Humor Me

I know it's bad form to drop off the face of the planet and then return with something I didn't write specifically for my blog, with no pictures and almost 2000 words. Sorry! This was my Independent Reading project for the last term of AP Lit, and I did it on Beowulf. Don't look at me like that. I think it's interesting and it's my blog. So there. And I would love it if you read it. I really would.

Quote 1:

Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, 
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Lo, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won!

(Lines 1-3)

These are the very first lines of the poem. The narrator is getting the attention of his audience (as the poem was originally entirely verbal) and introducing them to the beginning of the poem with a history of the Kings of the Danes.

I chose this quote for a few reasons, none of which actually have anything to do with the story. I wanted to comment on the really amazing structure of the original poem. It’s a classical Anglo-Saxon or Old English poem in the alliterative style. Basically, it doesn’t rhyme but it has a strict meter with two “halves” per line. In each of the halves there are two strong downbeats, and at least one of the downbeats in the second half has to be alliterative with at least one of the downbeats in the first half. Kind of hard to describe but anyway, you get “Gardena”and “geardagum,”and “theodcyninga” and “thrym.” It’s incredible in the Old English, but presents a few problems when translated. Many translating “schools” exist for Beowulf: some go for flat-out prose, some try to keep the meter intact, and some focus on alliteration. My personal favorites have a good strong meter and as many alliterations as possible, but the most important thing is to keep it understandable and to keep the integrity of the culture from which the poem sprang. Which is a lot to ask. No wonder there are bad translations out there.

The other point I wanted to make about the original and translation goes along with that. I think the magic of Beowulf isn’t merely the story, although that’s all very well and good. It’s the glimpse it gives us into the people to whom it wasn’t a relic but a well-known story told around a fire by a respected member of their community. To these people, it was a time for bonding, for learning, for tradition and pride in their people. The urgency and rhythm of the original poem is a large part of what portrays that, and so is incredibly important to preserve. But I don’t know how well it can be done. With the very first word we run into problems: “Hwæt!” the speaker proclaims. Literally, this means “What!” But obviously something is lost in translation. I’ve seen it put down as “Lo,” “Listen,” “Now,” “Hear me,” “Attend,” “Behold,” “So,” and many other variations. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this. Maybe I’m suggesting that everyone learn Old English. But I think mostly what I’m saying is that you have to be careful in picking your translation, and the translator has to care about the culture and the feel of the poem, not just the story.

Quote 2:

To the house the warrior walked apace,
parted from peace; the portal opened,
though with forged bolts fast, when his fists had struck it,
and baleful he burst in his blatant rage,
the house's mouth. All hastily, then,
o'er fair-paved floor the fiend trod on,
ireful he strode; there streamed from his eyes
fearful flashes, like flame to see.

(Lines 720-727)

            This is Grendel’s entrance into Heorot, Hrothgar’s hall. He has come from the wild moors, angered at the Danes and desiring their deaths. Grendel is a descendent of Cain, Adam’s son who killed his brother, and the Danes in righteousness have scorned his lineage. Grendel is determined to kill them and he is not fearful of this new warrior, Beowulf of whom he has heard.

            For one thing, this is a major point in the story. If you mention Beowulf to a layman, the only thing they’re likely to know about it (if they know anything) is that he fights a monster named Grendel. This is also a really cool passage—the whole section has some excellent imagery. Grendel blasting through the doors without any trouble, striding over the floors with fire in his eyes, and then falling on the hapless soldier and devouring him. Good stuff. I’d also like to point out this really masterful translation: strong meter, strict alliteration, almost word-for-word inclusion of the original, and it makes sense. Very, very impressive but unfortunately I can’t find who did it because I read this version online. The story of this lake monster as a descendent of a Bible figure is also intriguing to me. It’s an interesting glimpse into what happens when a pagan society is “converted” to early Christianity.

Quote 3:

Of Sigemund grew,
when he passed from life, no little praise;
for the doughty-in-combat a dragon killed
that herded the hoard: under hoary rock
the atheling dared the deed alone
fearful quest, nor was Fitela there.

