge in responsible sexual behavior. It is imperative to educate people at all ages about sex because as it appears in the three classical texts, sex hold a strong place in the society and it may be hard to avoid it and its discourse.

Conclusion

The study reiterates that sex is part of the society and people would go an extra mile to secure their conjugal rights. Lysistrata shows how men choose to cease a war that deprives women of their husbands and children of their fathers after women agree to deny them their conjugal rights. Despite the primarily between the Athenians and the Spartans, the men feel that they cannot compare the war with the conjugal rights they get from their wives and lovers, which compels them to end the fight. The same impression appears in Homer’s Odyssey where many suitors seek Penelope’s hand in marriage while Odysseus is away with the expectation of getting sexual satisfaction. Odysseus demonstrates how people are committed to protect their wives when he returns home and fights all those who disturb his wife after spreading malicious information that he is dead. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite also illustrates how sex hold a special place in the society in the way the characters defy social norms to satisfy sensual desires.

Works Cited

Aristophanes.Lysistrata. Translated by George Theodoridis, 2000.

Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Ian Johnston.

Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite. Translated by Gregory Nagy.