Virginia Woolf - A Room of One's Own

Women still do not have the same rights as men. Virginia Woolf believed that there is no female Shakespeare, mainly because women are not given the same opportunities (education) as men. Their ideas and creative ways are more closely related to the realm of the home. Everyone had a negative idea of women writers. Many books written by women were eventually burned.

Virginia Woolf believes that writers (both men and women) should write from an objective point of view. One should not write with a chip on their shoulder.

Women were not allowed in certain libraries in London. Men started writing with male mentalities due to their fear of the women's movement. No rationality behind no allowing women to go into certain libraries.

A Rape in Cyberspace

I do not believe that Mr. Bungle raped the two victims. At first I automatically thought, of course it's rape, as long as there is emotional harm being done as a result of some form of sexual harassment it has to be rape. But then I thought about it more. I thought about the ways in which I would react if this were to ever happen to me. Not that the definition of this act would ever depend on my own personal reactions but thinking about it helped to come to a personal conclusion regarding this horrible act. I believe it takes much more anger and hatred for a man to rape a women in reality. On the Internet, any cowardly person is capable of typing in these words with the comforting thought of knowing that they will never really be held responsible for their actions.

Also, part of the purpose of charging and convicting someone with an actual crime is to be able to collect for damages. I would imagine that in the case of a real life rape victim there would likely be medical bills incurred and almost always some sort of counseling needed. These resources cost money that the victim should most definitely be reimbursed. In the case of virtual rape, there may be real feelings involved but I would be surprised if any of the victims needed to seek counseling or medical assistance after the harassment has ceased.

Even though I do not believe that Mr. Bungle's act should be considered rape I do think that there need to be laws and regulations set up for this kind of personal violation occurring on the Internet. This is especially true given the fact that these offenses tend to be happening more and more often. Users should feel safe and able to use and create these friendly environments without worrying about others making bad decisions that sacrifice the reputations of others.

Class Notes: 1/26/2009

A Vindication of the Rights of Women

Information about the Author: Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft was the caretaker of her family/siblings at an early age. She was self educated; she went to London in her pursuit to write for a living, radical writer, 1790 "Vindication of the Rights of Men" written from the perspective of a man. She argued that it is irrational to distinguish between the classes of man. Wollstonecraft defends the republic.

Published 1792 - "Vindication of the Rights of Woman"

The word "Woman" used to emphasize the individual or category? This word usage is a method of describing a class of persons who have been treated the same.

Is the use of the word 'man' to represent mankind sexist?

Main Arguments: Systematic or structural sexism. Society through education trains women to not be virtuous or rational. Through structure and rewards, society trains women to be irrational. No one should be in power over anyone else; individuals should rise up as a result of their merit. Morality is compromised when power is given to one person over another. Example: The grading system on college campuses

Women are degraded because the instructions they are given are given for certain reasons. Soldiers are like women, they are disciplined in the same way. Both women and soldiers are educated in the same way. Therefore, people are as smart as they are allowed to be. Women are not naturally inferior, our social system has allowed this to happen. They are not nurtured in the same way.

Women play on the weaknesses of men in order to gain power. Certain weaknesses of women can become so attractive to men that it can lead to an increase of power on the part of the female. Definition of virtue is very different from that of the time period.

Class Notes: Pretty Woman

Often times, both the man and woman need to be saved. Example: Pretty Woman. 

Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition. Certain families need saving; this transformation is then captured and transformed into a one hour tv show. 

Taylor Swift- Love Story 

too skinny for her own good... 

Art is able to show the truths behind life while many aspects of pop culture portray the opposite. Girls being passive, waiting around to be rescued- typical. Today fairy tales are told to children who see pictures of skinny princesses and handsome, strong princes. This reenforces their desire to achieve perfection and the ultimate 'happily ever after'. 

Hey Cinderella...

The following song is about how women come to the heart breaking realization that the Cinderella-type fairy tales are unrealistic. The lyrics describe two friends who planned to get married and live happily ever after. The song makes reference to aspects of life left out of the original "Cinderella Fairytale" such as getting old. Yet in the end, the song is also about somehow being able to stay optimistic while remembering the dreams you had when you were young.

Most girls first hear the story of Cinderella at a very early age but for some, it seems to take years for them to level with the idea of the story being unrealistic. No one wants to believe that marriage is going to be difficult or that one day you could lose your best friend in a disastrous divorce. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it seems our society has lowered expectations about marriage and practically given up on the idea of happy endings. Though these 'happy endings' may not be practical, I believe that a positive and healthy relationship is still worth striving for.

