The Women Troubadours, Choice B

Meg Bogin, in The Women Troubadours, says "Throughout the Middle Ages, women were the pawns of men." She says this because the vast majority of women in this time and place had to depend on a man for everything. Women were not in control of their lives, and exceptions were rare. Part of this is because of chivalry. It was an ideal in the courts of southern France that continued even when the courts were gone. Today, when we hear this word, it has a very positive connotation and refers to a "gentleman." However, chivalry came out of the idea that women were weaker, purer, and more virtuous. Men treated women this way because they believed women were less than them. For this same reason, marriage was instituted. It was not an act of love; it was merely a contract between two families. It was done for both economic and political reasons to assure that land holdings would be kept with their rightful owning families. The woman's life was not her own, it was a deal between her family and another. This idea was also present in the practice of feudalism during the Middle Ages. Women were not considered. Everything having to do with this aspect of life had to do with men. All of these practices came from ideals of the time. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that women were just incarnations of Eve, the "first sinner." Women were severely looked down upon, and for this reason, were "pawns of men."

     I think these things are only true for women today if they allow them to be. There are plenty of strong-willed women in our time who do not allow their life to be controlled in any way by a man. Because of laws regarding voting ability, educational opportunities, and the basic rights of women, any woman who is living her life inferior to a man is doing it to herself, whether she knows it or not. As an education major, I naturally speak to a lot of other women going into the same field.  Being that this is not a high-paying profession, I have heard many say that they hope to marry someone who makes more than they will so that they can live a better life.  Although this seems to make some sense, no woman, or person for that matter, should think this way.  They should be willing to accept the salary for the job they desire and work hard to make the life they have worth living.  There are plenty of ways to improve your life without counting on the salary of your husband.