Jill's Final Presentation

An important aspect of Jill's presentation that I especially liked was that she focused a lot on music uniting a group of people. They find comfort through music, so it becomes more important that just providing entertainment. An example of this was the new remake to Michael Jackson's song, We Are the World. Dozens of famous artists came together to reproduce this song in order to raise money to support in Haiti. In this case, artists were not recording music to get more money, but to help a good cause. On the plus side, they created a great remake and were able to do something positive with its profit. The song goes back to the major theme of Jill's blog of unity. While the artists came together to make the song, they also were able to unite with Haiti and help them out of the difficult time. A quote that I thought was interesting was, "Nothing separates the generations more than music" (Cosby). This also demonstrates that music changes over time. As we learned in class, jazz was important for blacks when they were segregated. It was a way for them to enjoy themselves and see the beauty of music. Even though jazz is not as popular as it was back in time, there are other types of music that act as an escape. For instance, the sometimes vulgar and inappropriate lyrics to rap songs are ways for rappers to open up and share their feelings about a certain topic without feeling like less than a man. The stereotype of rappers usually has to do with violence and drugs, however sometimes the lyrics of their songs are just as powerful as any other genre of music. For instance, Jill gave a great demonstration of the intelligence in Tupac Shakur's music. He talked about this difficulty of life that no one understands, however most would not see that side of the song if they simple labeled it as "rap." That goes to show a lot about America, though. I believe it is true that we have a tendency to judge people based off their race or background. Tupac lived a very harsh life fill with violence, but his music was there as an escape to unite him with his listeners. However, some never gave it the chance because they let his outside life affect them. As Jill explained, rap is a type of expression, and yet people are becoming segregated based on how they express themselves. Personally, I think it's ridiculous and will continue to listen to rap if that's what I like. It is the fault of America if we continue to let racial barriers stand in the way of good and thoughtful music. I think the main part of music though is it allows everyone to come together. It brings common interests together to unite them as one. It benefits people not only for entertainment but through connecting many emotions and even helping a worthy cause.

Danielle's Final Presentation

Before I watched this presentation, I already knew a decent amount about my religion, Judaism. I have a good understanding of our belief in God, and our history. Along with that, I knew about Christianity and some of their religion, but I have never really learned about Atheism. All I knew was that it wasn't exactly considered a religion. After reading some more information on Atheism, I learned that they base their views off of ideas that have been proven. Because Atheism is different from many other religions, people tend to not agree with their values. Most people want everyone to have the same belief in religion, and everything else besides that one religion is wrong. However, this is not the way we should be thinking. As Americans, we need to be open to the diversity that makes up our country. We are lucky to have such a large variety of religions, and we should focus on appreciating other traditions instead of disliking them due to different opinions. The short story Danielle read was very interesting to me because not only did it relate to Judaism, but it also talked about the punishment some people have to go through if they go against their religion's belief. The main character in the story, Ozzie, disagrees with how the world was started according to the Jews. I have never really considered the Jew's perspective with God creating a baby without intercourse, but after reading the narrator's opinion, I understand some of the reasoning behind Atheism only believing in ideas with evidence. The Jewish point of view brings up many ridiculous thoughts that cannot possibly be explained, so in the eyes of an Atheist, it did not actually happen and would not be part of their faith. Ozzie explained this idea to his Rabbi and ends up getting slapped because of his "nonsense." The result of this was a protest he had on top of his synagouge. He refused to come down unless everyone says they'll "Promise you'll never hit anyone over God." I agree with Danielle's explanation of this quote. She talked about the idea that no one should be threatened for having a different view about a religion. Everyone is open to their own ideas, and they should not be physically or emotionally hurt when religion is based off of an opinion. The video Danielle chose represented this idea very well with the Characters Unite. She brought up the point that all the actors and actresses in the video had something different about them. Whether it was religion, race, or where they came from, it didn't matter because they were all American. As it said in the video, one must "appreciate each other for who they are" and not by their religion or other characteristics that are considered different. Our country is so unique because we are able to incorporate so many different religions. However, it is taking it to that next step and accepting other religions besides your own that will provide a whole new level of comfort within the United States.

