Question

Why do you think women were encouraged to sit and knit during executions?

Answer 1

Women were encouraged to knit during executions historically due to societal norms and gender roles that associated women with domesticity and propriety, amidst their contributions to volunteering and the war effort.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question of why women were encouraged to sit and knit during executions ties into a broader historical context. On one hand, women were often engaged in knitting and sewing as part of their contributions to war efforts and volunteer work, particularly in contexts like the American Red Cross during World War II. Here, knitting was both a societal expectation and a practical way to contribute to the war effort.

On the other hand, in historical periods when public executions were more common, societal norms and gender roles likely played a part in why women would engage in knitting during such events. Knitting could have been seen as a way for women to maintain a semblance of propriety and domestic normality even in the face of public violence, aligning with the notion that women were expected to be less involved in the brutal aspects of public life and adhere to societal norms of femininity.

Answer 2

During the French Revolution, many women took their knitting to the scene of the guillotine executions. There are several theories on why women did this. Knitting was a common hobby and an opportunity for women to socialize. Executions happened so frequently in revolutionary France that they became a social event. Women would sit, knit, and chat while people were being executed. Also, economically times were tough and many of these women were poor, so it was an alternative source of income. (See image: Courtesy of Wikipedia) Finally, it was speculated by some that the knitters were revolutionaries themselves, and were recording either the number of heads or the names of those executed in their knitting. This theory can be seen in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.