Tots act 1 questions. Tots Questions. RAFI.

Tots Questions. RAFI.
Act 1. Scene 1.
1. Lucentio has come to Padua to study astronomy or philosophy.

2. Bapista has said that before Bianca can be wed, his older daughter Katherine must be married first.

3. Katherine has a very nasty reputation and not many people like her. Bianca’s however is that of a nice and pretty girl and everyone likes her.

4. Horenstio’s idea is to find a man who will fall in love with Katherine quickly.

5. Tranio’s plan involves that Lucentio disguise himself as a school teacher. And then both Tranio and Lucentio switch clothing to disguise one another.

Act 1. Scene2.

1. Pertruchio’s motive in coming to Padua is to see his good friend Horenstio.

2. Katherine may be pretty but she has a vile tongue. And Bianca never says anything mean and
has a heart of gold.

3. They are angry that they are being challenged for their love for Bianca.

4. Soft and then strong and not to be swayed by her villainous tongue.

5. Because Petruchio has offered to get married to Katherine and so the road to Bianca is a green.

TAMING OF THE SHREW -- ACT 2 QUESTIONS

We'll read Act I, scene 1 of "The Taming of the Shrew" together. For homework, finish reading Act I, then, on a separate sheet of paper (complete sentences; not a blog), answer the following questions:

ACT I, scene 1

1. Why has Lucentio come to Padua?

2. Of what is Baptista resolved concerning the marriage of his two daughters?

3. What is Katherine's reputation? Bianca's?

4. What is Hortensio's plan to more quickly be able to win and marry Bianca?

5. What is Tranio's plan for Lucentio? What metamorphosis does this involve?

ACT I, scene 2

6. What is Petruchio's motive in coming to Padua?

7. How are Katherine's and Bianca's reputations further clarified? What words/phrases are used to describe both women throughout the scene?

8. What is the suitors' (Gremio and Hortensio) reaction to Lucentio joining them as rivals to Bianca?

9. What specific images are used to describe the wooing of Katherine?

10. At the end of Act I, why are Bianca's suitors friendly with one another and indebted to Petruchio?

Shrew Intro.

i expect this play to be kind of witty, and silly. as my great and favorite teacher Nijole has told us this is one of shakespeare few plays that sort of disses women. while his other plays consist of women outwitting and winning and or dying in the end with thier love, this play is almost the exact opposite.
i really like reading shakespeare. while he can be kind of confusing at times and is mostly kind of dark with his love plays when somebody dies and then thier lover kills him or herself eventually but it is usually the guy to die first (What happened to ladies first. Geez. where are manners these days) and then the women would kill herself, like in Romeo and Juliet. but apart from that, i love reading Shakespeare, and while reading i always learn these new words that i never would have heard before.

TAMING OF THE SHREW: INDUCTION ASSIGNMENT

We'll read scene 1 of the Induction to "Taming of the Shrew" together. For homework, finish reading the Induction, then, on a separate sheet of paper (complete sentences; not a blog), answer the following questions:

1. What trick is played upon Christopher Sly? Why?

2. Why is "The Taming of the Shrew" considered a play within a play?

Be prepared to discuss these questions in class tomorrow.

journal # 3

Elizabeth as a Feminist-

I do think that Elizabeth was a feminist because she tried to prove that women were equal to men. They were much more than just a slave is what she tried to prove. She wanted people to see that a women could serve the country just as well if not better then men did. Beacause what were going through now with the election and everything i think people should think about she said and what she did. The same thing is happening with what happened in Elizabeth time. There is a woman trying to run the country. Whether its the right for women to vote or a women serving the country or standing up for what she belives in. So yes i think we should call her a feminist.

Elizabeth as a feminist

Yes i think Elizabeth was a feminist because she tried to prove that women were not just slaves to men. They were much more than that is what she tried to prove. She wanted people to see that a women could serve the country just as well as men did. We should still call her a feminist beacause what were going threw now with the election and everything people should think about what she has said and what has been done. The same thing is happening with what happened in Elizabeth time. Whether its the right for wemon to vote or a womon serving the country for what she belives in. So yes we should still call her a feminist.

