Difference between revisions of "426--Week 4 Questions/Comments--Thursday"
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'''Marriage''' The nature of marriage among poor urban laborers was rather surprising to me. While I never thought it was without problems, I was amazed at the level, frequency, and relative acceptance of marital abuse that occurred in these poor neighborhoods. The role that the neighborhood played in settling these domestic disputes also surprised me. It is sad that at a time when women of the middle-classes were able to forge a new image demanding more respect as symbols of morality, their poorer counterparts were being beaten by their often drunken spouses for poor housework or indulging in drink themselves. I thought the double standard between the genders was really expressed in the interactions and expectations of married couples. --Sarah Gardner | '''Marriage''' The nature of marriage among poor urban laborers was rather surprising to me. While I never thought it was without problems, I was amazed at the level, frequency, and relative acceptance of marital abuse that occurred in these poor neighborhoods. The role that the neighborhood played in settling these domestic disputes also surprised me. It is sad that at a time when women of the middle-classes were able to forge a new image demanding more respect as symbols of morality, their poorer counterparts were being beaten by their often drunken spouses for poor housework or indulging in drink themselves. I thought the double standard between the genders was really expressed in the interactions and expectations of married couples. --Sarah Gardner | ||
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| + | '''Religion''' Chapter Four's discussion of the role that evangelicalism played in the changing nature of philanthropy really shocked me. I believe that the warped nature of the middle classes charity to the poor is best expressed in the women's refusal to help a women who was 9 months pregnant, simply because she could not verify that she was married. People genuinely in need of help died because the did not live up to the moral criteria of those who were in a position to assist them. While I am sure that there were genuinely chartable men and women working to help the urban poor at that time, it seems that most reformers were looking to help a class of people which truly did not exist. Their good works appear to be aimed more at assuring themselves of their moral superiority then their Christian duty to lend a helping hand. --Sarah Gardner | ||