…

He had of all heroes the highest renown
among races of men, this refuge-of-warriors,
for deeds of daring that decked his name
since the hand and heart of Heremod
grew slack in battle.

(Lines 884-889, 898-901)

            After Beowulf slays Grendel, a celebration is held in Heorot. There is a great feast, the heroes are presented with gifts to show Hrothgar’s gladness, and a bard comes out to favor the honored guests with fables. Here he tells the tale of Sigemund, a king of long-ago and a warrior of great renown. A dragon was guarding a great hoard, and Sigemund defeated it single-handedly.

Can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is? I mean really. Don’t we read this part later in the story? Can we skip it here? Aside from that, though, I picked this for another reason. One thing I really love about Beowulf is all the asides in the form of other stories. All through the poem other characters come in to tell their own stories or legends from years past. It’s another glimpse into the culture, and adds a roundness to the poem that would be missing if it merely followed Beowulf’s travels.

Quote 4:

“Ne god hafoc

geond sæl swingeð, ne se swifta mearh

burhstede beateð. Bealocwealm hafað
fela feorhcynna forð onsended!"

“No good hawk now
flies through the hall! Nor horses fleet
stamp in the burgstead! Battle and death
the flower of my race have ripped away."

(Lines 2263-2266)

            This is the passage where the hoard-keeper is quoted. He has watched his entire race be slaughtered, and now as he buries their treasure all away he mourns their loss and all that once was and never will be again.

            There are many reasons why I included this quote. First and foremost, I think that this passage is one of the most beautiful in the entire poem. The man’s emotion, though the grief he mourns is long past, is still so clearly raw that it touches deep down. The rhythm of the passage and the wording is so stirring, I think, partly because he weeps for his lost people and this poem is a glimpse into a lost people: reading Beowulf, trying to see what its performers saw, a modern audience can sympathize with the Guardian. A second reason for this particular bit of his speech is that I made an incredibly exciting discovery the other day. I was watching the extended edition of The Two Towers, and it got to Eowyn’s mourning song at Theodred’s funeral and suddenly it sounded oh-so-familiar. I’d never been able to quite tell what she was saying before because of the singing breaking up word structure (I do know a little Old English, but not enough to recognize words in a song.) So I went and looked up the lyrics online and sure enough: Bealocwealm hafað freone freccan forð onsended! A change in conjugation, that’s all it was: instead of the “flower of my race” being ripped away, it was “the brave warrior.” Yep. The soundtrack used a quote straight out of Beowulf. The “complete” song also had the beginning of the passage; it just didn’t make it into the movie. This is actually really fitting, because Tolkien himself was a professor of Old English and an expert on Beowulf, and the influence is clear throughout his works, especially in the Rohirric culture which is essentially Anglo-saxon. But we really don’t have time to get into that, so I’ll move on. I also love this passage because it was the first (and, so far, only) passage of Beowulf I memorized. In sixth grade for our medieval unit we were supposed to perform a ballad and I chose the Guardian’s Lament. Proof that I’ve been a nerd for longer than even I thought.

Quote 5:

Thus made their mourning the men of Geatland,
for their hero's passing his hearth-companions:
quoth that of all the kings of earth,
of men he was mildest and most beloved,
to his kin the kindest, keenest for praise.

(Lines 3178-3182)

            Here are the final lines of Beowulf. The great hero has died, defeating the dragon but defeated by him. He won his people glory, renown, and at last the hoard of the monster, and though they now fear being overrun by the enemies Beowulf had held back, they hold a funeral worthy of their king. His down is raised high on a hill, so that all sailing by may see it and remember the great ruler. The poem ends as Beowulf’s heorðgeneatas, the members of his household, sing his praises.

            Once again a glimpse is offered into the culture of the Geats and the Danes. The seeking of glory and the fight for your people and for your own praise are prized as much as kindness and leadership.  It was Beowulf’s physical prowess and might in battle that won him the kingship of the Geats, and he was loved for it—it is interesting to note that the Old English guðdeað can be translated either as “good death” or as “battle-death.” To fall in battle is the most glorious and fitting way for Beowulf the Great to leave his people. “A good king,” he is called—and here the earlier words of the poet are echoed, when he called both Hrothgar and Sigemund, in their turn, “good kings.” Thus passes Beowulf. 

