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The Female Experience

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By: William Shakespeare

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By: Elizabeth Acevedo

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By: Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris

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'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou (1987, Live performance)

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Serena Williams reads "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

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Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. This play centers around two young lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, who are natural-born enemies due to their feuding families. The story begins by laying the scene in Verona, Italy, where young Romeo is saddened by his unrequited love and 14-year-old Juliet is attempting to dodge a marriage to Count Paris.

Romeo's sadness is quickly healed when he attends a Capulet masquerade party and sees Juliet from across the room. The moment they look each other in the eyes, they fall in love. Although they realize they are from enemy houses, that does not stop them from their desire to be married. Romeo then rushes to Friar Lawrence and begs him to marry the two lovers. The Friar agrees in hopes this marriage will end the feud between the two families.

The two marry the following day. However, shortly after, tragedy strikes when Tybalt Capulet, wishes to start a fight because he knows Romeo secretly attended the Capulet's party and was staring at Juliet. When Romeo refuses, Romeo's friend, Mercutio, steps in to fight. Unfortunately, he is stabbed in the process. In order to seek revenge, Romeo then kills Tybalt. The Capulets want Romeo to pay for his life, but the Prince decides to vanish him for life from Verona.

Juliet has many confused feelings, but ultimately wants her new husband to be safe and feels immense grief for his banishment. Juliet's family is still unaware of the two's marriage and attempts again to push their daughter to marry Paris. When she refuses, her father erupts and threatens to put her out on the streets. So, she plans to do as she is told.

The tragedy begins to strike when Juliet runs to Friar Lawrence and threatens to kill herself if she cannot live her life with Romeo. The Friar proceeds to give her a potion that will make her appear as if she is dead on the morning of her wedding to Paris. He assures her that she will wake in the vault with Romeo by her side. She proceeds to take the potion, dying for the time being. Everyone realizes she is dead, and Romeo gets word of this. He returns to Verona, to see his love lying dead in the burial vault, not knowing she will soon wake. Romeo cannot live without Juliet, so he decides to drink poison and quickly dies. As soon as Romeo dies, Juliet wakes up from her trance to see Romeo lying dead. Having the same feelings as Romeo, Juliet takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself. She dies by her true love Romeo. The families come into the vault to find the two together and learn of their secret marriage. The Montagues and the Capulets decide to declare their families' feud to end.

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How does the dichotomy of the female experience, encompassing both societal expectations and constraints, shape the identities of women across different cultures and time periods?

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is a novel written in verse that traces the thoughts and powerful poems of Xiomara Batista, a Dominican-American teenager living in a Harlem neighborhood. She uses her poetry escape as a way to understand the world around her, her mother, and herself. The story begins with Xiomara navigating the world as a developing woman. Her body attracts unwanted sexual attention from the men in her neighborhood. The book immediately shows the tension between Xiomara and her mother when her mother insists that it is her fault that the men look at her.

Xiomara lives with her parents, and her twin brother, whom she simply calls Twin. Her mother is a devout Catholic and has pushed her children to believe the same. However, Xiomara is honest with herself about her doubts about God, given the faults she sees every day in the world. She would never let her mother know this because she has always wanted to be seen as pure in her mother's eyes.

School often feels like an escape from the internal struggles Xiomara faces at home. Ms. Galiano, Xiomara's English teacher, is impressed with the writing she turns in and encourages her to join the poetry club. She wants to join but is afraid of how it would interfere with her commitments to the church, as well as her mother finding out about her writing journal. The story also includes two different versions of Xiomara's writing assignments. One is the "rough draft" that reveals a lot of her personal background and family struggles. While the one she actually turns in is always the same topic, but less revealing of her internal and familial struggles.

Continuing on, Xiomara is paired with a lab partner Aman. These two really hit it off and agreed to go to the smoke park to listen to music and hang out. This quickly develops into a crush and she feels like she can be herself around Aman. She shares her poetry with him, opens up a little bit about her home life, and pushes her physical boundaries. She begins to develop real feelings for him but knows that her mother would never approve. They begin to sneak around behind her mother's back, going on dates, missing church events, etc. Unfortunately, her mother ends up catching Xiomara kissing Aman. Her mother drags her to the alter and forces her onto her knees on top of uncooked rice, beats her, and calls her derogatory names.

Xiomara, not ready to attend confirmation at church, finally attends poetry club for Ms. Galiano. She feels as though she has finally found a group of people where she can share her words and not feel judged. Sadly, her mother found her writing notebook and is furious about all of the things she wrote about. Eventually, Father Sean is asked to help counsel the family. The novel ends with Xiomara signing up for a poetry slam. Her parents, Twin, and Father Sean attend. She begins to feel more supported by her parents but still must continue to grow as a woman and daughter in society.

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Quote #1 that relates to the essential question:

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Quote #1 that relates to the essential question:

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"Tis true, and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall and thrust his maids to the wall" (Shakespeare, 1.1 16-19).

