House Husbands Unite!

I think women in the current society are often called to “put on” masculinity in order to perform the role of their particular position in the work place. The prescribed behavior for the workplace is dictated for the most part by a male society, therefore, acceptable behavior in the work place is profiled by a masculine perspective.

I found it interesting how Almira Paul noted in the story that she did her job as well as any other man, yet she was a women. The fact that she pointed this out in her story indicates that she resisted the “man’s job” mindset. She did not have to be a man, literally, to do the same job well.

The flip side of the gender role is the modern day house husband. I am always perplexed by this title, as I am by the title of house wife. Both terms could be taken as being married to the house. How funny! But, that issue aside, men today do take on the role that is generally relegated to the female population such as house husband or stay at home dad. Do they really take on or “perform femininity?”. I don’t think so. The role itself is task enough for two football teams. The fact that men today often find themselves in this role has given it a new qualification. It is almost as if the fact that men now understand the tremendous task and importance of maintaining a household, it has validity.

Teach Your Children Well

The portrayal of Charlotte's parents produces a very positive image. They seemed to not only follow through on their role as parents but also, loved being parents. They treasured and loved their child. The fact that Charlotte loved them so deeply and did not want to disappoint them is quite evident. Her heart was torn between following her heart, however deceived it was, and conforming to what she knew to be a wise choice that would have brought honor to her parents.

Although most people do not send their young adolescents off to a boarding school for training any longer, The Temple’s were pretty much the same as parents of today. Most parents today want good things for their children and are willing to make the sacrifices in order to make that happen. Their role as overseers of Charlotte’s welfare is consistent with contemporary parents. Not to say that all parents are perfect, but they were doing the best that they knew how. I do not think you can ask for more than that.

Contemporary parents of today have a different set of challenges in raising their children. There is the internet, the onslaught of the cell phone, TV, movies, etc. to lure their beautiful, precious children away from all that is secure and safe. Where the Temples had the seducer, Montraville, the parents of today have a million more “Montravilian” hooks to destroy the lives of their children. So, the question is how can parents today save their daughters and sons from a “treacherous heart” that leads to betrayal and abuse?

I do not know that I have the final answer, but I do have a viewpoint as a parent. I have three sons that I have wished to protect as diligently as any daughter. There are many females in our culture that have no morals and do not have the best interest of my child at heart. The fate of their wellbeing is far from their concern. To be honest, I have tried to teach them well. I have tried to put down parameters of behavior that if followed, generally lead to safe passage into adulthood. My husband and I have tried to be consistent and not too strict, although the young men of my household might argue the strict part. One of the things that I do wish to point out is the personal responsibility. Teaching your child to be responsible for his or her own behavior is critical. In order to do this, you have to give them permission to make mistakes when the stakes are not so high. If anything could have potentially changed Charlotte’s decision making, it could be that she was in a situation where she was not capable of making a good decision based on a solid decision making process. Can that be taught? I think as parents, we must teach our children to make good decisions. They will not always be right, but as a parent, I don’t always make perfect decisions. Teaching your children that all decisions, good or bad, have consequences is critical.

If My Pen Could Talk

If the author of "Novel Reading: A Cause of Female Depravity" were writing today, his or her subject would probably be the internet. To say the least, I think we have definitely steered away from the seduction novels of the past. It would be appropriate to say that anything and everything goes especially on the internet. You can find content or text on any subject on the internet. You can read it in the privacy of your home and no one would ever know. Along with internet dating, it is possible to find articles on female seduction, male seduction and just about anything the mind can dream. But, does that make it wise to subject your mind to any and all things that are depraved? Have we as a society decided that no subject is taboo?

There are so many great resources on the internet. But, occasionally I stumble across "resources" that leave me blushing. I quickly steer away from the page. Would our author define that sort of experience as eliciting "female depravity"? The intense exposure to the culture at large leaves one open to all sorts of influences good and bad. I feel sure that the authors of the articles we have discussed this week had no clue of the internet, but oh my goodness, if their pens could talk now!

Blurry Filters

When I think back on the texts that we have been reading over the last three weeks I find that there is a definite shift from the patriarchal culture. The purpose and intent of most of these articles is completely different from the earlier ones we have read this semester. In a way, that has been a good change for me. The articles are quite humorous in some ways and definitely seem to be an odd filter for didactic literature. The language of these articles serve to make it laborious reading for the modern viewer. The general intent and the vocabulary blur the message. Each one required an effort on my part to understand the tone and message they were trying to relate.

