Introduction
The essay by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich entitled “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History” examines her slogan’s ambiguity on how well-behaved women rarely make history. One group of people might interpret the saying to mean that only misbehaving women are most likely to make history. As a reader, the first sentence hooked me because it was not straightforward but ambiguous. On the one hand, it reveals a society that rarely captures the achievements of women because of their assumed roles and stereotypes of being female, innocent, and obedient (Ulrich). Well-behaving women’s historical roles are regarded as subservient to those of men. Historically, American popular culture has largely ignored women because of their feminism and treats them as objects meant to perform unobtrusive roles in a society devoid of fame. On the other hand, it also shows that society can only recognize the actions of women if they are regarded as misbehavior. This ambiguity is related to how history is written in that it is a product of a patriarchal culture that perceives women as insignificant when compared to their male counterparts. Many historical writings are done by men who see women as unimportant. However, women can only make an impact if they rebel or make noise against the prescribed norms. Therefore, well-behaved women are less likely to be captured by history because of their sexuality, obedience, and innocence.
Main body
According to the article, the overt actions of men make them more likely to be remembered in history than women. History is primarily a function of written records that can retrace outspoken people’s actions either through court records, diaries, or newspapers (Ulrich). Most well-behaved women seem to be missing in such written records because they did not meet the standards of a patriarchal culture that views them as inferior. In this regard, when no one cares about some aspects of history, they are usually discarded and forgotten. The same thing is what is happening to well-behaved women who do not elicit real attention as history makers due to their feminine nature. In effect, they do not leave an indelible mark on people’s minds and are thus unable to make history.
On the other hand, the article can be construed to mean that only misbehaving women have the opportunity of making history. The presumption that well-behaved women are invisible gives credence to the notion that women can only be noticed if they rebel and do not comply with this norm. History, as it were, is not what happened in the past, per se, but what the future generations choose to remember. History is influenced by a patriarchal culture that chooses to remember men whom it considers heroic and rebellious women acting outside the norms of society. It is a kind of rationale that provides that women can only make history if they engage in actions that are anti-social. Therefore, a woman should always make noise if she hopes to get any form of attention from a patriarchal culture that controls history. However, such adverse attention makes them infamous and denies them the honor and glory accorded to their male counterparts. History does not regard them as heroes but rather as villains.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the essay by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich provides an ambiguous perspective on the issue of well-behaved women and their impact on society. On the one hand, it might be construed that women rarely make history because of their feminism and humble nature. It is an attribute that conceals them from the glare of public life and makes it difficult for them to impact society significantly. On the other hand, it can be presumed that only misbehaving women get noticed and might probably make some form of history. This ambiguity is largely a function of a patriarchal culture that is used to shape history. It is a culture that supports the activities of men and rebellious women and ignores those of well-behaved women.
Works Cited
Ulrich Laurel Thatcher. Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History. 2007. Print