"The Woman's Cause is a Man's"

Kay, can I talk about "The Woman's Cause is Man's" by Alfred Tennyson?

Because I feel like it's really important.

Basically the poem talks about how women and men should not only be treated equally, but as their own entities. Men and women are the same, but they're different. These differences should be embraced rather than spat on, and these differences should be used to complete or assist the other sex. Men and women should "The single pure and perfect animal, / The two-celled heart beating, with one full stroke, Life.'"

Heck yes this is something we still need to read in 2016.

Anyone who gets out into the real world, or spends too much time on the internet, knows that equality is a big deal and so is feminism. Some people cringe at the latter, but what they don't understand is that feminism is also for the benefit of men too in that it gets rid of expectations for not only women, but for men as well.

Some people seem to think this ideology is nothing but a dream and that we will never achieve complete equality. Even the woman at the end of the poem is woeful because she feels that another woman must have told the narrator all of this jargon. The dream used to be hers as well, but she seems to have given up on it.

Well, fictitious woman, I do have some good news! We've come a long way! We're still not equal or completing each other, but we're making progress! Granted, I think there will always be some jabs and jokes. Like period jokes, how men can't take direction, etc. But I think if those are applied during the right moments and with the right people then we can all just chill out.

It's not really the jokes though (those hurt people too) but we need to realize that we can benefit from each other. And rather than bickering we can become one and make the world a better place. It also means that by coming to this realization and utilizing it our relationships can become healthier too.

So is it sad that inequality between the sexes is still a problem? Yes. Is it comforting to see a poem about it during that time period? Somewhat. Again, it's upsetting because it's still a problem. But the comforting thing about the poem is the insight. Even if it was written well over 100 years ago. There is still great wisdom to be found in the past on hot-button topics we deal with today. It means that we can look back on it and keep learning how to move forward in the most progressive way possible.

With that, my classmates, is a wrap! Let's keep it simple and not think about the differences. We're all human. So let's just hug it out until next time (and even after that)