Kelcie's+Final+Assessment

**The Final Assessment**

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I signed up for Women in Literature, however, I learned more than what I had anticipated. From the first few weeks of this class, I learned about femininity and masculinity. It's amazing how society defines the two so differently. Being feminine is seen as being sensitive, caring, and peaceful. Many people think of femininity as being angelic and gentle towards others. Other characteristics of femininity are girly, fragile, polite, having long hair, and liking the color pink. On the other hand, masculinity is seen as being brave, strong, bold, and fearless. In movies, a masculine figure is portrayed as a soldier or warrior. As masculine figure is also stern, aggressive, firm, takes charge, and acts as a leader. Most masculine figures are seen as unemotional, unlike women; and they don't like to express their feelings in public.  We also observed how feminism and masculinity are displayed through television. This was interesting for me because I had to observe the Travel Channel which I though was a gender neutral channel. But after writing my paper on the Travel Channel, I discovered that a lot of the television shows and the commercials are heavily appealing to men or women. Now when I watch television at home, I notice these things about shows, movies, and commercials and how they appeal to men or women. Unfortunately, I feel that media is the hugest contribution to the stereotypes humans live by in society whether they are true or not. It is important that society doesn't let television take control of what we feel is right or wrong, good or bad.

 As we moved forward in the course and began to more in depth about coming of age, I learned about the traditions other countries do to initiate a girl or boy into womanhood or manhood. Connecting this to my personal life, I didn't believe that there was a certain point that indicated my becoming of a woman. I felt that it happens in stages. All the experiences that I've been through and the lessons I've learned while growing up is what will shape me into the woman I will grow and flourish to be in the near future.  The final project ties in all the knowledge that I have gained from this course. Chivalry is a very broad topic and everyone has their different opinions on it. The research paper was essential to putting together my final product. I did a lot of research on answering my essential question and found that there is no right or wrong answer to it. When people watch the video I made, they will learn about the true existence of chivalry and how society can continue to keep it alive, although many believe that it is in decline. One of the harder steps to my final project was finding an expert source because it had to be someone who was familiar with feminist theory and medieval culture. Fortunately, i was able to find a professor at Seattle University who gave me an interesting answer which I found helpful to my project. After completing this course, I will always carry what I learned from this class with me for the rest of my life. Everything that I have learned about femininity and women in society will apply to my life as I become a woman.

This is the link to the you tube video which I found interesting for my final product. This video also asks asks and attempts the answer the question (also my essential question): is chivalry dead? They interview writers, authors, and comedians on their opinions on chivalry and how it has evolved over time. The most interesting part of the youtube video was when they interviewed etiquette expert Harriette Cole, and Fonzworth Bentley who is the host for MTV's television series "From G's to Gents." Cole says that there should be more men being gentlemen because women like it. Fonzworth also says that its "cool" to have manners and be a gentleman. They also point out the important part that men don't want to be chivalrous because women reject it. This video was helpful to understand chivalry in modern society. Link: Chivalry is dead youtube video

These next two links I found extremely helpful for giving me answers to my essential question. They also pointed out reasons for why chivalry has declined and what are possible solutions to reviving chivalry. The first link is an article titled "Is Chivalry Still Alive?" It was interesting that the article stated that men have pointed out that they are making little attempts to be gentlemanly because their actions go "unnoticed and unappreciated." This article also pointed out other problems such as technology and self-centered attitudes. The other link is an article that has a different point of view. The writer also feels that men are less chivalrous because women reject it more often. In addition, self-centeredness is also a problem. However, his solution to the decline in chivalry is much different. This articles contributed greatly to the basis of my project. Link 1: Is Chivalry Still Alive? Link 2: The Modern Day Gentleman