Matt's Final Presentation

After reading the beginning of Matt's presentation, I was much more aware of why Americans had a dislike for Native Americans. It began with the Native Americans choosing to fight for the British instead of the colonies. When the colonies won, the Native Americans were forced to live close to villages that hated their tribes. Due to the hatred between the two groups, the colonists often forced Native Americas off their land because of how deceived they felt. Although I do not agree with colonists' unkind treatment towards the Native Americans, I can see how difficult it would be to accept the "enemy." The Native American had made the choice to help the British succeed, little did they know that it would seal their fate with Americans for many years to come. After reading about the short story he read, I felt that one of his points referred back to a discussion we had in class. The two main characters remember a story of how they celebrated the Fourth of July as children. However, they celebrated the fact that the United States gained freedom on this day while the Native Americans lost it. They were only celebrating this day because it's a tradition in America. They completely disregarded their own culuture because of all the pressure there is in America to all be the same. Immediately after reading this part of the book, I thought of Washington's Fourth of July speech about how African Americans shouldn't celebrate it since they were not free on that day. They had celebrated if for so long because it was the tradition of white Americans, not African Americans. I think that this shows the lack of loyalty most have to their cultures. A reason that the Native Americans could be sturggling so much is because of the little recongnition they give their own culture. They decide to focus on integrating to American culture, however this is not entirely their fault. Our society definitely has put pressure upon Native Americans to change thier way in order to properly fit in. Another main topic that I did not know was that many Native Americans own casinos. There are very limited ways for Native Americans to make money, but they have found success in running the casinos. Even though some Native Americans have become very wealthy from this lifestyle, not all of them live like this. Many are still suffering through the worst poverty in America. Some Americans do not recognize this case, thus making them not want to support Native Americans. What the Americans do not understand is that the Native American problem is our fault. They lack opportunity because of the American government's actions. Going back to what I first read about, we forced unfair treaties upon the Native Americans, and encouraged the Americans to take their land. We caused their poverty now, so it's up to our government to fix the terrible poverty they live in.

Works Cited

Berkeley, Kathleen C., The Women's Liberation Movement in America, 1999; Hoff, Mark, Gloria Steinem: The Women's Movement, 1991; McQuiston, Liz, Suffragettes to She-devils: Women's Liberation and Beyond, 1997.

"Equal Pay Act (1963)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "Turned." Scribbling Women. Ed. Elaine Showalter. New Jersey: New Brunswick, 1996. 367-376. Print.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, "Women and Econmics." The American Reader. Ed. Diane Ravitch. New York: New York, 2000. 354-356. Print.

Graff, Evelyn Murphy and E.J. "Women Still Earn Less Than Men Because of Sex Discrimination." Opposing Viewpoints: Working Women. Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010.

Graham, Sara Hunter, Woman Suffrage and the New Democracy, 1996; Spruill Wheeler, Marjorie, One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1995.

Mansbridge, Jane J., Why We Lost the ERA, 1986; McGlen, Nancy E., and Karen O'Connor. Women's Rights: The Struggle for Equality in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. New York: Praeger, 1983; Shipley, Amy, "Playing Field Levels at Texas," The Washington Post, July 7, 1997.

Perry, Joellen. "She's a money player now.(Heather Sue Mercer wins sexual discrimination case against Duke University)." U.S. News & World Report. 129. 16 (Oct 23, 2000): 18. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010.

Rampell, Catherine. "Women Now a Majority in American Workplaces." NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 5 Feb 2010. Web. 8 Feb 2010.

"Women Are the Victims of Sexism." Opposing Viewpoints: Feminism. Jennifer A. Hurley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010 .

Pictures and Youtube:
http://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/jstratton/images/rosie_riveter.jpg
http://www.bp.blogspot.com/_Scr9xDXOiX8/SwRmUpdp8KI/XwSJKPqQGaM/s1600/Susan_B_Anthony_Older_Years.png
http://www.brookings.edu/gs/cps/ga/images/kennedy_equalpayact.jpg
http://www.general-anaesthesia.com/images/elizabeth-stanton.jpg
http://www.keebleantbks.co.uk/Bin_Ends/c_p_g.jpg
http://www.ourvoiceourcountry.org/img/timeline/Womens-Liberation-Movement-L.jpg
http://www.womenshistory.about.com/library/graphics/opposed_suffrage.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dPF0SGh_PQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjwn9wOLf5I

