A. Sherman Way of Life: Theatre and Film

I chose to look at Adam's presentation about the arts because I have always been interested in plays as well as movies, and I thought that it would be interesting to see the ways in which it has shaped society today. One interesting fact that I learned from this presentation was the idea that the arts allow people to have a further understanding of different cultures around the world. I find this idea to be very important because in this day and age, many people tend to focus on technology and materialistic items. In this age of urbanization, I believe that it is important for people to not forget the importance of different cultures and diversity in our world today.

Many people believe that celebrities' lives are very easy, but in reality, this statement is completely false. From this presentation, I was truly able to realize that celebrities are not only forced to face everyday problems, but they are also forced to face the media and the false assumptions made about them. I believe that celebrities do not have very much privacy in their lives and that when they make a mistake, the public is informed. To me, privacy is very important and I cannot imagine having the media follow my every move!

I feel as though the entertainment business gives people the right to express themselves and also make their dreams come true! When people are going through a difficult time in their life, expressing themselves in the entertainment world may be the only way for them to overcome these difficulties. Also, I think that the entertainment business gives people the opportunity to have their opinions and thoughts heard by the rest of the world. In today's society, I believe that entertainment plays a crucial role in many people's lives!

A Charming View: Child Labor

One presentation that I chose to look at was Alyssa's final presentation about child labor. I chose to look at and read this presentation because I did not know a lot about child labor before doing so and I wanted to learn just how lucky I am to live the life that I live. First off, I found this presentation about child labor to be very interesting. Before looking through and reading this presentation, I did not know a lot about child labor and the extremely hard life that children are face with, in order to not go hungry. I learned that many children were forced to make a choice between gaining an education and working for food. After watching a video that showed the terrible conditions that many children live under, I truly became even more thankful for all that I have. One statement that was written in the video was that we must all work together. This statement truly stood out to me because I believe that if everyone were to come together, then it would be possible to begin ending poverty and more specifically hunger in the world. Every year, many young children die from hunger and they are forced to miss out on so many opportunities that life has to offer.

From this presentation, I was able to learn that many children are forced to work for twelve hours a day, under poor conditions, and they only earn less than two dollars per hour. The saddest part to me is not only that these children have to work many hours under poor conditions, but that they are payed a very little amount of money for their work. These children are forced to make the choice to work instead of earning an education and they do not even make enough money to make ends meet. I believe that many of these children work longer, harder hours than many adults do, yet the adults are still payed much more money than the children.

During an economic downfall, I had never thought about the idea that families turned to children for additional financial aid, in order to keep them from living off of the streets. These children were forced to work extremely hard in sweatshops and they earned minimum wage for their duties. I learned that child labor and sweatshops were much more common in America during the Great Depression, when the economy was unstable. In many third world countries, their economy is very unstable, which causes child labor to be very common. I was unaware of the fact that America supports child labor by indirectly trading with these third world countries. I believe that child labor is an issue that needs to be addressed right away. I know that if child labor was eliminated, then children may be forced to live on the streets. I believe that education is a must and that it is crucial for a child to have the opportunity to attend school. I think that the government should begin to take steps to help these children and in order to help them, they must first help their families financially so that the children are not forced to work and can have the opportunity to gain an education. With an education, as the children grow older, they will have a lot more freedom in the workforce and they will hopefully be able to find jobs that are much higher paying and that have better working conditions as well. Overall, I believe that child labor is an issue that cannot be ignored and that action needs to be taken immediately, in order to help these children (as well as their families).

