Sample Reading Journal Blog

Barbara Ehrenrich's "What I've Learned from Men"

In her essay "What I've Learned from Men," Barbara Ehrenrich investigates her theory that women do have one very important lesson to learn from men: how to be ourselves no matter what.  Women have long been taught that they have to be nice, sweet, smiling, complacent, and silent in order to be proper and accepted.  Confidence is simply an afterthought.   Men, on the other hand, have long been taught to be vigilant in getting what they want and making their voices heard.  Although times are changing and women are becoming increasingly empowered, I think it's important that we remember that we still have a long way to go.  Even though we have the best of intentions when we attempt to empower ourselves and make our voices heard, it's all to easy to slip back into old habits of complacency and silence so that we aren't regarded negatively by others.  It's a vicious circle, and in some ways it can be easier to get what we want by being sweet, nice, and quiet.  But who is that really helping?  Certainly not ourselves. 

posted by: jlbrockman at 18:58 | link | comments |

Maya Angelou's "Sister Flowers"

In her short story "Sister Flowers," Maya Angelou describes how her life was impacted by a woman who became her mentor and taught her to respect and love herself through a love and knowledge of literature.  Angelou's story is significant to all young people but especially for young women who are still being taught that their education and self-respect are not as important as being "ladylike", "respectful", and "invisible."  Young women in our current society need female mentors and role-models who will help them to understand that while it is important to have "good" character it is equally important, if not more so, to be well-educated and challenge the societal barriers that women still face.  Often these barriers cannot be overcome by being silent and invisible.  Mrs. Flowers taught Angelou that she had an important, valuable voice that needed to be heard whether she was simply reading a work of literature aloud, telling the story of her own tragic childhood, or speaking out against injustice.  Today's young women need to be guided effectively so that they will be able to respect themselves just as much as they respect others and have the confidence necessary to make their voices heard regardless of fear or opposition.

posted by: jlbrockman at 18:15 | link | comments |

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