For my French class, I am required to write a short essay about a prominent figure in French history. I chose Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc), firstly, because she is a woman, and there are very few of those who are prominent in French history, and secondly, because it is claimed she spoke to God. Historians have often speculated about her mental health, and why the king of France would
Last night I watched the movie, Suffragette, about the brave young women who fought to acquire the vote for women in early twentieth century Britain. This movie really opened my eyes to the hardships which these women endured in order to bring about a better way of life for all future generations of women. Prior to watching the movie, although I had a vague knowledge of the Suffragette movement, I
Today’s blog was inspired by Yes, Prime Minister, the old British comedy series that we have seen hundreds of times, and yet still manages to make us laugh. This particular program was suggesting a more democratic system with more grass-roots representation which would mean eradication of the party system. Naturally, the politicians were quick to renounce the truly democratic system once they realised its ramifications. There were other sources of
A great woman, Sojourner Truth, was born into slavery in New York State around 1797, with the name Isabella Baumfree. At the age of nine, she was separated from her family when she was sold to another owner. As a slave, she had no rights. Even her husband was chosen for her. Her children were not hers, but her owners, to do with as he chose. Sojouner escaped slavery in
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I have been doing a course on Feminist Theology at AIHT. This has made me consider the perspectives from which we view the world, and to attempt to understand the cause of some of those perspectives. The reality that we perceive in the world is shaped by our past experiences, so each one of us looks at the world differently. Even though there are
As I mentioned last week, I have been studying Feminist Theology. I gave some examples of the way in which Christian and Islamic texts have been used to subjugate women, and called for people of all faiths to stand up against oppression of and violence against women wherever they see it. I also said that, together, man and woman can create Heaven on Earth. I found that, shortly after writing
I started a new course this week at AIHT (American Institute of Holistic Theology) called Feminist Theology. I was speaking about it in my French class, and the teacher asked me why I wanted to do that course. I told her, as best I could in my limited French, that my reason was because there are lots of women living under oppression. I explained that the book I am reading
This week's blog follows on from last week's, in which I asked what sort of legacy you would like to leave. How would you like to be remembered? Whilst it is true that the important point in life is who you are being rather than what you are doing, once you have decided who you want to be, there is a good chance that you will want to do something
During my studies of other religions, particularly Islam, I have been reading about the history of nations and societies. In the process, I have come to consider the freedoms which we sometimes take for granted in this country, Australia, and without which life could be less than fulfilling, or perhaps even miserable. As I considered all of our freedoms, I wondered firstly how much do we really appreciate