Analytic Entry on Current Events

Women have come a long way from the discrimination they used to face. They now acquire most of the rights that men have and are considered to play a much more significant role in our society today. Even though our country has helped women gain equal rights, sexism does still exist. It continues to be evident based upon the fact that women still have not gained equality in business, the military, sports, politics, and even in their own household. Because women still face obstacles in many aspects of their daily life, the importance of their role in society can be questioned. In the business world, “Some women have found cracks in the glass ceiling, far more have not” (Poe). The reason behind his is that women are not trusted with the jobs of corporate America. Large businesses still have more faith in men than women, showing why only a small amount of them have found those “cracks” in business. With sexism in the workplace, it is no wonder why, “Women continue to be the primary engineers of the cooking, cleaning, and the running of time-consuming house chores” (Poe). Women are put through the struggles of having to defy the unwritten rules of the public. They understand the problems that would come about if they tried to take on a job that was uncommon for women to have. For that reason, women make little effort to change the perceived notions that men have for them. Along with this, women tend to struggle with having a large role in politics. There still has never been a female president; however we have made progression after Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Even though this shows that women are still fighting sex discrimination within the government, they have been able to gain a more powerful voice over past decades due to the creation of the Nineteenth Amendment. That amendment allowed women to move forward in politics, and also paved the way for progression in today’s government. The fact that women are also paid twenty-three cents on the dollar less than men does not support the progression they have made. Employers do not care about the unfairness of this payment technique, and also do not consider the affect it has on each woman’s life. They still continue to treat women as less than men forcing similar to how they did in the twentieth century. Contrary to this, the country’s current problem with the economy has caused the jobs of working women to be valued much more than it has in the past. Men have been losing their jobs fast than women causing, “women to outnumber men on the nation’s payrolls” (Rampell). This was believed to be a monumental moment because of the progress women have made over the past century. No one in the 1920s would have believed that women surpassed an employment rate of fifty percent. What also proves women’s progression is that in 1964, “less than a third of the nation’s nonfarm payroll jobs were held by women” (Rampell). This further proves the significance of the historical jump women had in the workplace. In past decades, women were seen as objects, and had typical, low-wage jobs. Now, there are plenty of other jobs offered to women that never would have been considered in the past. It is clear that they have gone against the stereotype of being “objects” and have further progressed to having successful and well-paid jobs. Women have been able to overcome many difficulties with discrimination against their gender. However, there are still many more problems that they have to work through. This brings up the question of how far have women come if they still face many problems amount our society today?

Analytic Entry on Literature

"Turned," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a short story about the main character, Mrs. Marroner, discovering the affair her husband was having with their maid, Gerta. In the beginning, both Mr. and Mrs. Marroner cherish Gerta's physical beauty and willingness to learn. They see her as so close to perfection that it would be difficult for any man to resist her. Mr. Marroner unfortunately acts upon his feelings of attractiveness with the hope that Mrs. Marroner would never find out. However, when Mrs. Marroner accidentally reads a letter to Gerta, the secret is revealed and she sees no other option but to fire her. Even though Gerta is too vulnerable to resist Mr. Marroner, Mrs. Marroner still feels the need to become furious at only Gerta. She ordered her to, "Go and pack your trunk" (Gilman) demonstrating her anger towards the young girl, but not her own husband. Because men were imperative during this time, women treasured their existence. Mrs. Marroner did not want to believe that her husband could do such a terrible act, so she had no choice but to punish Gerta. This revealed the fear Mrs. Marroner had of losing her husband. Women were shaped to believe that they needed a husband in order to be successful in life. She believed that her husband was the only way to achieve happiness, so she did not put the blame on him at first. However, Mrs. Marroner came to the realization that although she was hurt by her husband's actions, she felt more pity for Gerta than anything else. She stated, "All that splendid, clean young beauty, the hope of a happy life, with marriage and motherhood, honorable independence, even-these were nothing to that man" (Gilman). Gerta had hoped for all that the typical women had wanted during this time in America. While she became emotionally attached, Mr. Marroner saw her as a simple fling. He had taken advantage of her vulnerability without considering her feelings throughout the whole affair. This proves the lack of respect men had for women at this time, and in some cases, still do today. They believed they could ignore any emotions, and do whatever they please because they were superior. Women were just objects to them, and although he may have loved his wife, it did not affect the actions he committed to fulfill his happiness. This further shows the small role women had in society by the way men took advantage of them. Women were not considered to be a real threat to a man's happiness, so they acted similar to the government by disregarding any opinions or feelings that they had.
After Mrs. Marroner's realization, though, she is able to begin the process of progression. She takes back her anger at Gerta, and instead turns that into a rage against her husband. She is no longer allowing herself to be viewed as more inferior, so she decides to fight back by leaving her home with Gerta. She put her life into her own hands and began to support herself and Gerta on her own instead of relying on the job and decisions of Mr. Marroner. As women began to earn more rights, they became stronger and no longer had to wait at the side of their husbands. Similar to Mrs. Marroner, once she had a solid foundation, she saw the power she could have had all along. It took a painful event to begin changing Mrs. Marroner, but at the end of the book, Mr. Marroner comes back and wants forgiveness. He has finally come to terms with the respect that women deserve. She now had the decision of what to do with their marriage, making her have a much more significant role in her husband's eyes.
Even though Mrs. Marroner blamed Gerta for the affair in the beginning, she was still being blinded by the reliance she had on her husband. Like most women during this time, she believed that having a husband was all that mattered. She soon learned, though, that women do not need a man in order to obtain happiness. By fighting back, and leaving her husband for a new life, she was demonstrating the willpower she had to eventually have a more important role in society.

