Journal #17
I attended the production of Silent Sky on Saturday February 27th. I loved it. I was very moved by the main actress who played Henrietta Swan Leavitt. You could see the emotion she put into becoming Henrietta and it made it easier for the audience to relate to the struggles that women had to deal with in both the professional and personal life. Seeing this play made me want to go back to my room and google her and learn all about her life and her findings to help give her some of the recognition that she deserved. Discovering something like that in that age and without a majority of the equipment that the guys had being told they were only computers she overcame such a stereotype that all women in that age had to conform to. I wish I had as much courage as she did to stand up for her beliefs and staying after hours to work tirelessly on her work in order to finally discover something in the stars. At the end of the play when they all began to die and Henrietta was telling the stories, discoveries and achievements these wonderful women and Peter had acomplished my eyes began to water. It touched my heart to hear all about these peoples lives and the love and tragedy that they had to deal with. I just thought of how repressed these women where when they began their journeys and through out their lives these slowly began to change. I am very appreciative for these women and the way they helped the future women who want to challenge themselves and work in a field of study that they want to persue. They help to begin to pave the road for equality for women in both the work place and in our personal lives and that is something modern women should never take for granted.