Difficulties That Women Go Through In America - Case Study Example

Lecturer: Dont Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller Dont Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight: An AfricanChildhood by Alexandra Fuller is a book that talks of the struggles that women through in forms of injustice displayed in their societies as they move towards the search of gender equality and personal justice and treatment of women in the society. Fuller describes the difficulties that women go through in America and in other countries outside America as they engage in the struggle for personal and gender justice and equality fulfillment. Her description brings up the comparisons and contrasts of the struggles that women go through in America and other parts of the world. This is also seen in Linda Kerber’s book where she looks at the experiences that women had in traditional America. In the book, Fuller recounts the experiences she faced as a child in the African continent. She grew up in several places located in central and southern Africa where there were constant civil wars. She lived without her father for a large part of her life. This is because her father had joined the white government, as a fighter in the Rhodesian civil war. He was away for long periods fighting against the black guerilla groups that were powerful. On the other hand, her mother worked as a farm worker from which she found the means of providing for the needs of her children. Fuller’s mother played a significant role in her life because she taught her to be self-sufficient, resilient and have a strong standpoint with respect to her opinions and will, irrespective of the difficulties of life (Fuller 20). The first way in which women found power towards their personal justice and equality was through education. When women in Rhodesia started attending classes, they became enlightened in the sense that it is through education that they could rise up from their roles as housewives and plantation workers to occupy important positions in the society. This applies especially to black women. This is because before independence white children were the only ones who were permitted to go to school. However, immediately after independence, the schools that were filled with whites were opened up for black children. In fact, it was strange for Fuller to find herself in the midst of black children in class (Fuller 32). The other way used by women to get power is through self defense and resilience. This is clearly seen through Fuller’s mother. Her husband is not always at home because he must perform his duties as a soldier of the white government. This means that Fuller’s mother must find a means to protect her family and provide for them. Therefore, she decides to acquire a gun so that she can prevent her family when her husband is not present. In fact, she tells him, “Dont come creeping into our room at night…We might shoot you.” (Fuller 63) This shows her determination to protect her family no matter the circumstance. Through this, the reader understands that women have decided to search for equality and personal justice by taking up the guns something which was only done by the men. The struggles that women go through outside America, especially in China and Africa are similar and different in certain respects. They are alike in the sense that in both cases, the women struggle for personal justice and equality. In Alexandra Fuller’s book that is set up in Africa, women struggle for personal justice and equality through similar means with those used by Linda Kerber in her book. In both cases, women use education to enlighten themselves so that they can understand their rights. Both in America, china and Africa women struggle to get out of the bondage and oppression that they have been put in by the society. They all want their views to be heard and given an active role in the society. However, the struggles engaged in by women in Africa, china and those in America are faced with different challenges. In Africa, for instance, Fuller in her struggles passes through a horrifying environment filled with civil wars and racism. These challenges have consequences in their struggles because they not only struggle for personal justice and equality but also for their safety and against racism. On the other hand, women in America do not face the challenges of civil war or racism. They fight for equality of all women across America (Fuller 56). In addition, the modes and ways through which women fight for personal justice and equality are different in America and the other areas. In Linda Kerber’s book, women fight for their personal justice and equality through several means. Women in America fought for equality and personal justice through feminist movements and legal means that are organized in nature. However, women from the enslaved societies, in America especially the black women suffered just like those in Africa because they had to pull the experiences they faced from civil wars, immigration problems, witchcraft trials and lynching of black Americans among other issues. Again, the issue of racism arises. In Africa, the problems that Fuller experienced as a British woman in a foreign land was not similar to the problems that black women slaves encountered in America. In Africa, it is the British who mistreated Africans, this is seen clearly when Fullers mother tells her that she should know her position and should not say certain things in front of her African counterparts. In comparison, the black women in America were mistreated by the whites because of their race. They were enslaved the same way the Britons handled Africans in Rhodesia (Kerber, Hart and Dayton 78). In conclusion, both Alexandra Fuller’s book and Linda Kerber’s book are books show the struggles that women underwent as they sought for personal justice and equality. They address issues especially those that touch on black and white women both in America and Africa. The two books are rich because they highlight the challenges caused by racism, civil wars and slavery. They show the challenges that women pass through as they search for power and equality. Works Cited Fuller, Alexandra. Dont Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003. Kerber, Linda K., Jane Sherron De Hart and Cornelia Hughes Dayton. Womens America: Refocusing the Past, Volume 2. London: Oxford University Press, 2010. Read More