Difference between revisions of "Week 13-14 Questions/Comments-327 11"
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(→Mary Livermore, [Northern women on farm during war], 1890 -- Woloch and Major Problems readings.) |
(→Louisa May Alcott, Hospital Sketches, 1862-1863) |
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The military/revolutionary language she used was really interesting. "When my commander said "March!" I marched," "feeling as if I was the song of the house going to war." It really seems like she felt like an integral part of the war effort, rather than a temporary auxiliary. Also, like Mary Beth was saying, I noticed a pattern of gender identification of her peers. Alcott is even somewhat condescending to the men around her (260-the pompous discussions at mealtime), which struck me as unusual. --Stef L. | The military/revolutionary language she used was really interesting. "When my commander said "March!" I marched," "feeling as if I was the song of the house going to war." It really seems like she felt like an integral part of the war effort, rather than a temporary auxiliary. Also, like Mary Beth was saying, I noticed a pattern of gender identification of her peers. Alcott is even somewhat condescending to the men around her (260-the pompous discussions at mealtime), which struck me as unusual. --Stef L. | ||
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| + | Her sense of adventure and longing for a life that was something more than just a woman sitting at home during the war is evident at the beginning of her writings. When she says things like "I must let out my pent-up energy in some new way" or "I want new experiences, an I am sure to get 'em if I go," she is following along with many other women during the Civil War era who chose to defy the standard gender roles of the time and do things that would have once seemed inappropriate for women. She is obviously aware of the dangers that nursing poses to her very life, but her determination to do what she could for the Union cause pushes her forward and allows her to work past her fears. The way she describes the men she takes care of also different from how many women would have chosen to describe men. I personally liked when she called the men "my boys" at the end of the passage, a definite departure from what traditional gender roles would have made women say. --Grace C. | ||
== Mary Livermore, [Northern women on farm during war], 1890 -- Woloch and Major Problems readings. == | == Mary Livermore, [Northern women on farm during war], 1890 -- Woloch and Major Problems readings. == | ||
