Regeneration revolves around Siegfried Sassoon and his bold, public declaration against the continuation of the war for political means. His main point was that the war had turned from a defensive front into an aggressive front, and that this change is what is keeping the war from ending. His first sentence states, “I am making this statement as an act of willful defiance of military authority”. Regardless of the validity of his declaration, this direct challenge to the military obviously couldn’t just be swept under the rug. Sassoon’s goal is to be court martialed to gain a sort of pseudo-martyr status to bring attention to his declaration. As Graves tells Dr. Rivers, this was a very real possibility before Sassoon was admitted to Cambridge. Afterwards though, his declaration is dismissed as the ravings of a mad man once it reaches Parliament. Rivers understands and even somewhat agrees with Sassoon’s point of view but disagrees with his methods. Billy Prior is another patient at Cambridge and is afflicted by nightmares, asthma, and mutism. Rivers is initially about not being able to gain insight into Prior’s mind due to the mutism but he ends up regaining his voice periodically. Rivers uses the same …show more content…
Through Sarah, Madge, Betty, and Lizzy we learn about the shift from women working low-skill low-pay jobs to working in the factories and being paid more. This was, of course, in response to the war effort and the decrease of the population of men. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though; the factories had harsh conditions, and paid less to women workers than to men. Sarah specifically has yellowing skin as a result of the working in the munitions factory. Despite how bad this sounds, these positions gave women a lot more freedom. They weren’t inherently chained to their family or spouse, and many women reveled in the newfound
Billy’s patience is also tried when he learns of his heart murmur. He is attempti...
Fifty percent of the women who took war jobs were black and Hispanic and lower-class women who were already working. They switched from low paying female jobs to higher-paying factory jobs. Even more women were needed, so companies went out searching for women just graduating from high school. Eventually, married women were needed even though no one wanted them to work. They definitely did not want women working especially if they had young children. It was hard to get married women because even if they wanted to work, 90 percent of their husbands did not want them to. At first, women with kids under 14 were told to stay home to take care of them. The government was afraid that a rise in working mothers would lead to a rise in juvenile delinquency. After awhile, the amount of the workers needed in the job force was so high that even women with children under 6 years old took jobs.
Before the war, some women worked in their homes caring for their children and tending after their homes and gardens. Others did do some more labor, such as working in factories, being telephone operators and in rare cases nurses. These were the normal jobs at the time and they required little to some labor. When the war started up little did they know the women’s work industry was going to be forever changed and viewed differently. In 1914 women started making guns, ammunition, and more in the munitions factories. The munitions factories were huge buildings where hundreds of women would work and sweat all day. In the factories they filled various munitions such as cartridges, bombs, screening...
Women experienced a major changes in their role in society during the war. Many women had to fill in while the men were away at war, and stepped up to fill the men's work. Women in the factory greatly increased, which caused daycare centers to rise up. When the war ended most women did return to their previous lifestyle, but many continued to work in the factories.
"Despite the general expectation that women would return to their home after the war, female laborers did not simply drop their wrenches and pick up frying pans" (310). After the war many women continued to work outside the home primarily to help support their families. After the war 28% of the labor force was female compared to the 24% prior to the war. When the war was over nearly one million women were laid off and another 2.25 million voluntarily left. These female losses in the work force were offset by the gain of 2.75 million women into the work force. "When women who had been laid off managed to return to work, they often lost their seniority and had to accept reduced pay in lower job categories" (310). Due to the severe segregation by gender, the postwar economic life for women was appalling.
As men went off to fight in the Great War, women had to step in and took the places of men in factories and other work fields. However, after
The women in the mills found independence, earned money and experienced freedoms unavailable in their home communities. They helped their families during the changing market in America. Seller describes “with the agrarian crisis and capitalist transformation delaying marriages, skewing sex ratios and reducing textile production, straitened Yankee farm families needed mill wages
During World War II, women worked in many important jobs. While the men were fighting at war, they needed someone to take over their jobs so they can still be getting enough profit to afford for their family’s needs. That is when the women came in and offered to work in the men’s places. The women worked in defense plants, volunteered for the war-related organizations, and managed their homes. In fact, women also became housekeepers, managed finances, and learned to fix cars as well.(History) Some women also served in the Army Nurse Corps, where men would come when injured in battle. In New Orleans, as the demand for transportation grew, women even started becoming streetcar conductors for the first time. These jobs helped women show off their
Overall, the awareness of the “talking cure” had a critical turn point in Rivers’ belief of the war which explained by Sassoon’s moral reasons in opposing to fight. Rivers realized that it is not up to him whether or not to stop the war, but what it is important is, a person has to be willing to do something rather than to be forced. In the case of Sassoon, although he disguised the fact that he fought for a war that it not justified, he still wanted to go back so that he can be with his fellow soldiers, even if it meant death.
Women during the times were treated very differently than people were actually doing something for a living. During WWII, women were obligated to fulfill men's roles within the workplace while continuing to manage their domestic roles and leaving in impact. Women during the war period were not just the ordinary type of women. The wars were tough but the women were the ones that had it even tougher.
...ing it had hardened…Siegfried’s ‘solution’ was…going back…to look after some men…” (249). This was the truth! Sassoon, still disillusioned, returns to the front out of a strong sense of obligation and honor. Comradeship disrupts Sassoon’s resistance and allows his passionate protest to quell.
When it came to women having jobs there was a 2 million increase since the war had ended. Even though women were becoming a part of the work force the jobs were still sex segregated. Meaning that women would take jobs as teachers or nurses or other jobs that men rarely wanted. “Women, especially minorities, who held factory jobs held the least desirable and lowest paying jobs in factories. African American women mostly held domestic jobs such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. There were many openings for educated African women in the social work, teaching, and nursing fields during this time, however they faced much discrimination”.
As their husbands were going off to fight in the war, women had to manage the household and that included working for a wage. They started working at factories and other places where men usually took precedence in. However, when the department store opened, it opened opportunities for these women to work as salespeople and earn money while keeping their decency. These changes also meant a change in clothing. Women wore clothes that were more comfortable, no longer were corsets and big dresses in fashion. Women also became independent and outspoken, which resulted in them advocating for their rights publicly, a behavior never seen. Department Stores brought a lot of changes, especially during this
Women were not only separated by class, but also by their gender. No woman was equal to a man and didn’t matter how rich or poor they were. They were not equal to men. Women couldn’t vote own business or property and were not allowed to have custody of their children unless they had permission from their husband first. Women’s roles changed instantly because of the war. They had to pick up all the jobs that the men had no choice but to leave behind. They were expected to work and take care of their homes and children as well. Working outside the home was a challenge for these women even though the women probably appreciated being able to provide for their families. “They faced shortages of basic goods, lack of childcare and medical care, little training, and resistance from men who felt they should stay home.” (p 434)
Countless women worked in place of the men during the war and were not too pleased when their husbands, fathers, and sons came home and took their jobs away again. In fact, divorce rates skyrocketed after World War II due this this as well as other issues (Allport). Women were starting to realize their unhappiness with their current role in society. This discontent was only heightened when more and more wives were becoming pregnant after their husbands returned from war. This led to even more women being placed back into their traditional role of housewife and mother. Women in general were growing weary of this traditional life. They wanted a change, but didn’t really have much to complain about from an outsider’s perspective. Many of these situations occurred in seemingly well-to-do American families; the white families living in the new suburbs of America. They had money, they were well educated, had multiple children, and seemed to have all of the things they needed to live a happy life. So why were the women so