Class Conclusion

            This semester I feel like my writing has improved greatly.  I participated both in a creative writing class and this first year writing and rhetoric class second semester and I think the combination of the two has helped me with more eloquent phrasing and description.  Specifically, the first assignment in which we described a memory was a big break through for me.  In high school all of our writing was analytical and rarely descriptive, so having the chance to describe a memory in depth was a whole new experience.  I chose to write about my horse because horses are something that I can easily describe in depth because I know them so well.  The interesting part of that paper, for me, was combining the description with a thesis to prove a point.

            The second paper proved to be far more difficult for me.  I think it was much harder because not only was there much more research involved, but that topic was so broad that it was hard to choose what exactly to write about.  Even when I had chosen my topic, it was hard to organize and narrow my focus.  In the end I felt like my writing was persuasive and well formatted, but there was not very good organization and not enough factual support.

            This last paper started off as extremely challenging for me.  I was concerned about formatting and how to incorporate my interview.  Also, it was honestly a little hard for me to fill up 12 pages.  I ended up just adding more quotes and analysis to add length, and originally I thought that this would make the paper repetitive.  But after I figured out a better organization, I think I succeeded in presenting the data at a good pace in which the point is established and explained just the right amount, and then I move to the next topic.  At the end of this class, I am extremely proud of my writing, especially this last paper. 

Fairy Tale Support of Stereotypes

In countries all over the world there are fairy tales depicting women as less logical and intelligent than males.  These tales not only reinforce negative stereotypes, but also represent them as absolute truths rather than as myths, teaching children that only specific behaviors are acceptable for their gender.

A classic example of this is Snow White.  Descriptions of Snow White only discuss her beauty, never her intellect.  Does she like to read?  Is she good at math?  Does she draw in her spare time?  The answers to these questions are nowhere to be found because the focus is not on Snow White as a person, but on Snow White as an object.  Furthermore, when Snow White eats the apple and is near death, she must rely on a man to save her.  She is weak and reliant in her relationship with a man.  In contrast, if we examine her foil, her wicked stepmother, we finally see a strong, intelligent woman.  Unfortunately, she is also clearly evil.  So by watching these movies and hearing these tales, the idea that “good” women are dumb and male reliant and “bad” women are intelligent and self-reliant is being reinforced in children’s minds.

The Glass Ceiling

Women in the workplace seem to have to work a lot harder to do as well as their male peers.  In an interview I conducted for this project with a female corporate EVP and COO, her male peers work "not as hard and not as long" compared to her.

The above cartoon shows that men have their work placed right in front of them, and with a few easy steps they can achieve success, whereas woman have to struggle and climb to get just as far.

This cartoon shows a woman following the stereotype and becoming a housewife rather than a businesswoman.  The stereotype and bias against female employees is so strong that it is simply easier to go along with them.

Female incompetence in the Workplace

Here is another example of the seductive, distracting businesswoman. This time it is Jan from the hit TV show The Office.  If you're familiar with the show, you know she was very distracting to Michael's ability to work productively and she caused many office conflicts.  Also, while being far more intelligent than Michael, Jan is less successful.

The below picture shows a female boss who wants to hug after group meetings.  This is playing on the stereotype that women are more emotional and less logical.  This cartoon seems to imply that women cannot be stern or strict in a position of power as a boss should be.

Are women a distraction in the workplace?

According to the media today, women are "distracting" in the workplace, and they are being penalized it.  Employers are showing hesitation hiring women because their male workers seems to be incapable of maintaining focus when someone of the opposite sex is present.  This clip of Anchorman shows this phenomenon.  It seems unreasonable to me that women should be penalized for a man's lack of control over his sexual urges, but apparently it is acceptable to not hire a woman due to her likelihood to be distracting.