Sociology of the Family Course Notes Essay Example for Free

Sociology of the Family Course Notes Essay Indirectly they choose who wil form their child’s friend groups (neighborhood choice). Marital status, sex, sexual orientation, and age of parents shape a child. Parenthood convential order at home, gender division of paid and unpaid—daddy works at home, and mommy goes to work—shows child that’s normalcy, could be different gender of labour somewhere else. Gender specific roles due to life situation of that family Affects children (institutions) -schools, media, churches, peer groups, day care, extra curricular programs. -Siblings- more egalitarian and equal to their peer relationship. Unlike peer relationships, the sibling is inscribed, not optimal, â€Å"stuck with family,† older siblings socialize younger siblings—positivewanting to ride a bike, sharing, communication, attitudes between safe sex, positive relationships, important identity, being strong person, when not to and when to get involved in situations negative—how to use makeup, smoking and drinking, young child figures out how to manipulate parents by watching older siblings, teach skills, attitudes, delinquency and aggressive behaviour, need to know when to stand up to their rights and when to give in peer group- once children start day care and school, peers become huge part of their life, parents have power over peers when young, but control is less when children grow up as parents cannot be with them constantly, peer elatipnship being negative, peers having negative affects on children (deliquent behaviour—drinking with peers and blame behaviour that children taking part in), friends affect childrens desirers of consumers, what the leader of the group wants, everyone has to have, children gravitate to those with similar interests—try on several different peer groups and then finally feel comfortable with similar likes, learning to conform to group culture, what is acceptable and what is not, peers can act more like a family than those at home, can be closer than blood bonds, peers can also create a dose of reality for those children that are a centre of reality for their parents lives Educational system—children learn to act around authority, introduced to many new groups, impact that school has, ie learning a different language, can than have an affect on other family members, formation of gender identities through the curriculum of culture, each school has its own gender regime—masculine and feminine characteristics—ie boys are athletic, strength, power, and others are arts schools, music cultures, etc. that stress certain masculine and feminine traits Religion-attendance in church is falling in the ages of 25-44 age group, adults are not exposing their children to particular formal/organized religious venues on a regular basis, most kids unaware of Sunday school, fellowship, religion had more social impact 50 years ago than today, spirituality has gone up, but doesn’t mean they are religious Media-can display media right away through all electronics, many more electronics today, benefits—news, can see what is going on around the world, broader overview of what is going on, more social awareness through media, more multicultural issues, strong women on tv—dora the explorer, ellen degeneres, judge judy, oprah, the good wife (lawyer), Emily md, modern family, will and grace negatives—cyber bullying, gender roles, racism, sexism, ageism, portraying women as sexual objects and victims of violence, agreesiveness and unhealthy relationships, tv violence raises aggression between young boys, experiencing violence in the home will produce aggressive deliquent behaviour, heavy viewing of tv can also interfere with school performance *reading, Ideologies of Parenthood medicalization of child-rearing-mothers were expected to rely on science and experts in the field of parenthood, scientific management of children in the beginning of this century, everything very routine and systematic scientific paradigm -the ideology of intensive mothering—- after ww2 intensive mothering became an accepted belief system, childrearing should be child centred, labour intensive, financially expensive, still taking advice from experts, -expansion of educational material ‘new’ brain science-no changing a child’s brain, once it is wired, that is the way the chld will be, critics charge that little evidence to prove this to be the case in the first 5 years, it is helpful but won’t detriment them if the mother isn’t completely nurturing them -parenting became medicalized, how to raise their children good mother/bad mother discourse—mothers are blamed for children’s bad experiences, socially created categories, cannot always take ownership of others actions—if child hits, do people think you hit at home, as long as child is adjusted, parenting style is working -responsive or attachment parenting, Alicia silversteen, the goal is to form and nurture a strong connection between parent and child, co-sleeping with the child until puberty hits (until 6 or 7 years old), unscheduled styles of homework, no routine for homework, diaperless poty training, not inflicting a regid routine on a child, the child will dictate to you when they are ready to do certain things blossom—son in sling up until age of 5 and poty training was diaperless for first little bit, and co-sleeping stil at 4 and 7 (7 b’s of attachment syndrome—askdrsears) Parenting Styles -4 socialization styles -authoritarian—maximize control, regid rules and standards of behiavour, don’t like to be challenged, emphasize respect for authority, powers and threats, not a lot of autonomy and individualism expressed by child, if rule broken, severe discipline and violent, low self-esteem, dependent, high delinquency or rebellion, lack of respect for peers indifferent uninvolved arenting-uninvolved st yle, parents barely involved in family life, parents are parents centred rather than child centred, encourage child to stay at a distance, less interaction with child the better, consequences for child have attachment issues, have a void of family, look elsewhere and have attachment issues with peers, low self esteem, difficulty forming relationships, trust issues , authoritative-gold standard—to put boundaries on acceptable behaviour with warm and accepting context, based on firm consistent control with age appropriate demands, and encourage independence, encourage child to foster problem solving and autonomous decision making, controls their behaviour moderately—if break rule won’t get yelled at but with be dealt with appropriately, parent interaction—affection, give and take, not all about power dymanics of parent in control but child has expectations assumed for them. Characteristics of child—high levels of self esteem, show empathy and nurturi ng side, permissive-minimize any control, parent not heavily involved, parents don’t expect a lot from their children, when disciplining have tactics of reasoning—more friend to friend relationship, few parental constraints, parents approve child to do what they want, consequences for children-no respect for rules, push limits and very independent Home leaving and boomerang kids (clustered nest, revolving door, ful nest syndrome)—adults live in their parents home -what is the boomerang generation—1/4 of parents that live with adult children were living with boomerang kid, child may have a different consequence for a child parent who had never left the home, parents more likely to express frustration because kids take up their time and more resources, financial burden, mothers return to their second shift, washing their clothes, doing dishes, marital balance is off because another adult living in house, power dynamics and structures changes, happiness decreases for parents -parents willing to accept 1 or 2 back home but does diminish marital status, 3 and 4 times home is uncommon -no job right out of school, tuition too high must live at home, want to save money to get married or a mortgage on a house, financially struggling **two articles at end of slides, will be on final exam—essay question like for midt erm

