Iron Jawed Angels, and Reading Review

The movie Iron Jawed Angels was definitely an eye-opener for me. Women getting the right to vote was always something I knew existed, but never really thought about. I learned many new things because of this movie. I never knew just how radical the actions of these women were, and I learned that it is important to fight with every ounce of strength that you have within you for something that you truly believe in. The part that surprised me the most would have to be when they force fed Miss Alice Paul. It made me consider if I would go to through that extreme of a punishment just for something that I believe to be right. I believe the themes of this film to be fighting for what is believed to be right and true, and the questioning of gender roles. One of the biggest issues of tension would have to be that between the National Women’s Party and NAWSA. NAWSA didn’t believe that being radical and extreme would be the best course of action to receive women’s rights, while the NWP found it necessary to go to the extreme for what they were fighting for. In the end I believe they overcame this problem by realizing that they were fighting for the same cause, which brought them together and gave a greater respect for each other. After being arrested, which was later ruled unconstitutional, going through a hunger strike, and being force fed, all on top of the countless hours of lobbying for Women’s suffrage, they were finally able to achieve their political goals.

Reading Response

I liked that in FIFE it was clear that the focus was on ending sexism as the main definition of feminism. I also liked how there was an emphasis on all people being educated about feminism. I think that if people are better educated then feminism would have a greater impact in our lives.


Although I really appreciate FIFE, I have an issue with the fact that it is stated that one can’t not be pro-choice and be a feminist. Is it not equality for ALL people, no matter the race, gender or even point of views that we are fighting for?