Responce to Iron Jawed Angles

"Courage in Women is often mistaken for insanity". This is an idea that has followed and constrained women for centuries, and it was a huge hurtle that the suffragists in the movie had to overcome. The belief that women are not capable of any kind of intellectually strenuous activity and are overly prone to hysterics has limited women for centuries, as it has perpetuated the idea that women are simple and weak. The threat of being perceived as unstable has been a tremendously damaging stereotype that women are still trying to overcome in many regards, and it certainly managed to limit what both suffragist organizations where capable of doing, as any over the top behavior was liable to discredit their campaign entirely.
I felt that the most powerful scenes in the mover where those that took place in the jail. It was in these scenes that the physical and mental strength of the women where undeniable and unwavering. The most powerful scenes by far was the scene in the mental ward of the prison when the doctor was questioning Alice Paul about her actions and demanding to explain herself. It is in that scene that here intelligence and personal strength shine through, and she proves that in a moment of extreme pressure, women are in fact capable of keeping their heads. As the doctor tries to coax her into making statements that would bring her sanity into question, she manages to state her case so articulately that she in the end manages to win over the doctor’s opinion.