Journal Entry Quarter 3:4

             As the many reform movements of the early twentieth century took hold a nation that had been through a series of "ups and downs," women were caught up in the frenzy to modernize. Women took up the cry for suffrage again. They recommitted to temperance movements. Most importantly however, they began to see themselves as closer to equal counterparts of men. Herland reflects this feminism, as the overall message of the novel is that women are just as capable as men.
          Among the oscillating features of the turn of the century American life was the economy. It swung down in the late nineteenth century, then up in the 20s, before crashing back again in the 30s. This economy was run almost solely by men. On the other hand, the women of Herland have specialized, doing the traditional jobs of men and women in farming, teaching, being scientists, building, governing, and archiving. Their economy is stable, strong, and shows no real weakens. Each woman is able to rely on the next, creating a community of trust. This ease reveals a contrast between the "real world" and the fantasy of Herland. Perhaps the message is not so much that women are better, but equal, but the novel points out the flaws of a society run solely by men.
         According to the novel, not only are women as "money smart" as men, the are also as willing (if not more so) to learn. When the three male scientists from the outside world enter their domain, they are full of questions. They do not only teach their language, they learn English. They do not only report their history, they investigate that of the larger world. The women are described as eager and inquisitive but not judgmental. One of the male characters, Terry, provides the perfect contrast to the open-mindedness of the women. He snorts and mumbles and rejects the ideas that the women could possibly be any different from the girls he viewed, rather disgracefully, as little more than play-dolls. Slowly however, the women seem to break through his shrouded vision, the perfect metaphor for the United States acknowledging the rights of women.

Journal Entry Quarter 3: 3

          The dreams of the women in Herland parallel the societal idea of the American Dream. While each individual has their own American Dream, unique to that person, there is also the concept of the American Dream as a general goal for all of the nation. Striving for success, achieving whatever level of happiness each person is satisfied with, perhaps even the concept of never being fully satisfies, all come together to form the communal American Dream, around which the individual develop their own. The women of Herland are similar in their communal goal. They want to create a society for their daughters that is as perfect as possible. They are in constant pursuit of knowledge. They study the three male scientists that the story follows with eagerness. Their American Dream consists of a land of happy, healthy women whose daily lives are not overburdened but not idle, whose daughters will know only a society founded upon the values of Motherhood.

          The women seem even to lay personal desires aside for the communal dream. here they differ from the vast majority of Americans. The concept of the general American Dream relies on the pursuit of the individual dreams. The society portrayed in Herland seems almost void of personal ambition, or at least the dreams of each woman are so centered around protecting the values of Motherhood and the lives of her daughters or her sisters daughters that there is no distinguishable difference between individual pursuits and societal goals. Therefore, even in a novel where the setting is filled with a people who all push towards the same, united goal, there is the concept of the American Dream, adapted to reflect the authors story.

Journal Entry Quarter 3: 2

Note: This blog was posted last Saturday, but due to less than exceptional internet connection, apparently did not actually post.


          The values and contributions that minorities make to the American society are reflected both in Herland and in the Harlem Renaissance. Both the novel and the movement demonstrate the powerful misconceptions and missed opportunities of a society that ignores or puts down the minorities. Herland shows that women are at least as capable as men of making decisions, creating a stable land, providing for themselves, working towards a common goal, and sustaining a high level of organization and standard of living. Though the novel is written from an obviously feminist perspective (even at times as far as radical feminism), the overall argument is sound: women give to society the values of Motherhood. Herland suggests that the men of the world outside the secluded little nation of the same name have been mission the opportunity to create a more moral and caring society by making women a lesser part of their world.
          The message of the Harlem Renaissance was not so different. African Americans strove to prove that their culture was not inferior, was not to be ignored. They knew that they had music and art and literature to add to the culture of America if they could only convince whites to share it. Through the Harlem Renaissance they did show off their culture. They did make inroads into the greater mind of America, singing, dancing, and writing their way into the history of this nation. They had a "point to prove." Minorities, by color or by sex, can contribute greatly to the society, particularly the American society.