Modified Gibson Tuck

I almost didn't include this hairstyle, because I was stuck thinking of it as "Gibson Girl," which is, you know, entirely the wrong era. But then I wore it for one very long rehearsal, by the end it was mostly fallen out, and I realized that if you do it loosely it really fits the Elizabethan shape! It almost looks like you're wearing a snood. Plus, it's incredibly, deceivingly easy while looking fantastic.

Here's the lowdown: you need a circlet, but after that you're set. (This is my go-to hairstyle lately.) Leave all your hair down. Place your circlet on top of your head and twist the front sections under as in my Twisted Circlet hairstyle. Then you just tuck all your hair into the headband, use some bobby pins as necessary to tuck up strays, and voila! The trick to getting this more Medieval look rather than something more modern is to tuck the hair all the way around, rather than just in the back.

~Carrots

Simple Half-Up Hairstyles

So, as promised (although a little later than expected) here are the first how-to's for some easy Medieval (yes, medieval, but still Shakespearean enough) hairstyles. The styles featured below, due to their simplicity and versatility, are perfect for almost everyone: ladies, attendants, shepherdesses... the list goes on. For the play, I think for most of you girls it would be good to start with your hair mostly down, like this, and then put it up for the end where everyone is sixteen years older. These half-up hairstyles are also great for helping to hold caps in place!
A few general tips:
1. Use a middle part.
2. Go for your natural hair. Rather than curling or straightening it with an iron, just let it do its thing--this will look best with the hairstyles, and hey, it's easier, right? You could also do sock bun curls, because it's basically rag curling, and that's been around since Medieval times at least.

That's not my hair, by the way. I've never gotten a picture of mine with sock bun curls, but I know it works.
Now I promise, these are easy easy easy: if you can braid and use a bobby pin, you're good. Let's get to it!

Here (second style in the video) are full instructions if you can't figure it out from the picture--I did do it tighter so you could see the construction, though. If you poof it up a bit more in front instead of having it so tight it looks better.

On to hairstyle number two!

You know that scene in the Glittering Caves when Eowyn ties the front of her hair into a knot? Yeah. That's all there is to it. I do find that to keep my bangs in nicely some twisting is in order, and you might want to use a bobby pin or two if your hair won't stay on its own. Again the link is here (third style in video) if you want more detail.

You want another? Your wish is my command.

Girls, it does not get easier than this. Obviously, you do need a circlet, but once you've got that you just set it on top of your head, pull the front bit of your hair up, over, and beneath the front of the ring, and there you go. This is also the first step of my Modified Gibson Tuck.

But wait, there's more!

Also known as a "milkmaid braid," this style is, again, very simple as long as you can braid (which I'm assuming most of you can.) Full, detailed, and helpful instructions can be found here.

That's more a picture of Guy, isn't it? Oops.
Be back soon with more (and some up-do's...)
~Carrots

How to Make a Doric Chiton

(Otherwise known as a "Girly Toga.") For all my lovely girls in the chorus.
You will need:
1 White Sheet--you could maybe get away with a twin size if you're really, really small, but queen size would probably be better
2 Large-ish safety pins or brooches

The picture above gives you a guide for folding, but just for clarity, here are written instructions.

1. Obtain a sheet. This is a very important step.
2. Fold the sheet down hamburger style until it is as long as the length between your shoulders and ankles. Depending on your height, this may be a only a foot or you may have to fold it in half.
3. Now, keeping the top folded down, fold the sheet in half hotdog style.
4. Hold the folded sheet up in front of you. Make a pretty face. Good? Ok, find where you want the shoulder straps to be (allow for a little draping around the neckline and make sure to leave room for your arm to get through on the folded side.)
5. Overlap the top edges and pin them together for the shoulder straps.

