- Published: September 23, 2022
- Updated: September 23, 2022
- University / College: Lancaster University
- Level: College Admission
- Language: English
- Downloads: 35
Role Model Eleanor Roosevelt talks about money and career, sexuality and social issues, in a more understandable manner, for a role model. For instance, she uses her sexuality, as a bisexual, to explain social issues. The rise of fascism was a significant milestone, in the social issues, which were complex stories. According to Roosevelt, understanding fascism entails several settings of time (Abrams, 2001). Therefore, to know this social and political issue, the Americans need to appreciate the situations leading up to its conversion into a fascist state. The upsurge of fascism, in America, was to a particular degree conglomerated and multifaceted process that took place intensely, and was quite a larger trend, in the 20th Century, which included other nations, as well (Abrams, 2001). In this context, I disagree with Roosevelt’s point of view because I do not support a fascist state, which is radical authoritarian. The beginning of American fascism story can be drawn with the start of the worldview and experience we have as individuals in deduction of the civil war and the start of rebuilding. Throughout Roosevelt’s lifetime, as the first lady, she was a strong supporter of civil rights movements of both of social reforms to uplift the poor equal rights for women (Beasley et al. 2001). Therefore, she believed that a nation could only be unified through totalitarian government that encourages mass mobilization, which supports fascist principles (Beasley et al. 2001). As a liberalist, I refute Roosevelt’s stance on this matter because fascist movements are hostile to socialism, communism and liberal democracy. Roosevelt’s talks about money and career were influenced by her family’s financial status. She was brought up in a wealthy family implying that she liked earning a lot of money, which she often spend little on her and a lot on self-help groups and charity organizations (Abun-Nasr, 2007). This charitable nature and compassion, to the needy, is a value to be emulated, which influences my personal interest on charity. Eleanor was not widely perceived as a leader among career oriented feminist. However, she believed in creating jobs and had a small staff to assist in her daily duties. As a naturalist, I support Roosevelt’s charitable work because it is every person’s responsibility to help poor people, in the society, since their suffering is not because of God’s wrath, like some religions believe. Roosevelt preferred conducting countless trips to problem areas of the United States and Europe, especially the Great Britain, where she visited army camps, factories, nurseries and other sites associated with war (Black, 1996). Roosevelt had a self-described dislike of sex. It was cited that she once told her daughter it was an ordeal to be born and even considered she ill suited for motherhood (Beasley et al. 2001). However, I feel that her advice to her daughter resulted from the nature of her sexuality as a bisexual. In the 1930s, Roosevelt had an intimate relationship with Lorena Hickok, associated press reporter, who covered her during the last month of the presidential campaign and purportedly deeply, in love with her (Black, 1996). Additionally, Roosevelt had a close relationship with Earl Miller, New York state police sergeant, whom her husband had assigned as her bodyguard. Her relationship, with Miller, was the first romantic involvement, in her middle years. There is no doubt that Roosevelt was in love, with Earl, which makes me consider whether her personality is best, for the young adults, like me, in considering money or career, social issues or even sexuality as a vital issue, in the modern society. It is also rumored that, in her later years, Eleanor developed a romantic attachment to her physician David Gurawitseh. If these allegations are true, then I believe that Roosevelt was passionate about love and sex, in contrary to what she portrayed. This implies that she was not an open-minded person who could not even make her love life public, but hand around with both men and women in secrecy; something that was contrary to her faith in religion (Glendon, 2010) In conclusion, my worldview and experience to some extent brings out Eleanor Roosevelt’s perception about social issue, sexuality and money and career under scrutiny. This is because her controversial sexual personality is questionable, hence not preferred, and her social issues are rather not well revealed. In this case, I cannot consider her as my role model since I consider her as a pretender. However, I strongly support her charitable work since she concentrated on outside affairs rather than family issues and her marriage. Roosevelt finally reminds me of the utter failure of money and privilege to promise happiness or a sense of wellbeing. References Abrams, E. (June/July 2001). Human Rights and Mrs. Roosevelt. Books in Review , 43-47. Abun-Nasr, J. M. (2007). Muslim Communities of Grace: The Su? Brotherhoods in Islamic Religious Life. The Historian , 152. Beasley et al. (2001). The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia. The History teacher vol. 35 No. 1, 103-104. Black, A. M. (1996). Casting Her Own Shadow: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Shaping of Postwar Liberalism. Labor History , 576. Glendon, M. A. (May 2010). God and Mrs. Roosevelt. First Things , 21-24.