The first few articles we read lean toward trying to warn or teach young women how to behave socially to prevent any misconceptions others might have of them. The one that particularly comes to mind is the article “Copy of a Letter from Miss---- to Mr.” In this particular article, the writer, Eliza, is lamenting her social indiscretions committed with this particular young man. She states “If female virtue consists, as I have sometimes been told, in female reputation, any virtue is indeed gone; but if, as my soberer reason teaches, virtue to be independent of human opinion, I feel myself its ardent votary, and my heart is pregnant with it nobles principles.” Not only is the language of this writer foreign to the modern reader, but it is so verbose. It seems so foreign to increase the number of words to express one’s thoughts when we are constantly in a media culture of the fewest lines possible. Our technology leans toward lean communication.

Finding relevance in these articles is not difficult once the extravagant language is bypassed. The particular article that spoke to me the most was “The Passenger ---No XL”. It addresses some issues that I think are still relevant in what we consider our modern culture. For example, the Doctor “remarked, that it had ever appeared to him that some correction was wanting in our laws, to curb the tyranny of a base husband, over an unoffending wife, whom he had voluntarily bound himself to protect and to cherish. In other cases, said he, men are bound to fulfill their obligations according to their tenor; if this same cruel husband had promised a sum of money, the laws would oblige him to pay it.” We addressed in class how this particular issue stands out as a new thought during this error. This doctor saw the need to address the crime of treating one’s wife with less responsibility than the law required for financial obligations. I think the fact that this is pointed out in this article drew my attention to the ludicrous double standards that society accepts in the arena of marriage. This particular article comes closer to the current modern reader’s concept of written communication and therefore, I thought it was easier to digest and understand.

FOR THE LOVE.......

Although many of the texts we read in class this week point to the scoundrel rake, I also felt like I was reading someone’s love letter. This type of print might have been the result of a gravitational pull away from patriarchal structure of arranged marriages, but it also reflects romantic love in a way that reaches the heart of the reader. No longer drowning in facts and figures, we get to hear their thoughts. The loss of chastity disguises the fact that someone’s heart has been broken. One such text is the “Story of Amelia”. In the title on the article, it is included that this article was extracted from one of her letters to a Friend.

The fact that this young woman wrote this letter as a warning to “such of my sex” could support that an arranged marriage would act as a safety net. Although she says she “had virtuous examples before me daily:” she still fell victim to “an enemy within my own bosom”. It would be easy to point to the arranged marriage as the savior of this young woman’s fate. But, then again it seems that her parents surrounded her with everything that would have equipped her to be successful at this stage in her life, but she fell victim to love. So, what does love have to do with it? Everything!

It seems to me that the male seducer in this letter knew exactly how to extract love from the heart of his unsuspecting victim. “His artful insinuations, like the arrow that flies in darkness, wounded my reason, ere I was conscious of their approach, and rendered me inattentive to the measures of my guilt.” The parents of this young girl were evidently absent or were also fooled by him. An arranged marriage would not have prevented this thief from stealing the heart of their daughter. Keeping her locked in a castle might have been more successful, but not very practical.

Come On King

I was amused at the descriptions of the rake in the articles we read in class. Actually, these men of questionable character can be found in many venues of modern day life. It seems that there are many different versions of the rake, so I decided to focus on the rake or flirt of our times. The loss of virtue of a young woman may not be his ultimate goal, but he definitely leaves a wake of young woman wondering why he moved so quickly past them.

In trying to describe a current day rake, the example that comes to mind is the guy that is attractive to everyone. He is funny, charismatic, handsome, and…uncommitted. He lures young hearts along with one look into his dreamy eyes, yet has no intention of developing any sort of relationship. His seemingly innocent allure is a trap to the young woman that glows under his attention. As soon as he sees that she is hooked, he finds another woman to challenge his insane desire for attention. He is the “bell of the ball”, or should I say King of the Come On. In “an Admonition to those who glory in Seducing the Affections of the Fair, and then Deserting them”, there is a line that describes this type of behavior. “But after his profession of regard, his services, and solicitations, have won the heart, and made him dear to her”.

The modern day flirt’s company is desired by everyone because he is such a nice guy. He gets invited to all the social events he can manage on his calendar. He has the “appearance of the true gentleman,” (On Seduction), but his motivation is anything but that of a gentleman.

About The Men.....

