The New Woman Commonplace Book

Character Commentary

This novel was given to me by the infamous suffragist Millicent Fawcett at a demonstration in London. She told me I reminded her of herself when she was young and inspired to change society for women, and told me that I will do amazing things as long as I don't lose hope. When I got home, I couldn’t stop reading as I was amazed by the powerful writing by Elizabeth Barett Browning. I saw myself in the heroine of the story, Aurora Leigh. She was a strong willed woman who defied the societal norms for women during the Victorian Era. Aurora rejects the ideas of…

Character Commentary

I was walking the streets of London when I saw a copy of The Suffragette, crumpled up on the sidewalk. I knew it was meant to be that I saw this edition, because lately I have felt defeated as women have fought, yet we can’t seem to make society understand our views. As I read it, I began to realize that The Suffragette is more than just a woman’s newspaper. Instead, it is a representation of all of the fighting that women who advocate for our basic rights give way for the next generation of women. Now as a member of the women’s suffrage movement, The…

Character Commentary

My mother gave me this photo as a young girl and told me to keep it forever, as someday it could be me. I was confused why this woman didn’t dress like the normal women seen everyday, but my mother explained to me that she was the first woman in Britain to attend college. Although my mother came off as cold and closed off, I always knew it was because she was trapped in a society that denied her any freedoms of her own. At the time, I feared for the life I thought I was going to have: Being controlled and owned by a man, revolving my life around society’s…