I recommend this movie to anyone with a brain! Iron Jawed Angels

Alice Paul was a revolutionary women's rights activist and this movie was one of the best artistic representation of her life and struggles during the Women's Lib Movement. 
This is my response to Iron Jawed Angels from a Women's Lit Course perspective. 

Iron Jawed Angels: A Readers Response

              The film Iron Jawed Angels was set in the early 1900’s, during the uprising of women’s suffrage in America. Hilary Swank plays the lead role of Alice Paul, a progressive suffragette returning from England. Paul, along with her companion Lucy Burns, return from leading women’s rights movements in England to join the suffrage movement in their home in the United States. The women meet many challenges along the way, including challenges from their fellow suffragettes who are concerned that Paul and her associates could be radicals that would diminish their cause. This film outlines the struggles, heartache, and rejoicing that takes place during this influential fight to achieve equality for women.

              Women fighting to procure the vote had many obstacles to overcome before any progress could be made. They had the men who didn’t believe that women were intelligent enough to have the vote; President Woodrow Wilson was included in this group. He is quoted in the film saying that “votes for women would constitute political danger” and that he did not believe that the suffrage movement was a cause that mattered to the whole nation as opposed to tariff reform. The suffragettes evoked fear in powerful men; men in power believed that if women were allowed to vote, then they would lose power in the home and in the workplace. Yet, it was not only men who caused trouble for the suffragettes. There was always the issue of other women who were not committed to attaining equality for women. Many women were content with their lives and did not want to make waves or upset their husbands. If the women’s rights leaders could not convince every woman that she deserved the vote, then it was damn near impossible to convince men in power.  

              During the women’s rights movement, racism also played a role in discrimination. In the film, Alice Paul organizes a parade to support suffrage, and is informed that many of the white women marching refuse to march next to African-American women. Racism was deeply ingrained in white society, but it is hypocritical that women would discriminate on the basis of skin color when they are trying to reach a common goal. The saying divided we fall comes to mind. Women were fighting a common enemy in discrimination and by refusing to march next to women of a different race they were facilitating the same ideology which holds them down.

              In Iron Jawed Angels, Alice Paul was feared by the established National Suffrage Association for her radicalism, yet a form radicalism was the only thing that got through to the American government. She organized rallies, protests, and even picketed a war-time president, which was completely unheard of. President Wilson was embarrassed by these picket lines that were formed outside of the White House, using his own quotes against him. The women broke no laws, yet they were arrested and charged with outrageous crimes. The women refused to plead guilty to any crime and were forced into workhouses. In these workhouses, they were treated cruelly because of their beliefs. They were considered traitors by many for not supporting a president who did not support them. These women were treated as animals, as nothing more than common criminals when all they did was demand the same democracy that President Wilson was defending in Germany. Alice Paul’s hunger strike may have been seen as a radical move but it served its purpose by getting the attention of all those who had been ignoring her. It is sad to realize that the only reason her hunger strike had any influence is because the men in power were afraid of a martyr. They were afraid that with a body on their conscience, they would lose supporters. Powerful men were afraid of having to take responsibility for their sins against women. It’s a sad truth that President Wilson only felt the need to give women the vote because he felt smothered and was beginning to fear for his own political seat. Once Alice Paul began her hunger strike, there was no longer any way that Wilson could tell women to “wait their turn”.

The character Mrs. Layton, wife of Democratic Senator Layton, was a perfect example of what real women were going through. She didn’t want to make waves with her husband, yet she had a mind of her own and eventually her husband’s grip was just too tight, and she was able to slip through his fingers and stand up for what she believed in. She was the epitome of the suffrage movement to me, because she stood for the idea that times were changing, and women were willing to give up living in comfort with no freedom for a tortuous life with cause and meaning.

              This film truly moved me and gave an excellent view into the struggles that women had to struggle through to achieve equality. Even today, no one is truly equal, but I believe the suffragettes showed men that women were no longer going to bow to their every will and bend to serve. The suffragettes opened up an entirely new world and showed that women were every bit as strong, as intelligent, and as determined to achieve their desired goals. 

