Benjamin Dorin
“Women and Children
First?:” A Critique of the Chivalry of the Twentieth Century
Introduction
I conjecture that Chivalry, known as being a gentleman, has suffered greatly in the past 100 years. From the sinking of the Titanic until now, we have seen a decline in how men view women, treat women, and behave in regards to women. This can been seen in the many television ads and newspaper advertisements that have elevated the woman to the status of objects, as if that was an elevation at all. Furthermore, as you progress from the early twentieth century until now, from the rise of the industrial revolution to the sixties and seventies, you can see a shift in how woman want to be treated and seen by men. Thus, as I look at the trends of the past 100 years and read several articles dealing with the subject, it seems to me that chivalry has become a thing of the past in today’s world.
I conjecture that Chivalry, known as being a gentleman, has suffered greatly in the past 100 years. From the sinking of the Titanic until now, we have seen a decline in how men view women, treat women, and behave in regards to women. This can been seen in the many television ads and newspaper advertisements that have elevated the woman to the status of objects, as if that was an elevation at all. Furthermore, as you progress from the early twentieth century until now, from the rise of the industrial revolution to the sixties and seventies, you can see a shift in how woman want to be treated and seen by men. Thus, as I look at the trends of the past 100 years and read several articles dealing with the subject, it seems to me that chivalry has become a thing of the past in today’s world.
For my research, I will be asking and exploring several questions: How have events in the past changed how we treat women? How do women want to be treated by men? Have we actually seen a change of how men view women in the past 100 years.
Method
In order to accomplish this goal, I will first be sitting and watching people interact at the mall as well as at the store. While I observe, I will be looking to see if men carry their women’s groceries, push their carts, and hold the door open for them. I will also be looking to see how men respond in a crisis, such as something going missing, a purse being stolen, a jammed finger. Are the men nurturing, protecting, loving, or are they missive, uninterested, or expect the women to take care of it on their own?
Next, I will interview several “random” men and women on campus and at other campuses around the area, as well as in down town Ames to see what the culture says on the subject. This will help broaden my viewpoint and help me gain incite into the culture’s perspective.
Furthermore, I will be talking to some social historians to see what trends they have seen. These approaches will help give me a more well rounded view of my topic and help me develop a better argument and thesis statement.
Lastly, I will consult articles of newspapers and books that have been written either as a history of different events in the past or as topical analyses of my research project. In doing this, I hope to find out what men and women of the past have seen in their era on the subject of chivalry.
Sources
To begin, I will be looking at the artifact written by Henry Moseman titled, “The Science of Chivalry.” This is an article that looks at the sinking of the Titanic and asks, “what happened there and why? Why do we not see men saying, ‘woman and children first’ today? After that, I will examine a book written by Walter Lord (1917 – 2002) titled, “A Night to Remember.” It is written like a fictional piece but instead is quite historic. Walter Lord interviewed over fifty survivors of the Titanic before writing it. In addition to these sources, I will examine newspapers from the 1920’s to the 1970’s.
To begin, I will be looking at the artifact written by Henry Moseman titled, “The Science of Chivalry.” This is an article that looks at the sinking of the Titanic and asks, “what happened there and why? Why do we not see men saying, ‘woman and children first’ today? After that, I will examine a book written by Walter Lord (1917 – 2002) titled, “A Night to Remember.” It is written like a fictional piece but instead is quite historic. Walter Lord interviewed over fifty survivors of the Titanic before writing it. In addition to these sources, I will examine newspapers from the 1920’s to the 1970’s.
Timeline:
June 24: Research proposal is due
June 24: Observe people interact at the store. Set up two interviews on Iowa State’s campus.
June 25: Go to down town Ames and observe men and women’s behavior towards each other.
June 26: Begin writing and formulating my argument on paper.
June 28: Video record people as I interview them.
June 29: Begin setting up my power point presentation
July 1: First Draft Done
Significance:
In society, we have seen a progression of how women and men treat each other. For 100 years, society has been on a general decline as to how women are portrayed. These ideas and practices, such as advertisements using women’s bodies or the sexual harassment directed at women, are a direct result of not treating women as someone to nurture, take care of, protect. Moseman points out in his article, "The Science of Chivalry," that what was seen on the Titanic in allowing women and children off the boat first was social norms triumphing over selfishness. Thus, it is crucial to ask the questions, what happened to those social norms and why do they not prevail today?
