I was one of the
naive young girls that Fern is trying to warn. I wish that as a girl, I had
grown up reading things like this, instead of fairy tales. I wish I had been
warned that the majority of the time, when a man "has possession of every
inch of your heart, and no neutral territory-- he will turn on his heel and
march off whistling 'Yankee Doodle.'" Perhaps, if I had been told growing
up that this was the norm, and that the fairy tales were the exceptions, I
might not have been so ready to give my heart away.
Fern's insights
were needed during her time period much more than today, however, young women
of today still need to be aware that love isn't the end all goal of life.
Instead of filling young girl’s heads with unrealistic romances, we need to
make them aware of what realistic love is. Young women need to be aware that
their happiness needs to come before love and that while a relationship may
contribute to their happiness; it is not the only thing that can. I've learned
that traveling and seeing every inch of the world I can, makes me happier than
any man ever could.
I'm curious if anyone
else in the class related to this piece as strongly as I did? Has anyone else
had warped or unrealistic expectations of love? If so, do you feel like it was
because of the importance our society places on romantic love?
Morgan, I am deeply touched by the honesty and openness of your post. I suppose that more than a satirist, Fern was, as you have suggested, a realist. Too often, I think, that we tend to prefer fairy tales to reality. But as Thoreau said: "Any truth is better than make believe." Live a purposeful life, do whatever fulfills you as a human being, and I suspect that love may find you in the act of living. And if it does not, you will have lived a wonderful life anyway. If there is one thing I have learned from living 61 years on this earth, it is that life is hard. I think that you are living a conscious life, Morgan, and that gives me hope.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, I think that this post is very truthful. I grew up watching fairy tales, and although I was more concerned with the magic than the love, they are a part of my life. I can absolutely see where you are coming from; I have a friend who chased after men all through high school, and now after being out of high school for four years, this is still her main concern. This is part of her personality, and I believe that many women, and men, would still chase love even without societal influences. However, as you state, some people are persuaded by society that the only way to reach happiness is by finding a forever relationship. I agree that some encouragement to travel, explore, and flirt a little along the way may help men and women alike to find that relationships are not the only source of happiness.
ReplyDeleteI am very inspired by your post Morgan, and I definitely found myself nodding in agreement as I read. I firmly believe that some women today could use a good dose of Fern in their love lives. I absolutely love and relate to the portion of the work where she says that those perfect loves are "rare birds." I agree with you that there needs to be a fair amount of realism poured out into society instead of continual fairy tale telling. I will also admit to having to get over those "warped. . .expectations of love" as a young girl, However, I am, like you are I'm sure, profusely thankful that I did come to realize these issues Fern points out, and I found out quickly that there were so many other things that could make me happy besides men.
ReplyDeleteI am very inspired by your post Morgan, and I definitely found myself nodding in agreement as I read. I firmly believe that some women today could use a good dose of Fern in their love lives. I absolutely love and relate to the portion of the work where she says that those perfect loves are "rare birds." I agree with you that there needs to be a fair amount of realism poured out into society instead of continual fairy tale telling. I will also admit to having to get over those "warped. . .expectations of love" as a young girl, However, I am, like you are I'm sure, profusely thankful that I did come to realize these issues Fern points out, and I found out quickly that there were so many other things that could make me happy besides men.
ReplyDeleteYou know what they say: "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle." The inference is, and I agree with it, that a woman does not need a man in order to be happy, a sentiment that Kristi and Chloe have eloquently expressed in their comments. However, if one is fortunate enough to find the right person, a kindred spirit can embellish your life experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone, for all your kind words!
ReplyDelete