Feminism in the West

By the end of the 20's, most countries achieved universal suffrage. Many women were fighting for their rights and doing it with a fire in soul. Feminism, though present through history after the 20's, the movement really made a comeback in the 60's. In 1963, Betty Friedan wrote, The Feminine Mystique. The book, "disclosed the identity crisis of educated women, unfulfilled by marriage and motherhood. Emphasis was now on employment and education rather then voting rights" (1151). Liberation for women meant more then just having the right to vote. They fought for the same rights as men, while slowly realizing how oppressed they actually were. One manifesto from 1969 state, "We are exploited as sex objects, breeders, domestic servants, and cheap labor. We are considered inferior beings, whose only purpose is to enhance men's lives… Because we live so intimately with our oppressors, we have been kept from seeing our personal suffering as a political condition" (1151). Women took different approaches to get their point across. Political lobbying was favored by equal rights feminists, where many other wanted direct action. "They challenged the Miss America contest of 1968 by tossing stink bombs in the hall, crowning a live sheep at their miss America, and disposing of girdles, bras, high-heeled shoes, tweezers, and other "instruments of oppression" in a freedom Trashcan. They also brought into open discussion issues involving sexuality, insisting that free love, lesbianism, and celibacy should be accepted just as much as heterosexual relationships" (1151). This was a big push for all women around the world to make a statement, advocating for all types of freedom.

The Rise of Evil

When reading about the rise of Mussolini and Hitler, I noticed a quote in the textbook that really struck fear through me. When describing how these two men came to power, Strayer writes, "Both espoused an extreme nationalism, openly advocated the use of violence as a political tool, generated a single-party dictatorship, were led by charismatic figures, despised parliamentary democracy, hated communists, and viewed war as a positive and ennobling experience" (997). This not only described the vile men in this chapter, but it also seems to describe the current leader of our country. I know that many people look at the holocaust as an atrocity. That it was of the worst genocides in history and that it could never happen again, because we know better. I am not so sure anymore about that statement. Hitler and Mussolini rose to the top by striking fear into the public. They fed off their terror and that is how they succeeded in killing as many as people as they did. Our president won the election by doing the exact same thing. "Erna Kranz, a teenager in the 1930's, later remembered the early years of Nazi rule as a "glimmer of hope… not just for the unemployed but for everybody because we all knew that we were downtrodden… it was a good time… there was order and discipline. Millions agreed with her" (998). This echoes the voices of the young trump supporters of today. Unfortunately, many people think that trump is actually going to make everything that is wrong with America, "great again", but they do not see that he using the same tactics that were used by two of the most hated men in history. I am just hoping that we  have enough fighters that will not stand for what trump stands for. Monster's are not big scary creatures with one eye and claws, but they come in the forms of just everyday people. I chose these pictures, because it shows Hitler and Mussolini as two friends. From one glance, you would never think that these men would or could commit such horrible acts of violence.

The Taiping Uprising

The Taiping Uprising was something caught my attention, while reading chapter 19. The Taiping Uprising was a radical, political and religious battle that lasted for 14 years. It was probably one of the most important movements in China during the 19th century. This "peasant upheaval" was unique because it found their "primary ideology in a unique form of Christianity. Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the uprising, "proclaimed himself the the younger brother of Jesus, sent to cleanse the world of demons and to establish a heavenly kingdom of great peace" (934). The most revolutionary part of the uprising was its view on women and gender roles.

The Hakka women who had never had their feet bound fought alongside the men as soldiers. "Taiping officials ordered that the feet of other women be unbound" (935). Women were promised equal shares of land with the men, and were now being appointed supervisory positions. One thing that I was confused about while reading this was that Xiuquan valued the teachings of the Old Testament, which showed God demanding worship and obedience. However, at the same time, he wanted to prohibit slavery, foot-binding, prostitution, and opium smoking. I feel like those are all bad things, so I am not sure why he favored obedience. The New Testament, emphasized the ideas of kindness, forgiveness and redemption. Due to that, I feel like he would prefer the New Testament to the Old Testament.