Gabriela's Blog: Gay and Lesbian Equalities

After reading and looking at this presentation, although I had already known some information about this topic, I definitely learned a lot of new information. This new information truly opened my eyes and showed me just how hard the homosexuals fought for equality. Although I already know a lot of information about Harvey Milk and the reasons behind why some people want gay marriage legalized and other do not, I was not familiar with a lot of information about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that was put into place for gays in the military. I learned that this policy forbids homosexuals who are a part of the military to reveal their sexual orientation and the policy also forbids others from asking about their sexual orientation. Additionally, I learned that if their sexual orientation becomes known, then they are automatically relieved of their duties in the military. I believe that although homosexuals are now being allowed to serve in the military, they are still being discriminated against. The only way that they are able to continue their duties in the military is if they do not reveal that they are homosexuals. One statement that was written in the presentation about this policy was, "People believe that the policy "silently" discriminates against homosexual troops." This idea further showed me that although gays and lesbians were beginning to gain more equality, they still had a long road ahead of them. In addition, I believe that people should be allowed to serve in the military, regardless of their sexual orientation. In order for this to be achieved, I think that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy should be revoked, and that homosexuals should have equal opportunities in the military. From this presentation, I was able to learn a lot of new and interesting information, and I now clearly understand the discrimination that homosexuals were faced with and how they joined forces in order to gain more equality.

Works Cited

American Reader. Carrie Chapman Catt "Prejudice Against Women."

Diana Furchtgott-Roth. "Women Do Not Face Discrimination in the Workplace." At Issue: Does Equality Exist in America?. Ed. Stuart A. Kallen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 6 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/.

Freeman, Mary Wilkins. “The Revolt of Mother.” 200 Years of Great American Short Stories. Ed. Martha Foley. New York: New York, 1975. 189-202. Print.

Graff, Evelyn Murphy and E.J. "Women Still Earn Less Than Men Because of Sex Discrimination." Opposing Viewpoints: Working Women. Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 6 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/.

Rampell, Catherine. "Women Now a Majority in American Workplaces." NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 5 Feb 2010. Web. 8 Feb 2010.

Reisinger, Sue. "Inside knowledge: a GE employment lawyer sues her employer." American Lawyer. 29. 8 (August 2007): 30(1). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/.

"Rosie the Riveter." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

"sex discrimination." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

"Susan B. Anthony." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

"Women Are the Victims of Sexism." Opposing Viewpoints: Feminism. Jennifer A. Hurley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 6 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/.

"women in the workplace." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

Images
http://www.annebonnar.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/equal-pay.jpg

http://www.carthage.cementhorizon.com/archives/housewife_happy.jpg

http://www.francesa.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/equal-pay-now.jpg

http://www.healthinfoispower.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/rosie_the_riveter.jpg

http://www.invest-money-stocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/equal-pay.jpg

http://www.mfasia.org/mfaImages/epew-logo300X307.gif

http://www.newyorker.com/images/2008/09/15/p233/080915_r17730_p233.jpg

http://www.portlandmercury.com/binary/2959/genderMoney_final-2-570.jpg

http://www.scpronet.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/votes-women.jpg

http://www.uunhf.org/unitarian/famous/susanbanthony.jpg

http://www.z.about.com/d/womenshistory/1/0/T/A/nysuffrage_1913_1c.jpg

http://www.3.bp.blogspot.com/_Lf_OqPz8o90/SfdXcVbozII/AAAAAAAABJU/wGohUvX5X3o/s400/equalpay2.jpg

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en8PyhLktIs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op_nj7tQBUg

Women Now a Majority in American Workplaces

For years, a woman's role in society was to stay home and take care of the children, as well as the household. Gradually, women started to become more and more involved in the workforce. However, for the first time, women outnumber men on the nation's payrolls. One specific part of the article that caught my attention was when it discussed the idea that men have been losing their jobs faster than women. I believe that one reason why men may be losing their job faster than women is because at times, a woman who holds the same title as a male is paid less money. Due to the recession, companies may choose to keep the female employee and eliminate the male employee because then they will be able to save some money. Another reason why men may be losing their job faster than women is because, "Men are more likely to work in industries like manufacturing, which rise and fall with the economic cycle. Women are more likely to work in government, health care and education, among the safest categories in a downturn." This showed me that one possible reason why the women currently outnumber men on the nation’s payrolls is because even in the tough economy, health care and education both play a very crucial role in society. Even if people are struggling through these rough times, they are much more likely to spend their money on health care and education, rather than a new car, etc. Overall, this article gave me a new perspective on women in the workplace today and the reasons behind why women may be outnumbering men on the nation's payrolls.

