The 18th century was an age of change and enlightenment. For America it was the time of social change which ultimately led to American Revolution and establishment of the new democratic country where all people were equal by the law. These changes dramatically affected the role of women from been nurturing parent to also becoming a teacher and companion of the husband. However, the changes that occurred inside the families weren’t reflected into social world where men were still dominating force. Abigail Adams was one of the first women to question male superiority and the importance of laws for women which ultimately led to establishment of Women’s Rights.
Kim O’Donnell HST328: U.S. Women’s History September 9, 2012 Women’s Importance throughout the Revolutionary Era The contributions from women during and after the American Revolution were needed and influential. While the men in their lives were away at war, the women stayed at home to continue the care of the house and family. Not only did women take care of the usual household duties, they also played “deputy husband” and took care of all the financial matters. After the war ended and during the rise of republican politics, women may not have been allowed to be involved in any politics directly, but they did have a major influence on the men in the political society indirectly. From the home front to the work place, women had power, influence, and respect.
1st. New York: William Morrow, 2002. This mother/wife/former full time career woman tells of how her attempt at co-parenting did not work out because she married a man whose work hours "exponentially increased", giving her no choice but to decrease hers until they were no more to avoid their daughter from becoming "functionally orphaned". She writes of how she finds herself in a position much resembling that of her mother's, with a husband coming home in time for dinner, and she relates the story of meeting her own husband. Frustrated, she name-drops a few well-known feminists and the "womyn" in her feminist criticism class from graduate school, and addresses the issues they once mentioned involving motherhood and careers.
“Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if could.” –Abigail Adams In this quote Abigail Adams was stepping up for women to put a stop to their inequality for fairness and equality. She was an advocate for many women who are out there married with no education nor rights. She wanted them to be capable of standing on their own feet without hesitation or discourage towards their husbands. Abigail Adams believed women should be educated and be recognized for their intellectual capabilities, so they could guide and influence the lives of their children and husband instead of being companions.
Guadalupe Ramirez Professor Colette Morrow English 442 11 May 2105 The Condemnation of Widows in Elizabethan England and in Hamlet “He that woos a maid, must fain lie and flatter. But he that woos a widow, must down with his breeches and at her.” (Foyster) Hamlet explores a very interesting and complex topic in regard to women and marriage: the widow. The Elizabethan age was somewhat unique in regard to the woman. While it still held true that women often had little choice in their spouse, the Protestant Reformation afforded women a soul and therefore moral agency. As a result, women were allowed more freedom in the Elizabethan age than in previous eras.
Nora’s father took hold over her life by molding her to behave in the manner that he saw fit, “‘When I lived at home with Papa, he told me all of his opinions, so I had the same ones too; or if they were different I hid them, since he wouldn’t have cared for that’” (Ibsen 747). Nora did everything to please the men in her life. This attitude started with her father and then eventually carried on into her marriage, which only left her unhappy in her life decisions. Nora gave up who she was and what she believed in so that she could be seen as the perfect daughter and wife. By leaving her family and starting a life of her own Nora gains the ability to control her own life and form her own ideas and opinions.
Although women have the right to vote today, this is quite different compared with women’s condition back in the late 1800’s. Women were treated unfairly; they just belonged to their husbands who were able to control all of their rights and use a moderate coercion if they were disloyal or disobedient. Being a woman who is willing to break the rules to bring back a freedom life for all women, Susan B. Anthony tried to vote for a presidential election and was arrested due to being female in 1872. During her trial, Anthony published a speech “On Women’s right to vote”. In her speech, the main reason Anthony was successful in persuading her audience was that she clearly established an exigent circumstance early and effectively adapted her writing to the kairos of the moment.
(Page 282 lines 127-130). She has been married multiple times which back in the medieval times and even now a day that is unacceptable. She is also looking for her sixth husband. Back in the old days being sexual active came only after one is married and not supposed to be for pleasure but to reproduce (Lines 69-75). She then compares herself to those who live by society the "right" way, those are perfect people and she is not perfect so she does as she pleases (Lines 105-120).
It is hard to imagine the suppression and adversity women lived with only a few centuries ago. Our history has alluded to an inequality of women among men, telling us that women did not deserve the same inalienable rights; the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In Stanton’s “Declaration of Sentiments’, these are spelled out quite specifically and are drawn on by her own personal experience which speak loudly for the voice of women in the mid 1800’s. It is through the work of Stanton and her supporters that women today have the rights and choices they do and through the writings of Chopin and Wollstonecraft which provide an insightful look into the suppressed yet intellectual nature of the women of their day. The contemporary
Nygeria Pannell English Literature I Mr. Douglas Lewis 26 July 2014 The Comparisons of Women Women have always been looked at in English society during the middle ages, to “know their place,” when it came to men, being that men dominated the society. In the towns, society dictated what women did, and her main role would have been to support her husband, as well as daily work, and the responsibilities of her family. For many women, life as a servant for the rich people was all they looked for, and their freedom were very limited, due to the dominance of the men, example being not able to divorce their own husbands (Medieval Women). Being that the stories, Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Knight, and Le Morte d’Arthur were all taken place