Tuesday, February 10th--2:45 pm

Greetings:

A few things:

1.  You will want to bring your Viewer's Journal to class whenever Breaking Bad episodes are scheduled to be viewed by that class day. In fact, it is probably a good idea to just keep it with your English folder/binder as bring to class during every class session.

2. If you submitted a rough draft for out of class essay 1, BE SURE TO REMEMBER TO ATTACH IT TO THE FINAL DRAFT WHEN YOU SUBMIT THE FINAL ESSAY. It is my way to note that you have the privilege of revising if you wish.

3. Below is a copy of a former student's final draft of out of class essay 1. I consider it a strong, quality response. Please take the time to read it through a few times. Please note that when I cut and pasted the essay, errors occurred on the Works Cited page. The second and consecutive lines of each source SHOULD be indented.

Devin Valdez

Professor Catherine Fraga

English 20 Section 14

7 October 2013

Rosie the Riveter

            The well known icon, Rosie the Riveter, is often associated with female empowerment because she inspired an entire social movement during the 1940s. The creation of this symbol was to encourage women to enter the workforce as the men left for war. The image of Rosie the Riveter flexing her bicep and saying “We can do it” is still viewed as an embodiment of women’s rights today.  "Rosie The Riveter" was the start of a government campaign that recruited female workers and became the most iconic image of working women during the war. Although she was not a single woman, she was an icon of non-conformity that represented the women of America who challenged gender ideals and followed a non-conformist path at that time that forever paved the way for women of the future. A true non-conformist, as “Rosie” represents, significantly challenges social norms and instigates a positive change with lasting repercussions for the present and in the future.

Before the United States entered World War II, there was a cultural division of labor by sex. It was expected that men be in the workforce and that women be in the home. However, the start of World War II challenged these ideas.  On December 7, 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii (Rosenburg).The devastating results left the nation stunned as President Roosevelt called the United States to war. American men quickly began enlisting in the war effort, leaving the workforce to diminish. Because of this gross shortage of manpower, the United States government needed a way to influence the women to enter the workforce. So they turned to the War Advertising Council in order to implement a nationwide campaign known as the “Women in War Jobs Campaign” (Hoyt). The motive was clear, to target several different groups of women. The campaign used persuasive posters and messages that encouraged women already in the workforce to upgrade to factory jobs, girls just out of high school to look for jobs in the factories, and homemakers who never had a job. This was achieved because of the many different patriotic images of the now-legendary Rosie the Riveter.

At first, the calls for women to join the workforce included phrases such as “Do the job HE left behind” and “It’s a Woman’s War Too!”, but the iconic Rosie symbol did not take hold until 1942 (Young 606). The Rosie phenomenon started with the song entitled “Rosie the Riveter” released in 1942 written by John Jacob Loeb and Redd Evans. The song became very popular very quickly. It was played on the radio and broadcasted nationally as well as performed by many popular artists at the time. The lyrics in the song described the role the government was hoping women would play during wartime, “She’s a part of the assembly line, she’s making history, working for victory. Rosie the Riveter” (“Rosie the Riveter”). The song talked about the group of women that did not want to help the war effort and it emphasized the importance of the type of girl who would do anything to help the war come to an end. These powerful words inspired not only the women to enter the workforce, but it also inspired the artists of the iconic Rosie posters.  For example, the artist behind the Saturday Evening Post Rosie image, Norman Rockwell, was said to be inspired by the song and lyrics, especially since he painted the name “Rosie” on the lunch box (Doyle). In this particular picture, Rosie is pictured eating her lunch in her factory garb, holding her riveting gun in her lap and resting her boots on Hitler’s Mein Kampf. There is a large American flag waving behind her (“Rosie the Riveter”). In another more recognizable poster of Rosie, painted by J. Howard Miller, she is portrayed with a red bandana, factory coveralls and flexing her arm with the words “We Can Do It” behind her (Hoyt).

The posters and song portrayed women as strong figures in the nation’s war efforts. The government used themes of patriotism and glamour to appeal to young women. Because their brothers, boyfriends and husbands were off defending democracy, the least they could do was take a war job.  They were to be “the women behind the man behind the gun” (Gluck 11).  The song, magazines and the poster demonstrated how war workers could be glamorous, fashionable and help to stamp out fascism. The images challenged the women to take on responsibilities that normally belonged to the men. Because of the inspiring images, the factory gates flooded with mothers, daughters, wives and even school girls. Women’s entrance into the workforce, specifically defense jobs, signaled a major breakthrough in their normal employment patterns. Those jobs that were concentrated in heavy industry were both better paying and loaded with symbolic value. They were men’s jobs. Rosie became an image that not only showed women getting involved in industrial work, such as riveting and welding, but she also represented all the women that proved they could perform a man’s job.