Rampell, Catherine. "Women Now a Majority in American Workplaces." NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 5 Feb 2010. Web. 8 Feb 2010.

Current Event Analytic Entry

Currently, many issues that involve women are still occurring. Some people believe that women have lower wages than men because of sex discrimination, whereas others believe that women are not discriminated against in the workplace whatsoever. One article specifically discussed the idea that women earn lower wages than man and are provided with unequal opportunities due to gender discrimination. The authors wrote, “A look at the case files shows that even when men and women have equal experience, responsibilities, and qualifications, employers refuse to pay women equally” (Graff and Murphy). This demonstrates that even in the present day, although women are now being welcomed more into the workforce, they still continuously face oppression and discrimination. Even if a man and woman were to hold the same title and position, there are times when the man has a much higher salary than the woman. Although the wage gap between the two genders has significantly decreased, the gap is still very large and it affects women working in every field and position. Due to this wage gap, throughout their lifetime, highly qualified and educated women will lose significant amounts of money because they of their gender. Overtime, this gap adds up and can have a negative impact on a working women’s life. Each year, employers are forced to pay out enormous amounts of money, for discriminating against their female employees. Even though more women are entering the workforce, some still continue to face discrimination. Lorene Schaefer was a top lawyer in the transportation division at General Electric’s, who was demoted without any prior warning. She believed that she, as well as other women working for the company, were discriminated against due to their gender, which is why she ultimately decided to sue the company. “The complaint accuses GE of “systemic, companywide discriminatory treatment” of more than 1,000 female attorneys and executives. It alleges that they make less than their male counterparts. It also alleges that GE doesn't promote women at the same rate as men” (Reisinger). This shows a specific example and case where a women who performed very highly and truly made a positive impact on the company had to suffer. Although she holds a similar position to many of her male coworkers, the female executives and attorneys earn less money and they are promoted at a slower rate. This discrimination against women employees shows that women are being given jobs in the workforce such as executives and attorneys, but overall, they are still facing discrimination. These women employees may perform even better than their male coworkers, but in the end, the male coworkers may be given a higher salary and promoted sooner. Schaefer believed that women had hit a glass ceiling, which means that women have an invisible career barrier that denies them the opportunity to be promoted to higher management. On the contrast, another author believes that although many people claim a glass ceiling prevents women from being promoted into higher positions; this claim is nothing but false. “The reason there are fewer women CEOs has to do with choices made by women themselves. Most women prefer to play a greater role in raising their children than their male partners and therefore do not choose to work the long hours and many years that are required for promotion to the executive suites” (Furchtgott-Roth). From this perspective, it is shown that the reason that there may not be as many female CEOs is not due to a glass ceiling, but rather due to the fact that many women would prefer to spend more time with their children. Women may not have the time to take care of their children as well as working extremely long hours, which is required of a CEO. Feminists often portray women as the victims, since it gives them economic benefits, but overall, imposes more economical costs on the rest of society. Many women who believe that they were discriminated against in the workplace do win their cases; everyone else has to suffer the consequences. Women today continue to enter highly qualified fields and are well-represented in a variety of professions. Females are now entering and being accepted into the political field as well as entering occupations that used to be primarily dominated by males. Although the wage gap tends to widen between men and women, it is not due to gender discrimination, but rather that women oftentimes either work part time or completely leave the workforce. Women now have equal opportunities in the workplace and sex discrimination does not hold them back from either receiving a job or a promotion. Today, the debate is still ongoing. Some believe that women are still being discriminated against in the workplace, whereas others believe that women are not being discriminated against in the workplace. Up to this point, the evidence shows that at times, women may not be given a certain job or promotion due to their gender, but other times, women are most definitely given equal opportunities. At times, women, who hold the same position and title as a male coworker, may be paid less. This idea definitely points to unequal opportunities in the workforce and possible discrimination. However, if a woman is not promoted or given a job, it may not be because of her gender, but because a man may have higher qualifications. Overall, there are times when women are discriminated against even today, but there are still other times when they are provided with equal opportunities.