Journal 4:TOTS intro

From reading the intro for The taming of the Shrew, I kind of expect this play to be very interesting to read. It seems like the characters have a great story behind them and I think it’s also cool that the story is in sort of a script form; I like to read stories like that. Bianca seems like a type of goodie two shoes girl who tries to change things up a little bit just for the guy whom she’s starting to like. As far as reading Shakespeare language, that will be pretty tough, just because of the fact I am not fully familiar with his language as much as everybody else is. It will be kind of hard for me to understand but hopefully I will soon catch on quickly. Now, this doesn’t seem like the typical Shakespeare love story that’s somewhat turns into some kind of tragedy, it looks like it will be extremely different just from reading the storyline. I expect it to have some humorous parts somewhere in there. I can kind of see some parts being very serious and some conflicts along the story. I am just really anxious to know what’s going to happen to all of the characters mainly Bianca and her sister. I do expect the father to be sort of strict with both of the two daughters. I hope I will be able to follow along with the book and all of its meanings language wise. I haven’t really been following Shakespeare stories up until this year, since the only one I know of is the obvious Romeo and Juliet and I know a little bit of Hamlet. But, I think this book will have my great interest. So hopefully the story will turn out to be good.

Taming of the Shrew intro

I expect this play to be very sexist, since everyone in class seems to be ranting about it so much. Also I hope that this play will at least have some jokes and won’t just dwell on the actions of this "Shrew". I'm expecting the play to at the very least be exciting, and energetic, based on what I've read about Shakespeare. I think it will be challenging to read, because Shakespeare language is very crazy and it's very hard to get the hang of. Hopefully there won’t be too much ranting and class, and we'll actually get to read the play, with a nice and steady pace. Before I saw Hamlet, I never knew about Shakespeare, and I will admit I was being left out. If the taming of the shrew is anything like the tempest, or Hamlet, I know that I will definitely love the play. I hope that it also won’t hurt anyone's feelings when we read the play, because by the sound of it, it really can push the buttons.

REMINDER -- ALL STUDENTS!!

Please remember to title your posts with the journal number, which will always be posted in the title of each guiding question. Also, I strongly suggest doing your blogs in Microsoft Word first so that you can do a spell-check and word count.
I'm going through and commenting on your posts, so please feel free to read your own as well as those of your classmates -- and feel free to add your own comments!

I dident know that much about her before I read the packet. I knew that she ruled England but nothing very big. I studied her a little bit in 6th grade but I forgot everything they taught me. What I find intrstring about her is that she went threw alot before coming Queen. She had to sit there and see her mother die. Thats hard for any child to see. I think she is defnaly worth studing in class because she has a big legacy to review.

TOTS: Journal 1

Before I read this, I thought about the first (and only) two plays that I read by William Shakespeare. The first play that I read was his romantic play, Romeo and Juliet. I really didn't appreciate because I couldn't understand sixty percent of what the characters were saying. The second play I read was The Tempest. I liked that one a little more because it had a lot of comedy, as well as some romance (as usual.) Upon think about what The Taming of the Shrew might be about, I figured there would be a lot of drama, a heavy amount of romance, as well as some humor. I think that because I am older, my requirements on what I like to read have changed a little bit, so I am a little cautious and exciting about reading this book. I don't think that the part that I read really changed my look on Shakespeare, I think that it really just taught me a little bit more about his life and his style of writing. I think one thing that I may view differently when I am reading this play, is certain moments in the writing. I liked how one section breaks down the way he writes. For example, when it says that Shakespeare’s opening scenes usual include unfamiliar word like feeze you, iwis and bestraught. I still think that he is a complex writer, so I am a little curious about reading The Taming of the Shrew.

Translate 3 of Shakespeare's sonnets

Go to this website: http://poetry.eserver.org/sonnets/ and choose 3 different sonnets that you will translate, line by line, just as we did in class. Please print out a copy of each original sonnet, then attach your translation to the one it goes with. This is not a blog, but should be typed and is due Monday.

Journal 4: Shrew Intro -- 250 words

You've read the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew. Please write 250 words explaining what you expect this play to be like, and how you feel about reading Shakespeare.

