Delaney's Blog

 Word Count: 255 words     "I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have ever been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support." Anne writes this in the cover of her diary, needing an outlet to release her emotions and feelings as this is what would help her most in life. She is often fearful of what will happen to her, but this diary was a way for her to feel sane. Anne Frank's story is one that is not new to any of us due to how it transformed all readers' lives. Hearing an inside story to how a family survived the Holocaust living in an attic, being hidden day in and day out. Not being able to see the sunlight, staying silent and fearing for their lives every single day but still holding hope and enjoying the journey together. She recounts about two years of her life, from her thirteenth birthday to just after she turned fifteen. She writes about innocent things such as how she feels about boys, her frien...

 Word Count: 259 words      Hahn was the first woman to get a degree in mining engineering at the University of Wisconsin, leading women in this path, allowing them to see for themselves that this is not strictly a male profession. She continued her studies and began to write, allowing herself to express in this way. Something unique about her is how she began to smoke opium, becoming addicted to this drug that is so prominent in China. Thankfully she was cured by a hypnotist but this shows how different she was compared to other women we have read about. She faced a hardship of becoming addicted to drugs after she succeeded as an independent woman. "The mind of a traveler has only one spotlight, and it is always trained on the present scene," Emily says this in Time and Places, as much of her life was spent moving around the world, creating new experiences for herself being independent, but also with her family. I interpret this quote as her living so in the moment ...

 Word Count: 260 words Blackberry Winter, by Margaret Mead, is a novel about Margaret who shares her life story of being a pioneering woman and leading a successful life. She discusses how she grew up, along with those who have impacted her along the way, for example, her grandmother. She is able to look back at her life through this piece of writing and feel proud and accomplished for the legacy she left behind to all who did and did not encounter her. She did not have many opportunities but was able to make a successful way for herself. Something impressive that Margaret was able to do was to become a mother and also have a career. This may not seem surprising hearing this in today's world, because of all the women who are so amazing to balance their dreams and a family. In the 70s, being successful at all you wanted in life, specifically being a women was remarkable, and I am so impressed for her setting an example. A quote I loved from this reading was, "And as I had my fa...

 Word Count: 251 words     Eugenia was powerful in the way she told her life stories being a Communist in the U.S.S.R. She was strong enough to share all her stories of what she faced in jail, some things that most people would keep to themselves in fear of sharing to the public. She began to show us what it was like to come together with others in tough times- something we all need to be more aware of. We need to be open to putting our problems aside and reassuring those who need our support and love. Eugenia shows and explains the empathy she felt when a prisoner said, "When they heard I was a member of the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R., they became greatly excited and asked question after question" (307). The prisoners were over the moon to have a new person and a new perspective in the jail, they were welcoming and ecstatic to meet her and hear about her background. Putting each other at ease was essential to keeping them calm in a treacherous time. The inmates bein...

 Word Count: 268 words Throughout Marguerite's words, we get an honest recap of the events following World War II, and all the hardships faces along the way. She has many emotions and struggles as she nurses her dying husband back to health through this time. The way her story is written is broken up, shown in different parts and thoughts as if she wrote different parts sporadically. She wrote like a diary, recounting her most vivid times. She says, "I recognize my handwriting and the details of the story... But I can't see myself writing the diary. When would I have done so, in what year, at what time of day, in what house?" I really have tried to dig into this quote, confused about how she could have forgotten about writing the recall of such important events in her life. Potentially the trauma and extreme emotion made her forget smaller details such as journaling? One traumatic experience for her would be not knowing if her husband was dead or alive, dreading heari...

 Word Count: 269 words Le Ly Hayslip lived in central Vietnam with her family, growing up in a world that was falling apart. U.S. helicopters landed in her village and both sides began gathering children to use as spies and those who engage in sabotage. These children have almost no choice to go against their government, so they are thrown into this war against their will, potentially throwing off the course of their life. She was twelve years old when this occurred, unable to determine what exactly was going on, but she was able to have faith through it all. She was a supporter of Viet Cong, working on their side to support them in the war. At the age of twelve she was met with deaths of her family, and also experienced torture and rape, things no one should experience- especially not a twelve year old girl. The Vietnam War changed her, but she was able to stay strong in her belief that there is good out there, and she was able to escape to America. A quote in the prologue that re...

 Word Count: 259 words      Santha Rama Rau had a much different life than woman we have read about so far. She was born in India, then living in England and South Africa. She has traveled all over the world giving her a great outlook and perspective in life. It must have been extremely difficult to her experiencing so many different culture shocks throughout her life. It seems that it would be challenging finding a place to belong, or where home is. I think being from another culture can be an amazing way of bringing your values to the new society, sparking diversity and creativity. I admire her greatly for being a bright light in so many different ways. The British Colonial Rule was difficult for Santha and her sister because of the difference in ethnicities, there was hardship. This caused a lot of confusion for them throughout school, people thinking of them differently. Premelia, her sister, says, "We're going home for good." This refers to their school experien...

Word Count: 252 words     As an Irish Republican activist, Bernadette Devlin faced traumatic moments as well as being a strong female figure. She started from the bottom, alike many other women writers we have learned about thus far. She experienced poverty, saying the quote, "If you eat up all the bread at teatime, there won't be anything for breakfast..." This quote shows how rationing was necessary in her early years. A turning point in her life was when she was shot at with her husband leaving their house. It was said that British Soldiers ordered this, but they failed and there was collateral damage as another couple was hurt. I cannot imagine the feeling of being targeted by your own government, the betrayal that would feel like along with not being able to feel safe. She says, "To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else." I absolutely love the way she thinks here and how she is persistent to live the life that she is p...