Literature Analytic Entry

The short story, Revolt of Mother, by Mary Wilkins Freeman, is about a woman named Sarah Penn who lives with her husband and two children in New England. Sarah and her husband, Adoniram, had been married for forty years and ever since they got married, Adoniram had promised Sarah that he would build them a new house. However, as the years passed, he never built them a new house, and instead focused on building new barns. During this time period, women took care of the children, their husband, and the home. The women were the ones who did the cooking and cleaning, while the men went to work, to support their families. It was very uncommon for women to challenge their husband’s ideas and it was considered a rebellious act. In this short story, Sarah was always used to tending to her husband’s needs and it seemed as though she would always accept the words that came from his mouth. The promise that Adoniram had made forty years earlier had still not been kept and instead of building a new house for his family, Adoniram was building a new barn. Sarah tried to speak out against her husband and she explained to him how important the house was to her, but when Adoniram failed to listen to her perspective, she ended the discussion. Freeman wrote, “However deep a resentment she might be forced to hold against her husband, she would never fail in sedulous attention to his wants” (Freeman pg. 192). Even if Sarah did not agree with her husband’s decision to build a new barn, she would try to hide her anger and instead, she would continue to attend to his needs. This truly demonstrates the oppression that women faced during this time period and how they learned to silently deal with these oppressions. Men considered themselves to be the independent one in the family and their wife to be dependent upon them. The men believed that they were superior to women and that they should be the ones to make the important decisions inside and outside of the household. Men constantly would do what pleased them, rarely asking for their wife’s consent. This idea was present in this short story because Adoniram was doing what please him, which was building the new barn, and until the building actually began, Sarah was unaware of this fact. Additionally, Adoniram and Sarah’s son previously knew about the new barn and animals, whereas the two women in the household were not informed with this information ahead of time. This truly represents an example of the oppression that women faced in their own homes. Due to the ongoing oppression that women faced, many women rebelled against the men and began to fight for their rights. In this short story, Sarah rebelled against her husband by moving all of their personal items from their old house into the new barn. Sarah believed that if her husband was willing to build a new barn but not a new home, then she would call the new barn her new home. Sarah believed that she could not change her husband’s actions, but that she could most definitely use them to her advantage, in order to get her husband to realize that what she wanted was important as well. After Sarah’s two children helped her move everything from their old home into the new barn, word spread around town about this rebellious act. A few days after Sarah had begun life in her new home, the minister came to see her. Before the minister had the chance to say a word, Sarah stated, “I’ve thought it all over and over, an’ I believe I’m doin’ what’s right” (Freeman pg. 199). After finding out about Sarah’s actions, many people in her town began to judge her. Some believed that she was insane, where others believed that she had a lawless and rebellious spirit. Although it was very strange for a family to call a barn their home, it also surprised many of the townspeople that a woman would defy her husband as Sarah did. However, Sarah believed that she was making the right decision because after years and years of her husband not keeping his promise, she finally decided that it was time to do something about it. By choosing to take action, Sarah showed that as a woman, she had been denied many rights and opportunities, but now, she was no longer going to accept this oppression. She demonstrated how as a women, she was very intelligent and she was able to use the resources available to her advantage. By making the new barn her home, Sarah wanted her feelings and thoughts to be recognized by her husband and she no longer wanted him to ignore or set aside her wants and needs. In the end, by standing up for herself and taking action, Sarah was able to get her husband to not only be aware of how important it was for her to have a new home, but how important her voice is as whole. Sarah’s actions made her husband realize how powerful women can be and how they are willing to take action, in order to fight for something that they truly believe in. Overall, by rebelling, Sarah was able to come to a desirable conclusion. Even though many women were not given equal opportunities, fighting for their rights oftentimes caused them to reach a desired conclusion.