VFW Essays (393 words) - Feminism, Women, Articles, Womens Rights

Ashley Altidort Professor Hill Women's Studies November 5, 2018 Vote For Women Questions The themes I found throughout the movie are as follows: radical vs. conservative groups, love vs. career, matriarchal societies, government ignorance, racial rights, advocacy/activism, freedom, and of course, feminism. The thesis of the movie was to fight to break the stigma of women being weak beings and exercise their constitutional right as law abiding citizen, despite the struggles. I found myself relating to Alice Paul the most because she always found her way out, fought hard for what she believed in and never took no for an answer. She made sure her movement was effective, even if it meant being force fed. Lucy Burns, however, was one of my favorite characters because she seemed to be the humorous character, diffusing the unnecessarily serious moments with puns and laughter. Especially in today's climate, the issues these women faced are socially relevant to today because women's voices are still being dismissed. Women are still viewed as "helpless creatures that need to be cuddled and protected" (57) and are expected to be followers of "good girlism", which as Elisa Davila, the author of Good Girl, describes it, an ideology that has socially constructed demands from society forced upon women, and for those who don't abide are considered rebels. The women's intelligence and determination allowed them to subjugate and push through with their movement through flyers, protests, and acquaintances. The women's dedication to the movement allowed it to be successful because they not only sacrificed their health, marriages, and the limited amount freedom they had, but were also imprisoned and force fed after picketing and hunger-striking against the then president, Woodrow Wilson. The volatile scene where the women imprisoned were forced to eat a through a tube that was scarfed down their throat without consent, despite their well known hunger-strike, was one of the many acts of courage portrayed in this film. Besides it being morally humane, I believe women should be allowed to vote because they are law abiding tax paying citizens, and we should be able to exercise their constitutional rights. I definitely think it's okay to break the law to bring social, political, and economical change to a society as long as there's no harm being done. Laws provide construct and does not leave room for moral judgements, which at times, is needed.