Journal entry:Feminism

I think in some ways Queen Elizabeth was a feminist in her time because I think she wanted to prove a point mainly that women can make a difference and also know how to rule a country without a mans help. And that England didn’t need a king by her side to make sure things were running smoothly. She basically handled things on her own and maybe that’s why people thought she was a feminist because of the simple fact she rejected marriage and a man’s love and help. Because the people were so used to that kind of living and she wanted to change that. At one point in time she was trying to bring men and women together because she wanted women to become equal with the men so that they weren’t treated any different. i wouldnt call her a feminst now because in some ways time has changed alot since then and people might have their own opinions about these types of situations. I think she was a feminist for certain reasons mainly to prove a point and to make a difference.

Feminism Journal

The definition of feminism is the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. I think that feminism did not actually have a definition during the time before and well after Queen Elizabeth's rule. I think that Elizabeth more so showed women that they could do whatever they want because she was presiding queen of England, and she was doing a heck of a job at it! In addition to that she never got married and that made her an even more prominent figure. I think that because she was so strong, she set a big example for the women of England. In the packet, Susan Bassnet says, "Elizabeth's early life was indeed traumatic; but in adulthood, was certainly not squeamish about ordering bloodshed about her." I think some of the things Queen Elizabeth did could be ccnsidered feminist in today's world. However I think many people would still see her just as the highest power in England, rather than a iconic feminist in the 15th century.

Elizabeth I A feminist perspective

I think that Queen Elizabeth was definitely a feminist in her time, but I think she also tried to make men and women equal. Also I think about how after all the things that has been shown to her that men have done, it would be impressive if she totally forgave her father. For example, her father, king Henry VIII had Elizabeth's mother killed. So I think maybe some of that anger might have lead to her being a feminist. I think now we could probably still call her a feminist, but if she saw how much we have developed our society, she might be at least a little bit less of a feminist, but the feminist mind might still be in her.

Elizabeth 1.
I believe that Elizabeth 1st was major feminist. She for one completely dedicated her life for the making of feminism. While she did get a point around by completely annihilating the Spanish armada and protecting England, she then used violence when it was completely necessary. Elizabeth fought hard for the women in Tudor England and after her death in 1603, she was considered the rival to the Virgin Mary.
Elizabeth 1st was a major feminist. She dedicated her whole life for bringing rights to women. And when she finally became Queen she totally revamped the views on woman. And she wiped out almost all the sexism in England, while there was still a lot of it, most of it was destroyed and the next generation wouldn’t have had to deal with it. And women weren’t treated a poorly. But they still had to marry whoever their parents wanted. And women weren’t allowed to star in plays at all, and they still weren’t allowed as many rights as men were. Even though the execution of women was abolished.
I think that Elizabeth the first was a major feminist. Her whole life was dedicated to the rights women deserve. Like no execution of women if they disobeyed their husbands and all that.

I feel like Queen Elizabeth was a feminist in her time and in her era. Although she could not publicly state it and display obvious acts of said feminism, I feel like she really did try to equalize men and women as best as she could during her rein. The fact that she did not marry but possibly had lovers’ serves as proof that she didn’t have a problem with standing out in efforts to be independent. The second fact that she had her alleged lovers executed serves as another proof that she might have believed in woman calling the shots. The term feminism did not yet exist during this time, which is probably why there is a debate as to whether she was in fact a feminist or not, but from what I’ve read I strongly feel that she did everything in her power and to her knowledge to make herself a good ruler, regardless of her sex. Obviously, she couldn’t have drastically changed the entire kingdom for men and women to have the same rights because she grew up in a world where people where taught their places in society. The world that these people lived in was used to women being considered lesser. If any drastic change had occurred, I don’t think they would have been ready for it and they probably would have overthrown Queen Elizabeth. In my opinion, Queen Elizabeth was really smart in the ways she ran her country. She knew how to ensure her seat on the thrown while still ruling the way she wanted.

Journal 3 -- Was Elizabeth I a Feminist?

Read the Susan Bassnett article I've given you (it may be a little difficult, but do your best with it, and bring any questions you may have to class), then read this Wikipedia page about feminism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism
Now: Thinking about all we've studied so far, do you think Elizabeth was a feminist in her time? Do you think we should call her a feminist now?
Please write 250 words (minimum) in response.

