Southern Belle's Influence On American Women

Women during the Antebellum Period we held to high expectations of how they were to behave. They had virtues that they adhered to. After the war broke out, the lives of women changed, and the roles they played significantly impacted the way women were viewed following the war. The Civil War was the result of decades worth of tensions amongst the northern and southern states that had ultimately ended with a war. The states had been feuding over many issues including expansion, slavery, and state’s rights (History.com Staff “American Civil War History”). The Civil war broke out in 1861 and continued until 1865. Prior to the war women stayed home and kept up things at the house, but after the war broke out, women felt they needed to help the

Imagine being one of the black female victims in the plantation south, and not having the voice to revolt against immorality experienced frequently because of White southerner males. The unthinkable feeling of white males having full access to a female’s body without her consent, and using her for their personal amusement reveals that discrimination and inhumanity existed in the era before slavery was abolished. For this reason, Deborah Gray White wrote the book known as Ar’n’t I a Woman? to highlight the brutal actions of these white southerner males that made miserable circumstances for black slave population to survive. The way she brought forth the reality and the vicious mentality of the White southerner males manifest that the status

Although some people might be offended at the gesture that all the women in the south sit around and just talk about everyone else, I think it?s accurate. Not just in the south, and not just with women. For some reason, people find comfort in talking about other people?s lives and forgetting about theirs for a little while.

O’Connor also poses the contrast between the old and new South in her short story “Good Country People”. Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman represent the old South because of the way in which they carry themselves and their traditional beliefs and values. Mrs. Freeman works for Mrs. Hopewell who states “the reason for her keepin her so long was that they were not trash. They were good country people”(O’Connor 272). Mrs. Hopewell describes Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters as “two of the finest girls she knew and Mrs. Freeman was a lady and that she was never ashamed to take her anywhere or introduce her to anybody they might mett”(O’Connor

The Roles of Southern Women During the 1930’s Before the 1930’s, women were very underrated. The Great Depression caused the availability of jobs to go way down, and men were no longer there to work and help their families. The men were characterized as the breadwinner in the family, and the women were seen as the homeworker that cooked and cleaned. After the men started losing their jobs, they felt like a failure because the women then began to thrive. The 1930’s was a turning point for women’s lifestyle including home, work, and marriage life.

In this short paper, we will speak about the role women had in society in the antebellum south and how it was affected.

The 1920s was a major turning point in American history. Known as “the roaring twenties”, the citizens of the United States enjoyed the new found wealth from the economic turnaround. The United States’ wealth more than doubled as the nation turned into a consumer society. Not all Americans were fond of the changes in society, and not all of the changes were good.

People in the south often get stereotyped based off their appearances or the way they act. Most southerners have rituals they follow, but some are just living life. The way Flannery O'Connor deals with the traditional social structure in the South in her fiction shows that it was of major concern to her and was the source of much of her power and humor. O'Connor's exposition of a southern society which values a good, moral person yet struggles to identify Three of her short stories deal with the relationship between Christianity and society in the South: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "Good Country People," and "Revelation.”

I see some truth in the stereotype of the South as the land of beautiful southern belles but it’s not entirely true. The south is very diverse, and not all women in the south are pretty southern belles. There might have been a large population of them, but they all aren’t beautiful. However, with that being said every women is beautiful in her own way. Some might be more gorgeous than others but those others might have beautiful in other ways including attitudes. Also“aristocratic planters” were noble entitled people who did not actually plant the crops The “superstitious fieldhands” did the planing.

The Antebellum south was a very paternalistic society believing strongly in a social hierarchy that attempted to emulated the aristocracy of Europe. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 316) At the top of the hierarchy were the wealthy planters that believed in being treated with deference by those below them in the class hierarchy and were to care for those that were “inferior” like a father. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 316) The wives of these wealthy men were often “placed on a pedestal and expected to uphold genteel values of sexual purity, spiritual piety, and submissive patience,” as she managed the household and dealt with the hyper-masculine culture that surrounded her. (Nash, et al., 2007., p. 316) Below these planters were yeoman farmers that strived to achieve the wealth of higher class, but owned smaller farms and a few number of slaves.

Mackenzie’s family are big fans of Southern norms such as, lifted trucks, Southern comfort food, riding ATVs through the countryside, and swimming in the lake; however, she does not allow herself to be associated with Southerns. The negative opinion of the South appears to be on the rise, and there isn’t much that can be done to stop it. There are people of the South that unwillingly and unknowingly become representatives of what the South is like because of their actions. If a person goes about their days “raising hell”, their friends, family, and mere acquaintances become a part of it. Someone assumes that if you’re around a certain person, you probably act like them too. This is the reason the South has a bad reputation. Word spreads throughout about what a person may be like and if these people are well-known, then a whole community can be classified as being just like them. To conclude, it is not uncommon for a native of the South to prefer to identify with something other than. This is an issue in need of a resolution because representation is crucial for

In the 1930’s times were much different from times today. The Great depression was during

Slavery destroyed the character of the southern woman. It took continuous effort for women to submit to the misfortune of their sex. Mrs. Flint was a member of the church, yet her “anger” and “wounded pride” led her to treat her slaves callously. As a passive submissive responder, Mrs. Flint ignores her husband’s behavior and convinces herself that Linda is to blame. Although she knew Linda was a victim of her husband’s lust, she lashes out at Linda instead of confronting her

Many of the southern belles do not exist anymore, but most of the women from the older generations still have the same tendencies as many of the southern belles and represent how southern women act. Southern Belles are not the only thing that represents the southern culture. Southern hospitality represents the southern culture also. The show Hart of Dixie represents the southern culture perfectly.

The connection between the use of the word “Dixie” in the poem “Song for a Dark Girl” by Langston Hughes, plays a crucial role to the feel and meaning to the poem. The first element that affects the poem is the location both the song and poem takes place, in Dixie. This connection might be the most dominate and gives the viewer the most significant connection. Additionally, while the next element might not be as dominate, it possibly is more vital, the meaning behind both the song and poem are in direct contrast. By using the term “Dixie” in the poem, Hughes implies that Dixie is not as grand as the song lets on.