Week 11 Essay

This week I finally got to read about Britomart and I was not let down. She was a total badass! I really liked the readings and felt like she could be a role model for just about any little girl. She embodies female power, strength, honor, confidence, and ability to perform tasks that are normally considered to be masculine or only for men. I think my favorites were probably the one I used for my storybook (How Britomart Fought with Six Knights) and How Britomart Walked Through Fire. I liked these because they showed Britomart fighting against seemingly impossible tasks to stand up for what she believes in and help others in need. There weren't really any stories I didn't like, though the ones that focused on her love for a man she'd never met aren't my favorites (I guess i'm cynical in that way). I think the stories, particularly the first, could use a little background and explanation of some of the characters. For instance, what's the deal with Florimell? Is she important, does she have a back story related to the princess? I think this unit is fine without further information before you get into it.

This unit fits perfectly with my goals for this class for a few reasons. The first is that it fits in perfectly with what I plan to write about in my storybook and has a truly strong female character. I feel like these stories foster empowerment, which is what I as a woman, and as a social work major, strive for. I hope to empower others in my future and stories like this would be great. I hope to tell my child this story one day, male or female, to teach them important lessons about women, equality, and confidence (while also being a fun tale of knights and wizards). It also fits because I wanted to learn about mythology and folklore from around the world and I haven't heard a whole lot of English mythology, oddly enough.

It was pretty tough to find a female knight that wasn't sexualized, but I liked this one:

Sophia, Female Knight

found on Wikia