After reading "Mexican Whiteboy", by Matt De La Pena...

I have a much broader concept of what it really means to be a Mexican American. There are so many stories about Mexican immigrants in todays news,(New York Times names a few..) but this novel gave me (midwestern white girl) a clearer concept of the identity crisis' that come along with being mixed race, especially Mexican American, living in an "Americanized" society. Here were some thoughts...

The very concept of being “mixed race” means more than just being a product of parents from different races. It means that as a person, you are the materialization of two cultures plus you must fulfill the role of the “mixed person”. In society, people of mixed races have a more difficult time fitting in to a particular group because, they are representing two or three entirely diverse cultures and still trying to determine what role they should play. From the beginning, people who are mixed race have a much more complex struggle to work through to in order to discover the identity of their cultures. There are multiple layers added to this person that contributes to the struggle: the mother’s culture, the father’s culture, the culture of the environment and the personal identity they are trying to establish. Many of these aspects contradict each other which may add a feeling of division within the ethnically mixed person.

              In the book Mexican Whiteboy, Danny experiences many different emotions and feels split as a person. He has been raised as a white child, with a white mother, in a predominantly white environment; however he is aware of his Mexican heritage and feels as though he is an outsider. When he goes to National City, he once again feels out of place because he cannot speak the language of his family and peers. Danny never truly felt that he was one of the family.  When Danny lived with his mother, he was never “white” enough to be accepted at his private school. Yet, when he lived in National City, he was never Mexican enough to feel 100% welcomed.

“To be a real Lopez, though- that’s what he’d pick. A chip off the old block. One of the cousins from el barrio. “(46) Danny’s “whiteness” in National City was seen as special and he was treated very differently than his Mexican cousins because he had the “gift of whiteness”. Danny was the one that his Mexican relatives held on a pedestal because of his potential. He was Mexican enough to be part of the family, yet white enough to move forward and do great things with his life.

 “And when his grandma passes out homemade tortillas, hot off the griddle, she does it based on family rank. It’s a subtle and unspoken ranking system, but one each and every person in the house understands.” (47)

              This quote is an example of how Danny understood his “gift”. This simple act may have seemed as a good natured gesture that was based on love; however a thinly veiled layer of resentment always hung in the air.  Danny could feel the eyes on him and hated it. All he ever wanted was to just be “a pair of Grandma’s worn out house slippers.”(47)

              Danny’s life is constructed on racial duality in the sense that he really isn’t Mexican and he really isn’t white. He realizes that in order to make himself whole, he needs to embrace his own “third” culture. By accepting his third culture, he may be able to fill the gaps within himself discover who he wants to be as a person, instead of just being defined by his heritages. “I’m like me,” Danny interrupts again. I’m just myself. That’s it.””(241) Danny internally and externally struggles in his search for identity. He vents his anger, sadness, and frustration by digging his fingernails into his wrists. When Danny feels the pain in his wrists, he remembers he is alive. Danny has become numb in many ways because of the internal trauma he has experienced. The absence of his father adds to the resentment he feels for his mother (the white part of him) because he believes that since his father went away, his mother has eliminated the Mexican part of him. Danny interprets his mothers “rejection” of his culture, as a rejection of himself. He believes that she only accepts the part of him that she wants him to be.

              Near the conclusion of the story, Danny had grown exponentially from who he was at the beginning of the story. When Danny finally faced up against Kyle Sorenson at the last hustle he and Uno did, I think he realized that he no longer needed to lean on the idea of finding his father. He learned that in order to find who he really is, he has to be able to stand alone. “Danny peers into the sky. Like he would when he used to stand behind the fence, watching Leucadia practice. He searches the pale blue sky for a hawk, but there aren’t any hawks. The sky’s perfectly empty. Just blue and a bright orange sun. Even the thin patch of clouds passed. He’s on his own now. Not just for today, for this next pitch, but forever.” (236) 

              This story paints a very vivid picture of what it is to go through the struggles of being a mixed race person, living in American society. Danny grows and learns from his feelings and experiences. I believe that the underlying theme of this story is that no matter what you are supposed to be labeled as; you cannot truly understand who you are without establishing one’s own perception of self.