And that's it! We'll have ribbons for you at rehearsal, but if you want to go parade for your family, just tie a belt or sash around your waist, overlapping the open side first.
For the play, here's what you should have on underneath: White tights or leggings and a white cami or shirt. I'm perfectly fine with either, so if you don't want your arms naked go ahead and wear a shirt. I'd also recommend spankies, especially for while you're doing the storm. And don't forget your ballet slippers!

Break a leg, girlies.
For copyright purposes, the image was found here. I wrote the instructions all by myself, though.

Duties

Assistant Director

Assistant Stage Manager

Costumer

Hair & Makeup Advisor

Choreographer

Consultant

Secretary
Dramaturg

Errand-girl

Props Master

Actress

Four hours in the prop/costume shop yesterday, then three hours of rehearsal. A few hours (so far) this weekend working on props.I should be getting paid for this.

And then of course there's:

Student

and, since my parents are were out of town for the week,

Mom

We spent the day cleaning the house top-to-bottom to prepare for the parents' and grandparents' homecoming. Here I am in my super-attractive "Clean ALL the things!" get-up.

 It's secretly a Rosie the Riveter costume.

Bedtime can't come too soon.

Twelfth Night

Was yesterday. But in holding with the traditional topsy-turvyness of the Twelfth Day of Christmas and because I just didn't get to this yesterday, here's another Christmas post. That's actually about Shakespeare. Go figure.
I was intending to write about my Christmas presents, but I guess that will have to come later as I was distracted by the title of the post. Twelfth Night obviously leads to thoughts of "thrice-drined Viola," Sebastian, and the rest, which in turn leads to the characters and storyline of this year's Shakespeare play!
Every year at the very beginning of February our highschool puts on a production of one of old Billy's lovely plays. This year, it's The Winter's Tale. Sadly, nobody seems to have heard of this play except me, but let me tell you, it is incredible. It's classed as a "Romance," which basically means it's a tragedy but ends happily instead of with everyone dead. There's a lost princess, a shepherd who's really a prince, exiled kings and courtiers, intrigue, misunderstanding, adultury, and all that good stuff. And a bear.
Here's the really exciting part, though: I'm in it. Not just backstage, not standing around on stage saying nothing. I'm IN THE PLAY. With LINES. And a NAME! I'm Emilia, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. Also, I'm Assisstant Directing and it's pretty much the most fun I've ever had.
Because of all this, though, I'm not going to have time to do everything backstage like I usually do. (Ha.) So, since I'll be busy with other things when I'm at the school, I'm going to do a whole series of posts here on my blog (complete with instructions) to help you ladies with your hair. Currently, this involves Medieval hairstyles, but if our exhalted director changes the costuming, that'll change too. You never know.
That's all for now, folks!

Let's Set This Straight

And now, for your entertainment and enlightenment, Horrible Histories' take on a few classic Christmas carols:

O Christmas Tree

Silent Night

Good King Wenceslas

And do you know what else is set in Bohemia? This year's Shakespeare play! (Much) more on that later.

Two Turtledoves (And a Partridge...)

It's the second day of Christmas. And I just plain don't hold with this "Christmas starts after Halloween but ends on December 26." Christmas should start after Thanksgiving and continue until Twelfth Night (January 6.) That's all. So, expect lots more Christmas-y posts!

The Best Thing That's Ever Been Called Horrible

I'm letting this speak for itself. Just watch it.

A Far, Far Better Thing

A story in pictures in which Carrots, aided by her Fairy Godmother, The Doctor, Madame de Pompadour, both versions of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Students of Liberty, rescues and marries Sydney Carton.

Today Carrots, due to picture availability, will be played partially by Miss Anne Shirley, Miss Amy Pond, and Miss Ginevra Weasley.