The History Of The Sewing Machine

The History Of The Sewing Machine The art of sewing was invented in the Paleolithic era, where early men used sharp pointed tools called awls to poke holes in pieces of leather and then thread a strip of leather or sinew through the leather to make coverings for cold weather. Then, the idea to make a notch at the end of the awl came about and it allowed the thread to be attached to the awl, this made sewing a lot easier and more efficient.  [1]  Since then, implements for sewing have been tremendously enhanced and refined, but the most significant improvement made to the process of sewing is the invention of the sewing machine. For this essay, I will focus on the introduction and the proliferation of the sewing machine for use in the household in 19th to early 20th century in Europe and America. I will also examine the role that it played in society and the various issues related to the sewing machine in this period of time. History Up to the early and mid 19th century in Europe, sewing was all done by hand, everything from clothing to bed linen and curtains had to be sewn by hand, usually by the women of the family, including girls. It constituted a large part of womens labour in the home. The skills of sewing and embroidery were taught to girls from a young age, and they were expected to be proficient at it. Even girls from rich families which could afford to hire seamstresses were expected to proficient in sewing. The sewing machine was significant enough such that in 1855, the influential and powerful magazine Godeys Ladys Book hailed the sewing machine as the The Queen of Inventions for the time and labour that it would save women.  [2]   The first viable, working sewing machine was invented by French tailor Barthà ©lemy Thimonnier in 1830. By 1841, he has produced eighty machines for use by the French military to sew uniforms. A group of tailors, being fearful of the new technology, broke into the factory and destroyed the machines as they were afraid that the machines would ruin their livelihoods. In 1846, America, a mechanic Elias Howe came up with another design for the sewing machine, using the lockstitch instead of Thimonniers chain stitch method. However, the machine was not well received in America and Howe travelled to England to seek financing for the production for his machine. Upon his return to America, he discovered that the inventors Isaac Singer and Walter Hunter had improved on his design, with a rigid instead of a vibrating arm, similar to the sewing machines that we have today. The machine they made had become a commercial success. After that, many sewing machine companies were set up and many peop le made improvements to the design of the sewing machine. To resolve patent issues, some of these companies came together to form the Sewing Machine Corporation. The next major improvement in the design of sewing machines with Singer Manufacturing Companys introduction of the electricity powered sewing machine.  [3]   Marketing the sewing machine One thing about the sewing machine which I found interesting was the way in which it was marketed and how the marketing of the sewing machine changes as peoples perception of the sewing machine changed. Some of the earliest French advertising material for sewing machines were targeted at men and showed a soldier at the sewing machine. From its introduction until the 1850s, the sewing machine was targeted at men and for industrial use, until it was suggested to Singer Sewing Company that they create a machine for domestic use. Henceforth, the advertising of the sewing machine was targeted at women.  [4]   The marketing strategy was altered to react to the changes of womens view on the increasingly common sewing machine. When the sewing machine was first made available, it was expensive and unaffordable and hence became a status symbol for the wealthier families. The time saved could be used for teaching their children or simply resting. From the 1850s to the 1870s, the sewing machine was also marketed as a piece of furniture, which led to some of the higher end sewing machines coming with cabinet cases that were rather elaborate and fanciful. The sewing machine continued to gain in popularity and by the 1890s, it was common enough for it to lose its association as a status symbol. This led to a change in the perception of the sewing machine. Instead of being something meant to be displayed, it was now a tool that was best hidden from view, even though it was still frequently used. This led to modifications in the new types of machines being introduced, such as the drop head model, whe re the machine could be folded into a table and out of sight after use.  [5]  ,  [6]   Another event that altered the role of the sewing machine was the rise of the ready-to-wear clothing industry in the 1920s. Unlike today, readymade clothing were of better quality but more costly compared to home sewn clothing as they were made by professional dressmakers. At this period of time, the sewing machine was marketed as a money saving tool, allowing women to save some money by sewing their own clothing and look as polished as if they were wearing ready to wear clothing. Advertising from a sewing machine company then claimed that with the help of Greist attachments, the items sewn at home have a finished look instead of a home-made look  [7]   Pioneering new forms of technology An idea in the marketing of the sewing machine which I found worthy of exploration was the idea of hire purchase that began in the 1890s. Clothing manufacturers were unwilling to invest in sewing machines as labour was both cheap and plentiful. Due to the abundance of labour, the wages of the working women were low and their work undervalued.  [8]  The working class women were the group of people that would benefit the most from owning a sewing machine of their own. However, few people from this class of society could afford to buy one, as a sewing machine could cost anywhere from a fifth to half of their yearly income. Owning a sewing machine would allow them to take on more pieces of work and possibly improve their standard of living, making the sewing machine a very attractive piece of equipment. Through the installment plans, women could possibly afford to purchase a machine  [9]  . Though the idea of hire-purchase did not originate from the sewing machine industry, it wa s one of the early pioneers of this method of purchase and the first industry to extend direct credit to the consumer. It was ingenious of the industry to recognize the potential of installment schemes back when such methods of payment were unheard. This is in contrast to todays world where there are hire purchase schemes available for most major purchases. The Sewing Machine and the Industrial Revolution One of the trademarks of the Industrial Revolution was the idea of standardized and interchangeable parts. This process was first utilized by the ammunitions manufacturing industry to produce multiple parts with great precision to produce weapons like muskets. The same level of precision was required in the manufacturing of sewing machines. Isaac Singer saw the potential in this process and his company was one of the first to take advantage of this manufacturing process.  [10]  Production by this method ensured that any two machines of the same type were identical and the quality of the machines remained constant  [11]  . This allowed the sewing machine to be produced on the assembly line, and in turn caused the cost of production to be dramatically decreased, allowing the company to pass the savings on to the consumers. Also, interchangeable parts allowed repairs to be made effortlessly should a part of the machine be broken as the manufacturer could simply send over another piece similar to the one that was broken.  [12]  This made the sewing machine more appealing to the customers especially when coupled together with the decrease in price. The sewing machine was one of the inventions among others that were created during the Industrial Revolution and led to changes in the role that women play in society. The introduction of machines such as the sewing machine, washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners saved women in the household much time and effort.  [13]  This allowed women to receive more educational opportunities and the ability to become a skilled worker and be engaged in occupations such as teaching or nursing where their labour is of value. Women were no longer tied up in the household carrying out household chores. Conclusion To conclude, I feel that the sewing machine is one of the more significant inventions to be made during the years of the Industrial Revolution. The the study of the sewing machines can help us understand world events and issues that took place during that period of time such as the Industrial Revolution, and the changes in the lives of women. Also, when compared to todays world, the role that the sewing machine plays in the society is vastly different than the role that it played back in the late 1800s. The domestic sewing machine is now something of a novelty. This is just another example to show that as society changes, the needs of the people changes with it. What was regarded as a necessity in the household back then is no longer a necessity today. Beaudry, Mary C. Findings. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. Coffin, Judith G. The Politics of Womens work. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1996. Connolly, Marguerite. The Disappearance of the Domestic Sewing Machine, 1890-1925. Winterthur Portfolio, 1999: 31-48. McClellan, James E.,and Dorn, Harold. Science and technology in world history:An Introduction. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2006. Zakreski, Patricia. Representing Female Artistic Labour, 1848-1890. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006.

