In 3-4 paragraphs, please respond to the following questions by adding a “comment” to THIS post (rather than creating a new one)
First, please write 5 words to describe your general perspective of what Feminism is prior to reading this week’s assigned readings. Then write 5 words to describe your perspective after reading this week’s readings. Please write a brief reflection of how your views have or have not changed and why? Can you identify the primary ideologies and institutions that have informed YOUR view of Feminism today. [Please speak honestly, there is no “right” or “wrong” answer]
Second, After having read the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions given at the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention of 1848, and the two documents written by the National Organization for Women in the 1960s, do you think that there are any similar grievances that are still unresolved in U.S. society today? What are they? In other words, what are the limits on women’s rights that still need to be addressed and which resolutions have not been fully fulfilled. In your opinion, which of these is most urgent? Please draw from these documents directly in your answer.
Finally, what perspective does Sojourner Truth offer to both movements? How is her perspective different than the Seneca Falls document and why? How do you think her speech might have helped women’s rights activists? How might it have hindered them? Why is this important?
When thinking of feminism, the five words that came to mind before I read the assigned selections were: equality, change, gender, rights, and suffrage. After reading our assignments, the five words that came to mind were: citizenship, enlightenment, teaching, power, and opportunity. My views toward feminism has changed because I noticed that women have made a huge impact on today’s society. At first I thought that it was a huge dispute between men and women without knowing why. I learned that women fought for rights that they were entitled to. I actually thought some of the old laws were dumb. Basically, middle school and high school shaped my views of feminism.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Ain’t I a Woman, and the NOW Statement of Purpose and Bill of Rights, I think that mostly everything had been resolved for white women at the time. There was still this thing called double discrimination which was prevalent in African American women which Sojourner Truth talked about in her speech. That was the most urgent at the time. Now, I believe that almost all of the resolutions have been resolved. We have women in office, preaching, teaching, and many other things. The only thing that we have yet to see is a female president, which is close to happening.
As I mentioned above, Sojourner Truth talked about double discrimination. African American women suffered from discrimination of both race and sex. She pointed out that even though she was a woman, she was not getting the same treatment as demanded from the women at the Seneca Falls convention. I think it helped because she pointed out the inequality between women such as the division of race. She pointed out that different races of women had to be together first before women as a whole could fight back. This also hindered things because it created tension among black and white women. All in all, it was important because women had to open their eyes to the racial inequality between themselves before they could fight for their rights for women as a whole.
*rights,freedom,courage,power,strength
ReplyDelete*change,independence,fearless,empowering,liberation
- I believe my views on feminism have changed because i have realized now hard women had to work for people to hear there voice. Many woman had to dedicate their lives to give women the basic rights that men are born with. I am glad those women did that so women today can vote and do all the things that men can. I have become more aware of the rights women have now and grateful for the rights I have that I take for granted.
I do believe there are things stated in the Declaration of Sentiments and Revolution and the other two documents that could be revised. Certain phrasing in the documents still sounds favorable to men and there are many things in life today that I believe should be changed. Many men treat woman like property and believe they should submit fully to their husbands and I believe marriage should be a partnership. Also, when women aren't allowed to hold the same jobs or positions as men it is discriminating.
Sojourner Truth made it her goal to stand up for the rights of women and African-American women. Through her work at the Seneca Falls convention she addressed the discrimination women were facing because of their sex but she also talked about women being treated badly for their race. Her contributions helped women as a whole.
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ReplyDeleteBefore reading these articles I was uncertain about my notion of what Feminism meant. I would say when I thought about it the five words that instantly came to mind in my ignorance were radical, lesbian, equality, politics, and Jane Fonda. I mean, I had no idea and I still wouldn’t consider myself an expert on the topic. However, my views after reading have completely changed. It allowed me to view those who identified as feminist not as a separate breed of women but women who stood up for all women no matter what equality meant to them as individuals. As I read, I realized how much these women have meant to so many rights that I have as a woman today. I felt a little ashamed and maybe even embarrassed that I was unaware that the rights that I take for granted today were forbidden to women before me. I would say that television and my Father, who would kill me if he read this, were the primary sources for my views of Feminism. The first thing my dad said when I told him that I was enrolling in this course was, “don’t turn lesbian.” I can say that I look forward to changing his views of Feminism as his response was out of ignorance rather that out of malice. Now the five words that come to mind when I think of Feminism are equality, power, hope, change, and pride. Powerful women who hope and fight for change and equality and it makes me proud to be a woman.
