I found the Queen to be a woman with a great since of humor and blatant honesty. I actually cracked up while reading "To Princess Frederick William". In this letter, the Queen is giving maternal advice to her newly married daughter on the sufferings of pregnancy.
"Now to reply to your observation that you find a married woman has much more liberty than an unmarried one; in one sense of the word she has,-but what I meant was-in a physical point of view- and if you have hereafter........aches-and sufferings and miseries and plagues-which you must struggle against-and enjoyments etc. to give up- constant precautions to take, you will fell the yoke of a married woman!" (576)
It's funny how newlyweds think all grass is green, the sky is always blue and holding hands in public is a must! So blinded by love seems to be the case with the Queens daughter. Writing to her mother on the great advantages of being married and having kids, she, like most daughters, wanted to share her joy. The Queen, in today's language would have commented "you have no idea". Although we love our kids and wouldn't give anything for them, moms must admit those were not 9 months of bliss. I remember swollen ankles, an aching back, sleeping sitting up and hanging my head out the window cause my husband put on the wrong cologne and I was getting nauseous. There were days that I wished I could reach in there a pull the baby out myself. So, I agree with the Queen, "I think our sex a most unenviable one." (577)
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2 comments:
Sherri,
Great focus for your discussion, since it lets you share your own experiences as a mother. I like the way you approach the literature.
I enjoyed your comments but I am now a little scared. I guess the rewards truly outweigh the costs.
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