Consider and answer the following questions:
Define the “cult of womanhood” and the behavioral expectations it imposed on women.
Welter argues that the “cult of true womanhood” was an attempt to preserve pre-modern
values in the industrial age. What do you think she means? In what sense was
industrialization incompatible with the “cult of true womanhood”?
Why did the “cult of true womanhood” often leave 19th century women feeling guilty?
To what extent was “cult of true womanhood” an attempt by men in literary circles to prevent
women from taking advantage of new opportunities provided by the rise of an industrial
society? Was this a conspiracy or an unconscious cultural attempt to prevent change?
For this article I would like you to consider all of the above questions, and provide a concise and
well organized essay that addresses all these issues in some way. I want your answers
synthesized into a narrative that is easy to understand (Intro, Body, Conclusion). I don’t want
answers numbered or bulleted. I want your answers contained in the text of your essay. You can
address these issues in any order you like. You don’t have to answer the first question first, or the
last one last. Be creative in how you group ideas and opinions. I would like standard composition
form.
You should use your assigned readings in the above article and Norton books as source in
answering the above issues. If you use a direct quote from any of the above sources, you must
make it clear by using quotation marks and a footnote (pg#). Every paper should have these
page citations.
Do not use any sources outside of our class, just use the article or if you need the class text you
can use that for brief background, with a citation. The Welter article should be the central
resource in your paper.
Remember, spelling and grammar are important elements of a successful essay. Please use a
standard 12 font for the text. Paper should be a minimum of 1400 words.
No Late Papers will be accepted.
General notes about the papers
Please use proper composition form ( i.e. full sentences and sound paragraph structure)
Due dates for each paper will be announced in class, well in advance. Papers will only be
accepted at the beginning of class. No e-mailed papers; no papers left in my mailbox; no papers
slipped under the door.
Plagiarism, partial or otherwise, is totally unacceptable in this class and is discussed in the
college catalog. It is your responsibility to learn about the rules concerning plagiarism and to
abide by rules described in the Code of Conduct.
Some helpful advice on how to write these papers:
-Don’t fall in to the trap of writing a summary. While a little summary can and will be useful, I
don’t want 1200 words which just spit back a sketch of the article. You have to answer the
questions I pose.
-When you give an answer or state an opinion, it must be supported by specific examples from
the article.
-When you use specific examples from the article, whether it be a direct quote or a close
paraphrasing, you must use a citation. For this assignment that means a page number in
parenthesis right after the quote or paraphrase (pp 325). Every paper should have citations.
-Remember, one of the things you are doing with this assignment is to convince me that you read
and understand the entire article. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to write the paper using your
words and ideas, with the support of the content of the article.