Don't expect this to be sirius. (Black or otherwise)

Feminism

Ahhhh...school's out. But, lest we become illiterate over the summer, here's something to really sink your teeth into: my dear friend Hannah's amazing Global Citizen paper on feminism. (reprinted with permission) And yes, I'm posting someone else's work on my blog after an extremely long time without posting anything. Hope you're not all to dissapointed; it's because I'm working on a nice long one for Shaylynn's blog, which you should all read, by the way. Here's the paper, 10 pages long and worth reading every word:

Feminine Oppression Today

FEMINIST, once a dirty word, is now an occupation and reputation respected in American society.  HOMEMAKER on the other hand, a taxing full-time job, is now a dirty word, a lowly occupation for stereotypically, frumpy, old-fashioned women with little ambition and a lack of self respect.  With our culture proactively campaigning for total gender equality, we must ask ourselves, globally speaking, are women more or less oppressed today than they have been in the past?  The Oxford English Dictionary defines oppressed as downtrodden or unjustly kept in a position of subjection and hardship; persecuted. Many women across the world today are oppressed, some even more so than their counterparts from the past.  Ironically, this is due in part to the push for total gender equality.

Pre-Columbian Native American women often chose their sachem or chief.  However, the sachem was always male.  Native Americans had distinct gender roles.  Men hunted and protected while women farmed and took care of the children.  Most Native American communities traced their lineage through the matriarchal line, which guaranteed the bloodline since the identity of the father was not always certain.  Today Native American people can choose to live on or off of reservations.  The majority continue on reservations with little advanced education.  In his article “American Indian Reservations: The First Underclass Areas?” Gary D.  Sandefur, professor of social work and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, states that of the 336,384 Native Americans living on reservations, over forty percent live in poverty.  Thirty percent are high school drop-outs and thirty percent of the heads of household are female.  Avert.org reports that “the rate of Chlamydia … among American Indians… is higher than among whites,” as is gonorrhea and syphilis.  National Public Radio reported that rape is frequently unreported and under-prosecuted on reservations. “The story of what happened to Ironroad, [a woman who was raped and brutally murdered in July of 2007] and more importantly what happened to the investigation of her death, is a window into what is happening on Native American reservations across the country. Cases like hers are going unreported, uninvestigated and unprosecuted, according to tribal officials.” The Justice Department reports that one in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime.  Police forces are inadequate to stop this oppression.

While Native American women once played an important role in their society as providers and nurturers, they are now often regarded as sex objects.  Many Native American women have lived on reservations their whole lives, watching their mothers live by prostitution and, not knowing any other lifestyle, grow up to do the same.  The result of trying to “Americanize” Native Americans is greater exploitation of Indian women than in the past.  With their cultural roles re-defined, too many men oppress women further.

 Pre-Columbian women were not oppressed until western culture was forced upon Native Americans.  Colonial American women, meanwhile, came from longstanding European Traditions that most women today would find unacceptably oppressive.  “An union without affection is the most deplorable situation a woman can be in,” Mary Stevensen said in the late 1700’s.  When the American colonies were in the midst of making their bid for freedom, the women of the colonies were, in the eyes of some, oppressed.  When Abigail Adams wrote to her husband in March 1776, she said “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.  Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.” John Adams, a more than usually loving husband, laughed.  He dismissed the idea without serious contemplation.  When a woman married in colonial America, the fundamental rights granted to “all men” were stripped from her.  A married woman could not sue, sell or purchase land, make a will, or sign contracts.  Her earnings, children, and body, legally belonged to her husband.  But the biggest farce of all was the romantic face of marriage.  Girls would grow up preparing a dowry for marriage only to find, like Mary Withers, “now I have turned house keeper, for, to my sorrow I know there is no romance in going from the smokehouse [to] the storeroom and from there to the cellar half a dozen times a day.”  When involved in a bad marriage this lack of legal equality was certainly oppressive.  Single women were hardly better off.  They had few income resources and were openly mocked by political cartoons and comedies.  Slave women had no rights.  They did not own their own bodies, they could not marry, and their children were the property of their masters. 

In the summer of 1848 the feminist movement that would sweep North America and Europe like a tidal wave started building.  Its leaders evoked and adapted the preamble to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.”  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucrettia Mott, all mothers and wives, quickly rose to prominence as passionate feminist leaders.  On August 6, 1920 the 19^th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote.  Other rights to education, property and inheritance slowly followed.  On the opposing side, there were anti-suffragists like Annie Black who told the U. S. Senate that “suffrage robs women of all that is gentle, tender, attractive.”  It wasn’t until 1983 that Columbia College became the last Ivy League School to admit women. 