ReplyDeleteWhile nothing is perfect, I believe that women’s rights have come a long way. I didn’t even know that women weren’t allowed some of these basic rights because not to have them seems ridiculous. I will say that something that stood out to me when I read the Declaration of Sentiments given at the Seneca Falls Convention was, “He allows her in Church, as well as State, but as a subordinate position, claiming Apostolic authority for her exclusion from the ministry…” I’m not sure how big of an issue this is for everyone but I have had many personal experiences in churches where women are not allowed to be a part of ministry. Their primary role as I observed growing up in church was to stand by their husband’s side. God forbid you were a single woman. Your Sundays would be spent with men telling you everything you needed to change about yourself in order to get a husband. That is something that I think is still unresolved and it is also something that I think is most urgent. My faith is very important to me and I think that seeing this in churches is very hindering to someone, especially a woman, gaining faith. I also believe, as mentioned in the NOW document that American law should be affectively applied and enforced to isolate and remove patterns of discrimination across all borders. This reminded me of a law that was passed in Arizona that allows law enforcement to ask for identification based off appearance. Hello?? Racial profiling. Besides, what does an American look like? I know that this really has nothing to do with women’s rights but you can’t take about women’s rights without talking about equal rights for all.
I think that the address given by Sojourner Truth brought a lot of attention to both movements. I think that Sojourner was speaking on behalf of black women more so than women being represented by the women’s movement, white women. I think Truth wanted equality among women before she could fully support the women’s movement herself. She says in her address that she works hard and these women don’t work at all, how white women have the world given to them and she has nothing, yet she is still a woman nonetheless. I think her speech helped the women’s movement in the fact that no attention is bad attention as far as a movement is concerned. It may have hindered the activists because it may have made not only white men, but white people in general uneasy about that fact that equal rights for women would mean equal rights for black women as well. I think this speech is very important in understanding the great depth that this movement went into. Women’s rights meant more than anyone in our time could ever imagine.
Prior to reading I didnt neccessarily have 5 words to describe Feminism. I was neither here nor there about the whole topic, my reason for taking this class. After reading this weeks assignments I thought of Feminism as something completely different! Now the 5 words that make me think of Feminism are confidence, love, well-educated, outreaching, and encouraging. My views changed because the readings helped me to have a different perspective on Feminism. My views were formed by mainly television, magazines, and my father. He is not one to give women props on doing things right or having the guts to get out there and try to change the world. My thoughts and view on Fiminism have been changing though, all thanks to my loving mom.
ReplyDeleteAll three documents speak of gaining equality between men and women. Just because there are laws and males and females work and go to school together does not mean that SOME men (no offense guys) still think of some women as incapable or ingnorant. Example: Men say, "Men are better drivers that women." This is a huge debate between men and women. Comments like this example are my biggest concern. I feel like this issue, some men tend to think in a superior manor over women, is still unresolved.
Truth has made it clear in the way she spoke and the words she spoke that her speach was purely for the rights of women, not to bash men. She brings a lot of peace to the table and you can clearly see that she just wants equality and the best that is offered for her fellow sisters (white, black, and every race in between). Her speech could have gave women's rights activists hope, hope that there is still a woman that is willing to speak out for women, no matter the costs. This hope could have inspired women. On the other hand, her speech could have ignited a negative flame within men. Then the men could have made threats against the activists who just found hope again. Then because of the men's fire the activists could have backed down and lost their hope. To every speech, situation, and issue there will always be a good and a bad, unfortunately.
Before doing the readings my thoughts when I heard the words Feminist I thought of Women's Rights, lesbian, cult, different, and hardcore. After doing my reading my thoughts had changed. When I hear the word Feminist now I think courageous, fearless, fair, freedom, and equality. My views have changed majorly because I finally got the chance to see that they are people standing up for women who were too afraid to and that they really have done something so powerful. Thanks to these people I have the right to vote and I am treated more equal than they ever were. Without them I wouldn't be the same person I am today. the place I really got my primary views about Feminism was from my family, friends, and technology. Most of the movies I have seen mock Feminism and from that it gave me a poor idea about Feminist.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing the readings I still believe there are some unresolved things still happening. For instance, there are still many men who treat woman, as awful as this sounds, like meat. They are there to do all the house work, raise the kids and "keep their place in the kitchen." Then their husband's go out and do the work. I feel that those women have not been able to taste a real career and they are missing out. Also I feel like women are still not able to get as high of positions in companies like men can. Thus we are still held down by men, but not as badly as women use to be. And I feel in the readings they are favoring the men in this way and need to revise this.
