Thursday, April 17, 2014

Compound complex sentence

Working does not have to be a curse from the very depths of Hades; we do not have to hate our job as if our lives depend on it.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Book Review: March 3

      Imagine a time when men were actually gentlemen, and balls were an average event where women dressed in beautiful gowns, trying their best to snatch a suitor. Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility pulled me into a lost era of romance and sisterhood.

      Characters are one of the main aspects of Austen's books. One character named Marianne really stole my attention. Her passion for life and her innocence make up a huge part of this book. She is always trying to nudge her way into Elinor, her sister's, life. For instance, when a man named Edward Ferris came to visit their house, Marianne did her best to get Elinor to confess her true feelings for Edward, but all Elinor said was that she "thought very highly of him....that I greatly esteem him....that I like him." This of course horrified Marianne who had so much more passion in her heart than Elinor. Marianne has her own romance(s) throughout the book and had her heart broken in the process. She was changed after that, but she somewhat remained the beautiful flower that she was.

     One detail that I love about Austen's writing is her use of setting. I was born in the wrong era and country, because I would give anything to have my own Barton Cottage, the main characters' home, in England. London is also described in this book when Elinor, Marianne, and Lucy Steele accompany Mrs. Jennings' to her home there. A ball is thrown and Marianne discovers that her suitor has been engaged to another who has more wealth than she. The ball sounds wonderful with lots of dancing and handsome English men. The houses there are so different and bigger than what we are accustomed to. Why, oh why, was I born here and now?

     Gender roles play a huge part in Sense and Sensibility. The women do what women were supposed to do back then such as sewing, playing the piano, and drawing. They dressed in fine gowns for the balls and had their hair extravagantly done. As for the men, in this book they are what me should be: gentlemanly (for the most part), polite, courteous, and some devilishly handsome.(; However, at the same time, I would not have wanted to have lived back then because women had no freedom. Hypothetically, if I were a daughter of a gentleman, and he died, I would have no part of the inheritance. My brother or closest male relative would decide how much money he would give me or (even worse) how much he would give my husband for a dowry!

      I highly recommend this book for any girl who dreams of another time. If you like romance, heartbreak, and loss in a book, then this book is all for you! I would not, however, suggest that guys read this book, unless they are really REALLY into romance and such. Austen never fails to give me an escape from reality.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

C.C. 3.2

All good things come to those who wait. Well, in China, women have been waiting to climb the ladder for a very long time, and are slowly making their way in society. In the article, "The Sky is the Limit," the Economist describes the ups and downs about being a woman in China.

When people in America have children, they do not really think about how many they want. They just kind of go with the flow. Numbers of births range from 1 to 20. That is not exactly the case in the Chinese society. In the article, the economist states that women still have to abide by the "one-child policy." For me that would be horrendous. I cannot imagine just having one child and stopping. They say the policy is "quite leaky," but I still would want to decide how many children I could have without the government telling me what to do.

Although the number of women who work in China have slowly grown, there is still discrimination in the workplace. Towards the middle of the article, the economist describes a woman who works for a large oil company, and says that she "complains that women suffer from discrimination both in her company and her industry." I am sure there is still discrimination in the American workforce, but we have laws that prohibit that kind of judgement; China does not. I do no think that I could ever work in a place where people put me down all the time because of my gender. Chinese women must be dedicated.

We all have traditions and values that are passed down through our families, but some people will just not let old values go. For instance, in the article the economist describes, "...most Chinese men still expect them to look after a home and family more or less single-handed, whether or not they are holding down a job...These are deep-rooted, hard-to-shift attitudes that long pre-date the Mao era." I understand where the men are coming from, but can't they help their wives out too? I mean, if they are both working, then I think they should both pick up the slack at home. I guess some habits die hard.

This reminds me of a time long ago when women in America had no rights, were expected to stay at home, and be the little doting mother. Hopefullly, women in China will soon have the freedom that we are all blessed with today.

Improvements are being made, and it will take some time. Chinese women are so dedicated that I am sure in the near future they will have reached the top of the ladder.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

C.C. 3.1

     In the article titled "Chinese Women Rights," the website informs readers of discrimination still going on in China.
   
     Women in America are so much more privileged than women in China. In a paragraph titled Discrimination in Education and Employment, the author states, "It is hard for most women to get jobs even if they have degrees. Most good jobs are only open to men." I do not think we have any idea how good we, as women, have it. Our rights are so much more advanced than the rights in China.

     When we think of men abusing their wives, we are automatically disgusted. Not so in China. This website reveals, "It is found acceptable in some parts of China for men to abuse their wives. There are not any laws to protect women from domestic abuse. Many authorities don't report abuse because they think wife abuse is a family matter." If a woman is abused in America, it simultaneously gets reported and is often heard on the news or found in the newspaper. I just don't understand why the police do not do something about the abuse. Is there no morality?

     In the U.S., selling of slaves and brides ended long ago, but in some parts of China, women are being sold like pieces of meat. In the article, the author says, "There are women being sold as brides in the black market. Men who have purchased women don't get arrested meaning that the trade of women is still active. Usually when victims try to escape, they get brutally beaten, imprisoned, and possibly murdered." This sounds like the lake of fire to me. These women have hardly any rights, and although China's economy is improving every day, darker things lurk beneath the surface.

      This reminds me of how the women in the Middle East are treated. Many are abused, have no say in their education, and are thrown away like trash.

      We believe that are world is thriving, rights are being made, and fairness is taken into account. Unfortunately, we believe a lie.