If you were to only listen to fear-mongering, dark times of polarization and isolationism have descended over the world. You may think there is no way to bridge the gap between the great divides in society. You might even believe that hatred and bigotry are a human condition that we must live with. You may question the value of the human spirit and what we are capable of. I challenge that assessment of humankind.
2 of my last 3 projects have been exploring humanity at its lowest. However, these studies have also taught me about humanity’s most endearing qualities. Even in humanity’s darkest moments, beacons of light illuminate the abyss. Feminists and suffragettes akin to civil rights leaders have been the beacons of light in the sea of complacency from those in power. These righteous revolutionaries are the greatest representation of humankind; they provide us the hope of progress and of the idea of justice and equality. I think it is our duty as humans to honor Emily Davison and Martin Luther King as symbols of the greatest spirit of humanity. Yeilding your life in the fight for your cause is the picture of human strength. The human spirit is indomitable and the study of these powerful displays of conviction reminds me of humanity’s innate greatness and potential.
The quality that we all hold to fight for what we believe is right is the most appealing quality of mankind. I am reminded by the stories of suffragettes of the endearingness of humanity. Call me an optimist, but I see the beacons of light breaking through the event horizon on their way to shine a light on our world. Strong feminists are examples of these beacons of the human spirit that fight for equal opportunities for women. My studies have given me an added perspective on the experiences of others and how their experiences can help inform my journey.
The 20th century was a tumultuous time for women, and its events have shaped the lives and conditions of women today. Women have not only gained the right to vote but also were described as equal to men by the government. I laugh when I write about the progress of women’s rights because of how absurdly repugnant that women were not equal in the eyes of the law until after the 50s in Canada. The knee-jerk reaction that I felt is an excellent example of what has changed for women in the 20th century. If a kid who participates in public education sees these archaic policies as repulsive, it symbolizes progress.
In the project, we explored the different decades by splitting into groups and explored our assigned decades through research. The end goal was to present our learnings in a presentation in which the class would receive a full complement of information of the entire century. Isy, Luca, Caleb, Alivia, and I were given the 70s as our decade to study. The events that we choose to study and focus on were very symbolic of the greater continuity and change found in the entire 20th century. The fight over the ERA in the united states was a fight for women’s equality that was eventually thwarted by women who had a different idea for women’s superiority via inferiority. The ideas of traditional family roles and values would later become my major idea in my essay.
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The ideas and learning from the presentation’s shaped my understanding of the change and continuity competency. Despite the efforts of those light-bearing individuals in the feminist movement, women remain the primary caregiver in the majority of households. This was the major focus of my essay. The learning of continuity and change in the presentation translated directly into the essay. The study of history through the presentations was invaluable to my essay because it provided me a foundation of knowledge. This foundation helped me support all of my claims in my essay with extensive historical examples that demonstrated my understanding of the concept of continuity and change.
The writing process is a very important skill for me to master for my future in whatever my life may bring. Strong writing is required in a wide variety of fields because of the importance of effective communication. Good writing has the audience in mind before and during the writing process. When you keep in mind your target audience you can build powerful pieces that fulfill the goals of your writing. During my essay, I knew I had to appeal to my audience by using formal language and ensuring the essay met the criteria set out in the project. To reach the criteria I used a multitude of strategies like an outline, a research log, effective transition usage, revisions, and word choice.
One of the strengths of my essay was my research and preparation. The ideas that my preparation helped me build, helped me create a persuasive essay with evidence that directly supported my claims. My evidence had variety; I used videos, common-lit readings, websites, and The Taming of the Shrew. I focussed on using my evidence to drive the story and narrative of my essay by leveraging my outline to connect my points in a manner that was conducive to supporting my claims. Every piece of evidence had a specific purpose and every claim I made was to further prove my thesis statement. Staying on my message was an important element of my final essay, and a great example of how discipline, effective use of sources, and planning can help build a compelling essay.
One of the most challenging skills to master is how to effectively use tone in an essay. Maintaining a consistent and purposeful tone for larger essays requires a concerted effort. I used different strategies to achieve a consistent tone that would make my essay more interesting and resonant to the reader. One of the strategies I used was to start working on my conclusion and introduction to match their tones. After perfecting the two areas, I would focus on matching my transitions to the end and beginning of the essay. After I worked with the paper to ensure that I wasn’t missing any glaring tone inconsistencies, I could be confident in my paper’s consistent tone.
I was extremely proud of my writing quality of the paper as I extended the length of the essay. The more words you use the more creativity and discipline you must rely on to ensure its quality. The goal is to increase quantity without the expense of quality. I feel I have displayed strength in writing and my usage of evidence by using various strategies and relying on previous strengths to build an engaging paper.
When I hear Shakespeare’s name muttered, I immediately think of the pain in trying to interpret the meaning of his poetic language. I have previously struggled with understanding Shakespeare’s language and how to connect his themes and ideas to the historic connections. I often remember thinking about how pointless his ideas were when compared to the study of current events and recent history. This project yielded the strongest connections I have ever forged with Shakespeare’s work. The idea of the long-standing themes of women’s subservient was simple to understand in The Taming of the Shrew. I was able to utilize The Taming of the Shrew to augment my essay’s message. The value of Shakespeare lies in his timeless themes and ideas the marriage of story and beauty. The strategies I have learned in the comprehension of Shakespeare are transferable to all aspects of different texts.
The strategies that I have developed through the years were on display in-class discussions. I always felt it prudent to understand the purpose of any text before I began to interpret the meaning of the text. Researching the context behind a text is extremely important to the analysis. Keeping context and historical perspectives in mind has had far-reaching applications in all types of texts.
One of the activities in class was to discuss popular songs and discuss as a class if they’re sexist.
The beastie boys song entitled “girls” was a popular song in the 80s, and if you were to analyze the song, it has undisputable sexist lyrics. The class’ conversations gave me a lot to think about, and no comment made me think more than the following:
“Every pop song has the same sexist lyrics”
This idea directly supports the idea that our very concept of society was built upon sexism that continues to pervade culture today. Ideas about the context behind these song’s lyrics have led to me think a lot about the nature of our society’s values and traditions and their potential consequences. Expanding on my reactions to analyze and contextualize texts is one of the most important comprehension skills and one that I look to continue to develop in my future discussions.
Themes of sexism and misogyny are rife in history, and evidence of this fact can be found in a variety of pieces of literature. The Taming of the Shrew was a descriptive example of the themes and ideas that were promoted through history. These ideas of women managing the house have had a disastrous impact on women’s upward mobility in society. Despite calls for equality and the relative success of the feminist movement, women remain statically unequal to men. Women do not have the same opportunities as men; they face biases, and they battle cultural expectations. The innate genetic differences between men and women are real, but they do not provide an excuse and reasoning for the inequality seen in our world. We must celebrate our different skills and talents to improve our world.
