A fantastic discussion

Here we've been discussing the story so far... Thought I'd post it.

Gina N. Sposto has joined the chat.
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Alexandra D. Watkins has joined the chat.
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Staten L. Smith has joined the chat.
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Alexandra D. Watkins[10:55:42 AM]: Will Maggie and Tom's good frienship falter because fo Tom's access to education and Maggie's lack thereof?

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Gina N. Sposto[10:56:00 AM]: It will falter, of course, because Tom will have to make the trek to a distant, scholarly land...
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Gina N. Sposto[10:56:21 AM]: And of course their relationship will change after that... I mean, despite their differences they are very close.
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Gina N. Sposto[10:57:10 AM]: With an education that he may find challenging in a bad way, he could grow to envy Maggie's natural intelligence and attempt to quash her enthusiasm
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Gina N. Sposto[10:57:25 AM]: or force her into a "woman's" role
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Gina N. Sposto[10:57:44 AM]: I dunno.
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Alexandra D. Watkins[10:59:28 AM]: Maggie's role is expected to be that of a 19th century housewife. Tom is expected for much greater things. Would you say, in Victorian England, that educated women were deemed unattractive, and might this affect Maggie's future?
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Gina N. Sposto[11:01:08 AM]: Perhaps... She won't be educated at the same level as her brother, but I don't know. Women were expected, probably, to be docile but at the same time sensible... I don't think that stupid women were attractive but then again neither were those who knew "too much for their own good." Maggie doesn't fit the mold anyhow. She's unnaturally dark (like me! hooray for brunettes!) and a contrast between light and dark (in terms of attractiveness) may arise.
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Staten L. Smith[11:01:14 AM]: Yes, women of that times role was to get married, take care of kids, and make the food. If she is not attractive and is really smart then she has two things working against her.
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Gina N. Sposto[11:01:33 AM]: I disagree in terms of intelligence working against her
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Gina N. Sposto[11:01:43 AM]: but it could result in some tragic sort of situation for her
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Gina N. Sposto[11:01:50 AM]: i mean, an internal tragedy
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Gina N. Sposto[11:02:05 AM]: she'll be denied the chance to live up to her potential
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Alexandra D. Watkins[11:02:48 AM]: When the man who comes to their house finds that she is reeding books, her father becomes embarrased and sends her to her mother.
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Gina N. Sposto[11:02:50 AM]: Here's that quote you asked for... "That's what brings folks to the gallows—knowin' everything but what they'n got to get their bread by."
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Gina N. Sposto[11:03:19 AM]: wait which question are we on now?
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Staten L. Smith[11:03:22 AM]: men didnt want a smart women because she would cause trouble
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Gina N. Sposto[11:03:38 AM]: i don't think smartness is the right idea though
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Gina N. Sposto[11:03:49 AM]: maybe they didn't want a woman who would know too much... but one can know a lot and still
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Gina N. Sposto[11:03:51 AM]: be stupid
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Gina N. Sposto[11:03:56 AM]: though her intelligence is the "bookish" kind
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Staten L. Smith[11:03:57 AM]: i think it is
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Gina N. Sposto[11:04:02 AM]: either way
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Alexandra D. Watkins[11:04:17 AM]: Well, Maggie (to me at least) seems somewhat excessively concerned with pleasing her brother. In many ways I think she is somewhat effected by the social norms of the time.
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Gina N. Sposto[11:04:41 AM]: I thought of that as sort of... I dunno, she admires her brother, certainly
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Gina N. Sposto[11:04:45 AM]: because he *is* her big brother
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Gina N. Sposto[11:04:48 AM]: her role model
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Gina N. Sposto[11:04:56 AM]: and he possesses a different kind of intelligence than she
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Gina N. Sposto[11:05:08 AM]: so she admires what she doesn't have
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Gina N. Sposto[11:05:33 AM]: and aspires to it, perhaps... especially because tom's academic attempts would be praised more heavily than her own
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Staten L. Smith[11:05:38 AM]: we are doing this all wrong
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Gina N. Sposto[11:05:40 AM]: naw
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Staten L. Smith[11:05:43 AM]: yes
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Gina N. Sposto[11:05:45 AM]: i think we're making progress