Analysis Using Method of Criticism

The Fear of Rape Hallucinations


The fear of rape hallucinations tends to be the most common among women. It is a subject that most women encounter at some point in their lives. Some could exaggerate the experience to depict it as traumatic and harrowing, provided that it happened at a period when men, in this case, those with desire and a lack of self-control, forced them to participate in sexual actions they did not approve of. However, these feelings about rape fantasies are influenced by both social and cultural influences. Indeed, various people have different opinions on persons who participate in such activities.



Rape Fantasies in the Media


In her essay "Rape Fantasies," Margaret Atwood discusses how rape fantasies became exaggerated. The newspapers overrate the subject so much that it appears like an invention such as a vaccine for cancer. Interestingly, the writers put forward a whole bulk of information in the papers referring to how the whole thing happens and even give measures to get out of it in case you fall a victim of the act. At the workplace, the same talk prevails; because of the frequency of the topic in most papers, one opens and its prevalence even on the television (Atwood).



Rape Fantasies at the Workplace


Taking it to the next level, women at the workplace cannot be left behind. One Chrissy who has just finished reading a magazine calls her female colleagues and asks them about rape fantasies. The time is a lunch break and is mostly when they play the game of bridge as they discussed the most extended talks in the workplace. For sure, the magazine stated that all women experience rape fantasies. Some like Sondra think it is just a matter of a man jumping into a woman over an alleyway. Darlene on the side avoiding going out alone at night is safe enough not to get caught up in the nasty situation. Greta, who works in the filing department, has her apartment on the eighteenth floor. However, she usually imagines of a guy feet coming down past her window and into her room from the nineteenth floor above hers by a rope with a hook at its end. The guy will tell her that he usually climbs all over the outside of the apartment from one flow to another using his rope and hook. The man will then go out to the balcony, tosses his rope, climbs it up and disappears. Chrissy's side of the story comes when she goes to the bathtub, taking a shower and the door opens and the fellow just appears standing there in front of her. He could have come through them or something like that. Chrissy imagines the bathroom too small and feeling ashamed to get out of the bathtub. Weirdly, the guy just removes his clothes and joins her in the tub without her invitation. When Darlene asks her why she should not scream, Chrissy replies that it will difficult for anybody to hear her voice. Otherwise, the newspapers had also suggested that if one does not resist, they wouldn't be hurt by the rapist. However, Estelle disagrees with the rape fantasies of her colleagues and brushes them aside as meager encounters with an individual they had never formally met. Her fancy involves walking down a dark street at night, and a guy quickly comes up and grabs her arm. Having a plastic lemon is a precaution she usually takes, so she asks him if he intends to rape her and he nods. To keep him distracted, she gives the man the contents of her purse, and he obliges to carry them. Nevertheless, after twisting the top off of the bottle, Estelle squirts him in the eye to get a chance to escape. On the contrary, Chrissy and Darlene also oppose Estelle's rape fantasy (Atwood).



Justification of Rape Fantasies


In the following justification, Estelle states that you do have to count all the cases they listed as rape fantasies. She argues that a real rape fantasy should impart anxiety to the victim, and the rapist should be unbearable due to his ugly looks and frightfulness. It should also embroil coercing the target into the sexual act in a rough unfriendly manner. At the end of it, the guy has the external force that driving him to do such actions such as failures to achieve a goal in life. In fact, he will end up regretting and apologizing for what he did (Atwood).



Characteristics of Rape Fantasies


What is also striking is that most of these rape fantasies involve someone you do not know. The speaker also feels that once you have a conversation with the person, try to convince them to know you are human. Once these bad guys understand you, it is difficult to find one who goes ahead and perform the monstrous act. However, in some situations, things could still go worse (Atwood).