lisence to kill :: essays research papers

License to Kill Imagine being in a bar with a few of your good friends. Everyone is drinking and having a good time. You are going to leave and go home, but you friends won't let you because they know the dangers of driving after having a few drinks. Instead they call a cab to give you a ride home. You would be extremely lucky to have such smart friends. Drunk driving is a very serious problem in our society today, but it is becoming socially unacceptable causing the numbers of alcohol related traffic fatalities t o decline considerably. Drunk driving can be very deadly. Yet many people drive while under the influence everyday. Drivers who are drunk are blamed for the loss of as many as twenty-five thousand lives in highway crashes each year and hundreds of thousands of severe injuries. It is thought that drunk drivers have a long history of doing this and many prior arrests. In addition, most of those killed are just innocent victims whose behavior did not contribute to their deaths. These last two statements are both false. On aver age a drunk driver that kills has never been involved in an alcohol related accident before and have no prior convictions for drunk driving. The part about the people killed are just innocent bystanders is unexaggerated also. Most of the drunk drivers victims are the drivers themselves, their often passengers, and the drunken pedestrians and cyclists. Despite this drunk driving is still very dangerous. It is the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in America today. In fact it is said that about 40 % of the population will be involved in a alcohol related crash during their life. Drunk driving is especially dangerous to young people, who seem to be more involved than others. Drunk driving is the number one cause of death among y oung people, accounting for 20% of all deaths from ages 15 to 20. Drunk driving is such a hard thing to overcome though. In our society alcohol is overwhelmingly accepted as a facilitator of sociable interaction, and the great majority of adults drink. But steps a re being taken and the numbers of deaths are declining. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have been decreasing lately. As a proportion of all traffic fatalities it has been decreased since 1999. In fact since 1999 the number of alcohol related traffic fatalities has decreased 30%, from 25,165 to 17,699, while alcohol-related traffic fatalities, as a proportion of all traffic fatalities, decreased from 57% to 45%.

Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Confused Holden :: Catcher Rye Essays

The Catcher in the Rye Essay: Confused Holden J. D. Salinger presents an image of an atypical adolescent boy in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is much more than a troubled teen going through "a phase." Indeed Holden is a very special boy with special needs. He doesn’t understand and doesn’t wish to understand the world around him. In fact most of the book details his guilty admissions of all the knowledge he knows but wishes he didn’t. Though his innocence regarding issues of school, money, and sexuality has already been lost, he still hopes to protect others from knowing about these adult subjects. Holden, unlike the usual fictional teenager, doesn’t express normal rebellion. He distrusts his teachers and parents not because he wants to separate himself from them, but because he can’t understand them. In fact there is little in the world that he does understand. The only people he trusts and respects are Allie, his deceased brother, and Phoebe, his younger sister. Everyone else is a phony of some sort. Holden uses the word phony to identify everything in the world which he rejects. He rejects his roommate Stradlater because Stradlater doesn’t value the memories so dear to Holden (Allie’s baseball glove and Jane’s kings in the back row). Even Ernie, the piano player, is phony because he’s too skillful. Holden automatically associates skill with arrogance (from past experiences no doubt) and thus can’t separate the two. Even Holden’s most trusted teacher, Mr. Antolini, proves to be a phony when he attempts to fondle Holden. Thus the poor boy is left with a cluster of memories, some good but most bad. Yet because of these memories, Holden has developed the unique ability to speak candidly (though not articulately) about the people he meets. Though he seems very skeptical about the world, he is really just bewildered. His vocabulary often makes him seem hard, but in fact he is a very weak-willed individual. Holden has no concept of pain, and often likes to see himself as a martyr for a worthy cause. This is proven after the fight with Maurice, after which he imagines his guts spilling out on the floor. The end of the book demonstrates significant growth on the part of Holden. Although at first Holden is quick to condemn those around him as phony (like Stradlater and Ackley), his more recent encounters with others prove that he is becoming more tolerant and less judgmental.

Teodoro Moscoso :: Essays Papers

Teodoro Moscoso Teodoro Moscoso and Puerto Rico’s Operation Bootstrap by Alex W. Maldonado tells us about the life of Teodoro Moscoso, the architect of the â€Å"economic miracle† which most experts did not believe could happen in Puerto Rico. Teodoro Moscoso was born in Barcelona on November 26, 1910. His mother, named Alejandrina Mora Fajardo, was a Spaniard from the Balearic island of Majorca. His father, also named Teodoro, was a pharmacist. He wanted to have a son that could help him accomplish, a branch of pharmacies through Puerto Rico. Moscoso attended school in New York and became a good English speaker. He graduated from Ponce High School; soon after this, he was attending the Philadelphia School of Pharmacy. After studying there for 3 years he insisted to his father, to transfer him to the University of Michigan. He wanted to go there because it offered liberal arts courses which he wanted to study. After graduation in 1932 Moscoso returned to Ponce to work at his father’s pharmacy. He married Gloria Sà ¡nchez Vilella, sister of future Puerto Rico governor Roberto Sà ¡nchez Vilella (1965-1969). Pharmacy work bored Moscoso, and in the mid 1930’s when the Ponce Housing Authority (PHA) was about to lose a two million dollar grant, Pedro Juan Rosaly, a PHA board member approached Moscoso’s father and asked if his son could help. Moscoso’s command of the English language was what drew the interest of PHA officials. Moscoso saved the grant and from 1937 to 1941 he build nearly one thousand housing units, clearing many Ponce slums in the process. It was Moscoso’s work at PHA which captured the interest of the newly appointed governor of Puerto Rico, Rexford G. Tugwell. Tugwell was a member President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s brain trust, a group of well educated, committed Americans who went to Washington during the Great Depression to try to lift the nation out of the economic crisis. After a chance meeting when Tugwell visited Moscoso’s pharmacy in Ponce, Teodoro went to work in La Fortaleza as assistant for housing. The title was a formality in order to get Moscoso a salary for his work, but the actual duties were far broader. Another important event in Teodoro Moscoso’s life occurred in the summer of 1940 when Moscoso met Luis Muà ±oz Marà ­n.