I feel what Sojourner Truth said ended up shining light onto both movements. Even though she was speaking of both, I feel as if she was leaning towards the black women. She speaks as white women have it made..."That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me..." From this it says they want to help all women's rights, however they need simple rights too. I think her speech helped the women's movements due to the fact it drew attention. All attention was needed for women's movements. It most likely hindered all white people, but mainly white women, due to the fact it called them out as being better then black women. However, this speech is very important due to the fact it shows other sides of the movement.
The words that come to mind when i think of feminism are power, determination, change, fear and politics. After reading the article I became aware that my words would still stay the same except I would add knowledge and take out fear. The reason for this is because before being informed about feminism, most do not think of how well-education and brilliant the women who were strong feminists were especially for that time period.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Truth was very powerful for black women and got her poing across to everyone. Every women including Truth who spoke about feminism was the answer that got feminists one step closer to where they are now.
For most women, the idea of feminism still exists today. Now that many women can still be mom's and powerful business women shows how much power women have gained through the years. I feel the same as senadolski, in the fact that men still do think of women as "keeping them in the kitchen," However I feel as though many men are threaten by a strong woman who can be a great mother, housewife and have a career of their own.
Prior to reading this week’s assigned readings about Feminism, the words that I would have used to describe the subject were a little bit different than my perspective after doing the readings. My view started off describing feminism as the history of women, struggle for rights, equality, courage, and power. After the first two weeks of class, my description involves bravery, freedom, transformation, determination, and dedication. My views on feminism have slightly changed, but they still all revolve around each other. The women during the time of this push for civil rights needed all of these traits to be successful. I think of feminism as a way to identify the women who are willing to step up and make a change for themselves. These women don’t care what others (especially men) think of them, they just want to be treated the same. Honestly I am not a feminist just because I would rather see a woman stand up for herself without the help of men.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that there are a few bold issues in the Declaration of Sediments and Resolutions that are visible and could be changed in our society today if not already done so in the past. Noticing that women have already been able to become equal to most men by obtaining high level jobs and respect from famous political characters, I think that the issues could be put aside for now while we worry about other things. Women have done an exceptional job in history of getting the rights and power that they always strived for. Women over the past decades have been viewed pretty much the same due to the ones who stepped up and made a change. The only social problem women have today is that they want to seem as strong as men are, and be able to take on physical jobs.
Sojourner Truth offers her perspective towards not only her race but also all women who want to make a change. She crosses several lines for African Americans and for white females, which was a very bold thing to do. Her perspective different than the Seneca Falls document because she made it clear that she works as hard or harder than white men just like most other women in the nation were. Her speech was so significant because she made statements to try to equalize blacks and whites as well as men and women. The fact that she would stand up for her rights, as a black woman, says a lot. She definitely helped women activists because she made it believable that women really were taking this seriously and showed incredible courage by doing this. Her actions were important because they brought in so many more views and drew a lot of attention to the subject.
Before reading these articles, I really started to think about what I thought feminism meant, and realized that I didn't know as much about it as I should. The five words I thought of were strength, independence, struggle, government, and personal rights. Before reading, it dawned on me that I haven't bean taught much about feminism in any of my high school or middle school history classes, maybe a little, but it shaped so much of our country's history but it is still something so new that not everyone seems to be comfortable talking about it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, I realized that this is what I've heard some about in my old history classes. suffrage, citizenship rights, having to obey to laws that women have no say in, but then reading the other two documents, I began to realize how much has happened that no one really looks back on, or, as a woman, thinks about how much people did to change the way society is today. In the 'Ain't I a Woman' article, she speaks of double discrimination, which is something you think would have been a bigger part in the civil rights movement, but is never greatly talked about. African American women definitely got the short end of the stick during this time. White women had the fact that they were white in common with White men, who controlled everything. African American men had the fact that they were men in common with White men pulling for them in there battle. But African American women never seemed to have any pull, and they went through the worst hardships it seems.
