The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is an amazing document that that is driven by a flawless argument. Jefferson’s argument begins with an introduction that sets the general trend of nations throughout the world. When there is a problem of oppression or malignant rule, they have to trample it underfoot and move on with new leaders and sometimes a new form of government. Jefferson’s second paragraph evokes sympathy and an emotional reason for his cause. He represents the feelings of the people and provides evidence of their emotional struggle. His train of thought is designed specifically to bring out the emotions of the reader. And if he successfully accomplishes this goal, which I think he did, he will have more bearing in passion throughout his argument. In other words, people will listen. His third paragraph lists the grievances of the people against the crown of England. They are very thorough and direct as he does not waste time and space to prove his point. This aspect of his argument provides logos. The logos is used to provide logical reasoning for his argument in that the facts and grievances provided are direct logical evidence for a reaction and change. Jefferson wants people to take action and he accomplishes this through his logical statements.  Logos leads us into the penultimate paragraph where Jefferson provides ethos, or moral reasoning, for independence. In this he justifies his reaction to the grievances and states, therefore, that they should take action about it. This is very pivotal because if Jefferson failed to make a logical and emotional connection with the leader beforehand, his moral objectives would add up to those of the reader. And the reader wouldn’t agree with Jefferson’s call to action. The final paragraph is Jefferson’s thesis. He states his call to action and recaps the reasons therein.

            I really like the way Jefferson wrote this declaration. His use of the populous opinion and his authority is quite stunning. He is very bold in listing the grievances of the king. The document is a treasure of the United States in that it not only is a reflection of one class and one opinion. It is truly a wholesome account of what life was like under the English crown in the American colonies. This document represents the citizen of any class or denomination, regardless of religious preference or political stance. This is one of the first declarations in history that actually spoke of the whole and not just of the individual writing it. The Declaration of Independence is very significant in the birth of an eighteenth century new world.

             

I Want a Wife

            Sarcasm is a great tool to use when writing. Judy Brady portrays the “getting of a wife” to be like going to the “wife store” and picking out one with all of the right specifications. The weight that women carry in modern society is great and they are definitely underappreciated by many. However, the points outlined are ideals for women. Jobs that people relate women with. Things that are socially acceptable for women to do. If a woman never stepped out of her comfort zone, then yes, she would be the perfect wife and thus fit these criteria. But I don’t think that is the author’s main point here at all. After all, she did step out of her zone to write I Want a Wife.

            The role of women in twentieth century society is that of a housewife. That is generally well known and accepted. Brady is not one to accept such truth. She writes about how nice it is to have a wife and she goes as far as to say that she too would love to enjoy that luxury. Here argument is that women take responsibility for all of the domestic chores and duties. If the children need anything, she caters to them. If the husband needs anything, she does it. In all that this wife does, she does out of the love of her heart. She, by no means, expects to collect on her duties. She is the perfect wife that does everything, but her situation is very one-sided. Where does the husband come into play?

            Husbands are on the receiving end of the Brady’s thesis of total women sub ordinance. They do not add anything to the domestic equation. But what is their role? Well, we envision from an early age that marriage is a time of happiness and joy and reverence and pure love. Brady doesn’t mention any of that stuff in her essay. The reason is this. I believe that the author is using a lot of blunt sarcasm to get the reader’s attention about something. The point is that the popular belief of a woman’s role is to be a subordinate housewife. Brady is arguing against that. Sure it would be nice to have a slave that does everything but that’s not how a marriage should work. Just like in the book A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, where the main character Nora’s societal role was to serve and be a little “squirrel” to her husband. In conclusion of the story, she left Torvald and started anew just to prove that she could do things on her own.

I Want a Wife attracted a lot of attention as it was published in the first edition of a prominent feminist magazine. The goal was to inform women of their subordinate role, have them act upon it and eventually change their marriage into a happy partnership.  As Brady was not abdicating the sub ordinance of women, she was trying to shine the tarnished societal role of the middle class housewife.

            

No Name Woman

Family is very important in Chinese society and Asian society as a whole. If one does a bad deed or is subject to a bad deed, their image in front of their family will be tainted. This happened with No Name Woman. She will not be venerated as she has lost her place in society. She will no longer be able to depend on her relatives because of one problem; pregnancy. She was raped, her home pillaged and livestock murdered all in one night. Her maids and relatives watched as she was ravished. Her child is illicit in the eyes of her family; her lump, but a mark of shame. She will no longer be able to gain from her familial past because now, every token spoken is a token lost. She has lost everything.

            Veneration of ancestors is a very sacred thing in Asian culture. Many Asian cultures erect large houses and burn them to ensure the deceased has a nice dwelling in the afterlife. Some burn money, phones, food and cars to send to their ancestors. The No Name Woman will not receive any of those gifts. She will have to fight over the leftovers in the afterlife against others that have been forgotten by their families as well. The only thing that she still can hold onto in the living realm is her story.

            Her niece tells it well. After drilling through the facts of her aunt’s life, the author surmises what it was like to be her aunt in persecution. Questions such as: who was the man? was it consensual? and did she, on the other hand, have a wild side?, were tough to handle. The author uses an inquisitive, yet confident tone throughout the essay to demonstrate her own assuredness coupled with curiosity. She discovers her aunt’s story by connecting facts with logical strings of reasonable information. But, I do not believe the author just wrote it to make a connection in the past.

            Veneration is a very sacred thing. The author is venerating her aunt for the first time since her death by telling her story. The story, yes, is a very tragic one but it is one that many can learn from. Now, instead of dying for nothing at all, her aunt can be a fine example of Asian culture. Why do I say this? Let’s see: there are pros and cons to each and every culture. Asian familial veneration opens up a lot of opportunity for elders to set long lasting examples but it also presents a lot of controversy. For me to look at this practice with western eyes is to do it no justice but I would like to make a comparison. In America, you leave your family and become an individual. What you become is you and yourself alone. In Asian culture, you go out into the world and bring back to your family. What you become in the Far East is reflected on your family. If you contaminate your family, you will be forgotten, lying in the street in pain. Or at the bottom of a well, wet, and searching through the scraps and tatters of the afterlife.