1. In Celebration of
Halloween and the Day of
the Dead
Redefining Good and Evil, Male
and Female:
A Gendered Analysis of Shen Te,
Lilith and La Llorona
Presented by Abby Gondek, New York
Director, The Curriculum Initiative

2. The Good Woman of
Szechwan
Shen Te welcomes the three gods
into her home and they pronounce
her the only “good” person in town.

3. Eve was half of the first
human creature

4. Shen Te had to dress as a
man to be respected

5. Día de los Muertos Altars and
Offerings

6. Death is a transition, embraced
rather than feared

7. The Torah is a
circle, that never
ends.

8. Lilith became
known as a
demon, flying in
the form of a
night owl,
stealing
newborn
children and
seducing and
deceiving men

9. Reclaiming Lilith

10. Women accused
of witchcraft
were often
midwives and
folk healers,
who owned
their own
property

11. These
women
became
known as
evil hags
and devil’s
servants.

12. La Llorona is portrayed as a treacherous,
selfish woman.

13. La Llorona
began as
Cihuacoatl,
the goddess
of earth,
war, birth
and
midwives,
who
embraced
both death
and
creation.

14. And let us
redefine what it
means to be
female and
male, so that we
can more fully
express our
whole selves.