After a few lines of the first reading, “Copy of a Letter from Miss – to Mr. __”, I knew I was in for a ride on the do this and do not do that train. The preservation of a woman’s reputation was of utmost importance. In this woman’s case, it was her ability to live her life without judgment in the eyes of others, especially “human opinions”. I have a suspicion the human opinions in this case are those of a man. Whatever her “fatal indiscretion” was, she knew she did not have long to live because of it.

The theme of women and their susceptibility to falling is carried throughout the periodicals. The writer produces an instructional tone. He writes that “you have an opportunity to display the excellence of your character and to exert your talents most successfully in benefiting society” (An Address to the Ladies”. Furthermore, women are encouraged to be neither a coquette nor a prude. They are to find the perfect balance and to excuse the behavior of men when they flirt. Women are also warned that a “strong attachment to books in a lady, often deters a man from approaching her with the offer of his heart”. Women are also exhorted “to be lovely” and “for political purposes, to consider man as the superior in authority”.
Basically a woman’s education can extend as far as it does not offend a man. So, truly many of these writings are for men and “the pride of our sex”. Looking at these writings from that point of view indicates that they are really written for the promotion of what a man wants and has little to do with instructing a young woman to learn the socially acceptable rules that allow her to grow and mature as a person. As long as these young women stayed within the boundaries articulated by men, they would be safe and would be able to preserve their delicacy of mind. So, it is really about the men!

From "Fallen" Woman to "Wonder" Woman

The texts revolving around the “Fallen” woman reveal a female that is considered an underprivileged citizen. As the revolution brought social change, the patriarchal society of Cotton Mather no longer prevails in the literature of the post revolution.

One obvious difference is the language that is used in the Panther Narratives. Where Cotton Mather’s textual language is that of instruction, the language of the Panther Narrative is more “user” friendly and is more romantic in its tone. The text is meant to be readable to the post revolutionary man and woman. The intrigue of the western frontier of America brought with it the reader that no longer felt tied to the language of the church as an authority figure. The entertainment value of the Panther Narratives is the front runner to the dry, austere language of Cotton Mather.

The “Fallen” woman is transformed into a strong, independent woman that claims agency over her life. In “A Very Surprising Narrative of a Young Woman, Who Was Discovered in a Cave”, the female character takes on a more masculine role. She does not require the patriarchal protection of her father in order to survive. Her ingenuity and strength allow her to live in a cave alone for 9 years while maintaining her position as a “lady”. Not only does she not require a man to maintain her existence, the story “allows” this young woman to rebel against her father and run off with her lover. This type of language or story line would have been considered heresy in Cotton Mather’s day!

THE BEAT GOES ON….

I too found it especially interesting that more emphasis was put on warning the young people of the day than the alleged infanticides. The repeated warnings to the younger generation mimic a drum beat being played in the background of the ongoing murder/execution narrative. The beating of the warning drum is still playing in the background of the social expectations of women in contemporary America.

I think that the women in the narratives are very similar in some ways to the normal woman of today. Most women have goals and want opportunity without limit. Most women, as the women of that day, are strong, generous, kind, and intellectual. Even though it seems that the narratives are written by men, I sense strength in the women that we have discussed in class. The strong, independent woman emerges through the written smoke screen, at least to me. Another likeness that can be used to look at how the contemporary woman is similar to the “normal” women in our readings can be seen in how we treat young women that get pregnant out of wedlock.

One thing that still confounds me is that if a young woman today gets pregnant, the bulk of the responsibility is laid on her shoulders. As in the execution narratives, the man/boy/father is absent in the picture and is not usually held to the same social judgment and condemnation, not to mention the financial and personal expense. In the narratives, the warnings are addressed to all young people, but young women are the ones targeted to suffer the consequence.

Unlike the women in the execution narratives, I think the average TCU student has no thought that they should be in at night and should not run around with “lewd” men. Most of the students that I come into contact with manage their schedules as they please with no thought that they are going to be persecuted for doing so. That concept is foreign to students at TCU. I think that in so many ways, our culture endorses the freedom to go where you want when you want. The primary limits on a young woman today are mainly those of being in harm’s way. So, the drum beats on and is played in effect, by a different drummer called the criminal mind.

I'm Out on the Broom

I found Rountree's efforts to relate her exposure to witchcraft and witches a bit on the edge. I feel like her conclusions incorporate too many generalizations regarding "the church" and false assumptions about women in general. It may be that for some women, the need to be viewed as a witch or goddess is necessary to define who they are. As Rountree states in her essay, one outsider described it as a "designer religion" (Rountree, pg 220). I do not see witches and witchcraft as a growing movement. If anything, it is a fringe element.