If only, if only... I wish this press release could be true! Go PETA!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                Contact: Katie Dowis, Public Relations

September 17, 2011                                                                                  kdowis209@hotmail.com

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals visits Springfield, Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, IL. – On Tuesday, September 21, 2011, a spokesperson from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will be visiting the Lincoln Library at Springfield, Illinois. They will be giving a short presentation and Q&A session regarding their organization at 11AM on the lower level of the library. There will be opportunities to learn about what PETA does and how you can join the cause.

            PETA is an organization dedicated to the abolition of cruelty towards animals and promotes a healthy vegan lifestyle for all people. This organization has been criticized because of their unorthodox methods of promoting their message during protests and public engagements. PETA has organized numerous boycotts against many products and companies because of investigations that discovered animal abuse within their product testing and other circumstances. PETA has four core causes that it is committed to ending through undercover investigations; factory farming, fur farming, animal testing and animals in entertainment.

            Although PETA is considered a legitimate organization, there have been critics who have linked the organization to groups such as Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF), who have been marked by the FBI as domestic terrorists. PETA states that it does not support violence of any kind, however, Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA has been quoted saying that she supports removal of animals from testing sites, legally or otherwise. PETA continues to grow and promote campaigns against abuse of animals and have many celebrity followers such as Pamela Anderson, Bob Barker, and singer Pink.

            If you would like to learn more about PETA or the upcoming speaking event, please visit www.peta.org or www.springfield.il.us for more information.

"Animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends"- George Bernard Shaw

Analysis of Michael Lewis' articles on the Economic Crisis in the World!

Katie Dowis

Lewis Analysis

Comm. 337

10/30/11

            Editorial writer for Vanity Fair, Michael Lewis has made sure that his works have maintained a consistent theme and all can be linked to one another. The articles that I found the most similarities and relation between one another were “California and Bust”, and “Beware of Greeks Bearing Bonds.” The amount of similarities that the state of California’s fiscal situation has with the downfall of the Greek economic system is surmounting. California seems to be heading in the same direction as the nation of Greece, which would mean now that instead of just one nation having to bail out another (i.e. Germany and Greece) it would be one state having to bail out another (Texas or Colorado to California) creating animosity between states within the union, and I think we all know what the outcome was the last time that happened. 1860’s anyone? 

            “California and Bust” begins with the experience of Meredith Whitney, who simply did research on the municipal bonds and her findings concluded that there was a problem that will be American people. Seems like a vague enough statement right? Well, people believed or at least paid attention, so she became the target for the financial advisors who feared she was messing with people’s faith in the market, which could be very detrimental. No one wanted to recognize the problem and called Whitney “a fire starter” of sorts. Regardless of people denying a problem in the muni-bond system, it was still brewing and Whitney just pointed out the discrepancies that would cause cities and counties to feel the financial strain being pushed down from the federal, to the state level and state on down until it’s the citizens being dramatically affected. Then the article switches gears. The first portion will give the reader and professional opinion and also, show the fear and panic that can be evoked from Americans when it comes to possibly losing their money. The next portion gives a deeper perspective from someone who has been power and knows the inner workings of state finance, Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is the guy who had the power to change the direction the state was going (or at least we all thought so. Arnold explained how California’s legislation is structured to be irrelevant and self-destructive. If the Governor wanted to pass a bill, they could be vetoed by the House, and vice versa. So, in basic logic, that makes it very difficult to get anything done. Plus, throw in the fact that citizens want to continue social services but not pay for them; these facts create a serious fiscal problem for cities. The “Governator” acknowledged the issue openly and wanted to make it known that he tried to curb the effects of overspending and little revenue. If the state didn’t have the tax money, they couldn’t maintain public services to the extent that the people are used to. Arnold couldn’t understand and seemed frustrated that he couldn’t change the people’s attitude. This part of the story relates to the “typical, American sense of entitlement” and seems to juxtapose the attitudes many foreign countries have toward America because of this deserving attitude; ironic how it’s lead to the foreboding position California is in now.