Today’s American feminist issues include birth control, home-making verses working, anorexia and other eating and body-appearance disorders, and high rape and abuse rates.  In 1957 “the pill,” small, pink, and readily available, was approved by the FDA.  This form of birth control gave women the “opportunity” to have intercourse without lifelong “side effects,” like children.  Interestingly, STD rates as well as AIDS have shot up dramatically since that date.  Between 1997 and 2009 Chlamydia rates more than doubled.  At the same time, anorexia and similar mental illnesses have become more and more common. 

Since the 1800s the attitude of feminism has changed dramatically.  While Stanton, Anthony and Mott were homemakers who merely asked for equal legal rights in marriage and voting, a new race of feminist emerged in the 1970’s.  These feminists openly scorned the devoted mother.  Children were for daycare, men were for work and women were for work.  A woman at the beginning of the 19^th century had to ask why she couldn’t be a doctor.  Now she must ask why she cannot be a stay-at-home mom.  Whereas 100 years ago the loss of virginity was considered a tragedy, you’re now a tragic loser if you’re a virgin.  An American woman must now endure persecution from other women for having a large family, and for raising that family in the home.  This strange breed of feminist oppression coincides with increased levels of women being abused in other ways as well.  With 1.2% of Americans getting assaulted and 0.4% of women reporting rape with an additional 4% or upwards keeping silent, oppression of women is far from a relic of the past.  This modern form of feminism is not the cure.  In fact, it is a cause. 

Europe’s oppression of women goes back farther than America’s.  In Greek and Roman cultures women were not allowed to vote and ‘child’ brides as young as 12 were not uncommon.  Evidence suggests that high ranking Roman women were able to read, write and, in some cases, allowed to own property.  Unfortunately, the middle ages wiped clean any progress made in Rome.  Women such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Christine de Pizan proved that though women were just as capable as their male counterparts, they were still denied the rights of property, inheritance, education and even their own bodies.  During the Empirical period of European history (1700-1800), Jane Austen depicted in her six novels the shallow and insignificant role many women were relegated to play.  Writing was such a low occupation for women that when Austen published her books she gave the author credit as follows:  BY A LADY—.  An interesting theme through Austen’s books is that while petty and foolish women end up in oppressive situations, often the clever and kind heroine marries a man who allows her to think for herself.  The problem remained however that this privilege was only generously allowed.  In 1918 the British Parliament passed the Representation of the People Act, granting women over the age of 30 the right to vote.  By the 1930’s women in most European countries could vote.

While education and employment rates rise in European countries, so do those of rape.   Gmu.edu reports that in 1993, 23% of European women were forced into sex.  Twenty-three out of 100 European women are oppressed into sexual assault.  The age of chivalry has left these “civilized” nations, leaving only the desires of the stories with none of the romance, true love, or security enjoyed in centuries past.  Terms like “date rape” and “sexual harassment” are now universally understood.  In eras past, even mentioning a girl being ravished was a humiliating, vile, and a disgraceful bit of gossip.  The virtue of wives and daughters was fought for by brothers, husbands, sons, and fathers and avenged as best as possible.  Now, it seems that few are willing to protect or defend the one fourth of European women who are sexually assaulted.

The Islamic scripture the Qur’an gives women instructions on modesty and submission.  Historically, Westerners too easily assume that Muslim women are oppressed.  The modesty of Islamic women has protected them more than European and American women.  Sadly, in some countries, it appears that there has been a recent shift from the intended meaning of shaira law.  Islam means submission, the willing submission of both men and women to the will of Allah.  Unfortunately, in some present circumstances it seems that Allah has been replaced my men.  So how far does submission go? Well, Middle Eastern women being raped are not able to press charges or get a divorce.  Not until May 2005 were the women of Kuwait empowered to vote.  Kuwait is only the 4^th Middle Eastern country to allow women this right.  The Jewish nation Israel was the first in 1933.  Israel stands as a monument to womens’ rights in the Middle East.  It is a very liberalized country.  Israeli women enjoy many of the same rights as American women.  While rape and harassment rates are still a national issue, it is less so than so than in surrounding Middle Eastern countries and America.  Rape and female circumcision (far more painful, invasive, and permanently damaging than its male counterpart) rates have shot up to the point where middle-east-info.org reports that 97% of Egyptian women have unwillingly undergone female genital mutilation and 90% of Sudanese women have been similarly oppressed.  In several countries polygamy is still an accepted practice—up to 4 wives—and girls can be married off while still infants so long as they don’t have intercourse before the age of 9.  On March 11, 2002 Amnesty International reported that 14 girls were killed and dozens of others injured in a school fire in Mecca because the religious police would not allow them to leave without their head scarves.  It further states that “Saudi Arabia remains the only country in the world that prevents women from driving, studying law and engineering, directly selling or buying property, attending court (even when accused of murder), and showing their faces in public." 

