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The Yankee Girl Analysis

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THE YANKEE GIRL
1. Analyze the authors views of women 's roles and woman 's nature
The short story “the Yankee Girl” by Catherine Beecher is an anthology written in the 19th century and is a reflection of the values of her times. She herself became financially independent by becoming a successful writer and gave some of the best literary works in American history. She was herself very enthusiastic about the favoring the women’s rights and was pro-feminism. She extensively wrote against the evils of slavery but all her works had an element of the women. She was of the view that women must be given equal status as men. She herself was brought up in an atmosphere that encouraged equity between the genders and even after her marriage she was encouraged …show more content…

In the analysis include at least TWO woman reformers whose views you think might most agree with the views of the author you are analyzing and show why?
Judith Sargent Murray: She was a essayist, playwright, poet and letter writer in the late 18th and early 19th century America. She was one of the earliest proponents of the idea of equality among men and women. She was of the view that women in no way inferior to men in intellectual capacities and should be given equal opportunity to achieve economic independence. She even adopted a masculine pen name so that her readers would not dismiss her views just because she was a woman.
On the issue of the intellectual capabilities of women her views would have most in agreement with those of Beecher. As she fairly indicated in her landmark essay “the equality of the sexes” than men were in no way were superior to women and had no superior right to be able to subordinate the latter sex. Beecher too respected the rights of women as has been indicted in her story, “the yankee girl” when she rejects the offer of the rich aristocrat. The protagonist, Mary, made a conscious choice to reject the marriage proposal because she wanted to give her heart to someone who would rather appreciate her emotions rather makes her a mere ornamental appendage to their list of achievements and bears them as a …show more content…

She realized that the role assigned to women would undergo a transformation with the changes in the society. She was interested in exploring the sociality of women rather than sexuality or the emotional aspects of her which were already widely accepted. The 19th century can be defined as being sexually segregated where the role of men and women were sharply differentiated. It was ‘unmanly’ for a man to enter the kitchen but it was an accepted norm for the men to indulge in everything from gambling to alcoholism. In fact, it was one of the most prominent points in focus for all the feminist movement of the 19th century which saw it as largely a men’s problem. But in the 19th century the winds were already changing direction. With America laying the foundations of one of the oldest and strongest democracies of modern humanity the women were being largely seen as equal counterparts to men especially with the women suffrage movements fighting to give equal voting rights to women. The norms and expectations of the “ideal” woman were changing from the one working within the four walls of the house and being submissive to their male counterparts to someone demanding their rights as a human being. According to Smith-Rosenberg the hostility and criticism among the women were so rare so as to seem to be tabooed but there weren’t any tabooes against

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For the 19th century America, the two sexes were to be separated into distinct spheres, the man’s public sphere and the woman’s private one. It was most common for the two sexes to spend their time mostly in the company of their own sex, and advices were given to the younger members of the society on the proper way of behaving according to one’s sex. Even though both sexes had to be instructed on how to perform in each other’s company, it was the shaping of a woman that needed to undergo through a series of instructions on the proper way to be a woman. A woman had to follow the rules of the Cult of True Womanhood to be considered proper and wife material. Fanny Fern in her writing appeals on and discusses the attributes of piety, purity, submissiveness,

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In 1790, Judith Sargent Murray, a writer and publisher from Massachusetts, published an argument regarding the equality of sexes. In Murray’s opening sentence she states, “our souls are by nature equal to yours.” The statement provides insight of the purpose of her argument, that men and women are equal. The men and women breathe the same breath of God, and that neither is lower than the other. Murray says that from her observations there are “as many females as males, by the mere force of natural powers, have merited the crown of applause.”

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One famous instance is Mary Wollstonecraft, who had a child out of wedlock and did not marry the father. Mary was self-educated and supported herself by writing fiction, non-fiction and translating literary works. But what truly makes her stand out was her 18th century book on the rights of women which she stated rights and liberties pertained to everyone, men and women. Another woman who vocal about women’s rights was Abigail Adams who did not hold back any when it came to expressing herself to her husband John Adams. Abigail implored to her husband as he was drafting the Declaration of Independence to not forget women who were a part of the new world and deserved a voice.

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The portrayal and role depicted in the literature helped women in the long run to gain acceptance and equality in society. The literary contributions made and for women continue to be a springboard for women to gain equality to men. Finally, the accomplishment of these women writers who struggled to publish their fragile poems and stories could spread a template for other women around the word on how they can actually voice out their thoughts and help improve their own rights. Thus, women will continue to gain equality and recognition, and this success will also continuously impact the

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