Eleanor Roosevelt spoke at the 1936 District of Columbia Library Association Dinner on April 1st, and she gave her speech, “What Libraries Mean to the Nation”. Roosevelt’s speech emphasized the need of public access to books and libraries across the nation. She used her position as the President’s wife, and her passion for education and books to appeal to the primary audience at the Library Association dinner. However, she addresses her secondary audience, rural and urban America, multiple times throughout the text. Roosevelt relied heavily on pathos, which was influenced by her use of syntax and diction, to persuade the audience that books and libraries are needed for the success of the nation.
Eleanor Roosevelt would describe herself and her husband President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; “ I’m the agitator, he’s the politician.” Sometimes while traveling and observing the country and world, she would come home with an observation that he disagreed with and would not support politically. The Civil Rights legislation was one issue that stirred contention between Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Society is no better than it comes to gender equality that would show how Sexism is highly connected to The Bean Trees including Barbara Kingsolver’s life, including other issues, but it is seen as that women are stronger than men as well in many ways. Showing how life was for women as supposed to men within society. Going back to the beginning, is it possible that sexism will be going on for the rest of the years to come!
Throughout history there have been standers that have been set by the time, that men and women have followed. Many men and women have had to follow the male and female roles set by society, the macula role and the feminine role. Each defining the way a person acts and how they are perceived by others. In the short story Franny by J.D. Salinger a young college student names Franny and her boyfriend Lane spend their time in a restaurant after being apart for a while. The spend most other there time taking in the restaurant then eating.
I would also agree with the acknowledgements made by the authors, Sesame Street does include other important elements that make it everyone's favorite, nevertheless that does not justify and make the sexist profiling okay. Philip Cohen wrote "The Trouble With Disney's Teeny, Tiny Princesses", exploring other big companies that include gender profiling and sexist stereotypes. With the increase of animated children's movies, the exaggerations made between female and male characters to differentiate them are excessive. It's obvious that males are usually built bigger, and stronger than women but like "they almost always promote the same image of big men and tiny women" (Cohen). According to Cohen, the male characters hands are typically three to four times bigger than the women's, notwithstanding in reality, males wrist are only about 15% larger than women's.
Women’s Role’s Edith Wharton born in 1862 became a world known writer. Focusing mainly on class structure and women’s roles, Wharton portrayed to the world the lives of people during the 20th century. Gender inequality, as well as moral and ethical dilemma was a prominent issue not only in society but, became evident throughout Wharton’s writing. Determined to share her experiences with the world Wharton disguised moral and economic situations in literature that allowed readers to connect mentally. During an era where social class and wealth defined a person’s entity, Wharton seemed to focus mainly on the higher class structure.
“I came to a clear conclusion, and it is a universal one: To live, to struggle, to be in love with life--in love with all life holds, joyful or sorrowful--is fulfillment. The fullness of life is open to all of us” (Betty Smith). Betty Smith, born as Elizabeth Lillian Wehner, grew up in Brooklyn, New York as the daughter of poor German immigrants. At the time, child labor was legal and Smith began work at the young age of fourteen to help support her family. Smith’s life in the slums and her experiences during the Great Depression greatly influenced her writing.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is set in the 1960’s, a time when men and women had specific and restrictive roles in society. Men were the ones to work and earn money for their families and women were expected to a caring and obedient homemakers. In many ways, those gender stereotypes are still very present today. The contrasting opinions of Atticus Finch and Aunt Alexandra provide the reader with the different views on how men and women should be raised, which in turn, affects the readers thoughts and opinions on the gender expectations and roles that are present in today’s society.
In The Sun Also Rises there is great exploration into the aspects of post war ideals and the effect these shifts had on society, a big theme throughout the book is gender roles. While some may read Brett as a radical representation of women 's right and all the newly gained freedoms, she only represents a small part of the huge shift in gender expectations of women. This is due to her social class and her lifestyle and because of this we do not get to see deeper into the independence that was gained by women in this post war world. Hemmingway uses Brett to demonstrate how the effects of the shift in gender roles and how they affected the lives of upper class women with regards to social liberties but does not go deeper to show the gained independence
This novel talks about the life in America during those times back in 1937 how many people struggled to live. Many people during those days lost their jobs. There was no welfare state or unemployment benefit. Disabled or old people had to depend on their families or charity and keep working for as long as they could. Everyone was so competitive in order to get a job.
On December 9, 1948, as the United States was approaching a proposal towards the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which seemed unfair and uncompromised, first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt displayed a motivational and moving speech to allow the citizens of America to come together as one to make the best of the situation that was proposed in front of them. The analysis of the tingling speech on the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will explore the deep rhetorical devices used to compel the audience and America, including the true purpose and background of this particular eye-opening speech. In paragraph 1, it reads, “Not every man nor every government can have what he wants in a document of this kind. There are of course particular provisions in the Declaration before us with which we are not fully satisfied.”
The movie “The Princess and the Frog” is not your typical “boy saves girl” movie. Instead, this Disney movie presents us with a strong female lead who doesn’t need a man to achieve her goals. In many previous Disney movies, it is demonstrated that a girl needs a man in order to get her happily ever after. Without a prince, she is nothing. In “The Princess and the Frog” the gender roles are presented to us as equal, even reverse at times.
As feminism and gender equality are becoming more important to society, the way gender roles are depicted in literature and media are shifting to conform to society’s views. This usage of gender roles can be seen in two popular contemporary animated movies: Frozen and Spirited Away. Both of these films are geared for younger audiences and attempt to teach important life lessons, like friendship and growing up. Through closer examination of how each film portrays gender, however, Frozen appears to not be as egalitarian as many have come to believe. Comparing both films, Frozen is not very feminist as it continues to perpetuate traditional gender roles and fairytale tropes, such as love at first sight and damsels in distress, whereas Spirited
Gender roles play an important role in A Raisin in the Sun. During the time A Raisin in the Sun was written the idea of set in stone positions in a household and society were common. Women were supposed to do house jobs, keep their mouths shut, and support their husbands’ decisions and men were seen as the headman or boss. A Raisin in the Sun shows readers a window into the world where those gender roles have a twist on them. Women in the time of A Raisin in the Sun were supposed to be subservient to men.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiographical novel in which Plath relays her own experiences through protagonist Esther Greenwood by highlighting the struggles she faced in navigating societal expectations, depression, and her own desires. Having spent time in college and later in multiple mental health institutions, Plath tells her story through Esther in a way that blends fiction and reality. Through Esther, we see Plath’s own interpretations of her triumphs, failures, values, and the slow but seemingly inevitable diminishment of her mental health. The story starts with Esther Greenwood in New York City, where she is spending a month working at a magazine because she won a scholarship to a special summer program for female writers.
