February

I found some of Virginia Woolf's statements to be rather interesting, and many of them are applicable today. It was interesting to consider how many women in literature are portrayed as being such valued characters, while at the time women were treated very poorly.  Today, I think, most characters can be considered more realistic, as women's role in society is now about the same as those of men.  I think most writing has shifted from a symbolic to a literal focus, and the characters have shifted accordingly.  For example, Rasheed is a more believable character than someone like Beowulf, and it seems unlikely that Laila would have killed herself as Edna did.

I thought it was interesting researching different topics concerning the Cult of Domesticity.  Certainly it was easy to find quotes by people like Rick Santorum - it is absurd that people like this make it into public office.    But to quote Mark Twain, "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."

Sexism abounds on the Internet, and I've seen plenty of pictures like the one Caroline brought in for the discussion. I think most of it is the result of freshmen and the uneducated posting anonymously to get attention, and should be taken with a grain of salt, as it can be very offensive otherwise.  It is ironic that the conservative Islamic culture has some of the same views on women, and the people who make these posts degrading females certainly also hate Muslims.