Part I: Describe the qualities of life in America that TWO of our authors this week were criticizing. Do these criticisms seem valid to make of today's America?

Part II: Try a gendered/ feminist reading of 2 readings not mentioned in your Part 1 response. Describe what the writers seem to be saying about masculinity and/or femininity. Are these stereotypes/expectations still present in contemporary life?

Convinced that middle-class women were enslaved by "masculinist" ideas and a cult of domesticity, Charlotte Perkins Gilman crusaded her entire life for liberation from housework and child care and for increased opportunities for meaningful work for women.