In the NOW 1966 Statement of Purpose and the 1968 Bill of Rights, you realize that so much has happened in recent years that we take for granted to this day. I have never thought about having someone not let me go to the college I wanted to go to, or get the job I wanted all simply because I am a woman. I never thought about a woman not being involved in politics, because I have grown up with them participating in it, when just ten to fifteen years before I was born, there were women fighting to get the opportunity to do the simple things they wanted, more than voting and being considered a true citizen. These articles have really opened my eyes to what women truly were treated like and discriminated against for. Five words describing how I feel about feminism after reading these articles are: opportunity, discrimination, idiocy, power, self-fulfilling.
Well, just like many of my classmates have stated in their responses I really didn't have a clear response on the overall idea of feminism. Honestly I didn't even know what it meant which had a lot to do with me taking this class just like Jaelyn said above. Now after reading these documents I have the perfect five words to describe this concept: leadership, equality, rights, courage, and perseverance. My views have totally changed after this weeks readings and also the movie watched in class. Feminist are very bold women but they are a very important aspect to the female gender.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we have a long way to go, I feel as if women's rights have come a long way. Men will never treat women the way they should as far as equality no matter how hard we fight. Another aspect is, the way scoiety looks today we may be in desperate need for more feminist to speak out because it seems as if they are laying low. The statement about allowing her in the church but excluding her from public affairs is just ludacris. Nobody "allows" me in church, I go as I please. That is a prime example of the progress made so far.
S.Truth made a valid point that is ignored often in my eyes. Women's rights are for women, not just women of a certain color. She put the issue out there plain as day and didn't beat around the bush or sugarcoat anything. I love the point she made about "Christ coming from God and a woman." She can offer the women's right activists by bringing the race battle into the women's battle. It may hender them because that subject seems to hender a lot of things. Truth was not only batteling the fight for women but also for her skin color as a woman.
@ Deneara P and Jasmine Curlee. I think you both made great points in your comments. I agree with a lot of the things that you 2 stated.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading these articles I didn’t really have a view on feminism. I realized that I didn’t learn much at all about feminism in high school and really didn’t know too much about what went on. Prior to reading the five words that came to mind were rights, gender battle, race and suffrage. After getting an outlook on what women actually went through to get as far as we are today I thought of independence, change, enlightenment, power and bravery. I now know that these women risked everything for one thing: equality. I also didn’t know that there was a huge dispute between African American women and white women. I take for granted these rights everyday that women didn’t even have back then. I couldn’t even imagine having to fight to go to school or even getting a job.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the articles I still feel as though some things are unresolved. Although women came a long way, I still think men think they are above woman. A prime example would be in the military. My best friend is in the infantry in the Marine Corps and women aren’t allowed in the weapon infantry as he explains “they can’t shoot a loaded weapon with 100 pounds of baggage on their back.” Some women are even stronger than men but they will never face this and agree that a girl is stronger than a guy.
Sojourner Truth helped women by making it known she was taking this movement serious. She addressed the double discrimination, which is sex and race and battled both of them. I do believe that white women did have an upper hand over African American women because white men were above black men. She tried making blacks and white equal as well as women and men.
When first asked to describe five words I realized my ignorance to the word “feminism.” The words which would have come to mind were single, man hating, angry, ignorant, close minded women. After meeting in class and doing my readings I have gained a whole new perspective on the definition of feminism. The words I now think of are educated, strong willed, teachers, equality and enlightenment. Over the passed week I have learned a new definition because of seeing the movie we have watched and actually seeing the women in action and realizing the commonalities I have with them. My views before were formed by the media and being around a family filled with mostly men. The women in my family have always had very strong personalties but were always the care takers and never were the type to push the envelop into a “man’s” world. I have always seen myself as the type of woman to push the envelop and being raised around a bunch of men in my family and seeing myself as their equal that I have always visualized myself in a “man’s” world.
ReplyDeleteI feel that many of the rights today have been taken care of with thanks to the women of this movement. All laws I think have been put in place to protect women and give them the just rights they deserve. With that said I still feel we have a long way to go in our society when it comes to enforcing these rights to the fullest. Yes, women do have the opportunity to hold almost all positions but you will still find that women’s salaries sharing the same position as a man is still not paid as highly as he might be. There is also a double standard while hiring women and some may feel that due to sexual harassment laws that the risk of hiring a woman might not be worth it to the company.