Certainly protection and modesty are important in Islamic countries, but at what level of forcible subjection are they justified?  While most people agree that American and European women have inherited more rights than their predecessors, it seems that in some places rights for Middle Eastern women are decreasing.  While the western world pushes for complete gender equality, even gender anonymity, the Middle Eastern world has reacted oppressively in the opposite direction.

Asian countries present yet another variation of these issues.  In approximately 100 AD (during the Han Dynasty), Ban Zhao, a female instructor of the girls of the imperial court of China wrote a well known text called Admonitions for Girls in which she emphasized humility, obedience, and cleanliness.  She based her instructions on the analects of Confucius, who taught that there were 4 major relationships.  None of these include daughters, and the only one which includes women is submissiveness of wife to husband and then to son.  Early Asian women had a blend of rights and oppressions.  In the early 1000’s foot binding became a popular practice in elite Chinese families.  Foot binding (a status symbol) is breaking the bones of the foot and then wrapping the feet continually throughout childhood so that the feet would be no longer than 5” by the time girls reached adulthood. 

Rich Asian women did have some limited access to education, mainly Confucian philosophy, writing, and domestic arts.  They were expected to be humble and supportive without fail and to obey completely the man they were bound to, first father, then husband, then son.  Their only purpose in life was to bear sons.  Kangyouin, Empress of Japan in the 1840s, was set aside by her husband and forced to shave her head and join a Jain nunnery because she had born him only 2 daughters.  He then married a 14-year-old, younger than his 15-year-old daughter.   The emperor’s second wife also failed in her only domestic duty, producing sons.  Fortunately for the emperor however, it had not yet been discovered that the male is the one who produces the sex gene.   

The Asian Foundation reports that domestic violence is currently an international issue.  STDs are also a problem in Asian countries today and Asian women are still forced into traditional roles and turned away from jobs more often than American and European women.  Communist movements have encouraged negative gender equality and yet one single and childless woman reported to journalists that she felt trapped because everyone knew she would someday marry, have children and stay home, so they wouldn’t hire her.  Asia seems to be slowly moving in the direction of America and Europe in ways that are both positive and negative for women.

Are women more oppressed today than they have been in the past?  In her book A Return to Modesty, Wendy Shalit offers compelling logic and evidence leading to the conclusion that while women are treated more equally in some parts of the work force, their mystique, their power, their influence for good, and their safety is rapidly decreasing.  Never before in all recorded history have rape, STDs, and eating disorder statistics been so high.   Yes, women in the Americas and Europe can vote, they can work, they can own property, they can get a divorce.  But can they walk down the street in safety?  Can they go to a party without being molested?  Can they trust that the men they work with are trustworthy?  While women in the Middle East and Africa are being blatantly oppressed by law and culture, the women of America and Europe are oppressed in different ways.  Shalit points out that some women in the world are being forced to be mothers and homemakers while others are forced not to be.  Few have the privilege of choice.  She argues that while we can and should enjoy most equalities, men and women are separate.  Co-educational bathrooms and gym classes, kindergarten maturation, and Hollywood acculturation have taught American and European women to demand equality and in return to expect exploitation.  A return to chivalry, modesty, and virtue are the solutions, and for once the women hold the power.  Demand modesty and chivalry, and you demand a better, safer equality for all women.