Anne of the Thousand Days

This movie was great. The scenes made it look real to life. I loved the scenes. some of the scenes seemed unclear. The pictures were clear and they were nice. The costumes were cool if were talking about the days back then. Sometimes the clothes the king wore looked liked the clothes his servants wore. The acting was also really good. Everyone in the movie looked liked they were really in the day. Anne thought that if she could be queen she could be ruler and her children would also be ruler. I honestly think Anne was not treated fairly.I don't think she was treated fairly because she wasn't treated humanly. She had a true love which was taken away from her. What she thought was right didn't matter to the king. He just wanted a relationship with her. Catherine was not treated fairly ether. She was forced to divorce when she didn't want to. My thoughts about Anne and her refusal to back down were brave. Any other person would have if there life depended on it. She was really brave and loyal to do something so life threatening. This is one of the best old movies I've seen.

Anne of the thousand days

From watching Anne of the thousand days, I must say that I really did enjoy the film because it was very interesting. It captured my attention fully. I will be honest and say that my first thoughts of this movie were that it was going to be boring and that I would fall asleep. But it proved me very wrong. In my opinion I think the movie portrayed the true story very well and it made me think I was actually watching it happen in real life. On the artistic side of the movie, the costumes looked really good and all of the props and backgrounds looked really nice. I must commend on the person who designed the set. The acting was great as well, the people who played each role did a good job and I give them a round of applause especially Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold because they played the part of Henry and Anne very well. The movie showed how strong Anne really was and I was actually surprised that in the beginning Anne strongly disliked Henry and that she was destined to be with Lord Henry Percy. Even Katherine of Aragon was determined to not leave King Henry’s side as Queen but unfortunately he felt different about her. I don’t think he knew what love actually felt like. When he told Anne that he loved her, I think he was just telling her that just to make her fall for him and to get something out of her. I also believed that all along Anne didn’t really love him; she just wanted to become Queen as he promised her. In the end, things didn’t really work out. Also, in my opinion, I do think that King Henry was cursed in a way because of the fact he kept marrying new young women just to get male babies out of them instead of being appreciative for his daughters that he had received from the previous births from previous wives. But I guess if you’re the king in that time frame, you can do that. Once again I will say that the movie was good and I wouldn’t mind watching it again.

Anne of the Thousand Days (journal 3)

Anne of the Thousand Days was a pretty good recount of Anne Boleyn’s life, especially for a movie made in 1969. The film included spectacular acting by Genevieve Bujold, who played Anne, as well as decent sets, and even interested teenagers of the 21st Century. The background color was very dim throughout the entire movie, limiting the amount of detail apparent to the naked eye. However, the details were not the most important parts of the movie and it is understandable given that the movie is not recent.

The acting by Genevieve Bujold and Richard Burton, as Anne and King Henry, was amazing. They made the story come alive and seem very real. When Anne was forced to become part of Catherine of Aragon’s court, it seemed as though King Henry had ordered someone I knew to do it. When Anne’s feelings for Henry changed and she finally admitted she loved him, I wanted to reach into the screen and stop her! Obviously spending so much time with King Henry changed her feelings towards him but as the old saying goes, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” He left Catherine of Aragon for a reason, and unfortunately, Anne could not give him a son so it was almost foreshadowing for him to leave her for Jane Seymour.

Anne’s audacity and bravery throughout her entire “adult” life was very unexpected given the typical roles of women in Tudor England. However, it definitely helped her gain more power than the typical queen. She definitely used it to her advantage and demanded a certain level of respect, which she was granted because of her audacity and intelligence. Catherine of Aragon did not seem to receive such a high level of respect, but from this movie alone, it was hard to make any real conclusions about her because she did not play a very big part.

anne of the thousand days

Anne of the Thousand Days-

In my opinion this was a good movie. I liked the costumes and the scenery. Also I liked the actors I think that they did a really good job in portraying 17th century people and the facts really well. I think Anne's shift in thinking was caused by her falling in love with Henry. I do not think that Anne was treated fairly I think she was treated the exact opposite in fact I think that the way she was treated was OUTRAGEOUS! She was falsely accused of sleeping with a lot of men one of whom was her own brother. Also I do not think she had a fair trial. The jury had their life threatened if she was not found guilty. The men she was accused of sleeping with were tortured until they agreed to testify against their queen. Their lives were also threatened. Also I do not believe that Anne should have been killed. I don’t think that Catherine of Aragon was treated fairly either. Henry married Anne before he even divorced Catherine. I think Catherine had every right not to want to back down because she was queen of England and I don’t think anybody had the right to take that from her. The people loved her and she was a good queen and I think that is all that matters. Anne did not deserve to have her title taken from her either after she had worked so hard to get it.