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"Hang thee, young baggage, disobiedent wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday, or never look me in the face. Speak not; reply not; do not answer me. My fingers itch. - Wife, we scarece though us blessed that God had lent us but this only child, but now I see this one is one too much, and that we have a curse in having her" (Shakespeare, 3.5 166-174).

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"Tis tourture and not mercy. Heaven is here where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog and little mouse, every unworthy thing, live here in heaven and may look on her, but Romeo may not" (Shakespeare, 3.3 31-35).

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Quote #1 that relates to the essential question:

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"Mami put her hand out but didn't take them.
Instead she backhanded me so quick she cut open my lip.
'Good girls don't wear tampones.
Are you still a virgin? Are you having relations?'
I didn't know how to answer her, I could only cry.
She shook her head and told me to skip church that day"
(Acevedo, 40).

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"But Mami's been telling me early as I can remember I can't have a boyfriend until I'm done with college. And even then, she got strict rules on what kind of boy he better be... So I already know going to a park alone with Aman might as well be the eighth deadly sin. But I can't wait to do it anyway" (Acevedo, 90).

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"'This is why you want to go away for college so you can open your legs for any boy with a big enough smile. You think I came to this country for this? So you can carry a dimploma in your belly but never a degree?'" (Acevedo, 204).

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America's forced marriage problem | Fraidy Reiss | TEDxFoggyBottom

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This TedTalk brings to light many issues of sexism, child abuse, domestic abuse, religion, and sexual assault/rape. In Romeo & Juliet, we see the Capulet's failed attempt to set up an arranged marriage for Juliet at only 14 years old. One would assume we do not have cases in America like this today in 2023, but unfortunately, this isn't the case. Our country is facing a case of legal rights abuse and sexism toward young girls under the age of 18. There is no minimum age in all 50 states for a child to marry. Often, the men are incredibly older than the child. A child cannot divorce unless their parents file for them. Forced marriages also lead to many health risks, poverty, and often, an abusive relationship.

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Romeo and Juliet death scene OST romeo and juliet 2013

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This is a single off Rihanna's sixth studio album Talk that Talk. It was also included on 18 Months, the third album from Scottish electronic artist and this song's producer Calvin Harris, who penned the lyrics as well.

This song became one of the bestselling singles of all time, and Rihanna's longest running single, outlasting her smash hit "Umbrella" on top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. During the trackling week ending February 25, 2023, the song re-entered the Hot 100 at #48. This was Harris' first time on the Hot 100, and became a huge boon to his career. He'd been releasing music since 2007. Harris said:

It changed absolutely everything. Career-wise it was the best thing that could ever have happened. For example, in America my tune 'Feel So Close' came out about three months before. But when 'We Found Love' came out, the radio started playing 'Feel So Close' like it was the single after. Then that did really well, it charted well and sold a lot of copies."

Harris was able to tap Rihanna for the song after he opening for her on a leg of her Loud tour in 2011. When Rihanna announced the collaboration to Twitter fans, the Rihanna Navy jumped on Harris, ensuring he would produce a hit. Luckily he didn't disappoint.

The original version of the song was recorded by UK singer Leona Lewis. She told NME:

It was a bit annoying to see how big a hit it was but if I'd released it maybe it wouldn't have done as well.

The music video, directed by Melissa Matsoukas, depicts two lovers are in an unsustainable relationship based on passion and drugs, more like an addiction than a healthy interest. The video features a lot of drug usage and a Chris Brown lookalike, which was controversial, given their real-life abusive relationship. Matsoukas addressed the rumors about the controversial video in an interview with :

Again, it goes back to a story that we all can relate to. It's not Rihanna's story; it's her story in the video, and she's acting. But everybody's [as well]. Obviously, there's a lot of comparisons to her real life , and that's not at all the intention.

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Rihanna (Ft. Calvin Harris) - We Found Love

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We Found Love Lyrics: It's like you're screaming, and no one can hear / You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important / That without them, you feel like nothing / No one will ever

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Bringing in a popular song by Rihanna could be a fun way for students to analyze a song they might be somewhat familiar with. The song begins with a monologue that describes the feeling of hopeless love. She writes about how her lover is the only thing that feels of valuable importance and that no one around her understands her like her lover. Each verse starts by saying, "Yellow diamonds in the light". I think the color yellow symbolizes hope and finding renewed hope even during the darkest of times. This song can relate to both Romeo and Juliet and The Poet X because the two main lovers in both stories must sneak around behind their parents' backs and attempt to be together despite all odds. Very much relates to finding love in a hopeless place as Rihanna sings about. This could also relate to my topic and essential question because this song can also show the empowerment and liberation a relationship could have for a woman. The song suggests that love has ups and downs, but it can be a transformative part of the female experience. Relationships in general can be difficult. Whether they are relationships with family, significant others, or yourself. This song navigates the complexities of relationships and how it is important to maintain your independence and self-worth.