            The story shifts once again in the interview with Mayor Chuck Reed of San Jose, California. This perspective gives the reader the point of view from the city level. A bug’s eye view so to speak. San Jose, “owes much more money to its employers than it can afford to pay, that it could cut its debts in half and still wind up broke.” San Jose’s main mistake was the continuous concessions being made to the public safety unions and their demands. These concessions kept coming until there was such a schism between the citizens and public safety officials that no one felt like they could trust each other. While interviewing Mayor Reed, Lewis made a connection when Reed said, “We’re not as bad as Greece, I don’t think.” Well, not quite, however it definitely resembles a smaller scale version of the Mediterranean nation.

            Lewis appeared to be intrigued with the similarities between California and Greece’s economic downfall, so of course he made the long journey to the riot stricken country. This time however, his subjects would be much different than he was accustomed to. He was entering into a world that was rife with a mix of apathy and violent rage. Greek citizens have enjoyed high incomes, low or no taxes and generally publically provided social services for so long that now the hangover has set in. People are beginning to realize the amount of trouble the economy and their country is really in. Germany even offered to try and curb the blow, but it was out of the question for Greek Finance Minister Papconstaninou Germany, and the IMF, International Monetary Fund, have been struggling to bailout the newest members of the Euro Union by basically taking them to raise. “Greece has been removed from the free financial markets and become a ward of other states” (Lewis, 5). But this only temporarily solved the problem as it was Greece’s government had racked up over $800 million dollars in owed pensions alone that it could not pay, hence the riots in Athens. The citizens of Greece, much like California, had grown accustomed to the benefits of society but did not want to have to pay for them. Lewis uses the words “waste” and “theft” as the two descriptors of the Greek economy. People of Greece expect to pay bribes in order to get anything done. These frivolous mistakes have created a population who is indoctrinated to believe that thieving and underhanded deals are the only way business is conducted.

            Also, another problem within the system is that the Greek people have never had any consequences for not paying the determined taxes. “The Greek people never learned to pay their taxes because no one is ever punished”, said the Finance Minister. After all, he is the guy whose job it is to clean this mess up. It’s his perspective that Lewis uses to give the reader an image of the inner workings of this disaster. He is the one who is being ultimately held responsible for this crisis and whatever repercussions come along with that. “”George, we know it’s not your fault, but shouldn’t someone go to jail?””(Lewis, 6) The stigma attached to being the “Greek” representative to the world was surmounting and the minister could definitely feel the pressure. But with all of the corruption, most would consider somewhere nicknamed “the holiest place on earth” to be a safe haven from the thievery however, this particular monastery has quite the scandalous record. The monks of the Vatopaidi are accused of buying a low cost piece of land with a lake, and then trading it for much more valuable property and reaping the benefits from it. It is odd however. These are monks, these guys are supposed to be opposed to the material because they are so overwhelmed by the spiritual. “We work for others. The Greek newspapers, they call us a corporation. But I ask you, Michael, what company has lasted for 1,000 years?” Father Arsenios asked Lewis (Lewis, 14).

            It seems the motives of the monks were simply to restore their monastery to its former glory. Their ventures in real estate began when the church was attempting to reclaim lost property from all the way back to the 1400’s. This lot of land with a lake seemed to be a plain investment but for one reason or another the monks wanted to be bought out of their property for much more than it was worth. The Finance Ministry couldn’t just give the monks money for nothing. How about a trade? This was the next initial response from the monks, they wanted out of this land and onto something more stable. They somehow convinced the appraiser that the land with the lake was worth 55 million Euros more than previously apprised and no one knows why. The amount of corruption and devious dealings that have been occurring in Greek has permeated everything and everyone, even the holiest of men. The capitulations that Greece must succumb to with drastically change the social structure and the economy of the nation which in turn will most likely shake the dynamic of the Greek people and the European Union’s relationships within itself.