Alice Duer Miller
Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times
"Are Women People? A Book of Rhymes for Suffrage Times" by Alice Duer Miller is a collection of satirical poetry written in the early 20th century, during the suffrage movement. The book uses humor and rhyme to address the arguments for and against women's suffrage, exploring societal views on women and their roles in society. Through clever verse, Miller emphasizes the absurdity of the anti-suffrage arguments, illuminating the long-standing debate over women's rights and their status as citizens. In this collection, Miller presents various characters and personas, often engaging in dialogue or mock exchanges to critique the viewpoint that women are not entitled to the same rights as men. The poems challenge stereotypes while rooting for equality, with recurring themes of women's autonomy, societal expectations, and the inherent contradictions in anti-suffrage rhetoric. With wit and irony, she highlights the hypocrisy in arguments against women's rights, exposing the flaws in logic that deny women the right to vote and participate in public life. Overall, the book serves as both a spirited defense of women's suffrage and a commentary on the cultural attitudes of the time.