Introduction!

Hi, my name is Jessica Mothersell and I am a sophomore from Geneseo, New York. I am majoring in Childhood Inclusive Education with a Middle School Extension in English and I have a passion for working with children. I am very excited to be taking this class. I think it is so cool that a class of all females can develop a greater understanding of what women just like us had to go through to get to where we are today. In the two classes we have had, I have already learned a lot. This class has really made me think, realize how lucky women are today, and develop an even greater respect for the women who broke down the male dominated writing barrier. Women writers from a long time ago had a lot of strength, passion, and guts. It is so sad that some of them had to choose between writing and “losing their womanhood.” Like many of you, I also find it crazy that only 8% of authors in the 1970’s were females because that was only 40 years ago. I find it very interesting that some women who were writers felt that they related more to the “male” persona in general. I hate the fact that society sometimes looks down on women and thinks that they are not as good as men in certain regards, especially when they have proven what they are capable of time and time again. Throughout history, women have not been given credit for accomplishments, had opportunities to succeed, or taken seriously due to the fact that they are women which is horrible. For example, today in my Women in Global Cinema class, I learned about the first documented movie director, a French woman named Alice Guy-Blanche, and I was horrified to see how little credit she received for all of her accomplishments. Nobody knows who she is despite the fact that she created hundreds of movies, and many of them were lost. Only now is she beginning to receive all of the credit she deserves, almost a century later, and people cannot even appreciate any of her masterpieces. Anyways, I look forward to talking with you all more and learning more from our class discussions! It is always interesting to hear different people’s point of view!