The Movie Anne Of A Thousand Days, looks to me, like a pretty accurate representation of what life for these women might have been like during King Henry’s rein. The costumes and palace setting are beautifully designed and I feel that they truly captured the antique style of how architectures and styles where back then, the dresses seem to portray how delicate and dainty women were, but I’m not so sure how the skirts and puffy shorts made the men look macho or manly at all, I don’t know, maybe they were just worried about comfort. I also feel like the actors and the script did a wonderful job so far of capturing and reliving the attitudes and issues both sexes had back then, not to mention the different rankings and social status of people. Of course, the King could do anything he wanted, have any woman he wanted, and kill anyone who annoyed him in the slightest. I feel like this is why this form of government didn’t last, King Henry was a butt hole, and the fact of the matter is, no single man can have all the power, no matter how good and perfect he seems, he or she will always use his or her power for personal gain. I do sympathize for all the wives he left, killed, or cheated on though, they never even wanted to marry the guy in the first place, and although they did have their fifteen minutes of Queenfulness, they were all ditched in the end.

Anne Of The 1000 Days

Anne of the 1000 days.
In class we are watching the movie called Anne of the 1000 days. It is about King Henry, after he has lost interest in his first wife, Katharine of Aragon. King Henry right away picks up on Anne Boelyn and wants to marry her. But when he finds out that Anne is meant to marry another man, the king says no. then after a few months of constantly trying, Henry gets his way. Anne somehow falls in love with Henry (In, my opinion, I think that Anne has gone the way of Shell Shock). After a lot of trial and error in the court trying divorce Katherine and Henry. Eventually Henry and Anne are married and when the king and queen go and see the people are all saying "King’s Whore" and all that. They don’t like her very much. Then after a while Anne becomes pregnant and Henryhas high hopes. But later, Ha Ha from Anne comes a girl. Henry is enraged and furious. But he still loves Anne. But then he notices a new girl in court and goes for her, but then Anne has the woman sent away. Then a few months later Anne bores a dead son and Henry is enraged. He says he is accursed and the woman hate him and what not. Then the king tries to prove that Anne was cheating on him. He accuses her in court and a lot of questioning happens. When a minstrel comes forward Henry asks the questions himself.
Now to answer your questions. I liked the costumes and all that. Now what changed Anne’s behavior was probably the power or because her former lover had gotten married. And I don’t think that Anne was treated very fairly and barely had a choice in the matter. Katherine is a tough woman who doesn’t take crap. And she will not back down from a challenge when it comes to her husband.

AOTTD Journal

I think I was very interested in seeing Anne of The Thousand Days, because of all of the stuff that we had studied about Queen Elizabeth I. I think that because there was so much controversy around her, it makes her very interesting to learn more about. I also found the costumes kind of interesting because Henry didn't wear a crown at all, just traditional hats. In addition to that, Camelot was one of the only musical movies that I liked. I didn't understand what was happening in the first couple of minutes, but I understood it eventually.
Although I missed a portion of the movie, I really like it. It is unfortunate that Henry is so devious and unfaithful to both his wives (SWINGER!!!). I think the whole deal with him being unable to have a son is sad, but very humorous. I thought it was funny how reluctant Anne was to Henry.
In addition, I liked Anne's strategy for getting revenge on Cardinal Woolsey for what he did by separating her and her first love. However, I think that what the king has done in trying to divorce her, is very wrong. I really did not like his advisor's methods in trying to get a false confession. I also really liked the court trial because I thought that the movie started to get really intense. I was a little confused because just when I thought that Henry was going let the sentence stand, he proves that the man claiming the affair was threatened. I am very curious to see what happens next, but so far, I have enjoyed this movie.