Hey Cinderella Lyrics by Suzy Bogguss

We believed in fairy tales that day

I watched your father give you away

Your aim was true when the pink bouquet

Fell right into my hands

We danced for hours and we drank champagne

You screamed and laughed when I got up and sang

And then you rode away in a white Mustang

To your castle in the sand

Through the years and the kids and the jobs

And the dreams that lost their way

Do you ever stop and wonder

Do you ever just wanna say

Hey hey, Cinderella, what's the story all about

I got a funny feeling we missed a page or two somehow

Ohh-ohhhh, Cinderella, maybe you could help us out

Does the shoe fit you now

We're older but no more the wise

We've learned the art of compromise

Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry

And sometimes we just break down

We're good now 'cause we have to be

Come to terms with our vanity

Sometimes we still curse gravity

When no one is around

Yeah, our dolls gather dust in the corner of the attic

And bicycles rust in the rain

Still we walk in that fabled shadow

Sometimes we call her name

Hey hey, Cinderella, what's the story all about

I got a funny feeling we missed a page or two somehow

Ohh-ohhhh, Cinderella, maybe you could help us out

Does the shoe fit you now

The Bloody Chamber & Stories

The Courtship of Mr. Lyon: Beauty and the Beast

What does it mean to be human?

This story distorts reality, to make it more obvious.

Mr. Lyon represents the difficulties of being a young man and coming to terms with his masculinity.

Beauty represents a young girl who is disgusted by this young man/beast. They could be her reactions to his otherness and the fundamental differences between men and women.

Is Angela Carter suggesting that she believes men are also horrified by their own violent potential/wildness? How does culture contain this?

An entire fairy tale may only represent 10 minutes of real life.

The Cinderella Complex

The Cinderella Complex:
I think it seems natural to have feelings of incompetence that seem to be hidden for long periods of time. When a person is raised to be dependent there is no pressure to grow past a certain point. I think it is also natural for certain people to sway towards an easier lifestyle.

As a business major, it has become habit for me to doubt myself and my abilities. Saving would be nice but it would mean I quit. It would all be much easier if parents could instill within the girls that sense of being naturally self-sufficient.


The Cinderella Complex:
Cinderella must not be smart
She must 'do nothing'
But she has to be perfect.


Turing to "The Introduction to Weight":


Jeanette Winterson would most likely say that 'yes' the artistic retelling of fairy tales does help to contradict ideologies. When a story is being retold by an author, that author is injecting into the story new truths related to today's society. If these stories were not told over and over again, they could not evolve. Our society has evolved (maybe for the good, maybe not) and therefore our truths, as evil as they may be, are changing. As she writes, myths are marvellous ways of re-telling stories and finding in them permanent truths about human nature. Fairy tales can cause people to change their mindsets. Authors have the ability to write within these stories whatever they wish and the content can help to change certain ideologies that could have negative impacts. Most likely, authors would not rewrite these stories if there was no greater message to come out of it.


Ashputtle: or, The Mother's Ghost
Feminism: Parenting through self-sacrifice.
Could she have been better off with no help at all?

The Reality of Make Believe

When I think about fairy tales, I think about being very young. I can't honestly say that these stories instilled within me a real sense of responsibility or even the basic idea that with all actions come consequences. For me fairy tales were a window into a reality. As fictitious as they were and as weird as it may sound, there was always that question of 'what if' lingering in my head. Fairy tales opened my mind to ideas of freedom, independence and excitment. Most of which children do not experience often. These fairy tales symbolized what life could be like as a grown up - and that, in and of itself was always the ultimate goal.

Cinderella

Grimm Brothers, “Ashputtle” & Anne Sexton, “Cinderella”

Words that caught my attention:

Ashputtle:
Pious- A virtue, possibly religious devotion or spirituality. Humility.
Pitch - A viscous liquid, derived from plants or petroleum products.
Wickedness- Cruel, unjust, selfish. Evil which is to be contrasted with good.
Falsehood- In the wrong; antonym of true.
Cinderella:
Bonwit Teller- Defunct department store in NYC founded in 1895; upper class boutiques.
Blackjacks- Marine fighting squadron 441; shot down 49 planes during the Cold War; activated in the 1940s and again in the 1950s.
Al Jolson- Acclaimed American singer, comedian and actor; “the world’s greatest entertainer”; born in Lithuania. Painted his face black for performances.
Bobbsey Twins- Four star characters in the children’s adventure novels written from 1904 to 1979; twins were referred to as a “simple duplication of protagonists”.

Findings:

Although I enjoyed both assigned versions of Cinderella, I found there were more eye catching words in Anne Sexton’s account. Throughout her story she makes reference to well-known people and places in multiple descriptions. Many of these references, such as Bonwit Teller, Blackjacks, Al Jolson and the Bobbsey Twins, I was unfamiliar with upon reading. Interestingly enough all turned out to be American icons from the mid-1900s. Some of these references are used to describe Cinderella herself. One is used to illustrate the stepsisters and another is applied to one of the opening stanzas to describe a charwoman who lucks out. Unfortunately I have found that some of the wit of this story is lost when connections like these are missed and unrecognized. After researching these words I liked the piece even more than I had the first time I read it. In the Grim Brother’s version, I noticed words that either stood out due to my unfamiliarity to them or as a result of their strong meaning. The word ‘pitch’, which I have found refers to a thick liquid that comes from plants, is used in reference to the substance the prince placed on the staircase. The other three words: pious, wickedness and falsehood stood out as being daring and made the story more interesting and more dramatic to me as I read it.