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!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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 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.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
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.
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.
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