The Sojourner Truth off both gender and civil rights to all people. This movement not only included women but also women of color. This is different than the Seneca Falls COnvention because it is not simply limited to white women. This speech helped women’s rights activist by showing them a united front and giving them hope and empowerment.
Prior to even entering this class, the words that came to mind when I would think of feminism is, independence, assertiveness, oppression, war, and strong. With those words, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t used to give into the negative stereotypes, when I knew nothing about feminism. The phrases such as “ Yeah, feminism- those woman don’t shave” actually inspired me to inquire about woman’s studies prior to this class. I have always been a big advocator of groups and movements spreading a message. I am a member of the Speech and debate team and get the honor of being around a community of feminists, activists for LGBT, and strong willed individuals that strive to get a positive message across, so that is what sparked my interest in Feminism. After the reading the selections this week, the words that now come to mind are fighters, sorrow, purpose, equality, and morals.
ReplyDeleteI very much think that similar grievances are all around us every day. I think suffrage, struggle, and hope for change is all around us. I feel like the GLTB community specifically experiences very similar grievances in struggling for equality. As the perception on the proposition 8 varies between individual we can all see where the struggle for peoples understanding and meaning, and legal rights are taken into account. As far as woman’s rights we are still struggling for gender equality not only in boardrooms, but also the household. Over the years it has gained momentum, with woman holding 15 percent of the Fortune 500 board seats, but it’s not to say that it could be much more if certain issues were at the forefront.
Sojourner Truth speech was more than a speech with a message for woman’s right, but for mothers, African Americans, and also even for the white audience. There’s irony in some of the things she says that really sting to the audience or reader. For example when she talks about being able to be the creator of someone fighting for the country but the to be restricted to such rights towards equality. Her repetitiveness gives us a sense of urgency with out abrasiveness, because the tone of this is very poetic. She does an amazing job of incorporating pathos, and also does it very smart. Seneca falls hits more on urgency for ALL women to come together. There’s a sense of woman uniting; not dividing among races when they are all striving for one thing. The purpose I think of this speech was a call to action for all woman to stop battleing each other because of there differs in skin color, but to fight for the gender.
Before reading this weeks passages, I would not really have an idea how to describe a feminist. If I had to pick five words, I would have to say Independent, Lesbian, Equality, Women's Rights, and Strong. I have never met a self-proclaimed Feminist before and therefore would not be very good at describing one. The only impression that I have of a feminist is what i have seen in the newspapers or in the media. After reading the articles, I have a much better idea about what it is that a Feminist is and what they are trying to accomplish. Now I would describe a Feminist as someone who is Empowered,Equality, Discrimination, Proud, and Strong.
ReplyDeleteThe Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention of 1848 Declaration of Sentiments And Resolutions was a very empowering piece of work that brought many inequalities to my attention. I had never really thought back to that time period when women were not equal to men. Because of the time I was born, I never really saw a need for extreme Feminism. The articles brought to my attention many issues that have already been resolved. For instance, the article suggests that men are considered intellectually superior to women. I do believe this has been resolved because women are now allowed to vote. The National Organization for Women Statement of Purpose and Bill of Rights are two documents that are the next step in Feminism. It calls women to move past simply pointing out inequalities and challenges them to do things to make a concrete change. Instead of just whining about not having rights, it called women to do something about it.
In "Ain't I a Women?", Sojouner Truth writes a powerful message that points out that most women are respected but because she is black, she in not. She argues that no one treats her like a lady because she is black. She demands respect and quality which points out how unfairly black people. especially women were treated. Feminist were very vital during that time period in order to promote and instigate a change. All of these articles greatly changed my perspective on what it means to be a Feminist.
The five words that came to me in the beginning about feminism were: bravery, strong-minded, powerful, determination, and endurance. The five words that came to me within this past week's readings were: equalism, independent, motivation, courage, and fearless. My opinions did not drastically change from what I originally thought to now. I have to say though that at first when I heard the word feminism, it made me think of a stubborn, has to have her way kind of woman. Even though, those descriptions could very well fit feminism now as well, I have realized feminists are more than just that after really looking into it for fighting for whay they believe in. The media, internet, and some people I know either have a positive or negative comment when referring to feminism. My views on feminism have not necessarly changed as a whole, but I feel like this class will open my eyes a little more as to how and what the feminists actually did for women's rights.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the "Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention of 1848," I did not realize that women's rights were very limited, and how much the men were controlling and informative about how they expect women to live their life. A good example within the excerpt would be when it says: "He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life." I feel like with some jobs these days while interviewing depending on what the job is, most of the time, a man would get the job over a woman because people think men are smarter and more persuasive than women. Money might also be an issue, where people also think that men will make more money in the long run with their careers than women. An example would be from Seneca Falls Convention: "He closes against her all the avenues to wealth and distinction which he considers most honorable to himself. As a teacher of theology, medicine, or law, she is not known." I believe the urgent one would be where some men still take women for granted by controlling them in ways they shouldn't and also not realizing that women have just as many rights as men.
