First-hand narrative of a Gilded-Age Prostitute Essay

First-hand narrative of a Gilded-Age Prostitute - Essay Example The father’s joblessness ensured their discontinued education while her mother’s ill-timed pregnancy, sickly child and poor health rendered her incapable of doing much to help her family. It is in their neighborhood that Madeline got involved with the wrong company and came pregnant outside wedlock, a situation of often warranting phenomenal stigma at the time. Mrs James, a former servant in Missouri sends for her and she goes to work in a factory; however, due to her pregnancy she runs off with her saving to hide herself from the shame. This is when she realizes that surviving in the town without a job is next to is exceedingly difficult and getting a job without references and experiences is impossible. When her savings run out, she starts taking men to bed for money although it is not easy for her and she is at times â€Å"robbed† of her earnings. She tries picking clients in the streets, but she finds she lacks the â€Å"brass† for it and ends up being a kept woman for a man who looks after her In addition to infecting her with, a venereal disease and expects payment in sex. She finally entered a brothel and commenced, her career as a prostitute under the management of the owner of the â€Å"house† Miss Laura and it is here that she acquired the name Madeline. That was the beginning of her life as a prostitute and she went on to ply her trade, from Butte, Montana, and she later became the Madame of her own house in San Francisco. Life in the gilded age was characterized with aspects of acute social stratification distinct in the differences between members of different classes, with the gap between the upper and lower classes being predominantly based on financial prowess. For instance, one of the most brutal beatings she got form her father was because of playing with the child of one of the servants whose friendship was frowned against (Lindsey 6). Society was highly patriarchal and men in most institutions be it family or work had the last word, while women were often subject to harsh and unfair treatment and could not take control of even their own lives. After their father abandoned them, it is Madeline’s brother who takes up the responsibility of â€Å"Man of the House† evidently a house had to have a man to run properly. The moral condition in Kansas City according to the writer was abominable, there were vice flourished all over and there were many houses of pleasure not only in Kansas but also the other cities such as Texas. This was the period of industrialization, rural decline and urbanization; the rural decline is seen in the way her idyllic life in the country comes to an end due to her father’s failure and like many who failed to survive in the rural areas, her family moved to a town and she later moved to town and thus completed the cycle of urbanization. It is here that she comes face to face with the reality of industrialization urbanization and they significant ly affect her life, she works in the dressing factory as a check girl a job she didn’t dislike although the noise of machines haunted her for many nights. The rural urban migration inevitably leads to overcrowding in towns which as well as unemployment, and this hit her hard when she runs out of her job and tried to secure another one.

Book Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Book Report - Assignment Example These were evident in Clinton’s reign where its continual change extended to the current Obama’s regime. Clinton disputed the former policies that yielded to severe stress to the middle class. Hence, contending that, most Americans are working hard for less (p. 324). Therefore, the only way to recover your security and to broaden your horizons is to adapt the change – to embrace, to move forward. Additionally, he argued that Reaganomics then flourished due to the low innovation of other states and America’s economic power, which was then declining. Since the tactics were becoming obsolete (p. 324). Clinton’s call for the Americans to adapt to change entailed in all classes besides extending it to the future generations. He argued that, the only way we can recover the fortunes of the middle class in this country so that people who work harder and smarter can, at least, prosper more, the only way we can pass on the American dream of the 40 years to ou r children and there children for the next 40, is to adapt to the changes which are occurring (p. 324). Clinton’s exemplary action towards advocating change was via accepting to sign the NAFTA document meant to export boom to Mexico by tearing down tariff walls, which implied from then onwards there will be no job loss (p. 324). The main purpose was to support and even uplift the middle class’ status, if the America was to uphold globe’s reputation as the champion of freedom and equality. Communist’s collapse between 1989 and 1991 saw the dawn of the â€Å"Global civilization† where American leaders of both parties spoke of an American mission to create a global free market as the path to greater worldwide freedom, which was divergent to Reaganism (p. 325). This prompted the state to embark on the idea of WTO, but to the delegates’ astonishment, the meeting came to a complete halt owing to various key equality demands from the outside protes ting crowds. They demanded the review of the pressing concerns where the meeting ought to establish the relationship between globalization, economic justice, democracy, and freedom. (p. 325). According to the protesters, the key demand was the citizen’s welfare in all matters regarding economic empowerment coupled with equality and democracy. Therefore, World Trade Organization must be replaced by a dramatic and transparent body accountable to citizens not to corporations thus, No Globalization without representation! (p.326). Clinton while giving his speech during ushering the millennium advised the Americans to celebrate the change that has already occurred and willingly embrace it. Primarily, the change encompassed equality and freedom where while making his speech he noticed how the evening that house’s meeting comprised of audience emanating from diverse American representing diverse races. He contended that I cannot help but think how different America is, how di fferent history is, and how much better, because those of you in this room and those you represent were able to imagine, to invent, to inspire (p. 338-339). Therefore, B. Clinton stated that America ought to live together as brothers and sisters, celebrating our common humanity and our shared destiny†¦