It’s not just that she was a women that impressed me but her outward denial to conform to a world that oppressed her and women all across Europe based on sex. Not many people have the courage to stand up for their beliefs but she did so, knowing that support for her cause was scarce to none. She defended a women’s place in society, as well as flourishing in the literary realm and exercising her ability to converse, challenge, and reason in the art of rhetoric. Through these reasons and preservations, Christine De Pizan merits more than a three quarter page in a history of rhetoric
This provides your essay with a clear, structured argument. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act gave women over 30 the vote, if they owned property or were married to a property owner. The major reason for women receiving the vote has been a fundamental source of debate amongst historians. Whilst traditional schools of thought argue that women’s work during WWI radically changed male ideas about their role in society with traditional historians such as Ray suggesting that giving women the vote in 1918 was almost a ‘thank you’ for their efforts, revisionist historians, however, find this analysis too simplistic. AJP Taylor, for example, argues that the war ‘smoothed the way for democracy’ and so there are other factors of significance, such as, suffrage campaign groups (WSPU & NUWSS) and growing equality with men.
As we might say today, women’s ‘public image’ changed and improved,” says Constance Rover, a historian. Part of the reason why the war was key to women gaining the vote in 1918, was because of changing opinions towards women. “Surely a land fit for heroes to live in might include a place for a few heroines as well?” says Constance Rover. Women had proved themselves useful which was leading to greater equality with men. It would have been simply unreasonable to deny women the right to vote, especially now that women had more of a presence in society.
Friedan brings emotion and anger to the plight of women in her era of feminism, highlighting a political issue that remained out of the spotlight for far too long. Modern feminists can learn a lot from Friedan as a pioneer for women speaking out for what they believe despite it being unpopular. Though her work mainly discussed the feelings of white middle class women, her work led to a more comprehensive study of oppression on multiple levels, called intersectionality. Though not a politician herself, Friedan was able to take steps towards bringing on meaningful political change, a problem many women are still facing today especially in the abortion debate. Friedan and Gilman’s work have formed the touchstones for the current feminist movements and will continue to play a huge role as women work to advance their rights further in the coming years.
Of the many successful women out there, I have chosen three. Women who are not afraid of the public’s opinion and impression of them. For example: Mary Mc Aleese had to deal with the contrast of being ambassador for Ireland whilst the country went through major recession. Hillary Clinton had to deal with the opposition people contradicting her as she ran for the first female president of the United States. A famous female inventor I know of was Virginia Apgar.
Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was the second youngest out of her half-siblings, Edward VI and Mary I. As a child and a young lady, she was kept secluded, thus causing her to often keep thoughts and feelings in. However, at the age of twenty-five, she rose to claim the throne of England. Queen Elizabeth encountered lots of controversy during her rule as a woman.
U.S. Presidency April 8, 2010 ELEANOR ROOSEVELT One of the greatest issues surrounding Eleanor Roosevelt’s career, is the debate of how influential she really was during the presidency of her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eleanor’s influence was profound but it had important limitations. She used her position as first lady to bring attention to things that needed attention brought to like women’s rights and civil rights. Even though she wasn’t able to accomplish everything she wanted to, she made sure she did whatever she was capable of doing to make changes for America’s future. Eleanor Roosevelt grew from being a shy, awkward child, into a woman with great sensitivity to the underprivileged.
This is a type of history that is not normally told but needs to be. Without this point in time, women’s rights may have taken even longer until it finally got the spark it needed. This period of history and these women provided that spark. This was much more than just an average documentary being told about these times. This was real life accounts of the women who went through it, which goes a long way with showing what these times were really like during this point in history.
This is significant because since the books are explanations of the events in the authors’ lives, the use of first person point of view makes it a lot easier for the writers to connect with the audience. Also, the diction of both books is not very complex. Another similarity between these two books can be found in the themes of each book. As stated in the introduction, both books tell of a woman who, after being born with something that set them behind in life, used their own intelligence and perseverance to ultimately become successful. In Keller’s case,
“The Awakening” Essay In “The Awakening,” a book with great literary merit, by Kate Chopin, a respectable woman named Edna breaks the societal barrier that was placed on most women back in the 1800s. She seeks a new identity, one that includes freedom from her family and the ability to act on impulse and not have to abide by the commands of many. By the end of the story Edna goes through many changes in her life and ultimately achieves her goal of independence. But this newfound freedom only leads to trouble and eventually death. The idea of solitude as the consequence of independence is shown many times throughout the story and sums up Edna’s life.