A Critical Essay: Women Memoirs, Feminism, And Politics
HIST 214 --- CRITICAL ESSAY GUIDELINES --- SUMMER 2017
{1} This is a critical essay, not a research paper requiring additional materials. The Essay is DUE on TUESDAY,JULY 11, in class. (The main due dates associated with the essay are found on the syllabus.) Before that date you also must complete a related task: a 250-300 word (1-page) preliminary Abstract, containing your essay thesis and some further detail on its overall content and conclusions. This is listed on the syllabus as Thesis/Abstract, and is DUE on THURSDAY 6/22. When turning in the essay you must also include your Thesis/Abstract, with my comments and the grade, and the Essay Grading Checklist (to be sent soon). For this assignment you need only 2 required books:
<> Jill Ker Conway ed, Written By Herself, Vol. 2
<> Robert Strayer & Eric Nelson, Ways of the World, Vol. 2
The assigned chapters from Conway are by Vera Brittain (pp. 66-116), Emma Mashinini (352-388) Vijaya Pandit (438-488) and Gloria Wade-Gayles (569-619), also listed on the course syllabus. Your Essay must discuss these 4 authors. Just as important, students also must make full use of Strayer & Nelson, Ways of the World, which explores major processes in world history experienced by the women writers. (also cf. syllabus, p.1).
An essay is a specific literary genre, in which the writer formulates a THESIS or central argument, supports it with EVIDENCE in the MAIN BODY, and offers final insights in the CONCLUSION. Your essay must be 1500-1750 WORDS (6-7 PAGES) in length. You may write some more if you wish, but not much more; part of the assignment is to stay within length limits. It must have a DISTINCT TITLE which serves as a brief summary or description of the actual thesis or content (not e.g. "Critical Essay" or "World History"). You must also include the Bibliography found at the end on the Guidelines. The following requirements comprise two further parts: {2} the questions and issues to be discussed, and {3} specifications for citations and paper format.
{2} In developing a thesis based on the readings, you must address the following questions. Your answer to these questions constitutes your thesis.
--- What do these women's lives and writings tell us about major developments in modern world history?
--- What do they have in common, and how did their varied backgrounds and circumstances result in different experiences?
{3} Your essay must have AT LEAST 16 SEPARATE CITATIONS with SPECIFIC PAGE REFERENCES, an average of MORE THAN 2 PER PAGE. Footnotes (preferred) or endnotes are acceptable, but not in-text citations; notes do not count as part of the word total. You must cite each of the 4 female authors AT LEAST 3 TIMES in separate notes, though you may cite more than one in particular notes. Strayer must be cited AT LEAST 3 TIMES and only once from the sections on the women's movement. Direct quotations are permitted in support of your thesis, but they should be minimal and brief. It is your voice that matters, and your views developed through careful attention to the sources. You may refer to other course materials, but only to SUPPLEMENT the minimum total of required references, NOT to SUPPLANT them; they are best cited along with the page references to readings. Use of Internet materials is not PROHIBITED but is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED; the point is to analyze the assigned readings. One further suggestion: you can write a stronger paper by integrating your analysis of all four authors around key themes, rather than discussing them separately and in succession.
Essays must be typed in 14 or 12-point type, and double-spaced with 1.5-inch margins at the top, bottom and sides; pages must be numbered at top or bottom. Please include your name, email address and course number, along with the word count. NOTE: unlike the Map Test which allowed you to work together, you must WORK INDEPENDENTLY (apart from discussing the assignment) and SUBMIT SEPARATE ESSAYS.
*** DUE IN CLASS ON TUESDAY JUNE 11, 2017 ***
*** LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED ***
*** YOU MUST OBEY UMB RULES ON ACADEMIC HONESTY ***
*** DO NOT use ANY INTERNET MATERIAL without a full, verifiable SOURCE (not just URL) ***
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jill Ker Conway ed, Written By Herself, Vol. 2: Women's Memoirs from Britain, Africa, Asia and the United States (New York: Vintage Books, 1996)
Includes excerpts from:
-- Vera Brittain, "Testament of Youth," 66-116
-- Emma Mashinini, "Strikes have Followed Me all my Life," 352-388
-- Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, "The Scope of Happiness," 438-488
-- Gloria Wade-Gayles, "Pushed Back to Strength," 569-619
Robert W. Strayer & Eric W. Nelson, Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources, Vol. 2 (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2015)
Professor
Class
Date
Women Memoirs, Feminism, and Politics
Women across the past three generations across the world fought tirelessly for the rights of the female gender. These women faced a lot of challenges that were marked by arrest, imprisonment, corporal work, oppression, loss of families and even loss of lives. The women in their course achieved development of women’s rights, labor rights, women education and respect and honor for the female gender. The women’s general achievement can be illustrated using the England’s Vera Brittain’s, South Africa’s Emma Mashinini, India’s Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and America’s Gloria Wade-Gayles stories of their contributions. This paper will analyze two books that present women memoirs and their contribution. The themes relate to women’s struggle for education, their roles of advancing women’s status, and rights. Besides the hardships that women faced, women today can benefit from the advancement of modern civil and human rights.[Townes, Emilie, ed. Troubling in my Soul: Womanist Perspectives on Evil and Suffering. Orbis Books, 2015.]
