R-e-s-p-e-c-t!

How does one raise a child to protect them from seducers and betrayers and having their little hearts broken? I think this question is almost impossible to answer. I have friends that have had completely different upbringings than I had. My parents taught me about boys (blah blah blah) and making sure that I knew the importance of respecting myself and always being safe. Having trustworthy friends and staying away from possible dangerous situations was emphasized constantly throughout my teen years. One of my best friends had a completely different upbringing. Her mom had her when she was 15, (I would say she was seduced and betrayed for sure!) and she raised her pretty much as a single mom, although she had been married about 3 times. Her mom always had random men coming in and out of her life, which is something my friend, lets call her Jenni, always dealt with. Her mom and my mom definitely have two different views on what love is and how to approach it.

The point of my story is this: Even though we had completely different upbringings, Jenni and I turned out exactly the same. Although Jenni’s mom never actually told her about seduction and betrayal, Jenni learned plenty about that from watching her mom’s actions. I learned the same thing from my parents’ words. Jenni is now a strong, smart woman, just as I consider myself to be.

On the other hand, parents like Charlotte Temple’s could raise their child with love and respect and do nothing ”wrong,” but still see that their child falls for a seducer and winds up in a situation like Charlotte’s.

So, I don’t really know what parents can do to keep their children safe from a broken heart. Shelter them too much, and they’ll definitely rebel. Shelter them not enough, and they could go wild. I think at the end of the day, love is something that can’t really be controlled and most parents realize this because they’ve probably been there. Yes, you can lock up a teen in her room every Friday and Saturday night, but that won’t stop her for falling for that boy sitting behind her in math class, whether he’s a seducer or not. I think that the best thing parents can do to prevent a life of betrayal and abuse for their daughter is to raise her with respect so that she will have it for herself and demand it in a boyfriend.

The Modern Day Female Depravity

I think that if the writer of "Novel Reading: A Cause of Female Depravity" was writing this today, I'm not really sure what his or her subject would be exactly. I definitely think it would involve the media, but I am not sure which part has more influence between television shows, advertisements, music videos, ect. I think it would be obvious to think about television shows being a bad influence on young women because of how most of the shows depict women in morally "bad" ways, but then I think about myself and shows like Sex and the City. I've seen probably every episode three times absolutely love that show, but I'm definitely nothing like any of those girls, and watching their actions hasn't really made any influence on my life. So, that leads me to believe that maybe TV isn't the root of all evil.

I think that peer pressure and the desire to fit in could be a subject in this novel if it was written today. I think that girls are more influenced to act or dress in a certain way depending on what their friends are doing and what is considered cool at the time. I think that young girls are more likely to act in a certain way because of what the other girls in school are doing, not necessarily what they see on TV.

A Reflection

I think that these early magazine articles we have read about seduction and fallen women have been… different. During the first half of the semester, I was unfamiliar with the readings about fallen women and witchcraft because I had never read anything like that before. With these newer readings of seduction, I feel like I understand it more because I have been exposed to readings like these before. Well, sort of like these. I just think we are more familiar with the story of the seduced young girl who was betrayed by an older man looking for one thing, but the stories we are familiar with are modern, like the modern day rakes. I did feel more comfortable reading these stories, but I do not think that I necessarily like them more than the previous ones. I know that to a lot of people they seem funny, but to me, these stories of the young girls are kind of sad. I guess I feel this way because I have known girls that really do react this way to men who “seduce” them. Because of his betrayal (and their naivety) these girls I knew thought so horribly of themselves and that their lives were practically ruined. Although they were just stories, these magazine articles of seduction reminded me of modern day instances where seduction was involved, and how they share quite a few similarities.

The texts that dealt with the topics concerning domestic abuse and teenage pregnancy were really different than what we are used to reading in this class. As stated in the prompt of this week’s blog, it is interesting how the texts didn’t spark much discussion. I think that when I read these articles the first time, I didn’t really understand what was going on completely. I felt like the topics like domestic abuse and teenage pregnancy didn’t fit into what we were previously reading, so I had a difficult time accepting these readings with such modern topics. It is interesting to see how the depiction of women in the readings progress with time.

I’m not sure why these readings did not create much discussion in class. Are we not fazed by issues of domestic violence and teenage pregnancy because we are so used to them in our everyday society?

It is Better to Have Loved and Lost...

This week's topic of "what does love have to do with it" is pretty interesting. I think that it's all about maintaining power. These men who were writing these stories (probably ministers or other men of high social standing) were still trying to teach to young women about the ways they should and should not act. The fact that the marriages were all arranged shows that marriage is something controlled by society, not the individuals involved. Therefore, these men were teaching young women not to fall in love and the dangers that could come from it because they wanted to be able to maintain control. The men did not even want these girls to realize that you can have your own romantic feelings because if they did, the men might lose their control over this part of the society. I think the higher social standing people of the communities wanted to keep things the way they are, especially the arranged marriages, in their control.