I believe Sojourner Truth spoke for both movements, and I feel like she was addressing that equality for both black and white women should be the same. Within the excerpt, it talks how she was working all the time, while white women would watch, and she would ask herself the question of that she is a woman too? Her goal was to make it known that before accomplishing women's rights as a whole, the topic of race and civil rights has to be established that white people understand that all women are created equally, no matter what color they are. This is different than the Seneca Falls Convention by it wasn't just limited to a certain people, where men said what women could and couldn't do, but Sojourner Truth made it clear that no matter what the implications are that they should imply to all women. The excerpt of Soujourner Truth probably hindered racism and being sexiest towards people, but it made white men and women realize that every race is included and will be included in further documents and decisions.
Before reading, five words that came to mind when i thought of feminism were independence, strength, struggle, bravery, and equality. I did not know much about the history of feminism. I just pictured a feminist as a strong woman who was not afraid to stand up for her rights as a human. After reading my beliefs were confirmed, yet also expanded. I can also add to my list things such as perserverence, sacrifice, power, confidence, and suffrage. These readings confirmed my beliefs that these women were intelligent, brave women that were organized and ready to fight. I would say that society has been the biggest impact on forming my view on feminism. Many people believe femenists to be angry women who hate men and who are not feminine. Society also plays a huge role in shaping the way women are viewed as the homemaker.
ReplyDeleteWhile there has been great strives towards womens rights in our country,I believe that there are similar grievances that are still apparent in today's society, for example the work place. In the NOW Bill of Rights, the second right listed states, "Enforce Law Banning Sex Discrimination in Employment." While there has been much improvement in this area, and there are women in fields that people would not have imagined them in one hundred years ago, I do not believe that it is truly equal. I am not sure if it every will be. There are still many head jobs that are considered mens positions. Politics is another example. Women are breaking their way into politics, but there is not equal representation between men and women because women have had to catch up. A great deal has been done to ensure women their righrs, but there is still a lot to be done.
Sojourner Truth offers the perspective of a person who is being discriminated against in multiple ways. Not only is she discriminated against because of her gender, but also becasue of her race. Her perspective is different from that of the Seneca Falls because again it is dealing with more than just discrimination against women. I thnk her speech could have helped feminsim because it put the experiences of someone who is being discriminated out there. She shared the ways that it was affecting her. She also countered many arguments that men would use against women. For example, when she mentioned that some men say that Christ was a man therefore men were superior and she countered that by saying that Christ came from a women. She states, "Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him." It could have hindered womens rights activists because it was also dealing with the issue of race discrimination. This is important because many groups of people were being discriminated agaisnt, and they were fighting for their rights just as feminists were.
Fierce, bold, rough, pissed, persistent
ReplyDeleteCalm, persistent, fighter, strategic, bold
My views have not really changed at all. I agree that women should have every right that men have and that they should do what it takes to get what they want. Everything that I read just basically reinforced what I already believed feminist seem very persistent, strong, and bold. I completely agree with what they believe in.
I believe that for the most part in modern times women have all the same rights as men. I feel that some issues concerning women will always have a double standard. When it comes to jobs people will always feel that certain positions will always be looked at as for a man or for a woman. Men are naturally stronger than women so I believe there are some things that men will always be better at then women. Other than that I think that feminist groups have succeeded in their mission for equal rights.
Sojourner Truth feels that both movements are becoming more and more restless. She is referring to the slaves in the south and the feminist groups of the north. Sojourner Truth is sayin that she isn’t being treated as a woman and Seneca Falls document is demanding that women have the same rights that are given to men. I think her speech could have helped women because when men heard her talk they might think “well if she sounds like that then maybe we are wrong and should help give women equal rights so they can speak with intelligence”. Her speech could hinder them because people may think well if this is there speaker and she doesn’t even speak right to convey her point then they probably not too serious about this issue. Speech is important because you need to be able convey your message to your audience and if you speak wrong then you won’t ever be taken seriously.