Themes Presented in the Texts
In both texts, the authors address the issue of growing up as a girl child in the society and fighting the challenges that come along with it. In the book “Written By Herself, Vol. II,” the author presents the conditions the four women grew up in. First, Emma Mashinini grew up in South Africa during the time of Apartheid Regime. Mashinini describes how the circumstances made it hard for her as a girl. She married as early as 17 years to an abusive husband. She thinks women are being mistreated by the society as young as she could remember. Gloria Wade-Gayles also describes a similar challenge for young girls. Gloria grew up recalls a childhood spent in a Memphis housing project during the civil-rights action. She describes how the female gender had to confront issues related to racism, segregation and sexism evils. As a Black-American girl, she could only rely on her grandmother; mother and aunt among other woman so as to grow up as a strong woman.[Lichtenstein, Alex. "Challenging ‘umthetho we femu’(the law of the firm): gender relations and shop-floor battles for union recognition in Natal's textile industry, 1973–85." Africa 87.1 (2017): 100-119.] [Collins, Patricia Hill. "BLACK CULTURE AND BLACK MOTHER/DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS." Toward a New Psychology of Gender: A Reader (2013).]
Additionally, the memoirs describe how women struggle for education across the world. The global culture and beliefs did not appreciate women education. For example, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit had to fight a community that did not believe in the strengths of a woman from her young age. Rules at work settings including working places did not favor women. On another case, Vera Brittain explain that that female gender was not welcome in Oxford as she explains how she had to cheat her way into the college. Brittain explains she was forced to give up on her education at Oxford to serve as a nurse during the war. Britain blames her fate as a young girl on “the lost generation” that did not care about the girl child education and develoment. Lastly, Strayer and Nelson explain in their story how the female gender was neglected in Indian culture and beliefs and Hindu religion. They explain that the religion did not support the women education enough.[Khanday, Mohd Ishaq, et al. "Empowerment of Women in India Historical Perspective." (2015).] [Modleski, Tania. Feminism without women: Culture and criticism in a" postfeminist" age. Routledge, 2014.]
The books also explain the women hardship in the society and their role in the advancement of women status. Women face a backlash from the society. They are considered as subjects to men. First, the Emma Mashinini explains her life in abusive marriage. Besides marrying at an early age, she grew into a responsible woman and groomed her daughters well even after divorcing her first husband who was abusive. She explains how she lost her children to the brutal Apartheid regime. Additionally, she describes how hard the situation is even for other woman. On the other hand, Gloria Wade-Gayles describes the same issue. Gloria describes that the situation was even hard for the strong women as they tried to take care of their own family, work and socialize in the community. Vera Brittain describes the impact of the War even after it was over. She describes the fate of a middle-class woman in case of a war outbreak. Brittain also explains the struggle of any pioneer woman who tries to forge their independent career within the community that is unwilling to tolerate women education. Vijaya Pandit on the other hand also explains the suffering of a woman in a brutal regime. She explains that the conditions of married or pregnant women over that time. Lastly, Strayer and Nelson explain that the Indian culture and beliefs were a big issue for any woman who tried to rise to power or fight for other women and society’s rights.[Were, Marciana Nafula. Negotiating public and private identities: A study of the autobiographies of african women politicians. Diss. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University, 2017.] [Sékwe, Lebobang, Vent Soobrayan, and Nomhle Tokwe. "WORKSHOP ON BLACK WOMEN’S WRITING AND READING." South African Feminisms: Writing, Theory, and Criticism, l990-l994 (2013).] [Boyce, Niall. "Innocence and experience." The Lancet 385.9962 (2015): 18.] [Rai, Roshani. "Role of Women with Special Reference to Swarup Rani and Kamala Nehru in the Political Life of Jawaharlal Nehru." International Journal 69 (2016).] <...