Just because these women were hurt and victimized by their love, I still think it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. I do not agree with the arranged marriage idea, but I think that is the normal opinion on that subject today. I can understand the men wanting to have arranged marriages so that they can keep control, but I do not think it is the best for the people involved. I mean, most of the girls (and men) during this time do not ever feel true love because they were just told who to marry. I think the idea of love worried the community leaders just like the idea of witchcraft did. Love is something that is unexplainable, unpredictable, and something no one can control. Arranged marriages could fix that problem, and creating these stories would teach girls not to fall for the guys trying to pick them up, because they will soon break their hearts, which will ultimately kill them and their parents!

Some Things Never Change

When thinking about rakes I see in movies, TV shows, and music, I realized that I couldn't really think of many that didn't have a rake involved. Pretty much all of my favorite TV shows have characters that could be described as modern day rakes, and they're not much different from the ones described in the magazine articles we read last week.

"Grey's Anatomy" has McSteamy, who is a rich, handsome, smooth talking plastic surgeon who can get any woman he wants (although right now he's having some trouble getting attention from a certain intern). His great looks, dress and manners make him seem like the perfect gentleman, but he is definitely anything but that.

Another television show I thought of is "That 70's Show." In case you aren't familiar with the show, Kelso is a high-school student played by Ashton Kutcher. The fact that Ashton Kutcher acts as Kelso should say everything. Kelso is an extremely attractive teenager who is constantly chasing a different girl, usually knowing nothing about her besides what she looks like. But according to Kelso, and many other rakes, nothing else really matters. His good looks and charm always gets him the girl, which he usually forgets about in no time. To me, Kelso represents a more modern rake.

This character of the handsome, charming womanizer is one that is not only included in most of our favorite television shows, but practically all of our favorite movies. We can all think of tons of movies that are about a certain modern-day rake. John Tucker Must Die (like mentioned in class) and Cruel Intentions are just a few movies that involve seductive womanizers. I do not think these men have changed much from the way they were depicted in the magazine articles we have read.

Although these depictions of men are not something that initially seem positive, I wonder why we are so drawn to them? Why are they in all of our favorite TV shows and movies? We (the audience) must like something about these rakes because we keep watching these shows and they keep entertaining us with their rake-like qualities. I'm not sure what that means about our society, but it must mean something, right?

How To: Create the Perfect Woman

I really liked the reading from this week. I thought it was really interesting to see how women were being told to behave. I also noticed how important reputation is to these people. In An Address to the Ladies, it says, "the time when young ladies enter into society is, with respect to their future reputation, a period extremely critical." It is made clear throughout many of the readings that a good reputation is the key to a happy and successful life. I think it is interesting to think about how some people today still feel that way, maybe some things really don't change.

"A man never respects a woman, who does not respect herself" (An Address to the Ladies). This line really stood out to me, because they are teaching women to respect themselves, but at the same time, a couple of pages later, they tell women that they are not expected to read much, and if they do, it should be "a smaller number of books, at less trouble and expense" (5). They pretty much tell women that they can be try to further their knowledge, as long as they stay inferior to their husbands, because no man likes a woman who is too smart. I found this all pretty confusing. How are women supposed to respect themselves fully when they have to put on a mask and play a role as a submissive housewife to a man that won't love her if she is smarter than him?

Finally, a Happier Ending.

To me, “A Very Surprising Narrative of a Young Woman, Who Was Discovered in a Cave” was nothing like the stories or "fallen" women that we have been reading. I couldn't have been more relieved to read a story that wasn't so depressing.

Obviously, The Panther Narrative has many differences than many other texts we have read. The first main difference that I noticed was that this woman has confidence, stands up for what she wants, and gets out alive. She's in love with a man that her father doesn't like, so does she obey her father and leave the man? No! She runs away with him! Also, she fights back against the man who wants to sleep with her and cuts off his head! What I thought was interesting was that she isn't even punished for this. She gets rewarded in the end with her father's money.

This story shows change because the woman disobeys her father, runs off with her lover, kills a man, and nothing bad happens to her in the end. Not only is she not killed, but she isn't punished at all. I think this shows how the authors are not teaching anymore with these texts, they are entertaining. In the earlier texts, ministers were using them to teach young women what not to do and what will happen (death and a lifetime in hell) if you do what the "fallen" women did. In The Panther Narrative, the writer doesn't really seem to be teaching anything. The story seems like an adventure narrative used to entertain its readers, especially women.

