Vivian’s entry:
You’ll never believe what picture I saw the other day in the magazine, The Ladies Treasury! I know I am studying mathematics right now, but it seems so discouraging because everyone wants me to be something else because I am a woman. Even my own mother is not supportive of my career. I do not care about meeting a husband and bearing children. I want to work, study, and learn. I want to be on this list of women who do great things. I want to do great things! Pictures like this one are important because how was I supposed to know I was not the only one who is working in the field of mathematics? Granted, I know for certain there are so many amazing, talented women also trying to break into the field of mathematics. They try to push women's accomplishments under the rug and let a man take credit for it. I want the days where I have to work under a male supervision to be gone; I want to be appreciated for my hard-work and knowledge. I yearn more knowlegde! With the different equations and different methods in which to solve complex problems that one could only dream of solving. They assume that mathematics is a man's job, and god forbid a woman get any sense of a general education. Anyways, I believe that it is very exciting to see something so progressive in public as most times people are shamed for their opinions, especially radical ones like that. Which makes no sense to me because why is there such hate against women? Maybe that's an issue for another day.
Historian’s entry:
The reason Vivian is up in arms about this subject is because in the Victorian era of England, there were many people that were against putting women into workplaces, classrooms, or pretty much anywhere that was not in the home. It was not very often in which a woman was working in the late 1800s, so for Vivie to be working in a city in the field of mathematics was a very big accomplishment for that time period (Barrett). Stereotypically, Mrs Warren, Vivian's mother, would keep her in the home to prepare for a possibily arranged marriage. However, it is progressive for Mrs. Warren is letting her daughter have such an interest and education in mathematics. It is important that she was impressed by these role models and wanted to be like them because it gave her a goal to work for in the future. Though there was more intrinsic motivation than anything, admiring people in the same field of study is important in knowing what it takes to be on the wall of fame along with the role models. There is a mental game, not just a physical game in pursuits of a job to use that education Vivian’s received on. Her emotions played a big role in this journal entry because she felt very fed up by the behavior of those around her. It is important to comprehend those feelings and make them known otherwise there will be no progress made. It is with backlash on the institutions set up that there is change in society. Though her backlash might be to a page and not in the public eye, she may have gained the confidence to share her story and her perspective with the rest of society.
Barrett, Kara. “Victorian Women and Their Working Roles - Buffalo State College.” SUNY Buffalo State University Digital Commons, May 2013, digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=english_theses.
Platonic Realms. “Great Women of Mathematics.” Women Who Figure - Spotlight Exhibits at the UC Berkeley Library, 31 Jan. 2018, exhibits.lib.berkeley.edu/spotlight/women-who-figure/feature/great-women-of-mathematics.