Women of the Nineteenth Century: Sarah Stickney Ellis

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Women of the Nineteenth Century: Sarah Stickney Ellis

The industrialization of the nineteenth century was a tremendous social change in which Britain initially took the lead on. This meant for the middle class a new opening for change which has been continuing on for generations. Sex and gender roles have become one of the main focuses for many people in this Victorian period. Sarah Stickney Ellis was a writer who argued that it was the religious duty of women to improve society. Ellis felt domestic duties were not the only duties women should be focusing on and thus wrote a book entitled “The Women of England.” The primary document of Sarah Stickney Ellis’s “The Women of England” examines how a change in attitude is greatly needed for the way women were perceived during the nineteenth century. Today women have the freedom to have an education, and make their own career choice. She discusses a range of topics to help her female readers to cultivate their “highest attributes” as pillars of family life#. While looking at Sarah Stickney Ellis as a writer and by also looking at women of the nineteenth century, we will be able to understand the duties of women throughout this century. Throughout this paper I will discuss the duties which Ellis refers to and why she wanted a great change.

One of the first questions in which we should ask ourselves is who Sarah Stickney Ellis was. Firstly, Sarah Stickney Ellis was born in 1812 in Yorkshire England. She was a profound writer who wrote many books about women and gender roles. She was the second wife of Missionary William Ellis who was a missionary and a writer who was author a writer. During his lifetime he wrote many books dealing with his experiences during his missionary days. S...

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...and that this would improve society. The role of this book was to help women shape the way women are in society for many generations.

The book titled Sources of the Making of the West we get a look inside one of Sarah Stickney Ellis’s book titled Women of England. This document contains a passage from her book and gives us an insight of what the book is going to be discussing. Sarah Stickney Ellis offered much advice to women of the nineteenth century. During this time women were expected to focus on their home and become role models for proper behaviour. Her words portray the domestic ideal that in reality, eluded man women, either by choice, or circumstance#. The document consists of the ending of the first chapter ¸in Ellis’s book titled The Women of England. Ellis wrote this book to help women out during this time for assistance to uphold the household goddess

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