Renee Walters was not convinced by the American dream. She
had so much going against her. After raising three children as a single mother,
she focused on her job at the bank. She worked long hours, seven days a week,
because as she was told, hard work and dedication could get you a well paying
job, and everyone had an equal shot at being successful. This wasn’t the case
for Renee though. She had been at this job for twenty years, barely taking
maternity leave when she had her children. After decades of endless shifts at
the bank, she was still at the bottom of the corporate ladder, making less than
her male counterparts. The males at the bank were being promoted faster than
her, despite the fact that she knew more than them, had been there longer, and
was a more efficient employee. She was
an American citizen, yet everyday she found herself wondering why she wasn’t
entitled to the same rights as her fellow Americans. She had heard about
discrimination against women in the workplace was a problem, but it took her
some time to step back and realize it was happening right in front of her, in
her workplace, affecting her life. The American dream was being overshadowed by
this issue of discrimination, and she had just come to the realization of it.
She saw the young, unskilled men rapidly moving above her at the bank, the way
people looked down at her and spoke to her when she was working. She decided it
was time. Time for her to learn more about combating this issue, when she
wasn’t at the bank she was at the town library, learning about a movement she
discovered called feminism. It was time for a new start for not only her, but
also for any other women who were affected by discrimination. She decided to
use feminism as her tool to combat the injustice she had been experiencing
throughout her life.
Photo from: http://giam.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/091760x.jpg
Sydney's biography utilizes the creative potential of fiction to tell the story of a woman who experiences gender-oppression and finds a voice in feminist resistance to that oppression. Like the characters created by Dos Passos, this fictional character experiences a story that has been, and continues to be, true for a lot of women who find that there is a glass ceiling for them within the ideological claims of the American Dream. Her opportunities are further restricted by her status, and the economic struggle, of being a single mother, which is a nice touch for discussing discrimination against women. The next part would, naturally, be about HOW she resists and works against this type of discrimination after being influenced by feminism. I can already see possible parallels between Renee Walters and Mary French!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard much about Renee before therefore I liked reading your biography to learn more about it. I like the picture you chose, she's looking off into the distance. I thought this helped describe the hardships she has faced in her lifetime. She is a very powerful and independent woman who I believe made a positive impact for our society. I have been informed about many other feminist but learning about her was interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that you had the idea to make your own person to fit the issue you were portraying. The idea for equal rights for women is such an excellent idea for the project because it is still an issue in the world today. I love the gradually transition to biography to 'facts' about her life and day to day. This is a great starting point for the next project and will be fitting for a group made up of all girls.
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