Zeitbilder 5/6, Arbeitsheft

6 Handlungsspielräume von Individuen 6.1 Kämpfe um Emanzipation: Frauen | 19. Jahrhundert Private schriftliche Quellen, wie Autobiografien, Tagebuchaufzeichnungen oder Briefe zeigen die subjektive Sicht- weise der jeweiligen Autorin oder des Autors auf bestimmte Ereignisse und Personen bzw. ihre oder seine Gefüh- le; inAutobiografien schildern Personen sie betreffende vergangene Ereignisse aus einempersönlichenBlickwinkel. Die englische Frauenrechtlerin Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) beschreibt in ihrer 1914 erschienenen Autobio- grafie „My own Story“ ihre Entwicklung von einem behüteten kleinen Mädchen zur radikalen und militanten Kämpferin für das Frauenwahlrecht, die auch bereit war, für ihre Überzeugungen ins Gefängnis zu gehen. M1 Aus Emmeline Pankhursts „My own Story“: 1. Emmeline wird auf den Unterschied aufmerksam, der zwischen der Erziehung ihrer Brüder und ihrer eigenen ge- macht wird: My childhood was protected by love and a comforta- ble home. Yet, while still a very young child, I began instinctively to feel that there was something lacking 1 , even in my own home, some false conception 2 of fa- mily relations, some incomplete ideal. This vague 3 feeling of mine began to shape itself into conviction 4 about the time my brothers and I were sent to school. The education of the English boy, then as now, was considered a much more serious matter than the education of the English boy‘s sister. My pa- rents, especially my father, discussed the question of my brothers‘ education as a matter of real impor- tance. My education and that of my sister were scar- cely 5 discussed at all. Of course we went to a carefully selected girls‘ school, but beyond the facts that the head mistress was a gentlewoman and that all the pu- pils were girls of my own class, nobody seemed con- cerned. A girl‘s education at that time seemed to have for its prime object the art of „making home attractive“ – presumably 6 to migratory 7 male rela- tives. It used to puzzle me to understand why I was under such a particular obligation to make home attractive to my brothers. We were on excellent terms 8 of friendship, but it was never suggested to them as a duty that they make home attractive to me. Why not? Nobody seemed to know. 2. Emmeline stellt fest, dass auch in ihrer Familie Männer mehr gelten als Frauen: The answer to these puzzling questions came to me unexpectedly one night when I lay in my little bed waiting for sleep to overtake me. It was a custom of my father and mother to make the round of our bed- rooms every night before going themselves to bed. When they entered my room that night I was still awake, but for some reason I chose to feign 9 slum- ber 10 . My father bent over me, shielding the candle flame with his big hand. I cannot know exactly what thought was in his mind as he gazed down at me, but 1 lacking: mangelnd, fehlend 2 conception: Auffassung, Begriff, Idee 3 vague: unbestimmt, unklar 4 conviction: Überzeugung 5 scarcely: kaum, selten 6 presumably: vermutlich, wahrscheinlich 7 migratory: wandernd 8 terms: Bedingungen, Konditionen 9 feign: vortäuschen, simulieren 10 slumber: Schlummer, Schlaf I heard him say, somewhat sadly, „What a pity she wasn‘t born a lad 11 .“ My first hot impulse was to sit up in bed and protest that I didn‘t want to be a boy, but I lay still and heard my parents‘ footsteps pass on toward the next child‘s bed. I thought about my father‘s remark for many days afterward, but I think I never decided that I re- gretted my sex. However, it was made quite clear that men considered themselves superior to women, and that women apparently acquiesced 12 in that be- lief. 3. Emmelines Eltern setzen sich für das Frauenwahlrecht ein, doch die gesetzliche Lage ist schwierig: I found this view of things difficult to reconcile 13 with the fact that both my father and my mother were ad- vocates of equal suffrage 14 . I was very young when the Reform Act of 1866 was passed, but I very well remember the agitation 15 caused by certain circum- stances attending it. This Reform Act, known as the Household Franchise Bill, marked the first popular extension of the ballot in England since 1882. Under its terms, householders paying a minimum of ten pounds a year rental 16 were given the Parliamentary vote. While it was still under discussion in the House of Commons, John Stuart Mill moved an amendment to the bill to include women householders as well as men. The amendment was defeated 17 , but in the act as passed the word „man,“ instead of the usual „male person,“ was used. Now, under another act of Parlia- ment it had been decided that the word „man“ al- ways included „woman“ unless otherwise specifi- cally stated 18 . (…) So when the Reform Bill with the word „man“ in it became law many women believed that the right of suffrage had actually been be- stowed 19 upon them. A tremendous amount of discus- sion ensued 20 , and the matter was finally tested by a large number of women seeking to have their names placed upon the register as voters. In my city of Man- chester 8,924 women, out of a total of 4,215 possible women voters, claimed their votes and their claim was defended in the law courts by eminent lawyers, including my future husband, Dr. Pankhurst. Of 11 lad: Bursche, Junge 12 to acquiesce: einwilligen, sich fügen 13 to reconcile: aussöhnen, schlichten, versöhnen 14 suffrage: Wahlrecht 15 agitation: Aufregung; Bewegung 16 rental: Miete 17 to defeat: ablehnen, annullieren 18 to state: erklären, angeben, festlegen 19 to bestow: geben, gewähren, schenken 20 to ensue: sich ergeben, folgen 50 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Ei entum des Verlags öbv