Amelia Mary Earhart: A Biography Of Amelia Mary Earhart

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Amelia Mary Earhart wrote this consolation to her husband in a letter that would be sent to him in the event of her death by air (“Biography”). She was a strong woman to be reckoned with throughout her life in the early twentieth century. She had a fiery personality that she displayed often in her life. In her book Last Flight, Earhart tells about how she first became interested in flying when she attended an air fair in Toronto. While standing in a field with a friend, a pilot above saw them and attempted to scare the girls by diving at the them. Amelia however, was not concerned, and stood her ground as the plane flew by. Earhart later remarked, "I did not understand it at the time, but I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by” (Earhart 3). She was obsessed from that point on and set out to fly again. According to Dorothy Cochrane and P. Ramirez from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: a few years later in rapid succession Earhart got her own plane, broke records, and got a pilot license. Earhart was well on her way to becoming an influential aviation figure, and made it clear how she wanted to present herself. She expressed her independence and views on feminism through her traditionally masculine clothing like pants, while also cutting her hair short (Slabach). In 1928 Earhart began preparation for her first transatlantic flight as she set out to be the first woman to cross the Atlantic. There had already been casualties during past attempts, but Earhart was not discouraged. That was the start of the wondrous and spectacular adventure of the rest of her life in aviation. She went on to fly solo across the Atlantic, and even attempted to circumnavigate the world. Earhart was an importa... ... middle of paper ... ...hart was a strong, determined feminist and icon in the history of women’s aviation due to her transatlantic flights and other great achievements, her attempted world flight and other demonstrations of will, and finally because of the way she was represented by society and herself. Earhart continuously showed throughout her life her passion for women’s equality and particularly the fact that women could be even more daring, courageous, and adventurous than men. She wanted to go higher than anyone had before and would not rest until she was satisfied. Earhart was a woman whose only passion was for freedom, happiness, and equality. Her dream continues to be an inspiration for women even today. She dared to look to the future and fought until the end of her life to create a world worth living in. To quote Earhart herself, “Pilots are always dreaming dreams” (Earhart 1).

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