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ReplyDeleteThe first five words that popped up in my head before I had read the documents where courage, equality, freedom, change, and independence. Then after reading the assignments the five words that come up are opportunity, will, strong, smart and brave. My view on women has not changed because my view was already enlightening toward that subject. I already viewed women as having equal right and being just as equal as men.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions and the two documents by the National Organizations in the 1960’s, I realized that black women were not even treated as equal as white women even though they are women. Most of the documents were obviously in favor of men. And that marriage was viewed completely different than what it is now.
Sojourner Truth in my opinion spoke more about black women than it did white women. One of the black women mentions how that white women have a lot more oppurtunities than black women. Even though she is a woman. Her contributions not only helped black women, but white women also.
When I first heard about feminism the first thing that came ton my mind was a bunch of women who preach that men get all the credit and they are left behind. Those type of women just nag about how they are not treated equally to men when they really dont think about all the things that they have. A woman can now be president for goodness sake. There is not much more you can get after that. After reading the assigned work I now see that they Feminist are women who are just empowered by themselves and there is nothin wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions I have come to the conclusion that the fight for womens rights now are all out of date. Just like other minorities like African Americans and Latins we all have been giving many things. We can now hold places in office, have positions of power, and basically do whatever we want as long as it abides by the law. Like i said in the earlier paragraph once you can become president its not much else to fight for. You can fight as much as you want but the only person that can determine what you want is you, so everyone needs to stop complaining and just do what needs to be done.
Sojourner Truth not only fought for womens right but for the rights of everyone. She wanted to make sure that everyone was treated equally which how it should be. But she does favor womens rights more than others, but you cant blame her for that. After all she is a black female and they have been oppressed for there entire lives. If anything about her speech will create tension between white and black women which is h=not what she intended.
@Rod I feel that your argument is very strong, and it reminds me of mine. My boy
ReplyDeleteThe five words that I would use to describe what I think feminism is pre-reading would be empowering, fervent, supportive, enthusiastic, and progressive. After reading, I feel that I would still use the same five words. I feel that my opinion was shaped at a young age by the strong women in my family. I've always been told that the females on my mother's side were strong, independent, and educated as far back as the 20s. Also in high school, my AP Government teacher was very influential at teaching us to be open minded, accepting, and to always educate ourselves so we have an opinion to stand for.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions given at the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention of 1848, as well as the two documents written by the National Organization for Women in the 1960s, it just seems so odd that men thought that women did not need to be represented through votes, because they basically were denying women the right to have an opinion and be considered a part of humanity. I feel that the documents express similar grievances and I feel that in many ways these issues are still unresolved. The largest issue that I feel that is unresolved is that women are still looked upon as being below the man, not equal. I feel that it is so rooted into our history that it is going to take much more time for the stereotype to be completely abolished. The Resolutions mentions that men and women must have the "same consciousness of responsibility for their exercise, it is demonstrably the right and duty of woman," I feel that this leads into the male/female stereotype in that many women still feel that it is their "duty" to be a housewife, raise the children, etc. Many areas of society are progressive and totally accept women into different roles, but I feel that sooner or later the woman is asked something like, "so when are you going to start having kids and are you going to go back to work?" This of course is the nature of things, but I feel as though it's still something that women are faced with constantly. I feel that this is the main factor that limits women's rights and until society decides that women are able to wait to start a family, and/or society fully accepts the man as a stay at home father, then this issue will not resolve itself. Also, the documents mention "equal participation [...] in the various trades, professions, and commerce." and though more women now than ever are in more powerful positions, however it's like they have an expatriation date because it's either have a family or have a career. This is bothersome just for the sheer fact that I don't one day want to be in the position where I have to choose between one or the other, I feel as though it should come naturally.
I feel as though Truth made many valid points in her speech, "Ain't I a Woman", that compliment the NOW documents. I think that we, as women, were put in a terrible position when forced to separate to get the white-female vote. We are all women and should not exclude others. I especially like the statement she makes about Christ coming from a woman, basically pointing out that no one would be here if not for women. Why should that make us anything but equal.