The Panther Narrative seems like it would attract women readers and give them a source of entertainment, not scare them by threatening their lives. The woman in this story is portrayed as strong, smart and fearless, which is something for other women to look up to. I think this shows how societal views of women as either an evil witch or a pure goddess has changed dramatically.

Have times really changed?

When I read the prompt for this blog post and how it dealt with the similarities and differences between Puritan women and women today, my first thought was, "Oh, it's completely different! Women have so much more freedom today that they did then!" But then as I started to really think about it, I started to see otherwise.

I am from a (really) small town in Texas, where everyone is pretty conservative for the most part. I started to compare life there and the way women are viewed to Puritan women and how their actions were viewed. In my high school, girls who got around were viewed as just that: girls who got around. It's not a good reputation to have. Everyone knew about it, talked about it, and judged these girls. Everyone in the community, including teachers and parents, had their disapproving thoughts about the girls with the wild lifestyles, and it was obvious. No, they weren't booing them in the grocery store, but the looks weren't hidden. This made me think about how women in today's society (I guess it kind of depends on where you are exactly) don't have it much easier than women in Puritan times. No, they aren't getting hung anymore, but I bet the harsh looks they receive day after day start to get old. People still have judgements about the "easy" girls, and they are hardly ever good ones.

When my I was in middle school, my best friend had an older sister who was a senior in high school. At the beginning of the school year, she accidentally got pregnant. She married the father, but they divorced about a year later. Now, she is working and raising her son, pretty much on her own. Besides paying for child support, I don't think the father has much to do with his son. When she had the child, her parents always used her as an example to her younger sister (my best friend) about what not to do, and how constant partying, drinking, and not obeying their rules will lead to a situation like her sister is in. And might I mention that they never mentioned the father of the child. The blame was always set on the mother, as if the father didn't do much wrong. This reminded me of how the ministers would use the "evil" Puritan women as examples to young women about how not to act.

I definitely think society has created a new punishment for the girls with the "friendly" reputations. Although women today have more freedom and rights than women in the Puritan times, when a girl "runs around" with a lot of guys, its definitely looked down upon. In my high school, these girls were treated with much less respect. This is something I still see today on TCU's campus. Certain girls have those reputations, and people treat them poorly for it. I guess I can't really say how it affects those girls emotionally, but I couldn't imagine it not having some kind of negative effect. Although it's true how there are girls here at TCU like this, I think it's true everywhere. I don't think it has much to do with the fact that we are on a college campus. Wherever you go, there will be the same girls, with the same reputations, receiving the same cold looks. So yes, times have changed, but I don't really think judgements have much.

Which Witch is Which?

I thought that this article by Rountree was definitely an interesting read. Usually, what comes to my mind when I think of a witch is the stereotypical mean old woman in the black pointy hat casting spells over a boiling black pot. Rountree reminded me that real witches are quite different than the ones in Disney movies. She made a great argument of how witches are feminists who are sensual and desire power and independence, especially from men.

I am beginning to have a better grasp of what witchcraft is and what witches actually do. Like I said earlier, growing up, characters in Disney movies created my first impressions of witches. Therefore, I grew up with connecting witches with Halloween, pumpkins, black cats, and flying broomsticks. Now I am starting to get a different idea of what a witch is, a more realistic one.

Reading this article made me think of a TV show I saw a few years ago. On a Halloween episode of Boy Meets World, one of Corey's friends got into a crazy predicament with a witch. He didn't know she was a witch at first. The girl that played the witch (lets say her name was Lauren, I don't remember) was very pretty and seductive with dark red lipstick... you can imagine. Anyway, the guy practically melted when he met her and was completely under her control, or spell. Later on in the show, the viewer finds out that she and a huge group of other witches, who were all very sensual and seductive young women, were just using the poor guy to sacrifice him on Halloween night. The witches hated men and seemed to be fighting for feminist reasons, just like the witches Rountree was describing in her article. Luckily, Corey's older brother intervened and saved the day.

My idea of witches and witchcraft has definitely changed over the years. When I was really young, I thought of them as evil old ladies with magic spells and potions. Now that I am older, I have realized how that idea is not very realistic. Rountree's explanation of witches, as feminists with a desire to have control and independence in their lives, definitely makes more sense to me. Although that part makes sense to me, I still have tons of questions. In her article she talks about feminist witches as a sub-group of feminists, which makes me wonder what the differences are between feminist witches and feminists who don't consider themselves witches. I'm not sure I completely understand it.

Wonders of the Invisible World

I guess the first encounter I ever had with witchcraft of some kind was when I was a little girl and saw the movie, "Hocus Pocus." I just absolutely loved that movie and demanded to dress up as a witch every year on Halloween. That's about as close to witchcraft I've ever come.

