Traditions of Great Britain

[Igor Lazarev]

We have the "Traditions of Britain" topic to discuss at our English Classes. I would like to get information on this topic and get the "Women's Day" story, published last year.

[Torsten]

Hello Igor,

You can download the file here:
http://www.english-test.net/download/titbits/womens_day.pdf

Regards
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Pilates]

May I....

At the moment I live in Britain and we had this really impressing (I'm bloody kidding) workshop just before we left Germany to absolve this European Voluntary Service in Britain.

The Women's Day is about the impressing (now I'm not kidding) movement by women from the 17th to the 19th century.There were the SUFFRAGETTS (a pejorative noun of those women who fought for an equal right to vote [like women's libber today]; suffrage = right to vote) They fought militantly for equality in different sectors of society, i.e. with hunger strike, women disturbed official meetings, demonstrations.

Mary Wollstonecraft wrote an important novel about the vindcation of the rights of women in 1792 which meant to be the manifest of feminsm: Women are born as intelligent human beings but raised as stupid dolls. She wrote this against Rousseau's "?mile", an education guide for boys which described a discriminating behaviour against girls and their education. By the way Mary Wollstonecraft's daughter is the famous Mary Shelly, the author of "Frankenstein".

women's suffrage:

1902 Australia
1917 Sowjetunion
1918 Great Britain
1919 Germany
1920 USA
1946 France
1971 Suisse (last part of Suisse in 1990!)

That women who have been suppressed by men for centuries and centuries went away from the oven to express their political or social meaning to the world, realizing that their is no way to do this free and fighting until they had the right is so wonderful that Englishpeople have their own day to celebrate it.

But...
As I told in the beginning I do live in Britain, do live the everyday life and need to admit that this what women fought for in 200 years doesn't mean a thing to British women. They behave like wanting be suppressed, wanting get out of their caring homes to be with a man who is the sense of life, give birth in teenager-ages and stop thinking.
It's more than pathetic and I can't generalize it, of course. But it's horrible how many girls/young women in my age (19) have children, are pregnant or are in a precarious situation (abord or give birth). They should be proud of the women who lived once but ought to concentrate on the living ones, fighting with their sexuality which they were educated to present everyone without knowing what the consequences are. They let themselves be reduced on object, sexual objects...and I really get sick of the behaviour of most of the Englishmen to women as I am - reduced on my body, not interested in my personality.

A bit away from the topic, but interesting to know.

[Jailbird]

Yeah, that`s really very interesting! Thanx for the post! )))
_________________
Your Jailbird

[Pilates]

Well, what shall I say. I like discussion passionated about feminism.
Unfortunately, there is actually no discussion. I give my point of view and get....nothing!

Is everybody afraid to answer? I won't bite...maybe.