Karen McCormick: Response to Iron Jawed Angels

Karen McCormick
Eng 281 - JOE1

Iron Jawed Angels had me hooked in such a way that I cannot begin to explain. It might be the way that the movie began (coloring, editing, music and looks) or it might’ve been the expression of purple being shown through the film (in reminders of the Red Hat Society of which I belong). While being a Pink Red Hatter (under 50), the purple coloring throughout the movie had my full attention. Purple means power.

Over the years, I have always found an interest in watching movies that’s based up on history. I do find it a lot more interesting and informative to watch it in movie format instead of reading the material, unless it’s something I really care about. Iron Jawed Angels is about Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, two strong-minded women that basically helped the women of the future generations become free in being able to have say in what we get to do.

If it weren’t for them sacrificing and putting their lives on the line for us, women now probably wouldn’t be able to work, vote, let alone do what we do today. Who knows if they hadn’t of risked all they had - would women be allowed to do much today? Would women still literally be house-chained? When would things change, if at all?

All of the kicking, screaming, protesting, risking their own lives -- it was all supposed to happen for a reason and that reason would be to make sure women had the equal amounts of rights as what men did. If they had of given up the “fight,” what would that prove? That none of that mattered? That women didn’t matter? The guys could continue on being the “head” over women? That women couldn’t get power because they weren’t “strong” enough?

The thing that really bothered me is at first when Lucy Burns and Alice Paul put the Sufferage Association together half of the women did not want to participate probably because they were afraid. Now, I’m very independent and I think independently (without leaning on anyone for decisions/actions). It made me so angry that the women did not want any part in freedom, or so it seemed for some of them. Sure, they were afraid of the consequences, but didn’t they realize if they protested long enough, they’d seek justice after all? If you never give up, eventually, you’ll get your way.

I was literally yelling at the senator’s wife (?) in my mind at the beginning to almost the end of the movie. She was one of them that helped Alice Paul type an article in the paper (claiming she didn‘t know how to type, by the way), had it published with her name attached to it and her husband found this out. Of course, he was angry because he was a senator and she was his wife, under him. Another thing that makes me angry is how they thought all women should be housewives to stay home taking care of children and the house. That’s what they did then, but would that work out now? Ohhhh no.

It’s been some time since I’ve had a history class, or at least one that speaks a lot of women’s rights and actions taken to get there. Like I said at the beginning, this movie really had my attention to the point where I wish I could’ve been there to help them as well….because really, we need to remember those in the past that helped shape our future. People should pay attention to our history because similar situations that take place now can compare to the past in some ways that we could learn from it. Lately, I have been saying that the past has everything to do with the future, only because it really does.