Kathryns Stocketts The Help and 1960s Feminism

The Help is set in Mississippi during the early 1960s, when the groundswell of feminisms second wave was still building. Kathryn Stocketts novel revolves around events in 1962-1963, before the womens liberation movement, before Betty Friedan and other feminist leaders founded the National Organization for Women, before the media invented the myth of bra-burning. Although The Help is an imperfect depiction of the 1960s and the author stifles the budding feminism of some of her characters, the novel does touch on many issues that were relevant to 1960s feminism.   Issues Worth Exploring Skeeters Rebelliousness/IndependenceA hint of feminism in The Help may be most evident in post-college Skeeter, the young woman who questions restrictions placed on her by societys traditions. Her Southern socialite best friends have conformed to expectations by marrying, having children (or trying to) and even questioning why Skeeter stayed four years at Ole Miss to finish her degree, while they were dropping out of school. Skeeter is still trapped and still trying to fit in, but her inability to do so is partly due to her discomfort with the myth of femininity she is expected to live. White Women and Women of ColorThe so-called second wave of feminism is often criticized for being too white. Betty Friedans classic The Feminine Mystique and other 1960s feminism accomplishments often came from a limited, white, middle-class point of view. Similar criticisms have been applied to The Help. This is partly because it is written by a white author who narrates in the black voices of Minny and Aibileen, and partly because of the way white voices in the U.S. continually tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement from a limited point of view. Many critics have questioned Kathryn Stocketts ability to speak for the help. Although the story is about white and black women working together, it is difficult and even dangerous for them to do so. The Help reminds readers that some 1960s feminists were perceived as busily organizing, protesting and advocating without bringing women from other races to the table. Women and Civil RightsWhich comes first for African-American women, civil rights as blacks or liberation as women? This theme was explored by many black feminist activists, with some theorists responding that it is clearly an unfair question. The either/or dichotomy is part of the problem. No woman should be asked to give up any part of her sense of self. SisterhoodThe term sisterhood became a theme and rallying cry of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s. Use of the word was criticized by some, in part because of the racist and classist assumptions ascribed to white womens liberation activists who used the word. The Help emphasizes the solidarity of women in many different situations, often crossing racial boundaries. MarriageDespite her independent streak, Skeeter feels the pressure to marry, and nearly does so even when both emotional and logical signs point toward no. The marriages of various characters in the book - Skeeters parents, her friends, Aibileen, Minny, Stuarts parents, Celia Foote - are nearly all presented with problems that are intertwined with gender power dynamics. Domestic ViolenceMinny faces abuse from her husband Leroy with some degree of resignation. However, author Kathryn Stockett does seem at times to approach it with an ironic awareness of the public attention that would soon come to the issue of domestic violence. Feminist organizations such as NOW addressed domestic violence as one of their priority issues. Women in PublishingElaine Stein, the editor from New York who helps Skeeter, freely states that she will help because she recognizes the need for a woman to have a mentor, a connection or some kind of in to the male-dominated publishing industry. Economics, Maids and the Pink-Collar GhettoAfrican-American women depicted in The Help had to earn a living as maids in white families homes. Few other opportunities were available to them - very few. Feminists of the 1960s are often remembered for getting women out of the home. The truth is, many women did work outside of the home already, but one of the chief concerns of feminists was that women were relegated to lower paying jobs of less prestige with less advancement opportunity and less satisfaction. The term pink-collar refers to the traditional, lower-paid womens jobs. Empowering the Help: How the Personal Is PoliticalThe books main plot is about women telling their stories in a society that has long refused to hear their voices. Whether or not the novel is flawed or the author can properly speak for African-American maids, the idea of women speaking their truth as a path to greater social enlightenment is considered the backbone of feminism.

The Movie A Separation - 976 Words

The movie, A Separation, was a good movie to illustrate a how legal systems outside of the United States conduct their legal procedures and how incentives, structures, motivations, and biases shape their legal systems. The movie was based in a Middle Eastern setting in the country of Iran where the culture is very dissimilar opposed the Western European culture. Throughout the movie there were several scenes that displayed how the country’s legal system focused on different aspects and how they drawn different conclusions, and by whom the conclusions were drawn by. In short the movie was based on a couple who were in the midst of getting a divorce. During the process the wife, Simin, decided to leave her home in which the husband, Nader,their daughter, and the husbands father, which had Alzheimer’s, lived. In result of this Nader had to find a housekeeper to take care of his father while he and his daughter were away during the day. The housekeeper that was hired was a pregnant women named Razieh, who found the work to be too overbearing seeing that she had to do a lot of moving as well as cleaning the grandfather, who was unable to take care of his hygiene responsibilities. One day the grandfather happened to leave the house with Razieh unaware, which led her to search for him. She soon found him outside near the street where he was close to being struck by a car. To keep the grandfather from getting hit she rushed for him resulting in her getting hit by a car, leading toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Movie What About Bob 980 Words   |  4 PagesWhat about Bob? is a movie starring Bill Murray as a patient named Bob Wiley. Bob is â€Å"almost paralyzed by multi phobic personality, in a constant state of panic; characterized by acute separation anxiety (Oz, 1991).† The movie provides comic relief to what can be considered life altering diagnoses. Bob has a multitude of phobias that prove to make his life extremely difficult. Referred by his previous psychiatrist, Bob is sent to see Dr. Leo Marvin. Dr. Marvin has just published a book, Baby StepsRead MoreSummary Of The Six Degrees Of Separation711 Words   |  3 Pagesemphasize over looked nuances and themes of such work. The film and play Six Degrees of Separation, written John Guare, demonstrates the evolution of a work when adapted to the big screen; themes of an original work and an adaptation may be the same at heart, but the difference in which they are conveyed brings intensity and a different measure of impact with each new retelling. 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Reason People Change Jobs Free Essays

If we are compare the labor flexibility of the current generation and 20 years ago. We can see marked differences. Today, people tend to change jobs several within a short period of time in the past. We will write a custom essay sample on Reason People Change Jobs or any similar topic only for you Order Now In fact, in some areas they move to another company within a year. I firmly believe that people should change their jobs according to their needs. Several reasons have been identified for this phenomenon. First, the most important reason that motivates a person a change in their field of work is the rapid change of technology. Industries There are those who prefer to work in the latest version of the software, either an accountant or human resource person. Because for their own benefit, need to keep pace with technology. For example, a clinical center and Leon Medical Center have the medical history of their patients fully computerized, no longer use paper folders. As a result, people tempted by jobs offering high wages and employment begin to change according to demand. Therefore, technological progress plays a key role in the employees of the temptation to change its current line of work. Another reason is the urgent need to change their work environment. This is a human tendency that tempts workers to seek something different instead of just one job all his life. Many employees get so bored of your current job field; you do not mind changing jobs, even with a lower salary. For example, there are accountants and IT specialists who are tired of the daily routine of work and sit for about 8 hours, that’s when they try to prove work more moved, as vendors or bartenders. For this reason, they tend to attract to jobs that are more animated, as events manager, nightclub and radio jockeys, fashion and wildlife photographer and many more. Therefore, people move to different profiles to bring a change in your routine lifestyle. A third reason that we should not leave out is to seek a wage increase. Find a wage increase is one reason why many people are looking for a job change, no matter even have to move out of town. When people have to deal with accounts payable, that’s when you propose to seek a better salary. Even the search for better wages, leads many people to return to study for professional help. Even more in that people tend to lead a socially active life. In a nutshell, changing jobs and field of work is a positive move. Not only it helps in monetary terms but sometimes it provides mental satisfaction to an employee How to cite Reason People Change Jobs, Essays