The article Marriage and Love by Emma Goldman discusses the idea of how love is related to marriage. Goldman states that marriage and love have nothing in common. “No doubt some marriages have been the result of. Not however because love could assert itself only in marriage.” This is perhaps the quote that best sums up her article. Goldman states that marriage is just a convention that we can’t outgrow. It is something that we do because we think that it’s right. She also says that one of the main reasons that people get married today is for economic reason. One of the other points that she brought up was the marriage cannot make you fall in love with a person; you need to love before you marry them in order to make it work. I completely agree with her ideas on marriage. Today in the United States I think that some people make a mockery out of marriage. They marry for a variety reasons, money, parental approval, military, that have nothing to do with love. The text even points out that some people “sell” their daughters into marriage for economic gain.
The second article that I read was the Myth of the Perfect Mother. In this article Judith Warner is describing a problem in the United States that most women face. She is balancing two jobs, being a full time job and having a career outside of the home. She describes it as a task that a lot of women deal with. Men are not expected to take on this double role. Women and their children are constantly competing with other families to be on the top. It is necessary to have an array of activities and to be the best at them. This leads to a very demanding schedule for women. This epidemic as she calls it is something that I have seen firsthand. My mom balanced a full job in the city and then she came home and cooked dinner and took me to my activities. This would be considered ok but my mom also had to be the head of everything, she was the Girl Scout leader, softball coach and class mom. She would wake up and do this day after day; it was a never ending cycle because it is just considered routine for most women.
The final article that I read was Only Daughter. Sandra Cisneros article is about growing up an only daughter in a Mexican society. The main goal for her in her father’s eyes was to marry. This enforces the fact that the text states that marriage is often for economic reasons. However when she did become successful her father realized that it was not the only thing that she could accomplish. Today this is not something that we often times worry or even think about. It is just as acceptable for women to go to college as it is for a man. No one wants to be considered a “Old Maid” which is a stigma that is associated with not marrying but often times if you are successful in your career it is overlooked. When women can be financially independent they no longer need a man to support them.