Analysis of The Main Features of The Movie Iron Jawed Angels

Introduction

Women around the world have come a long way towards achieving equal rights and protection from gender discrimination at the legislative level. The historical drama Iron Jawed Angels is dedicated to the struggle for equal rights for women that took place in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. Released in 2004, Iron Jawed Angels reflects the long-standing battle of American suffragists, led by real historical figures such as Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. This film not only highlights the complex struggle of women for gaining voting rights, thereby reviving the challenges they faced at the family, social, and political levels, but also focuses on the origins of those rights that the American female population enjoys today.

Analysis of The Main Features of The Movie Iron Jawed Angels

One of the most appealing peculiarities of the movie is that it strives to make the historical figures look alive. This was achieved by depicting the numerous struggles they faced on different levels. Among other things, the film shows how society has been rejecting the notion that women may want to influence processes outside their households as well. The most explicit and appealing example is that of Senator's wife Emily, who goes through a journey of self-identification and empowerment contrary to the views and attitudes of her husband. Although the film portrays a discontented and aggressive crowd as the story unfolds, it remains faceless. However, living personalities such as Emily and her husband humanize the conflicts and obstacles that the suffragist movement faced in the early twentieth century. In this context, the eventual acceptance of the fact that women deserve equality by husbands, sons, and fathers contributed to the social change that has benefited women in the past and continues to do so today.

Moreover, Iron Jawed Angels highlights how the suffrage ideas permeated the minds of women and how women within a single suffrage movement organization viewed the ways of achieving their goals differently. The fact that a split can take place within an organization whose members strive for a common goal indeed broadens the perspective on the movement in general. For instance, the scene where Paul argues with African-American civil rights activist Ida Wells about why she believes black women should not march at the front of the parade made me reconsider my views on the dimensions in which the suffrage movement was working. This interaction underscores that intersectionality was indeed a pressing issue and that society was not yet ready to deal with it. In a broader perspective, the movie provides insight into future shifts in the consciousness of people as it assumes that segregation should be beaten on all levels, not excluding race.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, the movie examines a significant historical event, the roots and circumstances of which indeed deserve close analysis to understand how it has contributed to the social changes that society is enjoying today. The events and personalities depicted in the movie allowed me to view the suffrage movement from a new perspective and assess the track of actions they took to achieve their goals. Finally, Iron Jawed Angels is the story of self-searching, fight, and sacrifice for the public good that led to tremendous social change, such as women empowerment, and therefore, deserves one's attention.

References:

• Iron Jawed Angels. Directed by Katja von Garnier, HBO Films, 2004.