Question

The paired texts below were written to reflect the authors' perspectives about women's roles in the civil war. read both pieces and respond to the prompt that follows. "hospital duties" by anonymous fold away all your bright-tinted dresses, turn the key on your jewels today, and the wealth of your tendril-like tresses braid back in a serious way; no more delicate gloves, no more laces, no more trifling in boudoir or bower, but come with your souls in your faces to meet the stern wants of the hour. look around! by the torchlight unsteady the dead and the dying seem one — what! trembling and paling already, before your dear mission's begun? these wounds are more precious than ghastly — time presses her lips to each scar, while she chants of that glory which vastly transcends all the horrors of war. pause here by this bedside. how mellow the light showers down on that brow! such a brave, brawny visage, poor fellow! some homestead is missing him now! some wife shades her eyes in the clearing, some mother sits moaning distressed, while the loved one lies faint but unfearing, with the enemy's ball in his breast. here's another—a lad—a mere stripling, picked up in the field almost dead, with the blood through his sunny hair rippling from the horrible gash in his head. they say he was first in the action; gay-hearted, quick-headed, and witty: he fought till he dropped with exhaustion at the gates of our fair southern city. fought and fell 'neath the guns of that city, with a spirit transcending his years— lift him up in your large-hearted pity, and wet his pale lips with your tears. touch him gently; most sacred the duty of dressing that poor shattered hand! god spare him to rise in his beauty and battle once more for his land! from "the women who went to the field" by clara barton the women who went to the field, you say, the women who went to the field; and pray what did they go for? just to be in the way!— they'd not know the difference betwixt work

Answer 1

Women's roles during the Civil War were pivotal, as they managed farms, volunteered in the Sanitary Commission, served as nurses, and even fought in battle. Despite facing societal obstacles, they contributed vast efforts to the war while coping with the loneliness and emotional distress caused by the men's absence.

Step-by-step explanation:

During the Civil War, women's roles significantly expanded beyond traditional domestic spheres. Women in both the North and South took on responsibilities such as managing farms and businesses while men were at war. They also engaged in organized efforts to support the war, forming ladies' aid societies that sewed uniforms, and knitted socks, and raised funds for the troops. Many women in the South would nurse wounded soldiers in their homes, and in the North, they volunteered for the United States Sanitary Commission to improve camp cleanliness and reduce disease-related fatalities, which was the leading cause of death during the war.

Women also served in the Union Army as cooks and laundresses, and thousands responded to reformer Dorothea Dix's call to care for the sick and wounded as nurses. They worked within the military structure despite the perception that women's service was an 'auxiliary' to that of men. Emotional distress was common as women worried about their male relatives at war, and some women even engaged in combat disguised as men.

In addition to their war-related contributions, women faced major social consequences. Many were left with no option for marriage or family, as a result of the vast number of men who perished. Women found ways to cope with loneliness and adapted to their new realities, whether by relishing newfound independence or by mourning the absence of loved ones.