Research on Women Rape Fantasies


The sexual aspects of female fantasy have also been uncovered by a team of psychologists based at the University of North Texas and the University of Notre Dame. Apparently, the percentage of women with rape fantasies lies between 31-62%. The reason for fantasizing about a criminal act which is repulsive and harrowing remains a mystery. In the survey published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, a depiction of a male acquaintance getting intensely attracted to the female character. After unsuccessful attempts to convince the women to have sex with her, the man resorts to overpowering the women and eventually raping her. On her side of the story, the female character continuously refuses during the interaction and may never give consent. Therefore, despite the man even being attracted to the women, emphasis will be placed on the compulsion used on her rather than the gratification she got from the act (Dr. Raj Persaud).



Frequency and Patterns of Rape Fantasies


40% of the women with the most common rape fantasies experienced it once a month. 20% of this had it at least once a week. The research also noted that women fantasies of coercive sex were only an occasional daydream and not an obsession. In cases where women fantasies are erotic in occurrence, the male counterparts are labeled as attractive and appropriate (Dr. Raj Persaud).



Psychological Theories on Rape Fantasies


The research on Women Rape Fantasies contained a theory called "Sexual Blame Avoidance," whereby women refused taking the blame for their sexual desires. This is in light of other cultural factors that prevented them from being labeled as overly sexual. As a result, a coerced sex would enable the women to obtain sexual gratification without having guilt and blame since it occurred in the form of rape. The theory is however indicated to have happened in the past when the society was more sexually repressed (Dr. Raj Persaud).



Another theory, the 'openness to sexual experience theory' clearly contrasted the 'Sexual blame avoidance' theory. This model suggests that a most lenient and guilt-free outlook towards sex is where rape fantasies initiate. Women who were less repressed about sex had more incidences of rape fantasies. Likewise, other fantasizers with common rape fantasies also reported compelling a man contrary to his will into sex in the majority of cases (Dr. Raj Persaud).



Misconceptions About Sexual Assault


According to Jill Filipovic, there are seventeen beliefs about sexual assaults that are entirely incorrect. Unfortunately, the media critics, students, and even schools have facilitated drive and spread the misconceptions. Consequently, the victims may not obtain the required assistance because of the misleading information they get. At long last, the assailants could go unpunished (Filipovic).



The delusions, especially in the learning institutions, include: taking sexual assault as a misunderstanding; occurs for persons who involved in the sexual act but when the one regrets it, it becomes an assault. Secondly, that it usually is strangers who commit a sexual offense; instead, statistics show that two-thirds of the survivors, in reality, know their attackers. Therefore, this far beyond the fact. The other fallacies include: that it is rape when you're forcefully and physically compelled. That rapist rape because they want to harm the victims and not for sexual desire or provocative dressing by women or flirting puts them at risk. The misconceptions also state that once you have accepted the act, you cannot retract back or that women in most cases lie of being raped. Others entail; having rape fantasies means the same as wanting to be abused. That rape is sporadic on college campuses, or those who rape on campuses are always banished isn't factual. Believing that most rape assailants go to jail or that it is women who are rape victims. The remaining once constitute: roofies are the only common drugs used on dates, that all rape victims act like they have been raped and that when the alleged victims are inconsistent about being abused, then they are not telling the truth. Finally, that when your friend is raped always send her to the police, or for women to avoid being raped they should avoid drinking and partying remain to be spread without proper consultation from those who provide them to the rest of the population (Filipovic).



Works Cited


Atwood, Margaret. n.d. 28 November 2017 <http://teachers.garces.org/mdetloff/Rape%20Fantasies%20(Atwood)>.



Dr. Raj Persaud, Dr. Jenny Bivona. "HUFFPOST." 16 July 2012. 28 November 2017 <http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-raj-persaud/womens-sexual-fantasies_b_1511322.html>.



Filipovic, Jill. "Cosmopolitan." 28 August 2014. Cosmopolitan.com. 28 November 2017 <http://www.cosmopolitan.com/college/news/a30507/sexual-assault-misconceptions/>.

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