Journal entry Two

Summary and Response to “Justice for Women” by Ellen Goodman:
In Ellen Goodman’s essay “Justice for Women”, she brings up issue of justice for women around the world. She catches the reader’s attention by providing stories of injustices to women in places such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. For women and men with feelings that women everywhere should be treated equal to men, these stories infuriate them. Goodman points out that the image of the United States being a fighter for women rights is contradicted by the government’s act of not signing an international treaty for a bill of rights of women around the world.
Response:
Goodman makes a good point about Americans contradicting themselves. If we want to promote equality for women everywhere we have to be united with everyone, by not signing the treaty we say but we don’t do. We hurt our image and give those who hurt women more of cause to reject the treaty.
This essay also hurts my pride in America and I think it will for others. The fact that politicians are just pushing back the act of just looking at the treaty, tells us how prepared the government is on promoting women rights internationally. The fact they the United States help make the treaty is worse yet. It says that we want other countries to do this but America doesn’t have to or that we are above them.
She used the stories at the beginning to get the reader’s attention because it such a horrible act of injustice. It appeals to the reader’s emotions. They get angry at the injustice and it causes them to read on to see what the rest of the essay says. She gives us the idea that this is going to be an essay about a country in the middle east, but instead it goes back to the United States. This caused me to do double take and see what article I was reading again. I use to believe that America was always a supporter of women’s rights internationally. Then this essay came along I read the part about the treaty and it turned my idea of the government being a supporter of women rights upside down. Goodman lists the bogus reasons the government gave so that they could push back the signing of the treating. This just infuriates me of what bureaucrats can do and how they can mess everything up. I also agree with Goodman that by not signing the treaty, it gives the Taliban the idea that the treaty is not universal. So they continue mistreat women. In the end, not signing the treaty hurts more than it helps.
At the end Goodman says that when people here about injustices against women, it gives them the impulse to do something. I just wish that out government would get the impulse to do something useful on this treaty’s account and help women internationally.