Overpopulation Outline

I. II. III. IV. Overpopulation’s effect on children in China and India in comparison to America’s more balanced population A. Infant mortality rates are higher in countries with an overpopulation problem than in countries that have room to grow. 1. In countries that struggle with overpopulation, such as India and China, the economy is in a constant flux that hinders the advancement of life saving health care. With this one issue out of the equation in America, she is still able to provide the necessary medical care for infants born premature or with dangerous defects that would result in death in other places. . Even if the medicine in such countries was improved, with the amount of people in any given place, it would be a huge undertaking to provide all of them with these new medicines. 3. Since, by definition, overpopulation is an abundance of people, India and China are less concerned about high infant mortality rates. Even though losing a child is terrible anywhere, in America, the death of such a young innocent is more catastrophic than in an overpopulated country. B.India and China struggle with educating their young children, while in some area’s in America children as young as six months are beginning to learn basic language and mathematics. 4. Densely populated countries like India and China have so many people that some of populace simply fall through the cracks. In America, while the education system is not perfect, most children under sixteen are in school. For a child to be aloud by his or her parents to stop attending school is against the law. 5. Children attending school in the United States have the advantage of a 15. :1 student-teacher ratio in public schools and 12. 5:1 ratio in private schools. China’s ratio is closer to 18:1 and India hits an astounding 34:1 ratio. 6. While the US, India, and China all have high percentages of two parents working households, the pre-kinder kids in both India and China are not rec eiving the same attention to preschool education as the children in America. C. With the overabundance of people in India and China, childhood traumas are not treated the same as in America. 7. In overpopulated countries struggling to feed all their people, proper sychological treatment for children who have gone through shocks and distress is low on the list. 8. Some experts think that America tends to overdramatize some traumas in children. Overall children can bounce back and suppress many things unless they are constantly brought up over and over to be sure that a child is coping. This sometimes produced handicaps in adults that would otherwise have not been there. 9. In countries such as India and China where there are so many people to compete with to stand out, family pressures on children to be great result in high suicide rates.Census Bureau Facts for Features: World Statistics Day: Oct. 20. Rep. Lanham: Federal Information & News Dispatch, 2010. Print. â€Å"POPULATION EX PLOSION: In India, Propaganda Overrules Reality. † The Statesman: 1. Aug 28 2004. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 31 Jan. 2013 . Anderson, Gerard F. , and Sotir Hussey Peter. â€Å"Population Aging: A Comparison among Industrialized Countries. † Health affairs 19. 3 (2000): 191-203. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source; ProQuest Research Library. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. â€Å"India Facts. National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition n. d. : n. pag. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. . Si-ming, Li. â€Å"Population Migration and Urbanization in China: A Comparative Analysis of the 1990 Population Census and the 1995 National One Percent Sample Population Survey: IMR IMR. † The International Migration Review 38. 2 (2004): n. pag. ProQuest. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. . The Population Issue: A Third World Women's Perspective. Quezon City, Philippines, Quezon City: Isis International, 1993. GenderWatch. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.

