Dr. Merrick: Making The Feminist

Born in Washington, D.C. on January 14, 1952 to Mike and Peggy Dowd, Maureen Dowd went on to earn her Bachelor's degree in English Literature at a Catholic University in Washington, D.C in 1973. She then went on to embark upon her career in 1974 as an editorial assistant at the Washington Star. From there she proceeded to write for Mademoiselle, GQ, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, Vanity Fair, and more; Maureen also covered politics and several presidential campaigns. In 1999 she was notably awarded to Pulitzer Prize for the category of distinguished commentary. She is a published author and is a current columnist for the New York Times.

This movie explores issues of greed, human relationships, betrayal and redemption, personal innocence and responsibility as well as the effects on the human mind

This movie gives us a perfect example of how a conflict was not handled effectively because assumptions were made, the character jumped to conclusion, due to this the issue became worse than it should have been. The communication dynamics in this was always done through someone else therefore one person would get upset, because he misunderstood the person that was giving him information.

Is the novel making the same point about the value or ideas as the film? If so, how? If it is making a different point about the value or idea, how is it different?

The age old question of ethical ambiguity is something that humanity may never resolve. Conflicting morals and the ultimate question of “is what I’m doing right?” is one of the greatest human mysteries. Philosophers, psychiatrists and every individual on the planet must grapple with this moral confusion in an attempt to find unique solutions to everyday dilemmas. In Affleck’s drama Gone Baby Gone, two very notable philosophies collide head on, and the protagonist must choose between the two to find the solution that he feels is ‘right.’

“For the women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s the subject of feminism was women’s experience under patriarchy, the long tradition of male rule in society” (765) Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan declare in their introduction to Feminist Theory. “To be a woman under such conditions was in some respects not to exist at all” (765). In a world dominated by men, The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave audiences and especially women, the character of Mary Richards, a thirty year old, independent, and work-driven woman who was single by choice. She is noted as being an essential female character on television and the first two episodes of the show “Love All Around” and “Today I Am A Ma’am” in particular, feature moments where Mary portrays an ideal feminist.

     This film presents an individual that chooses not to conform to modern society, and the consequences of that choice. The main character

Seven Pounds, a movie starring Will Smith, is a powerful movie that raises many ethical questions. Throughout the movie, Ben Thomas (Will Smith), is on a mission to right a wrong that he has committed and fulfill what he has come to realize as his life purpose. The main message of the film deals with what each individual’s purpose in life is and how he or she can fulfill that purpose. For Ben, who causes a terrible car accident that kills seven people including his fiancée’s as it is revealed to viewers throughout the movie, he believes his purpose in life is to help seven people in unexpected, drastic ways–the last of which will take his own life. Ben is motivated by guilt and shame which function as moral controls throughout this film. He personifies the top of Kohlberg’s model of cognitive moral development stages which deal with conventional morality and postconventional morality as he directly deals with individual ethics as well as business ethics in various rare instances. It’s these rare situations that blur the lines between right and wrong and that Seven Pounds is centered around when decisions are made in order to serve the greater good in contrast to the rules and laws that govern society.

In her essay, “Theories and Strategies of the Feminist Documentary,” E. Ann Kaplan analyzes the validity of criticism against the realism used in verité Feminist documentaries, specifically Janie’s Janie and Joyce at 34, with the basis that the films use precoded realities, constructed by a capitalist economy and patriarchal society. Kaplan argues that while Joyce at 34 uses cinematic techniques familiar to realist Feminist cinema, its differing underlying political discourse and ideologies are made apparent through an analysis of the usage of traditional cinematic apparatus and the subjects’ lack of acknowledgment of traditional structures of patriarchy. For example, in Joyce at 34, there is little to no mention of economic matters, so as

The message that the movie conveys to audience is people always have choice whether in prosperity or adversity, and everyone should stick to his or her choice and be worthy to the heart. Even though there is a big difference between the movie scenes and our real world,

In Psychology, there are many applications I could use to apply to this movie. However, I decided to compare and contrast a few very specific ideas -- Motivation and Personality as they are the two most recurring concepts in the movie. “ME 1 --- Theories of Motivation” Theories of Motivation contain very specific subtopics

The 1999 film, “Cider House Rules” is a touching story of morality, issues of life/death, and the violence and suppression to which women are concerned with, but the law unjustly dictates. The title of the film, after digesting the movie, suggests rules are hard to dictate for a home, when someone has never lived in it. Philosophical ethics is the attempt to offer a rational response to the question of how humans should best live. Aristotle regarded ethics and politics as two related but separate fields of study, since ethics examines the good of the individual, while politics examines the good of the city-state (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotelian_ethics). This movie touches on the different scenarios of lives that make everyone such individuals, sharing a glimpse of the massive decisions the individuals must make in their life and how people are impacted on society as a whole.

My decision to apply to Barnard has stemmed from my high-strung feminist nature. I believe that within a 5 minute conversation with me, one would instantly note my strong willed sense of female empowerment. Additionally, I am aware that my morals are compatible with the ideals set by Barnard. Furthermore, Barnard does a multitude of research in the fields of women and social justice, which is precisely what I would like to dedicate my life to. I believe the college would be a good match for me as I am constantly battling against female oppression, and my personality is practically a reflection of the ideals of feminists like Marilyn Frye. Therefore, I would provide a great deal of advocacy for women’s liberation.

If the people started to think of the clones as normal human beings, they would be throwing away the cure to all the disastrous diseases. In my opinion, it is extremely unethical to create clones, isolate them from the world, disregard telling them of their future, and then gradually telling them to donate all their vital organs, especially

The “New Woman” refers to a category of women, beginning in the late 19th century, who adopted feminist ideals, wishing to break gender roles and gain independence from and equality with men (Newton, 560-61). While not one specific, real person, the “New Woman” is an overarching term that encompasses the many women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first generation of these women strove for economic and social autonomy with roles separate from the home and family spheres of domesticity (Newton, 561). For example, they would not marry, but instead receive a higher education and work in a profession (Newton, 561). To replace their commitments to men and family, they instead formed close and passionate relationships with other women, though these relationships were not sexual in nature, people viewed women as passionless and pure. The second generation, however, living in a more modernist culture of sexual freedom, began to discuss female sexuality, and wanted to participate in more opportunities only offered to men, including drinking and smoking (Newton, 564). Because of the societal idea that only men were sexual beings, New Women had to explain the intimate relationships among them, which had become sexual in the second generation. Thus, they created the idea of masculine lesbians, who had male souls that caused them their sexual feelings (Newton, 566). The “mythic mannish lesbian” refers to these women who dressed and acted in a masculine manner