Anne Of A Thousand Days

I think this movie was very good. The scenary was very good, I thought. The sets looked very good to me because of the beautiful backgrounds in the movie. For example, In the little garden that Anne saw her boyfriend that she loved in, was very romantic and it seemed like the perfect hiding place because there were a lot of hiding spots in it. The acting was great, especially the actor that played Henry VIII because he was a real jerk and he liked to yell a lot. The costumes i found very colorful and fancy. The costumes were what I would think rich people back then would wear. I think the power that Henry is willing to give Anne makes her change her mind. After Anne has her first baby, Henry doesn't treat Anne fairly anymore. Kathrine of Aregon really doesn't get treated fairly because Henry just leaves her to die. I think she's very brave to refuse to back down from the king, but Henry is very ingorant and only wants an heir.

JOURNAL 3 -- ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS

Please write at least 250 words describing your thoughts about this movie. Be sure to address both the artistic side (how did you like the set, the costumes, the acting) as well as the facts upon which the movie is based. What do you think caused the shift in Anne's thinking about Henry? Do you think she was treated fairly? How about Catherine of Aragon? What are your thoughts about her and her refusal to back down?

Journal entry #2

I think that the restrictions that were put on women, because there was a sense of fear, and in the bible people thought women were a sin because the first person to sin was Eve. Also the women were told that their only purpose was so that they could bare children. Also if women got an education it would be on their religion, making them believe more that they were a sin, and this made them more reliable for men. They were not saw as dangerous, but in fact they were because many women died during child birth. Men were encouraged to beat their wives so I guess they thought what they were doing was OK. I think that there were a lot of childish rules, like if a women was sexually active before marriage they would be in trouble, but men would be encouraged to do that.

Journal 2: Tudor Women Response

I was actually somewhat surprised about how women were treated in Tudor, England. I figured that because of Queen Elizabeth I, women were treated with equal (if not more) respect. Man was I wrong! Just the fact that women were taught from birth was that they were inferior was surprising. I think that is still a problem in today's world. Although women are not treated as cruelly, there are still areas where they are still not given fair treatment. One modern day example of this is how women make 76 cents for every dollar that men make. I also thought that what small amounts of information they taught women was all that the men may have known because of the ideals at the time. However, that does not excuse how they treated way women.

I also thought that the way that the way that they went about marriage was very wrong. I was very surprised that women were required to get married at such a young age. In addition to that, most of the time it was not really their decision on whether or not they could not get married. Plus to get married against your will and hear vulgar comments made about you was completely unnecessary. I think one of the worst things that happened as a result of the marriage was child birth. By the time that they were able and about to have children, when they did; they died! If I were a woman living in England during that time, I might have left just because of all of the sexism going on.

After reading this packet, I understand why Queen Elizabeth I ruled with such an iron fist, not to mention that she was tough as nails. Although she was given the royal treatment that women received, I imagine that she (as with any female) was still viewed with as the same inferiority. I initially thought that she was a mean tyrant just because of how she may have been. I think that was just added to the already harsh treatment that was happening during that time. I think that after reading about this, I came to appreciate Queen Elizabeth I more and understand her.

Gabriela Noguchi
9/8/08
journal #2

Journal #2
I think that women during this time period were not treated equally as men because of fear that they might do a better job than them. Women in these times were considered to be the weaker sex, they were frail and dainty and treated like children. They were also considered property, an idea that might have been the result of insecure, macho men trying to make them selves feel better about how they were ruling the place. A woman’s dutities during this era where to cook, clean, make their husband feel like a king, and pop out babies. Their education was restricted and a working woman was hard to come across. A daughter was raised to be a lot like a doll, she would be dressed up and played with and then basically sold to any old man who came along and had enough money to satisfy her parents…Where was the love??. I feel like men in these times only thought women were good for two things. Reproduction, and entertainment. When men got tired of them; out the window they went (or straight to the stake.) My final point, women were greatly underestimated and many of them unfortunately accepted it and took it in as a fact, because of this they thought it was only right for them to weigh on their husbands hand and foot….I hate how society makes such obvious things OK sometimes. Men during this era, I feel were at one of their many peaks of arrogance, they were into the whole “were macho men we rule conquer and eat raw steak” phase, a stage I might add that goes back to the cavemen era and that they are still struggling with today. I feel like they would have rather died than accept the idea that maybe a woman might do an equal if not better job than the opposite sex. This ties in to my feeling on Queen Elizabeth. I feel like she was one of the first, big steps for women s rights and was one of the first proofs that we are just as good as them