Ellen Johnston: Making Time For Art In Industrial Britain

Ellen Johnston was a independent woman during the time of the industrial revolution. She lived a simple, happy childhood until the age of eight when her single mother married an abusive man. He made young Ellen work for years in a factory. He tormented her and she suffered greatly from his actions. Because of this relationship, Ellen ran off with a boy at age seventeen and got pregnant. Unfortunately, the affair did not last and she (like her mother) was left to raise a child by herself. Through all of this however, one thing kept young Ellen sane. She called herself a "self-taught scholar", because of her love of reading and writing. This was a time where literacy was expanding, of course there were still many poor illiterate women, but Ellen made it a goal that she would keep this love of hers alive. "She loved reading "love adventures" and developed a romantic image of herself as a  "heroine of the modern style"" (840). Along with her love of reading, she also wrote poetry for the "penny press", which were inexpensive newspapers of the region. Ellen loved expressing her feelings through poetry and knew she did not want to live a life of domesticity. Ellen "did not feel inclined to die" in a time when women who gave birth outside of marriage were considered beyond the confines of "true womanhood" (840). Most of her writings depicted home life as very negative due to her time living with an abusive step-father. Ellen worked very hard in the textile mills of Scotland to support her and her daughter, while also pursuing her passion of writing poetry. She even simply signed her poem , "the factory girl". It was in the factory, where Ellen found emotional and personal satisfaction. Though Ellen never made it big, she did not follow the crowd like some people. She still let her feelings be known to a small group of people, in a time where woman were fighting to be heard. 

Feminist Beginnings

I have been waiting to read about the beginnings of the feminist movement, since the start of the semester. Because of the enlightenment, many old traditions had been challenged. One in particular, was the idea that women were inferior beings. "The French Revolution raised the possibility of re-creating human societies on new foundations. Many women participated in these events, and a few insisted, unsuccessfully, that the revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality must include women" (805). As Mary Wollstonecraft (author of Vindication of the Rights of Woman) quoted, "who made man the exclusive judge, if woman partake with him of the gift of reason" (805). Because of the raising middle class, not all women had to just stick to household duties. Some women took part in temperance movements, charities, abolitionism, missionary work, and sometimes socialist and pacifist organizations.  The first organized expression was in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. That day, a conference was held where women came to finally say what was on their minds. "By the 1870's, feminist movements in the West were focusing primarily on the issue of suffrage and were gaining a growing constituency" (806). My favorite part of the reading was about A Doll's House. A Doll's House is a three-act play by Henrik Ibsen, which he wrote in 1879. Nora, the heroine, finds herself in a loveless and oppressive marriage, and decides to leave her husband and kids. Of course, this play had its haters. This play was certainly ahead of its time, with its topics. "Writers, doctors, and journalists addressed previously taboo sexual topics, including homosexuality and birth control. That is why I love art though. It sometimes crosses boundaries and makes people really look at the world. The playwright George Bernard Shaw found Ibsen's willingness to point out flaws in society exhilarating and so do I!!

Foundresses Week 2017

This week at Notre Dame de Namur, we celebrated some amazing women. On Tuesday the 7th, my roommate and I had the opportunity to have lunch with the Sisters. I got to meet two beautiful sisters named Sister Yvonne and Sister Phyllis. I know Sister Roseanne, Sister Margaret and a couple of the other Sisters. I had never met these women before, but I am so glad that I did. They both told us why they became Sisters, and I could see the excitement in their eyes. They asked us what we wanted to do after we graduated and I told them I wanted to go to New York and pursue a career in Musical Theatre. They were so genuinely excited for me and wished me the best of luck. They did not hold back on their stories and each of them came from different backgrounds. I do not get to visit the sisters that often, but I want to now. Many students live in their own little bubble, including me. We have homework, test to study for, work to be done, and in my case rehearsal every night. We get so wrapped up in what we have to do in our daily lives, that sometimes we do not to get to really experience it. I am really happy that I went to this lunch and got to engage with these women. They have these amazing stories, that a lot of people do not get to hear. So it was a privilege that I got to hear them. They have contributed so much and they have done some amazing work. They are women that I aspire to be like. It was a wonderful time and my favorite part of the lunch was when they all got up and sang. Beautiful!!                          

Sketch of the Progress of the Human Mind

The writings of Marquis De Condorcet were very interesting to me, because I felt that they were ahead of their time. Condorcet was a spokesmen for the Enlightenment and had a lot to say about the subject, including what he thought the future would be like. In the Ninth Epoch, he quotes, "The advances of scientific knowledge are all the more deadly to these errors because they destroy them without appearing to attack them, while lavishing on those who stubbornly defend them the degrading taunt of ignorance. Finally this progress of scientific knowledge results in a belief that not birth, professional status, or social standing gives anyone the right to judge something he does not understand" (757). I highly admire Condorcet because he believed in the destruction of the inequality between the sexes. His  way of thinking was not normal for many men of the time. He believed that actual scientific facts could overtake some of the strict beliefs of religion and prove that no one had the right to judge someone based off the Bible. He also cared a lot about preserving our resources. He states, " a smaller piece of land will be able to produce commodities of greater usefulness and value then before; greater benefits will be obtained with less waste" (757).  If I had to compare Condorcet to a relatable person today in a high power position, it would have to be Bernie Sanders. It seems that they have very similar views. They both want what is best for the world. They care about destroying sexism, keeping the environment safe and thought that the war helps no one.  I would actually like to learn more about Condorcet. He seemed like a very open-minded individual who believed the world could immensely improve with science.