Blue Stocking Analysis

Out of all the readings, Fanny Fern’s writings resonated with me the most. The way in which she wrote about the expectations placed on women reminded me a lot of the expectations both my family and society has often placed on me. Fanny Fern’s Mrs. Adolphus Smith Sporting the "Blue Stocking" really hit home as it describes a lot of my actual home life, but it also dove deeper into our society gender roles. As both a writer and an artist, I have had to become a master at steeling time between school, work, and helping with my siblings. Most of the time when I am home you can find me in a similar envierment as Mrs. Smith. Fending off small demanding children fighting over food and tv shows, protecting my art or writings from unwanted helpers, and …show more content…
My older brother (the eldest of 7 mind you, who graduated with a bachelors at 19) has no clue how to change a dipper (or so he says.) The reason he claims he doesn’t know is because he’s never had to do it, not because he can’t figure it out. I however have been changing diapers since I was 5, so what does that tell you about gender roles. But that is exactly how Fern’s writing works. She displays a normal day that in turn, highlights our society’s gender roles in order to bring them to the surface. Women are expected to do housework, care for children, and find things. Men are rarely expected to pitch in. This first became apparent to me in the way that housework was dived up in my home. Every day as soon as we got all our homework done the boys would get 1 hour of videogame time and then have to go play outside. I had to sweep all the floors, dust the whole house, fold Landry and help mother with dinner. When my father abandoned us and my mother fell into depression and was unable to take care of the 11 month old and new born, not once did my brothers get up in the middle of the night with them. Not once were they expected to change a diaper. On the