American and European women can become lawyers, doctors, politicians, teachers, or homemakers.  They can vote and campaign, own property, divorce, ask a man on a date or say no to a marriage proposal.  Sometimes it seems that our opportunities are boundless.  While we have yet to elect a female president, we successfully run for office.  Our hopes for the future are bright and our lives are full of opportunities waiting to be grasped.  The Asian countries are also progressing towards equality both positive and negative.  With deeper cultural barriers in place, their progress is slower but still encouraging.  The Middle East and Africa do not seem to be getting any closer to equality; in fact they are more oppressive of womens’ rights than in the past.  Ironically, it is the country of India that elected the first woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.  She was assassinated, as was the female president of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. Their elections were an encouraging step in the right direction but the huge majority of women who are constantly oppressed in Middle Eastern and African countries make it hard to be optimistic.  Hopefully, the Egypt crisis right now will give women another opportunity to gain their rights. 

Are women oppressed today?  Yes.  In the Middle East and Africa persecution is as obvious and harsh as ever.  In fact, while Muslim women originally had more rights than others, Middle Eastern and African countries have become more and more oppressive as America and Europe become more and more ‘equal.’  In America and Europe we have control over whether we are oppressed or not, and sadly, we often don’t stand up against oppression.  Instead we step up to the noose and let ourselves be hanged.

Am I a feminist?  That depends of the contested definition of feminist.  Some tell me I am radical, but when I read the radicals I find their works insulting.  They push down the traditional woman and glorify the extreme and obscene.  I believe in the beauty of womanhood, the authenticity of chivalry and that the genders are inherently and rightly separate, equal and complimentary.  Women in America today are given so many opportunities but often we leave them unclaimed or unwanted.  I’m with Rosie the Riveter when she says we can do it, so sometimes I wonder why we don’t.  I align with Shalit and have found her writing persuasive when she argues that we must seize the opportunity to stand up for our rights as equal humans and especially separate genders.  Women should be allowed to choose safety, security, and a career in or out of the home.  Most importantly, women, and all humans have the right to respect.  But women have demanded to be just like men and have been degraded in the process.

The counsel of the Greek Gods originally consisted of six goddesses and six gods.  When Dionysius, lord of wine, and the corruptions associated with it, such as rape, prostitution, and oppression, appeared on the scene, Hestia, goddess of the hearth, of the home,  and defender of women, was forced to step down to make room for him.  Tipping the scale of the gods in favor of man.  Over the years Hestia has faded into the background of obscure mythology.  While books are written glorifying the God of the wasted, where is the goddess of the home?  Here stands he who glorifies oppression.  Where is she who defends womanhood?

Fit for a Princess

The big talk on everyone's tongues right now is--you guessed it--the royal wedding. We even talked about it for a good twenty minutes in Laurels yesterday! Everyone's agog over the dress, the veil, the couple, and Princess Beatrice's hat. I, on the other hand (though I loved it all but for the hat) would like to take a moment to talk about something no one else seems to have mentioned: the bouquet.

Well! First off, have you ever seen anything more perfectly, gorgeously Georgian? Abigail Adams could have carried a bouquet just like this--and of course I couldn't be happier about that. But this is not all I want to say, nor is it the nerdiest. (A warning to the faint of heart: if the words "history geek" make you want to run away, you should probably stop now.
Kate's bouquet was comprised of flowers which all have symbolic meanings. Yes I do know the Language of the Flowers, thank you very much! Also the language of fans. Any more questions?

Lily-of-the-valley – Return of happiness
Sweet William – Gallantry
Hyacinth – Constancy of love
Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection
Myrtle: the emblem of marriage; love.

All symbolism aside, though, that can't be the only reason she chose to carry Sweet William down the aisle! Honestly. Bet there's more to the story still:

The bouquet contains stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.

The tradition of carrying myrtle begun after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Albert’s grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany [I am pretty sure this is Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf who was also Victoria's grandmother]. In the same year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House as a family retreat, and a sprig from the posy was planted against the terrace walls, where it continues to thrive today. 

As the wonderful lady who informed me of all of this said, "History romance coma!" Isn't it loverly?