journal entry # 2

Journal # 2
Why do you think such restrictions were put upon women?
i think that such restrictions were put on women because they allowed them to be. if they had fought hard enough i think the restricten would not have been put on them or they would have atleast been lifted. also because it was believed that they were the reason for the first sin. in my opinion these restrictions were horrible because in my opinion i think women did nothing to deserve them! they believed that women were supposed to behave their husbands and do as they were told by men!! but i believe differently i think that women are independent and should be able to think for themselves and do as they please as long as they are not harming themselves or anyone else!!

Journal 2

Women in Tudor England were treated the way they were because that's how the previous generation acted. In the 1500s, no one had even come up with the idea that women might have opinions, let alone educated and rational opinions. Women were believed to have the duties of bearing children and almost nothing else. It was very rare that women were educated, and if they were, it was because they were wealthy and their father, or male guardian, wanted them to have some education in religion.

At that period in time, I doubt women were viewed as a threat, given that they had never been allowed to do anything that might threaten men. They merely lived in a time, and place, where the expectations of women differ greatly from the expectations of women now. I would be willing to bet that many, if not most, of them believed there was nothing wrong with their lives.

Still today, there are many cultures that believe women are second-class citizens and must behave very similarly to women in Tudor England. In the Middle East, the United States is trying to expel the Taliban, as well as their many impositions of demeaning expectations of women. Furthermore, many cultures still participate in arranged marriages, such as Orthodox Jews. Last weekend, my cousin, an Orthodox Jew, was married to another Orthodox Jew and it was considered a modern type of marriage because their parents did not arrange their marriage. Instead, they “put the word out” that they were looking to get married and mutual friends set them up. To me, the most shocking part of it all was that she honestly felt like she was doing what was expected of her, and furthermore, chose to become a woman whose main responsibility was to bear children.

Journal Entry #2

I think women were viewed differently back then, mainly because this land was always thought of as a man’s universe and women were always second-handed. Men didn’t believe that women can also be strong and had a voice too. They always thought a female had to stay in a females place, such as picking up after men, taking care of them and overall being told what to do by the male figure. I also think that it would be a man’s worse nightmare if he was defeated by a woman because men think they are supposed stronger and they make better choices than women. To men, women weren’t supposed to voice their opinions in some cases because they were to be kept quiet. The only priorities women had were religion and learning how to become a good wife in the household and I believe women can learn to do so much more than that. I didn’t like the fact that women were forced to be marry to someone sometimes they didn’t even know of, especially in royal marriages. I think that was because they didn’t want women to choose or disagree who they wanted to marry because once again they felt they their opinion didn’t count and they also felt it wasn’t necessary,

journal entry 2

Journal Entry 2.
Woman in old England and around the world were treated so poorly. Now I know how some people can be sexist toward woman. Because they think that woman are just objects and not people. It comes from old England. Woman were and were always told that they were objects used for whatever the husband wanted. And Woman couldn’t marry for love or anything. A lot of this stuff I did not know before but now…whew. Its amazing how terrible people’s attitudes toward woman were back in the old times. What shocked me was that almost 70 or 80% percent of woman who give birth died and children either died at birth or a few years later. And if woman did survive pregnancy, they would be left physically scarred for life. It shocks me that people would actually believe that educated woman were stupid and evil and that woman were the bearer or something of original sin. Well I did not know that wife beating was normal for a guy and that if he wanted to and if he was royalty, he could slaughter his wife and then marry again. The catholic church in that time was just evil.