Analytic Entry on Background

The role of women in our society today has significantly changed throughout the course of our history. In the past, they were forced through a difficult path of unfair laws and were also deprived of many civil rights that men had. This period for women is not often discussed because of the equal opportunities women have now. However, reviewing these events demonstrates the progress women have made leading up to their significant role in our society today.
In the nineteenth century, women did not even have the right to vote. No one questioned this until Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony became two of the most well-known activists for the women’s suffrage movement. They began to challenge the government after the Fifteenth Amendment was created, giving African American men the right to vote, but not women. The two women felt that, “the amendment merely expanded male suffrage” (Graham). As a result, Stanton and Anthony started the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) in order to try and appeal the Fifteenth Amendment to include women too. Along with this organization, Anthony collected ten thousand signatures from twenty-six states to present to the Senate. To much disbelief, the Senate “responded with laughter” (Graham). This demonstrates that even the government had no respect for women’s rights. They disregarded the effort Anthony had put forward only creating a bigger obstacle for women to overcome. Although it took many decades, women worked to display their power to the government. In 1919, Congress approved an amendment that would guarantee women the right to vote. This finally gave women a voice in the government, and showed their determination to change their role in society.
Even after the major breakthrough of the Nineteenth Amendment, women still had to continue their fight against sex discrimination. The government considered women as second-class citizens, and ignored most of their attempts for equality. However, this perception of women was soon turned around during World War II. While all the men were busy fighting, it was clear that America would only be able to succeed if they enlisted a large number of women for employment. Women were needed to do the very untraditional jobs such as building planes, tanks, and ships to even have a shot at winning. They proved to be just as capable as men at completing their jobs, however when the men returned home from war, women were forced to give up their jobs. The government viewed women as "a labor reserve that would be used only in times of crisis" (Mansbridge), and wanted them to go back to the jobs they were accustomed. Even though women illustrated the necessary skills to maintain their jobs, the government chose to ignore their efforts. This shows the little authority women had in their own society. They were not trusted with responsibilities that the government believed only men could handle, thus leading them to have little significance within their communities.
The struggle women had in the workplace continued even after Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act in 1963. The act was an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act because women were being treated much differently than men when it came to getting paid. The Equal Pay Act allowed women to receive the same amount of money as men for jobs that required equal skill, effort, responsibility, and work conditions. It also made sure than a company could not discriminate against women when hiring someone for a job. Although this seemed like a very positive action towards women's rights, employers worked hard at finding the loopholes in the amendment. What was not correctly defined in the act was the definition of "equal work." Jobs did not have to be identical for them to be considered equal. Because of this, "It did not prevent employers from reclassifying certain types of jobs according to a lower pay scale" (Equal Pay Act). A woman could potentially be doing the same work as a man, but paid less due to the title of the job. This goes to show that women were taken advantage of during this time because of their lack of recognition in the workplace. The skills women had were not valued as much as a man's, so companies wanted to avoid spending more money on paying them.
The lack of respect women received was evident during this time. It took several laws and amendments to give them the equality that they deserved. Through this long process, women were able to advance into a much greater role in society. It took these even, though, to show the rest of the world that women were ready for change.