Blog 11

Woolf & Mead:

Oxford College:

I believe that it is important to explain that this speech was originally presented to women at Oxford College because this essay is all about the empowerment of women. I think that the audience can tell the nature of Woolf's audience because of how she speaks about women in Shakespearean time. When she begins to talk about how if a woman in Shakespeare's time had the same genius as Shakespeare did, she predicts that she would've realized that she would not be able to achieve the same dreams, be forced into marriage, get pregnant, and then eventually commit suicide because this is not the life that she was born to live. So, in  her speech, she is trying to motivate her audience of women not to be afraid to do the same things as men, if not do it better than they ever would.

Historians:

In the sixth paragraph of our textbook, it explains the differences of royalty and ordinary women. This paragraph mentions a queen, or a nice, fair lady, but fails to mention anything about an average woman. This further explains that having an Elizabethan woman of this nature, especially an ordinary individual, would be very odd to occur in the time of Shakespeare. Connecting back to the Historians, they reveal that if a woman had wanted to be just like Shakespeare, or any other man in that age in time, they would not have been successful. Rather, they would probably be bullied, humiliated, disowned, or even, in severe cases, jailed or beaten.

Changes in Society:

Since Shakespeare's era, the amount of women writers and actors has significantly increased. Women have been given more rights, along with the rights to vote, and the right to uphold a job similar to that of a man. There is an increase in female CEO's and we are starting to see more females in positions originally held by men. For example, I'm from Chicago, and I see a lot of construction. But, I think it is just wonderful to see females on the job doing the same "dirty work" as men. It defines the strength in women that we all need to acknowledge. I believe that Woolf would propose these changes as some of the most important developments in society, simply because they benefit the average woman. For women, however, talent is extremely difficult, even today. Although we may achieve similar goals that our male counterparts do, our talents aren't always accepted. There are still more males in school, more males in the work place, and more women at home with the children. Although, over the years, we have seen an alteration of men and women in the household and work place, we still have a long way to go in order to ensure equal rights, all around, for women of every body type and color.

Virginia Woolf is known mainly from her comparison to Shakespeare

if he was a female. This is famously known as Shakespeare's Sister.

Temperamental Traits:

Some of the temperamental traits of women include cooking, cleaning, caring for children, and sexuality. By sexuality, I mean having to look nice all the time in order to please their husbands/boyfriends. In order for a female to obtain a male in today's day in age, their attractiveness plays a significant role. Today, some f the average temperamental traits, such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for children are shared, but predominantly, still identify as main female traits. For the men, these traits include hardworking, religiously affiliated, must obtain a job, and needs to maintain a masculine body structure. Exercise and muscles are very important for these stereotypical traits.

The Price Society Pays:

While society may restrict certain opportunities for either men or women based on the gender they are born with, I believe that it is morally wrong. Society pays the price when they tell a male that he cannot go into teaching at an elementary school because those jobs are saved primarily for females. Female teachers are more common In elementary schools, but that should not restrict them from being able to apply for the job. It makes them that more applicable. Plus, you miss out on the different type of teaching that that male my propose, and once they have more male teachers in middle school and high school, they might struggle in classes where a female is not their main teacher. So, not only are we not helping the individual going against the temperamental trait, but we are not helping those that would've benefited from them entering that position.

Standardization of the Sexes:

When one gender appears to be more like its opposite, that individual suffers tremendously. One of my closest friends back in middle school was very masculine. Every thought she was such a tomboy and nobody messed with her. She wasn't afraid to stand up against a boy and tell them that she was tougher than them. But, as soon as she got to high school, everything was different. She grew her hair out, wore makeup, made sure that all of our clothes grasped onto her body at all times, and then, she adapted to the gender norm. It is so sad to think that she just gave up her true identity because society didn't approve of it. If  you're a male, and you don't have muscles popping out of your arms and legs, your six pack is non existent and you don't go to the gym at least once a week, you will be judged. So, if one gender doesn't follow the stereotypical traits of their gender, they will be criticized and mocked for their differences.

"Primitive Cultures":

I think that society should acknowledge our primitive cultures because we don't want history to repeat itself. The more that we focus on all of the great advancements of our culture today, the less time we will spend remembering just how far we've actually come. I just learned in my sociology class that they are considering adding a new identification into the Census in 2020. It'll be called MENA, which is meant for Middle Eastern and North African individuals. This could honestly be seen as just another way for the government to single out possible "ISIS" individuals. Although I appreciate the government being concerned about my safety, this is exactly what I'm talking about. The more time that we don't spend time thinking about our past, the more chaos that we will put ourselves into. Since 9/11, we have been discriminating those practicing the Muslim religion. Just because some extremists exist, that does not mean that all Muslims are like this. If we continue to criticize against one religion, more religious groups could break out into criminal behavior and we'd be in World War III. So, focusing on the original cultures of our society is important so that we avoid getting ourselves in any more trouble than we are already in.

Margaret Mead is well known for getting involved with equality movements

among the sexes and going against gender stereotypes.