Where Would we be Without the Work of Those Who Were Here Before Us?

Where would a student be without the inspiration of their teacher? Where would young boys aspiring to be great baseball players be without Jackie Robinson's success? Where would future basketball players be without Magic Johnson's dedication to the sport? Where would female politicians be without the elegance and courage of Eleanor Roosevelt? What does this have to do with English class you may ask, these individuals all broke barriers that contribute to where our society currently is.

In Virginia Woolf's essay A Room of One's Own, she discusses the difficulties women writers faced in order to become successful.   The female writers discussed in this essay such as Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen paved the way for future female writers who are now considered genius.  In order for change to occur some brave soul has to take the initiative.  These women rose against society at a time where women were only supposed to cook, clean, and have babies.  They were supposed to satisfy their husbands and perform domestic chores.

We live in a society where change is something scary. " the fear of the unknown" frequently over powers the opportunities for change and new experiences.   Although, we have drifted from traditions of the past, some things are still present. For example, strong females who are able to work and be a good mother/wife are often criticized for entering the work force.  Men often feel threatened by a women competing against them, which brings out this arrogance in them.  For some reason these men feel entitled as if they are more qualified for a specific position simply because they are a male.  In some households the father's opinion over rules the mother's.  Several weeks ago I was watching The Middle and the dad said to the children, "The only opinion that matters in this house is mine."  This statement did not settle well with this character's wife. She was upset with this, and it took the male character the entire episode to simply admit that he was wrong for saying this.  This really irked me, because I have grown up in a house where both of my parents opinions were equal. There is no over ruling in my house.  I hope that these gender slants eventually fade away to nothing because they are frustrating to live with.