Assignment/Activity TitleFeminism Essay

YearFreshman (9)
SkillWriting, researching, etc.
Portfolio CategoryCritical
Reasoning
The feminism essay was a history assignment that had students explain whether or not the United
States government needs to pass a new Equal Rights Amendment. It was required to research with resources
given and provide support from these sources in the essay. I had chosen to talk about the status of women
today in comparison to 40 years ago and determine whether or not pornography should be considered hate
speech used to degrade women as a group.
I believe that I managed to complete the tasks very well. I was given a B for my efforts. I didnt
know a lot about the first wave feminist movement prior to learning and reading about said topic in class,
and I am glad that I have been able to be enlightened about a social issue that is still being debated today.
I think that this assignment belongs to the critical reasoning portion because it made me contemplate
the role of women and the roles associated with females in the past 40 years. Definite strides have been
made, however there is still a lot to be done, and thanks to this assignment I was able to comprehend
everything that still has yet to be decided upon.
I really enjoy assignments that pose hypotheticals like this one. I liked imagining what the US would
be like and the impact that a new a revised ERA would make on not just America, but the rest of the world as
well. I love speculating the cultures of our country depending on what political documents are passed.
I ultimately decided that it was not necessary to change and reinforce the Equal Rights Amendment
specifically, but I also trid to acknowledge the fact that it is impossible to change the mentality of those that
are against it (e.x, Phyllis Schlafly). I wanted to sound not biased at all, which is often hard for me to do.
Making these decisions about the topic given to research was very difficult for me. I was in between
on the subject, which is why it was so important to me to make the right decision. I ultimately chose to say
that, yes, there should be an updated ERA put in place, but I also stated that it is important to keep in mind
that nobodys opinion can change because of law.
In the future, I hope to see more assignments like this. It was fun but still very educational, and it
discussed a timeless topic that will most likely still be argued for a long time. That is why I valued this
assignment, because I liked getting the chance to enhance my writing skills but also be able to talk about
something that I care about and have strong opinions for.