Voices of Oppression

Voices of Oppression American Dream Or Nightmare

Oppression DEFINE in your own words what does this word means to you. Can you give an example?

Journal Entry • Write about insanity or mental illness, what do you know about it? What are some of the stereotypes associated with mental illness? Think about movies or books that talk about mental illness; or give a description of someone with a mental illness.

THE VOICE OF WOMEN • The stories “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “TheStory of an Hour” are examples of a new kind of literature that began to emerge in the late 19th century. • It focused on the long-repressed voices of women that declared to be heard. • Women’s lives were ruled by their husbands & by their perceived place in society.

Women’s “Disorders” • Women suffered from a variety of mental/ physical disorders, especially non-working middle to upper class. • Most were prescribed by doctors as having “nervous conditions” curable only through isolation & prolonged rest. THE REST CURE

The Rest Cure • It was believed that the cause of many women’s illnesses was their gender. • It was noted that women should not exceed their natural limits. It was said that a mere two hours a day is enough mental/intellectual stimulation for a woman. • They naturally assumed that women were weak and emotionally unstable and thus must be naturally ill…. Can u believe this???

“The man who does not know sick women does not know women” • Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, expert on nervous diseases for women. • He reflected the social ideas about female weakness, and used his clout to justify women’s exclusion from schooling, intellectual pursuits, and public life. • In one of his classic texts, Mitchell explained how young women could be permanently damaged by over-education. • He advocated a cure of complete bed rest and isolation.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman • Born in Connecticut in 1860 her father abandoned her family when she was very young. • Following the example of her mother's determination to cope with these circumstances, Charlotte sought independence early in life. • She later married and had one child • Charlotte began to experience episodes of depression. She resented the narrow confines of married life and motherhood, and like many other women of her era, longed for greater intellectual and creative fulfillment.

Author cont… • Her husband, however, insisted on a more traditional marriage, and she became increasingly despondent (hopeless). • She sought help and after a month of treatment, Charlotte was sent home to continue the REST CURE. • Far from getting better, she became worse and began to fear that the method was bad for her health. She decided to end the rest cure and her marriage.

HOMEWORK • The story you are about to read is about a woman who undergoes medical treatment for a “nervous condition”…. • Tonight, research some medical treatments of the past that are no longer prescribed. Please make a list with a brief description next to each one.

Vocabulary Look up in your Lit Books! NOW>>>>>>>>>  Patent Perseverance Querulous Undulating • Atrocious • Basely • Derision • Felicity • Impertinence • Inanimate

Voices of Oppression