@Ambre Rypien You hit the on the head with what you said about the reading, this stuff is getting old
ReplyDeletePrior to reading this week's assigned readings, five words that I would use to describe feminism would be equality, suffrage, independence, determined, and intelligence. Even though I understand the jist of feminism, I wouldn't say that I am extremely informed about feminism. I had no idea how much work it took to bring change about into our country. I would say that my views on feminism were established during the end of middle school and through out high school. The selections I read have changed my thoughts on feminism because I can now appreciate what those women did for not only their generation, but all future generations. Although I understood feminism before, there is much more meaning in it for me now.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, I fully understood exactly how little women were allowed to do. They were seen as reproductive organs, housekeepers/maids, and property. I think that most people disagree with these statements, with a few exceptions. There are still men who see women as mothers who need to stay in the home and cook and clean and take care of their family. I think this is because men are stubborn and believe that they are entitled to have someone waiting on them hand and foot. For some reason they are still set on the 1950s housewives who stay at home, have the house cleaned, and dinner made precisely when their husbands get home from work. I may be uninformed, but I do not think that too many men still think that way. However, I feel that there might always be men who feel that women shouldn't enter the work force and that it is their role to be a mom and take care of the house and children. I don't know if that can ever be completely resolved.
Sojourner Truth's speech was great. She draws attention to the fact that women's rights isn't just for white women, it is for all women of any and every race. At the Seneca Falls Convention, all that was talked about was rights for white women so I think Sojourner Truth's speech was very important. She deals with double discrimination and addresses the unfairness of growing up in slavery and working her whole life while white women were never required to do anything. She also has an amazing point when she talks about how men say that women can't have the same rights as men because Jesus was a man, but Jesus did not even come from a man, He came from God and a woman, Mary. Her words were enlightening, although I am sure they caused some uneasiness because of the racial issue that was not dealt with at the Seneca Falls Convention.
When I think of feminism,five words that I think of before the reading was women, rights, equality,suffarage and independent. After reading our assigned reading, five words that I think of are change, power, freedom, potential, and greatness. I look at feminism as a movement helping to put more women in power that are worthy of it. I have never really felt that women couldnt be worthy of positions that men hold.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the assigned readings, I feel that most problems have been solved, BUT there is still much room for improvement. At the time, there was this certain discrimination called double discrimination which Sojourner Truth talked about in her speech.Women have came a long way now. It is very very easier for them now. There is almost nothing women cannot do. They hold political offices and even participate in sports.
In the eyes of most women, there is room for much improvement in society although they now are albe to gain power. Some of us men still are closed minded. Some of us still feel that women should still only be stay at home moms or just be in the kitchen cooking for them. I don't feel that way at all coming from a man. I feel that men can do things around the house like women do and women should be able to hold power in society just like us men do.
Five words that come to mind when I think of feminism are first off, women, followed by protest, civil rights (although it is two words, let’s pretend it’s one) fight, and suffrage, even though it ties with civil rights. After the reading, five words that come to mind is fairness, pain, opportunity, power, anger. My opinion about feminism did not change, before I read I supported feminism, and afterwards I still did. Only difference is that it opened up m eyes a little more on what women went though and why they had such drive. It was more than just to have equal rights, but also the fact that women were being abused and nothing was being done to fix it, only the women themselves could the problems they face and they did. People may view feminist as angry women, my opinion, if that is the case, they almost had the right to be angry. Many people view them as being sexist and pretty much being angry for no reason. But women in fact had a good reason to be angry.
ReplyDeleteBetween the Seneca Falls declaration, and the Women’s rights of the 60’s. A lot of the ridiculous rules in the Seneca Falls declaration were revised, Women had a lot more freedom and were definitely not as tied down, but not every women. At this time Blacks were fighting for their rights. So Black Women got a double whammy, and that was mentioned by Sojourner Truth. Now I believe things are definitely equal as far a Civil rights. Women have high paying jobs, equal opportunity, and positions of power today.
I loved Sojourner Truth’s speech, as deep as it was, it also made me laugh. This situation differed for Seneca Falls because it also involved color. This speech definitely helped both sexisms and racism. She basically says that women are starting to get fair treatment, but not all of them, her skin color are hindering her rights because she is still also black. I believed this speech may have really opened up the eyes of people to benefit both movements. This benefitted women activist because no matter the color of the woman, she was convincing women of all color to come together. The only hindrance this speech could have possibly caused is a little bit of tension between black and white women, but even with that possibility, there was already tension between races at the time. So to conclude, it had to only have bought them together a little bit, thus helping both movements.