In the movie, "Three and a Half Men," there is a scene when two people are upstairs having a discussion. If you look really closely, there is a little boy standing behind the curtain in the background, that is obviously unintended by the director of the movie. The story is that the little boy died many years before in that house that the movie was being filmed. When I first head of this, I was in junior high school and of course, I believed the story. When I found out that it actually wasn't true and that the boy in the movie was actually a cardboard cut-out, I began to find it almost impossible to believe any other ghost story that I was told.

Unfortunately, I have never seen a "ghost," so I find it sort of hard to believe in the idea of a supernatural world, but I have lots of friends who swear that they have encountered ghosts with really convincing stories. Therefore, I am not really sure where I stand on the idea. My friend Kelly believes very strongly in the supernatural world because when we were in high school, she "knows" she saw a ghost in her house. Of course, the first time she told me about her encounter, I didn't even come close to believing her story. I thought (and still do) that she just imagined it in her mind. After a couple of years of claiming that she saw the same ghost a few more times, she began to slightly persuade me that the event really did happen. Now I don't really know what to think.

I can't think of any instances where my friends used the term "witch hunt," but I have definitely heard it before on television a lot. They usually aren't talking about witches, but about chasing other people associated with that bad connotation. It's interesting to think of what that phrase came from.

In our contemporary world, I think that many people consider evil to be a bad moral decision or some other negative intentional act, but not necessarily a result of the devil. I'm not really sure how I would explain the existence of evil in the world because I don't really understand it. Many times when I hear of a murder or some other horrible act, my usual question is, "I don't understand, why would someone do that?" The usual response to that question is, "I don't know. They must just be crazy or messed up in the head." Here, the evil action is associated with a mental disorder, but maybe it was an act by the devil. Who knows.

First Assignment

Hello! My name is Katie Endres and I am from Muenster, Texas. It's a (very) small town about an hour and a half north of here. I am a junior with a major in English and minor in Italian. I was born here in Fort Worth and lived here until I was about five years old. I always remembered going to the TCU baseball games with my dad, so while growing up I always loved this school. That's why I'm here now.

If I was made Chancellor of TCU, I'm not really sure what I would change. Besides the parking and the cost of everything, there isn't much that bothers me. That's a tough question. If I was Chancellor, I would do something fun though. Maybe put in a bowling ally. That would be cool.

To me, A good teacher is someone that cares. He or she can make the class interesting. A good teacher is also one that doesn't make his or her students feel dumb for asking any question, no matter what. I once had a teacher that took every question from any student like it was the most interesting question she had ever heard, and it really made class fun and boosted participation because she gave students confidence in their thinking. Also, I think what makes a student a good student is to care as well. Actually think about what you're reading, then see if you can argue it. Who says that an author's opinion has to be the only one?

If I could have dinner with any three people, my dinner would include:
1. Jesus, because I would have some questions for him.
2. The best chef in the entire world, because... well, why not?
3. My mom.

Three things you should know about me?
1. I have a huge, crazy, loud and hilarious family. I think family is the most important thing and that too many people take having one for granted.
2. I am completely fascinated by Italy, good wine, and the rest of the Italian culture. I studied abroad this summer and it was the coolest thing I've ever done.
3. My favorite band is The Academy Is... Check em' out!

I took this course beacuse it is obviously a requirement for an English major, but also, on ratemyprofessor.com, someone wrote that Dr. Williams is a "bad ass." I had to check it out.

The reading that I usually do is kind of scattered. I don't really have one certain genre I stick to, besides the monthly Cosmo. I do like reading poetry, but not the kind that no one can understand without looking up every word in the dictionary. I like the kind that makes you think. The most frequent type of writing I do would definitely be texting my friends and the facebook message. I took a creative writing class last year because when I was younger I liked to write stories. I definitely don't like writing stories anymore.

I like to write, but I always have a really hard time expressing exactly what it is I want to say. I get all my thoughts and ideas jumbled and I have to work really hard to make them come out on my paper the way they came across in my head.

I took an English class last year with Joddy Murray that was really interesting and during the class we had to make a blog and then talk about how the images and colors that we used represented us. This last question made me think of that. I think the background I have shows that I need organization. If someone had a bright pink background with different color stripes everywhere, it would say the opposite. I don't have any images up yet, but I will soon. I think my blog is kind of simple, but thats just because I have a hard time with this stuff. You probably won't find a ton of flashing links and stuff like that on my blog. It doesn't mean I don't care to, I'm just... not a big blog person. Maybe I will be after this semester.

I've read and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.