Diversity Speech Analysis

At the diversity speech, we were given the wonderful opportunity to listen to the stories of three very different women: Dr. Xiaoyi Liu, Pia Driessen-Knittle, and Bernadine Lewis. Listening to these women speak really opened my eyes to how different we all truly are from each other. Although these women were probably some extremes of diversity, it demonstrated a good sense of differing backgrounds. Regardless of where these women came from, they found themselves here in America, on stage, speaking to us. Students are going to have come from different backgrounds and cultures and find themselves in classrooms together. They are all going to have different experiences, thoughts, and opinions. It’s so very important to find the middle ground between treating them all
Xiaoyi Liu -Chinese women Weddings: Bride covered in red veil – represent that the pair is not supposed to meet until wedding (arranged marriage). Women are needed as public workers in industries Marriage Law of 1950 The very first law promulgated by the People’s Republic of China (1949) Abolished arranged marriage Abolished polygamy Right to divorce: - 214,000 cases of divorce in 1986 1,665,000 cases in 2004 Maoist era (1949-1976) Penetration of state into society -sweeping mass campaigns Transformation of “feudal” social customs -established new loyalty to mao Socialist New Man Communist ideals socialist moral culture and education discipline Feminine Clothing Little regard to size/fit Colorful = scandalous Some women would wear lace and bright colors under their baggy Mao suits and compare them in the washroom “Women hold up half of the sky” slogan to use women in the workforc Pia Driessen-Knittle -from Germany, youngest of 4 children, born 16 years after the end of WWII (1961), middleclass family many buildings in childhood with war