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Who Is Harriet Farley's 'Letters From Susan'?

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Addison Marceau Discussion Sheet #1 HS 221, Prof. Romeo June, 22, 2024. Full title and year. "Letters from Susan," Harriet Farley, Lowell Offering, Volume IV 1844 Author Harriet Farley (1812-1907) She was a prominent figure in 19th-century American literature and labor reform, known primarily for her roles as an editor, author, and advocate for the rights of female factory workers. She provided a voice to every woman who labored in the Lowell mills in the nineteenth century. As editor of "The Lowell Offering," she contributed to publishing their experiences and stories, highlighting their dedication, intelligence, and innovation to the world. Intention and Audience This letter describes a day in the life of a female factory worker. It …show more content…

"Letters from Susan," Harriet Farley, Lowell Offering, Volume IV 1844 Author Harriet Farley (1812-1907) She was a prominent figure in 19th-century American literature and labor reform, known primarily for her roles as an editor, author, and advocate for the rights of female factory workers. She provided a voice to every woman who labored in the Lowell mills in the nineteenth century. As editor of "The Lowell Offering," she contributed to publishing their experiences and stories, highlighting their dedication, intelligence, and innovation to the world. Intention and Audience This letter describes a day in the life of a female factory worker. It describes the working conditions, housing, and relationships formed. The writer explains the girls' challenges and how they maintain a cheery disposition. She discusses how the positive experiences outweigh the negatives and persuades more women to come work in the factory. Summary of …show more content…

She describes her daily routine as a mill worker. They had a set schedule from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. As harsh as it sounds, they did not have as bad of a schedule as other laborers because, after 7 p.m., they had the luxury of having their evenings free. She talked about their struggles and how factory life was not an ideal job, but they made the best of it. The job is less physically demanding than other jobs they could be doing. She talks about how farm work is one of those jobs. She talks about that job being very hard, and they have a more difficult schedule to follow than their factory right now. The girls stayed very positive and hopeful of better times to come. She describes how she gets along with all her coworkers. They all have good relationships with each other, and they end up resolving any conflicts they have efficiently. She explained that everyone supported each other while working in the

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She hints at this when the textbook states “We are exploited more ruthlessly than men. Wherever wages are to be reduced the capitalist class use women to reduce them” (American Yawp). From this quote one can see that because of their gender, women were social and political targets during this time, as a result of men from the capitalist class implementing laws that only benefited them but affected women. This can also be connected back to chapter 19 of the textbook when it mentions the story of a young woman named Margaret McLeod who, in 1903, was in need of income and met Alexander Mac Willie who presented her a job working essentially as a model for the product he was selling in hopes to gain popularity (American Yawp). Opportunities for women were very different during this time as well.

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School started at seven forty five and ended at six thirty. She knew that it was not going to be an easy transition but with hardwork and dedication she knew she could do it. At OSS she had to take alot of new classes like etiquette class, art class, and drama class. These were all new things for her. At first she was struggling in these classes, but after getting used to the flow of everything

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These young women,many being immigrants, worked six or seven days a week for wages of approximately $5, crammed into dark spaces with little ventilation . This factory like so many others was owned and run by men who were more interested in males working in the higher-paid jobs, while assuming women were less skilled and less willing to fight for equality. “The shops are unsanitary - that's the word that is generally used, but there ought to be a worse one used. Whenever we tear or damage any of the goods we sew on, or whenever it is found damaged after we are through with it, whether we have done it or not, we are charged for the piece and sometimes for a whole yard of the material. ”(7).

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Eventually, she receives a job at Wal-Mart working in softlines. The remainder of the chapter will take you through the difficulties of her job and the difficulty she faces to find a reasonable place to call home. In the Evaluation, Ehrenreich judges her performance with experiment as well as her ability to successfully acquire

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The dangers of working in factories gave a great perspective of what it was like to do a man’s job, but women weren’t afraid. They desired equality and

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So, women and minorities began working in the factories because the men were leaving for the Second World War. The United States of America was changing. To boost morale on the hard day at the factories, the women looked to figures like “ Rosie the Riveter “ and “ Wendy the Welder “ in Document One. They had catchphrases like “ We Can Do It! “ to keep their spirit high and keep working to win the World War Two.

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Working as a recording clerk in washington D.C., she received a salary of 1,400 dollars annually as did her male co-workers. She was removed from a lowered position by a “Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland, who opposed women working in government” as stated by the NWHM. After returning in 1860, however, she quit her job the following year to bring supplies to union soldiers in need. She had found her calling. Taking a step further, she became an independent nurse and cared for wounded soldiers like she had for her brother.

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Factory Girl said, “one of the most lucrative female employments should be rejected because it is toilsome, or because some people are prejudiced against it. Yankee girls have too much independence for that” (Doc B) because Orestes Brownson said that factory work is immoral for women. Another worker, Lucy Ann, said “if I go to Oberlin I take comfort & forget all those long wearisome mill days & perhaps I prepare myself for usefulness in this life. ” (Doc F) because her parents and neighbors keep taking her hard earned money instead of it being hers.

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When she becomes the editor of a school newspaper in the tenth grade, she has already planned her career. She can engage with other pupils in a pleasant way and with grace thanks to her profession. In addition to serving as the school's news editor, she lands an actual job in Greenwich Village as a waitress. Before finally boarding a morning bus to New York City, she also submits applications to colleges there. She works several jobs in New York after arriving there before landing a full-time position at a magazine company and moving in with her partner.

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In doing so, these working women began to have the ability to support themselves, and, therefore, tended to rely less on men. However, these women not only defied the workplace’s principles, but also condemned society’s gender

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Women faced discrimination based on the fact that many people still held their traditional values and were even more outraged at the thought of women taking their jobs. The purpose of this piece was to reflect on the absence of women society and to ask what could have been happening to them during the time. Men believed that it was wrong to hire women when their were mass numbers of unemployed men. Although women were suffering in the same fashion, people believed that they were taking away jobs and should return to their role in the home. Women like Frances Perkins were advancing during they were not always accepted in the positions they were taking.

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More jobs are opened and more people are employed. She recommends girls to come work at Lowell. The recommendation supplies new job opportunities, for girls who want a place to work. “A picture of an Early Industrial Plant shows how towns surrounded factories and the growth of cities” (Document 3). Due to the formulation of factories, people were employed to work in them.

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Not only, did Mrs. A. J. Graves support the pastoralization of housework and gender spheres so did Catherine Beecher. Beecher argued that housework was hard work, but believed women’s work in the home administered the gentler charities of life. Boydston writes, “Beecher enjoyed the new standing afford middle-class women by their roles as moral guardians to their families and to societies, and based much of her own claim to status as a woman on the presumed differences between herself and immigrant and laboring-class women.” For middle-class women, women were given more of an influence in their

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Everyday, she excels in her job of caring for the children and making a difference in the community. Due to her kindness she would always bring thoughtful gifts for the children. She doesn 't have to do the classes with the children everyday but she continues to do it like Sylvia says “school supposed to let out in the summer I heard, but she dont never let up” (Bambara 96). The lessons learned while earning her degree has lead her to becoming a positive role model in the children 's lives; nonetheless, teaching them lessons that may never learn from others. She shows her passion in the story by saying “she said, it was only her right that she take responsibility for the young ones’ education.

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Do you ever wonder why your parents blame themselves when you make a mistake? This is because you are what your parents have molded you to become. Your parents teach you what they know from their experiences, so when you fail, it is like they failed as well. Thinking in this mindset, do you have your own personality and thoughts, or are you a piece of everyone who you’ve ever known? Chuck Palahniuk said “Nothing of me is original, I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.”

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