Birth Control? Ha, You're a Whore.

It was not over 50 years ago that birth control was legalized, yet we might just have to fight to keep it that way. It is not completely unheard of that women have been refused their birth control solely because unmarried women having sex was against the pharmacists moral beliefs. Wow! First of all, who cares what they think, secondly, not being able to get birth control wouldn’t prevent premarital sex from happening. Refusing to fill a woman’s birth control prescription is just wasting everyone’s time. College campuses have even started refusing to supply free or low-cost birth control to students.
According to Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, the reproductive rights of women are now under attack. Not only are we still fighting for equality, but we are also struggling to keep the ground we have already covered as well. Valenti states, “…repro rights are about more than abortion and birth control. They’re about being able to have sex when we want to. They’re about having affordable, accessible contraception. They’re about being able to control our bodies even if we can’t drive a car or vote yet.” (81)
No matter what your views on premarital sex and abortion are, women should be allowed to control their own reproductive lives. We hear complaints about high teen pregnancy and abortion rates, yet the government is trying to take away one of the primary tools of pregnancy prevention? That doesn’t exactly make sense. If government officials think that making birth control unattainable is going to keep girls’ pants on, they are pretty naïve.

The Redefinition of Rape Laws

Use this space to explore more of your own claim. How did you arrive at your research question? What is it that interests you? What do you wish to explore and why? Spend this space developing your argument.

I have chosen to write about the redefinition of rape laws and the effect(s) they will have on our culture and the possible repercussions that it would create in the legal world, as well as what it would mean for women. Would we, as women, be more in danger of being raped and less likely to get justice because we were “asking for it?”

 I am interested in this topic because I consider the “logic” the people proposing this redefinition use is ridiculous. I am looking forward to examining this topic and explaining why I disagree and why I believe this would be a very bad idea. I hope to learn more about rape laws and how they can affect women’s rights.

One of the laws the GOP is proposing is the redefinition of “forcible” rape. They are alleging that rape can only be considered rape if it is forced upon the victim. For example, a date rape involving drugs that affect reasoning skills would not be seen as a rape because force was not used and in turn would not been accepted in court to allow the victim justice. I’m concerned about what this will mean for women that have been taken advantage of in a circumstance where force was not involved. How will we receive justice if rape is only classified as an act that involves a woman being beaten, bruised, and coerced into a situation that will leave a huge impact on her life? I can only hope that law makers can see that this proposition would do more to endanger lives than to save tax-payers money.

How the song Alone by Heart employs Pathos

Ann and Nancy Wilson, the leaders of the band Heart use pathos in their song “Alone” to show the emotions of love, sadness, and loneliness. The first verse of the song is a great example of how the singer is feeling melancholy and lonely. The lyrics begin with “I hear the ticking of the clock, I’m lying here the room's pitch dark. I wonder where you are tonight, no answer on the telephone. And the night goes by so very slow. Oh, I hope that it won't end though. Alone.” She states that she is lying in the dark, and she is so secluded she can hear the clock ticking. The night is crawling by and all she can do is hope that someone will come to ease her loneliness.  The mood that the first verse creates changes dramatically in the chorus. Ann Wilson begins the song in a slow and subdued manner yet in the chorus she sings “Till now I always got by on my own, I never really cared until I met you. And now it chills me to the bone. How do I get you alone? How do I get you alone?” She sings these verses so forcefully, in a way it sounds like she is pleading. She is trying to say that she was perfectly content with her life, and didn’t need anyone to keep her happy until she met the person she is singing about. She is terrified that she now needs this person and cares so deeply about him (or her).  The way she repeats “How do I get you alone” shows the urgency with which she is pleading for the love she believes this person can give her. “You don't know how long I have wanted to touch your lips and hold you tight, oh. You don't know how long I have waited, and I was going to tell you tonight. But the secret is still my own, and my love for you is still unknown. Alone.” In the last verse she explains how she is planning to share her feelings, but she is scared that they will not be reciprocated so she keeps them to herself. This verse shows that she is feeling disappointed that she does not have the courage to talk about the love she has for the subject of the song.

This song employs many emotions, including love, sadness, terror and loneliness.  Heartbreak is something experienced by anyone that faces this world alone. They say the strong can face the world alone but it is the world that faces it with others. Heart does a great job in tying these emotions together to make a meaningful song that can relate to anyone that has gone through the same experience.

Mr. Leggs Slacks

I have chosen an advertisement for Mr. Leggs slacks, a brand of pants whose “Noble styling is sure to soothe the savage heart.” To illustrate this claim there is a feisty looking woman lying on the floor with her head facing forward, the rest of her body is that of a tiger-skin rug spread out of the floor. A dapper looking man wearing Mr. Leggs slacks is standing over the tiger-rug woman with his foot placed on her head. The man’s pose is that of a victorious hunter who has successfully taken down his prey. The text helps to validate this idea by saying “Though she was a tiger lady, our hero didn’t have to fire a shot to floor her. After one look at his Mr. Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her.”

I believe the target audience is single, white heterosexual males. The claim that you could control a woman by wearing Mr. Leggs slacks would be an attractive idea to men who have not gotten married yet. According to this ad you would become more masculine and desirable by wearing these pants, and women would be all too willing to let you walk all over them.

This ad objectifies young, single, white women. The woman is described as being wild and in need of being tamed. It also makes us out to be very shallow by saying we would let a man treat us like a door mat just because he is wearing attractive looking pants.

The way this advertisement states that you would become a he-man by wearing these slacks would be sure to attract attention from the target demographic. Most men are very attached to their ego’s and the subtle way the text implies that you are less than a man if you don’t have women falling all over you would be seen as a threat. It is actually a very interesting sales tactic.  

All about Moi :)

 My name is Alexis Hahne, but I prefer to be called Lexi.  I was born in a little town named Webster City in Iowa, but my family moved to Missouri when I was 4 years old. Buckner, a tiny town not too far from Kansas City is the place I call my home town. My family has lived in the country for several years. We appreciate the space considering there are eight of us, my Dad, Mom, three sisters, and two brothers. Being the oldest of six children gave me a lot of responsibility and has hopefully somewhat prepared me for life outside of home.
I was homeschooled since third grade and thankfully was not part of the cliche of sheltered kids who had no social interaction with people outside of home. Artistic is a word I like to call myself. Theatre and art have been my passions for years and I intend to make it a second career after I finish my BS in Nursing.
My love of reading began as soon as I was able to sound out words. Not many nowaday's are lucky enough to grow up with a parent with a love of reading. My mother would read us bedtime stories and take us on trips to the Library so we could pick out as many books as we wanted. Unfortunately I can get bored with a book if I dont believe it to be interesting. I might not quit reading the book, but it will take me a while to finish it. In regards to writing, as part of both school and fun I have done quite a bit of writing. Many journals have been started but I would eventually either lose the journal or become bored and quit. I have been told that my writing is good, but I'm not sure I agree. Although i truly try, I know I need a lot of work on grammer and punctuation!  Becoming more confident in my reading and writing skills is very important to me because I believe they are very neccessary skills in life.