Women's Literature

Last week while sitting in one of my English classes our professor asked us a question: "Has anyone read Marjory Kemp in a Women's Studies class?" When no one responded he just went on with the lesson. Why did he assume that someone would have had to be in a Womens Studies class to have read a female author?


I am an English major, and the majority of texts that I have read have been in my college career have been written by old white men. The only texts I have read by women have been in my Women in Literature class. So maybe my professor was right in asking that question. I think that literature written by females needs to be integrated into the English curriculum. I have taken classes like Modern American Literature, Advanced Poetry, and Nature Writing. These classes should include more literature written by women so that we as students can be exposed the many talented female authors of the past and of the modern era. 

Jersey Shore

This past week I have been catching up on my Jersey Shore episodes since I haven't been able to watch them at their normal time lately. Jersey Shore is not one of my favorite shows, but I do find it entertaining. Just like many MTV shows that have come before them, it is interesting to see how complete strangers act when put together under one roof.


The episode that sticks out in my mind the most is the episode where Pauly calls Angelina a slut. Angelina points out that she is a single girl, and that she can do whatever she wants. She also points out the Pauly and Mike bring home girls every weekend, and no one calls them sluts or man whores. He then goes on to say that guys can do things like that but girls can't.


This is a prime example of the sexual double standard in our society. Men can do whatever or whoever they want and there aren't any consequences. Girls do anything out of the ordinary, and they are labeled as sluts and whores.

Halloween Costumes

Around this time every year girls start to plan what they are going to be for Halloween. In recent years Ihave noticed that costumes have been getting more and more risque. Things like lingerie and short skirts are operfectly accetable as Halloween costumes. Girls basically run from bar to bar, or house party to house party in their underwear and pass it off as some kind of costume. We live in Wisconsin, around this time of year it starts to get COLD! What happened to the days where costumes were judged based on how creative you were instead of how much of your body you can show without being arrested! I am not a fan of this new tradition, and will be sticking to a more creative approach when planning my costume this year.

MRS Degree

I work as a cashier at a local retail store, and sometimes when it gets slow the customers tend to spend a little time chatting with me after they have paid for their merchandise. One gentleman asked me how old I was and if I was in school. I told him that I was a student at UW Oshkosh, and his immediate response was " Oh are you getting your MRS degree?" It took a couple of seconds for me to realize what he meant, and I was outraged!!! Since I was at work I couldn't tell him what I really thought of him, so I just told him no that I was not going for my MRS, and to have a nice day. He got the message and left mid conversation. 

How long will women need to go to college, get degrees, go on to get their masters, and then their PHD for men to realize that we do not just go to school to find a husband?! I believe that there are more women enrolled at UW Oshkosh than men, and more women will go on to graduate with a degree. I consider myself a very independent person, and I do not need a husband to support me. We are too young to be thinking about getting married. We need to live our lives and figure out who we really are!!

Liberty and Justice for All

In class we have been discussing intimacy and relationships. We have so many political ideals ingrained into our society that we do not take a minute to reflect on what these ideals really mean. "Liberty and justice for all" except gays? That does not make sense to me.   I can across this picture and thought I would share it  with you all. 

Arthurian Romance

This semester I am taking a class on Arthurian Romances Legends. This class centers around the time period when "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" would have existed. We have been talking about the traits of the knights, and the traits of their wives and lovers. 


The traits we have come up with for the men have been things like: loyalty, honesty, chivalry, strength, nobility, bravery, generosity, devotion, determination, heroic nature, courage, and jealously.


The traits we have come up with for women have been things like: beauty and nobility. 


I'm not sure if I am the only person who is bothered by the 12/2 ratio. Women in these stories are just seen as assets to the men, and most of the time the knights cheat on their wives anyway. 

Fair Trade Towns USA

This week in one of my English classes we had a guest speaker from Ghana. Her name was Cecilia Appianim, and she is part of the the Kuapo Kokoo Farmers' Union. If you have purchased "Divine Chocolate" anywhere on campus you have provided money to this fair trade organization. Cecilia came to our class to promote fair trade on our campus, and to rais awareness for fair trade products. 

Within her presentation Cecilia mentions the projects that are specifically for women. The women do things like make soap, design and produce the uniforms for the cooperative, and make bracelets to sell. Women and men are equal in this cooperative. Annually there is a meeting to discuss social projects that will be done within the communities. These  social projects include things like building schools, building community centers, building bridges, and maintaining roads. I found it really interesting that each community has to have one male and one female representative in order for their vote to count. 

In August 2010 the first female President of Kuapo Kokoo Cooperative was elected. Her name is Christiana Ohene Agyare, and she is a cocoa farmer within the cooperative. Cecilia said that since her election she has been a wonderful leader, and that she is proud to be a part of an organization that views women as equals to men. 

http://www.modernghana.com/news/294216/1/kuapa-kokoo-farmers-union-elects-first-woman-pres.html