marroquin ENGL 227 Project
vmarroquin
In this collection of writings and images I wish to address the suppression of female writers in the 19th century. Each of the women I address experienced some aspect of this suppression due to the cemented social system that was put in place by a male dominated society. There is no way to truly measure the effects this had on their writing, but it is evident in the adversity they faced in their life and the inclusion of prominent male reputations to vouch for their works of art and how that was a necessity for the success of their literature.
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In this pictorial illustrustion, Phillis Wheatley displays herself with the upmost care and thought. She expertly protrays her persona by exhibiting certain characteristics that directly address the very stringent stereotype that she was dealt in her society. By dressing in a demur civilized manner Wheatley contradicts the negative image of barbaric, unintelligent, lacking knowledge of morals and the soul, and being a woman of ill repute. Instead Wheatley is forcing her audience to acknowledge that her writings are valid and came directly from the cervices of her mind. She places a book by her while she is scribing some literature on a piece of paper which indicates that Wheatley possesses the level of education that enables her to both read and write on a level superior to the standard that society dictates about her. She is focused on her work while addressing topics of morality and religious content. Refusing to come across as ignorant of her status, Wheatley addresses her master in a respectful way that only adds to her charm as a young woman of intelligence, modesty, and civilized manners. |
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I am obnoxious to each carping tongue Who says my hand a needle better fits, A Poets pen all scorn I should thus wrong, For such despite they cast on Female wits: If what I do prove well, it won't advance,They'l say it's stoln, or else it was by chance —Anne Bradstreet, 1678
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Susan B. Anthony exemplifies the strength that women writers needed to be successful in the 19th century. She was an economically independent woman who refused to remain silent in a male dominant society that told her women were not capable of having voice that mattered in politics because it was not their place to have an opinion in such matters because one must possess a mind that can reason beyond the boundaries of the home. Anthony stood up for the things that mattered to her and proposed agruments that demanded mindful consideration from her male counterparts. She defied the odds and it lead her to become a renowned speaker for causes like anti-slavery, women's suffrage, and the temperance movement all of which resulted in change due to the collective efforts of women like Anthony and the male supporters. Not allowing the chains of society's mold for women to bind her down, Anthony emerged a woman who chose to be resilent from the blows she was dealt and lead a national movement. I believe that due to the time period Anthony grew up in she was able to break out from the oppression in a more obvious manner than her earlier female writers which is most likely why we see larger results of her works. |
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