Iron Jawed Angels Film Analysis

Three sets of characters that I feel are good role models are Lucy Burns and Emily Leighton in Iron Jawed Angels, Miriam Thompson and Odessa Cotter in The Long Walk Home, Sister Sunday and Mother St. John in The Mighty Macs. The first set of role models is Lucy Burns and Emily Leighton from the film Iron Jawed Angels. In the film viewers see that Lucy Burns is the best friend and right hand to Alice Paul. Lucy helped Alice reopen the D.C. office and she helped recruit people. There were points in the film where Lucy and other protesters had to face heavy criticism and violence, but she never gave up. After, Inez Mulholland the face of the movement died Alice gave up for a moment, but Lucy told Alice that Inez would not want her death to cause them to

give up. After, Lucy’s talk, they ended up planning a picket outside of the White House fence. Lucy would not let Alice participate, because she knows that the protesters would be arrested. Lucy was right, herself and other protesters were arrested and given 60 days at Occoquan, Virginia women's prison. When Lucy and the other protesters arrived in prison, she argued that they were political prisoners and ended up cuffed to her prison door with her hands crossed above her head. Another character in the film Iron Jawed Angels is Emily Leighton. Emily Leighton was the wife of a Senator who was against the movement and didn’t want Emily partaking in the movement. Even though, her husband was against it Emily donated money and tried helping in the office. When her husband found out that she was helping the movement, he cut her funds, and threaten to take away the children. This is when Emily decided to join the picket line and ended up in jail with Lucy. These two women know the risks of being a part of the movement, but they still decided to partake in it. Emily had a lot more to lose than Lucy, but she still decide to fight for women rights. The next set of characters is Odessa and Miriam from the Long Walk Home. Odessa is an African-American during the time of the civil rights movement. She has to go through many obstacles and walks ten miles to get to work during the bus boycott. One night Odessa’s husband told her that she could ride the bus, but she told him no and that she was not giving up on the cause. Another example is during Christmas dinner when Mr. Thompson’s mother insulted African-Americans and did not realize Odessa was in the room. Instead of defending her race, she says nothing and keeps doing her job. The other maid told Odessa that if she was in the room and heard Mrs. Thompson, she would have thrown the plate of rolls at her and quit. Secondly, the film shows Miriam, who is determined to help Odessa and disobeys her husband to do what is right. At the beginning when Odessa is kicked out of the park with Mary Catherine, Miriam makes the officer apologize to Odessa. Also, when Miriam found out that Odessa was walking to work she told Odessa that she will give her a ride two mornings of the week. When her husband found out, he made her tell Odessa that she has to walk to work. After Odessa made it to work she asked why Miriam could not pick her up any more. Miriam told Odessa that her husband found out and that is why she cannot bring her any more. They then had a heart to heart and Odessa told Miriam that everyone is scared and asked what Miriam was scared of. This is when Miriam decides to stick up for her beliefs and tells off her husband. She told him that she is going to keep driving Odessa because she needs her and if he did not like her driving Odessa he could hire another maid. She also told him that she could get a job of her own to make her own money to support Dr. King.

After the argument Miriam asks Odessa what she needs to do to help with the carpool. Miriam ends up helping with the carpool which her husband had no idea until the end. Miriam and Odessa held their ground during this rough time even though it was hard and they were extraordinary women. The last set of characters that are role models is Sister Sunday and Mother St. John from the film Mighty Macs. Sister Sunday is a good role model because she helps coach Rush teach the importance of teamwork, she gives advice, protects others, and gets Mother St. John to believe in the basketball team. In the film viewers can see Sister Sunday helping Coach Rush teach the importance of teamwork and praying for the girls at the begging of the games. Another example, in the film the shows her as a role model is when Mother St. John was going to fire Coach Rush for keeping the girls out late and endangering them. Sister Sunday told Mother St. John that it was all her idea and Coach rush just want along with it. A third example is when she gave Coach Rush advice on her husband and told her tell her husband I love you every once in a while. The final example is when Sister Sunday puts a basketball team button under Mother St. Johns

tea cup. When Mother St. John sees it, she asks whose it is. All of the other nuns show her their buttons, then Sister Sunday says “it must be yours.” Mother Saint John is another role model in the film. Even tough, Mother St. John seems strict, she’s really not. The school was having a hard time with money and the priest and other members were talking about selling out. When Coach Rush asked for money for uniforms Mother St. John told her that she can use anything that belongs to her. She tells Coach rush to follow her and takes her past the sick nuns to her room which has nothing. Also when the Coach asks for money for the team to go to finals, Mother superior tells her that there is no money, but they could use the lotion to fundraise. The basketball team still fell short of the money needed, so mother superior gave her poker money to the team so they could go. Each woman is a role model in their own right and accomplished many goals in their film