One specific thing we talked about that affected me the most in the unit was the "Thoughts on Women- A Timeline" worksheet. It gave quotes from famous people from 1500 B.C. to present day (2007). It was hard to believe that a lot of the negative feelings towards women are still around today. In 1500 B.C., The Code of Manu said "In childhood a woman must be subject to ther father; in youth to her husband; when her husband is head, to her sons. A woman must never be free of subjugation." And in 2007, an Oxford Area High School Teacher said "Couldn't the moral decline of our country be tied to women entering the work place?" All of the quotes on the page suggest the following points:
- women should never be free to decide for themselves
- women cannot be trusted for anything, especially making decisions for the sake of the continuation of the world
- women must accept the feelings of their husband, not their own
- women are not "good crops" but "weeds"
- women should be beaten so they'll behave
- women should speak very little
- women are below men and above children
- women were given too much power by nature (producing children), and should not be given any more
- women couldn't possibly understand politics, and women's suffrage would allow women to take over the government. instead, women should let their husband/father/sons represent them while voting
So much time passed in between the two, but the ideas are still the same. In reference to this quote in modern society, teachers are supposed to be there to support, assist, and encourage every single one of their pupils despite race, gender, disability, etc. They are supposed to help the other adults in the students' lives to instill the values, principles, and mindset it takes to be successful and happy in life. I agree with what you said in class, Mrs. Burnett, that the girl who this quote was aimed at with an interest in chemistry will always remember this. I have no doubt it made her question things, maybe her career choices, maybe herself, maybe even what she was capable of compared to a man.
In reference to A Doll House, the comments throughout the ages reflect ideas in the play. A woman was meant to have three spheres in her existence: wife, mother, and daughter. They were supposed to assist the nanny in raising the children, keep up with the running of the house, and appease the men in her life. No one thought they were intelligent beings, capable of everything that men were. Nora, the central protagonist, was naive. innocent, playful, and acted stupidly. She was the epitome of what a woman was supposed to be back then. She relied solely on her husband, Torvald Helmer, for everything: his opinions, money, and giving her a home. Nora was fine with being patronized until she had a realization that her husband does not take her seriously and won't stick with her through hard times, and mistakes she makes. She then proceeds to live him and her children so that she may go find herself.
Even though there are still some prejudices against women that I will never agree with, I am very thankful that most of them are gone. We have so many freedoms that women in the past were not afforded.
Women = Men.