I do see strong women staking their claim in our culture and being wise and strong enough to know who they are without having to be part of a movement. I have always been taught to reach for any goal that I wanted to achieve. I do not think that I have to fly "in the face of Christians" to reach my goals and be a strong person. I guess the act of claiming agency in my life takes on a different look than the one described by Rountree. I do not think that makes me less than the women of the "New Witch of the West" movement.

I did enjoy reading about the midwifery and how wise they were. I love it that the male medical establishment was challenged by these very wise women healers.

CottonMather2

It seems that Cotton Mather’s approach to articulating his opinions or verdict on witchcraft is very similar to the style used to coerce Germany to follow Adolph Hitler. His explanation for the behaviors outside the accepted culture of that century filled a vacuum to explain the societal changes that were occurring.
Mather’s thoughtful and careful use of the English language created a frenzy that ignored compassion and rational thought. Reading the accounts of the trials makes the reader question his or her own understanding. The sense that they are reading an articulate and accurate account of the events, although difficult to understand, assigns power to Mather’s ramblings.
On page 25, Cotton Mather continues his persuasive pursuit of creating a unified front by fostering a dreadful end, “But then we are to unite in such Methods for this deliverance, as may be unquestionably safe, lest the latter end be worse than the beginning”. His creation of a “story” helps sell the unsuspecting culture the “witch hunt” effort.
Current day witch-hunts take on many forms. As a member of a large protestant church, I witnessed the efforts of a group of people in the church to persuade a large film studio curb its appetite for movies and children’s films that were on the edge so to speak when it came to language and content. I saw some of my friends boycott the movie studio for any various and sundried reasons that I saw as off target. I think it is important for parents to monitor and direct young children in programming, but it did seem to go to an extreme measure in some instances.
I do believe that evil is an active agent in our world. The only explanation for the destructive nature of a society as a whole is not driven, obviously, by a general nature of good.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Dorenda Kesler. I have lived in Fort Worth, TX all of my life. I have worked on campus at TCU since May 1997. After watching two of my three sons walk across the stage as TCU Horned Frogs, I too will graduate in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. People often ask me what I plan to do with my degree. My answer to them is "finish". The pursuit of a bachelor degree has been a long journey for me. I love my job as Assistant to the Dean in the College of Communication and intend to continue in my present position after graduation. My main purpose for being at TCU was to put all three of my sons through college. My youngest son is a junior Economics major.

If I were Chancellor of TCU, one of the first things I would change is the dining arrangement with Sodexo. I feel that the prices of the student/faculty/staff dining offerings are extremely over priced with few, if any, off campus options.

I believe a good teacher is one that not only has an broad knowledge base, but also one that can connect with and articulate that knowledge to students in a clear concise manner. It is a wonderful thing to be extremely intelligent, but that does not necessarily make a good teacher. Having a passion for helping students "get it" makes a good teacher, in my opinion.

I believe good students are well organized and self motivated. They strive to be sure they understand the assignments to facilitate learning.

If I could have dinner with any three people they would be my husband's mother, my grandmother (maternal), and John F. Kennedy.

Three things you should know about me are that I am a newly licensed motorcycle driver, I have three sons, and I will graduate in May 2009 from TCU.

Three things I would like to know about you are your major at TCU, where are you from, and what is your favorite past time.

I took this course for several reasons. I needed a course that was being offered during after work hours, I have not had the opportunity to take a course with Dr. Williams, and this particular course fufills a requirement for my major. After the first day of class, I am really excited about the course content. I took the Women's Writing online course this summer and loved the texts and writing of women in the 19th century.

I love reading novels written about earlier periods. It does not seem to matter whether it is early British literature or early American literature. I love to read about how the people interacted in the culture during those earlier time periods. I also love reading my bible and studying scripture.

Most of my writing is primarily to students and faculty via e-mail. I daily communicate with various groups across campus and respond to students via e-mail answering questions. I often text with my family and friends on my cell phone. I have a Facebook account and use that venue for communication also. I love writing and feel my writing skills are acceptable, but am always looking to improve them.

I believe my blog makes the argument that I want this class to be fun and challenging. I want people to see me as an individual, not a non-traditional student. I love students and have always enjoyed getting to know them and encourage them. I want to invest!

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.