Journal of Sofonisba Anguissola Essay

I have painted many self-portraits in my life, but the one that sticks out the most to me is the one in which I painted myself holding a book. I was born in a time, when women typically were not encouraged to obtain an education. My family, however, went against the grain, and actively supported my sisters and I in our education. Even today, as I write this, my society celebrates women for our â€Å"virtue and beauty,† (Niyazi, 2011) with our sole purpose being solely the â€Å"ambition to marry and bear children† (Niyazi, 2011). Nowadays, women in Italy are â€Å"consigned to sit in their palazzos and pursue needle work† (Burke, 1995) when not occupied with the tasks of raising children and tending to their families. Women are not considered to be individuals that are worthy of being intelligent creatures and their education is believed to be a waste of time and resources. In contrast to this common societal belief, my parents pushed me to become educated. Studies of the arts were especially stressed, and this is one of the main reasons why I was even given the liberty of pursuing my artistic interests. I painted this particular self-portrait in order to show other women that education is a worthy cause to pursue. In this portrait, I painted myself holding a book. This book is open, and the viewer can see the writing within it. Within the portrait, the book is not painted merely for show, but rather to signify that it has a place in my life. It is the only object that is in the painting besides me and it draws the attention of the viewer. It is something that is special and precious and asks other women to take the journey of education with me. This self-portrait is rather simple, yet it holds quite a bit of meaning to me. I am wearing very simple, and dark colored clothing, and my hair is pulled back in a bun. I intentionally stripped my image of trad itional feminine adornments, such as an elegant dress and an elaborate hairstyle, in order to draw attention away from my femininity. I avoided these â€Å"female signifiers† (Niyazi, 2011) so that the audience would not connect my image with beauty, which is something that is traditionally connected to women in my society. I created this image to look masculine in order to show that I am mature, independent, and self-possessed (Niyazi, 2011). Even the background behind me has nothing that would detract from this; the background is a rich green color that only makes my figure stand out to the viewer. I can only hope that the women that have looked at this portrait of me are inspired to pursue their goals and dreams, no matter how foolish they may seem to be by society. I have been fortunate enough to be allowed to break away from my expected norms and go after the arts. I hear that I am the â€Å"first known woman artists to achieve international fame,† (Clara, 2012) which means that my efforts and my talents have not gone in vain. It is my humble wish that decades from now, women can look at this pai nting and see that their efforts to be more equal to men are worth and so important. Amongst the paintings that I have created, there are several others that I think are an important contribution to the study of art. The first one is The Family Group, which I painted in 1558. In this painting, the central figures are my father, Amilcare, my sister Minerva, and my only brother, Asrudbale. In the painting, my father’s attention is focused on my brother, while my sister stands behind them. This painting represents the traditional Italian family of my time, where the family is male-centered, and the females remain in the background. From amongst us seven children, my father had only one son, and only this one child had the ability to carry on our family name, therefore, this child was obviously very special to my father. This painting signifies the bonds of this relationship and the expectations that a father may have for his son. The second painting would be The Chess Game, which I painted in 1555. The main subjects of this paintings are three of my sisters, Lucia, Europa, and Minerva, and our nurse. My sisters are playing a chess game and obviously enjoying it very much. The purpose of this painting was to show that women are just as capable of being intellectual as are our male counterparts. Chess is a challenging game to engage in, and it is truly a feat to beat another player. If I remember correctly, around the time that I had painted this particular piece, the rules of this ancient game were changed in order to â€Å"make the queen the most powerful pawn† (Niyazi, 2011) within the game, which was meant to reflect back upon my sisters playing. The final painting that is remarkable to me is Portrait of Giulio Clovio, which represents the artis Giulio Clovio holding a small figure of the Flemish female artist, Levina Terrlinc, in his hand, and looking at the viewer. All throughout my artistic career, female artists were cultivated and developed under the tutelage of a famous male artist. I, myself, studied under the watchful eyes of Campi and Michaelangelo. Granted, I was able to learn crucial skills that helped me develop into the artist that I am today, but I still resent the fact that it is the male artist that must shape the female artist. The fact that the subject of this painting, Clovio, is holding miniature of a female artist shows the concept of male influence and leadership. Even though I may not completely like this, I have to accept it. However, I was able to capture my feelings regarding this issue in this painting. Overall, my paintings reflect my desire for women to be equal to men. Whatever it is that I have painting, as evidenced by my self-portrait and the other three painting that I have chosen to highlight, it is a commentary on the social conditions in Italy. I would like women to have the opportunity to obtain the education that is traditionally available only to men. We owe it to ourselves to pursue the best lives possible and to do what makes us happy instead of living fighting the expectations of society. Sources Burke, Kathleen. (May 1995). Sofonisba Anguissola: Renaissance painter extraordinare. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/anguissola-abstract.html Clara. (2012). Database of Women Artists. Retrieved from http://clara.nmwa.org/index.php?g=entity_detail&entity_id=116 Niyazi, Hasan. (20 July 2011). Sofonisba Anguissola and the Problem of the Woman Artist. 3 Pipe. Retrieved from http://www.3pipe.net/2011/07/sofonisba-anguissola-and-problem-of.html