Recruiting women to enter the workforce meant challenging and abandoning the definition of womanhood that the American culture promoted. However, because of the hostility toward women working during the depression, the government emphasized the temporary nature of women’s wartime work (Gluck 153). This meant that the cultural values would be kept intact. The war ended with the Allies victorious and the need for munitions ceased. The country prepared for the return of normalcy. The government filled women’s magazines with stories and advertisements that promoted the renewed domesticity (268). The ideal family life was emphasized and the specific male and female roles were once again predominant. The men returned home, and there was no need for women workers. They were actually encouraged to go back to home, or at the very least, to take more socially accepted and lower paying jobs, like secretarial work. Employers moved to restore the prewar sexual division of labor. Although the gender disparities took place once again, the government could not close the floodgates. In a 1944 survey of women workers, half of the former full-time homemakers said that they wanted to continue working after the war (154). Most of these women did continue working and those women who returned to homemaking ended up rejoining the workforce later. The number of working women never again fell to prewar levels.

The Rosie the Riveter image was never meant to empower women. However, for a brief period during wartime, images of women were revised. Her creators merely used her as a tool to encourage homemakers to temporarily enter the workforce in support of the war effort. Rosie, and the women she represented, had only one purpose: to “bring the boys home”. (Lowen). Oddly enough, she emerged as a cultural icon. While the employment boundaries expanded and the sexual division of labor was challenged, at least momentarily, social values also had to change. Women’s definitions of themselves had to change. It was not long before the daughters of these women began to chip away at the archaic ideas. Rosie left an impression that gave the women the assurance that they had a place in a male-dominated workforce. During the many years following World War II, Rosie’s “We Can Do It” attitude became a feminist icon. For example, the 1960’s brought deep cultural changes that altered the role of women in American society. More women were reentering the workforce and challenging the gender disparities in pay. While most of the male-dominated America rejected the idea, the feminists of the 1960’s worked for goals of equal pay among men and women in the same field of work, an end to domestic violence and sexual harassment, the limits on women in managerial jobs and shared household and child rearing responsibilities. These goals could not even be perceived without the empowerment that Rosie provided. There was this sort of tug-of-war going on in the 1960’s. Television shows like “Father Knows Best” and “Leave it to Beaver” were on air, emphasizing the importance of the traditional domestic life, while Lesley Gore’s hit song “You Don’t Own Me”, which emphasized female independence and challenged traditional ideals, climbed to the top of the charts (Walsh). The 1960’s became a progressive time for women’s rights in all facets of life. This all influenced by the creation of the image of Rosie the Riveter.

Modern day "Rosie's" are still making advancements in the fight for gender equality. For instance, Danica Patrick is a female athlete in the male dominated sport of NASCAR racing.  In 2013, she earned herself the starting pole position in the prestigious Daytona 500 race (Strassmann). Comedy is another example of a stereotypical male enterprise. However, former Saturday Night Live actress Kristin Wiig’s movie “Bridesmaids” challenged male comedy. With an all-female ensemble, they were triumphant in portraying a traditionally masculine style of humor. Other strong feminine figures include people such as Tina Fey, who became the first female head writer for Saturday Night Live, Michelle Obama, who advocates for women, children, and young adults, and Katie Couric, who became a prominent woman reporter, which was hard to come by for women most of the time television has been around. There have also been many “takes” on the famous Rosie the Riveter image by such artists as Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Beyoncé. All of the women listed are powerful in their respective fields. They challenged ideals, succeeded, and are now synonymous with being inspirations to women everywhere. Modern day Rosie’s continue to prove that women are capable of succeeding in a man’s world. Women’s endeavors in comedy, sports, music, politics, and even everyday home life have been successful in the fight for gender equality and were inspired by that one iconic  image.

Rosie the Riveter is not just one woman, but an icon and a representation of all the women who challenged and are still challenging the ideals of a woman’s place. She does not just represent white women, but all women, and she continues to do so. Her creators were not  prepared for what she inspired. The initial reason for creating this image was to encourage women to enter the workforce as the men left. However, the image and her “We Can Do It” attitude left such an impact and played such a vital role in the process of redefinition, that she has helped to lead a non-conformist movement that is still being felt today.

Works Cited

Doyle, Jack.  “Rosie the Riveter”.  PopHistoryDig.com.  28 February 2009. Web.                                     18 September 2013.

Gluck, Sherna Berger. Rosie the Riveter Revisited: Women, The War and Social Change.                         New York: Penguin, 1988. Print.
Hoyt, Alia.  "Who was Rosie the Riveter?".  HowStuffWorks.com. 03 November 2008.                        Web.  26 September 2013.

Lowen, Linda. “Who was Rosie the Riveter?”. About.com. (No date). Web. 18 September                        2013.

Rosenberg, Jennifer. “Attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941- A Date That Will Live in             Infamy”. About.com. (No date). Web. 22 September 2013.

“Rosie the Riveter”. USHistory.com. (No Date). Web. 18 September 2013

Strassmann, Mark. “Danica Patrick set to make history at Daytona”. CBSnews.com. 21                                    February 2013. Web. 16 September 2013.

Walsh, Kenneth T. “The 1960’s: A Decade of Change for Women”. USnews.com. 12 March                        2010. Web. 16 September 2013.

Young, William H; Young, Nancy K. World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A                         Historical Encyclopedia, Volume I. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313356520. Print. Retrieved:            26 September 2013.