Journal Entry #2

I think such restrictions were put on women because society viewed them more as animals that men owned. People didn't view them as men's equals and if a woman disobeyed the man in charge of her she was punished. The way they were treated reminds me of how people treat pets now days. For example, if your dog disobeys you yell at it, you also view your pet as your possession and if you tell your dog to sit and it doesn't your dog gets in trouble. This is the same way men viewed women back then, women were men's possessions to train to do whatever they wanted just like you would train your dog. I think that most of the men in society back then didn't even realize they way they treated women could be wrong. I think that they just never even contemplated the fact women could feel and be anywhere close to their equals. It would be like contemplating animals were just like us and thought, felt, and were as intelligent as us. We feel this way about animals because there not human, they're an entirely different species. Well I think that this is the same as what men thought of women back then, yes they were human, but they weren't a man which to them was like being an entirely different species. I feel that most of the people back then couldn't even get there minds around or grasp the concept that women could be there equals. It was just too out of the ordinary, if mentioned they probably would have laughed at thought not to be mean, but because it just wasn't considered possible if it was even considered at all. I do think that maybe more educated men might have thought differently and just treated women the way they did because they were supposed to and they enjoyed being a tyrant. As for the majority of the men I don't think they realized they were being tyrants or just plain mean.

Journal 2 -- "Women in Tudor England" -- Guiding Questions

As you read this packet, think about this: Why do you think such restrictions were put upon women? Were they viewed as dangerous? Unruly? Childlike? Use examples from the reading to support your thoughts.
PS -- The book listed at the end of the packet is long, but fascinating, if the subject (Henry VIII and all his wives) interests you. If anyone would like to read it as an independent reading book, let me know. You could probably spread it over 2 sessions.

YOUR JOURNAL ONE RESPONSES

Great job. Sounds like you're all at least somewhat interested in Queen Elizabeth I. She's a fascinating figure -- Viitel points out, in his entry, how much she had to overcome and how, despite the doubts about whether a woman could run England, she left it in a better state than it was when she took over! We'll study this more (as well as the lives of women who weren't lucky -- or unlucky -- enough to be queens) these next few weeks.
As for this blog, it looks like we're getting the hang of it. I think that from now on, we should do the responses as new posts, as opposed to comments. That makes it easier to edit (for you), and easier for me to make comments on your individual journals. Rafi and Viitel (the boss) have already done that. The key will be to label each entry with a number -- so the title of your next entry (due Monday) should be "Journal 2". We'll talk about this more in class. Good first try!

Elizabeth Response

Prior to reading this packet about Queen Elizabeth, I only knew a small bit about her life. Everything I knew were the basic, scattered and sometimes unknown parts of her life. I was actually very interested to know more about her life and how she came to be known as a queen. I felt somewhat bad for her because over a small span of time she had one mother, and about five step-mothers! Henry VIII was a huge swinger! In addition to that, she was constantly surrounded by many deaths, one of the main deaths being her father Henry VIII. I thought that the whole mystery behind her and Thomas Seymour's relationship also very weird because of everything that followed from it. It was just more wonderful stuff that was added to Queen Elizabeth's life. I did not like the fact that she was also accused of being associated with Seymour's "master plan". Despite all of the other tribulations that followed her after,including her bother's death, she was able to fight through it. I did like that she was able to learn some many different languages when she was younger. All in all , Queen Elizabeth I had a very interesting life; both good and bad.

journal entry 1

I have learned a bit more about Queen Elizabeth the 1st. Stuff I didn’t know before and I found it very interesting. What I most found interesting was the info about how hard life was for Elizabeth. Like how all her mothers and step-mothers died and what not. And how so many people ah sort of you know and that a lot of other people went to the throne before Elizabeth. At first I only knew a little bit about Elizabeth and stuff, but now I know a little bit more. What really captured my interest was the queens childhood and how hard it was. What surprised me was that how many times Elizabeth suffered. Like when he lost her step mother. And how wronged she was as a teenager. What kind of ticked me off was that her father hated her for being a girl and her mother was killed over it. And how she was arrested and almost put to death twice. And when almost all of her servants were to be put to death for essential treason. I learned a lot about Elizabeth and her and life and this interested me a bunch.

Queen Elizabeth packet 1: Journal Questions

What did you know about Queen Elizabeth I before you read this packet? What do you find interesting about her? Why do you think she's worth studying in this class?