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Shakespeare was meant to be read out loud and performed, so it is important to show students the live-action performances of his plays. There are countless performances of Romeo and Juliet, so there are many different ones you could show. The scene I decided to show was Romeo and Juliet's death scene. This is a very interesting scene to look at across different adaptations because they are all interpreted very differently. The producers made distinct changes for a reason, so having students analyze those changes could be an interesting activity.

This scene also relates to my essential question it could easily be seen through a feminist lens. Juliet takes control of her own fate by going against the societal expectations imposed on her and shows a sense of autonomy. While her decision to take her own life can be a hard topic of discussion, during this time period, it shows her intellectual depth as a woman. This decision was not taken on a whim, but rather a deliberate action to challenge authority and die with the one she loved. Juliet is also going against the power dynamics and patriarchial authority by denying her parents' wishes. This can also bring into discussion the effects of forced marriage, and how this still occurs in America today. Forced child marriage has immense effects on overall health, especially mental health. These incidents can cause an increase in suicidality. There will be a TedTalk and article posted to go a little more in-depth with forced child marriage in our world.

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On the Basis of Sex is a biographical film released in 2018 that focuses on the life of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She is known for breaking the ground of laws that discriminate on the basis of sex. The film follows Ginsberg during her time at Harvard Law School in the 1950s, all while being married and a mother to two children. Throughout her career, she is faced with gender-based discrimination. She is seeking a case that will create a breakthrough, not only for her career, but for all women. So, she decides to team up with her husband, who is also a lawyer, that focuses on gender bias and could hold the potential to reshape laws regarding equality. The film breaks down the case and eventually comes before the U.S. Court of Appeals.

This film relates to my topic of "the female experience" and the essential question because Ruth's life was always determined by the male authority figures who held power above her. She was expected to stay home with her two kids while her husband went out and worked the court cases that she dreamed of. However, Ruth decided to go against the societal expectations for women of her time. Ginsberg can be related to Juliet and Xiomara because they all chose to confront their patriarchal and familial structures. They decide to resist their family's expectations and societal norms and display a sense of autonomy in their life decisions. This film can also relate to the essential question because it allows us to look at a different time period for women. Romeo and Juliet, we can analyze the fourteen century. On the Basis of Sex is in the 20th century and The Poet X is in the 21st century. Within all of these time periods, the societal and cultural standards for women vary greatly.

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This poem written by Maya Angelou is famous for its celebration of the strength, determination, and resilience of humans, but particularly that of Black women. The speaker rises above racism and sexism and takes the reader through a history of discrimination against Black women in particular. She gives all of these examples of times when she has risen above those around her. Finally, she creates a powerful message by saying that where she is at today in her life, is where her ancestors and slaves, once dreamed of.

This poem connects to my essential question because it really brings in many factors of the female experience. It allows students to analyze societal norms, cultural norms, and history. Maya says women cannot be sassy, sexy, and haughty without being judged in some type of way. How can we analyze this from a cultural and societal perspective? This could also turn into an entire history lesson of Black women in America. The transformation of slavery to the Great Migration to Harlem, and so on. Overall, this would be a great resource for students to analyze because it gives more depth to the unit by adding a layer of cultural relevancy and topics of race and discrimination to pair with The Poet X.

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These products and images depict the different aspects of what it is like to be a woman in today's society. Women have to pay insane prices for period products every month. Women must use wipes or intensely wash themselves while on their period to ensure they are clean. Different forms of birth control are being prescribed for to so many girls for a variety of reasons. Whether that is to prevent getting pregnant, period regulation, acne, hormonal imbalance, etc. Either way, it is usually a societal expectation for women to be on some form of birth control to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Women are also expected to keep up with shaving their legs, armpits, and any other areas to be considered feminine and attractive. This is just a glimpse into some products that females buy regularly to be welcomed by society. This relates to the novels I chose because during Romeo and Juliet's time, women were encouraged, sometimes forced, to get married and have children the second the first bled. It was a completely different dynamic back then. Then, for The Poet X, Xiomara is expected not to date, doesn't take birth control, and cannot use tampons because her religious mother doesn't approve. It can be an interesting thing to look at and analyze between different time periods, cultures, and religions.

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Students can research different mediums of visual arts from the Shakespearean to present day. The students could also analyze artworks of women, by women, or about women.

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Students can research the history of women during the Shakespearean period to present day.

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Students could research the involvement of women in society and as citizens. How has our government evolved to include women and how far have we come?

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Shakespeare and The Poet X rely heavily on poetry to get their message across. I think this would be a neat aspect to have students work more with poetry. It would also be neat to do activities where they are writing it themselves.

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The Poet X talks a lot about Xiomara's strong Catholic faith. It would be fruitful to have students dive more into the Catholic faith and the history the religion and beliefs.

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Romeo and Juliet and The Poet X both include music within the writing. Music could be supplemented into the unit by having students analyze certain songs within the two texts.