“The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my arguments, not on my gender.” – Sandra Day O’Connor
Mabel French was British Columbia’s first female lawyer, and the first woman to receive a Bachelor of Civil Law degree. She was determined and independent, and I think I am too. As a girl from British Columbia who wants to grow up and be a lawyer, I find Mabel French’s struggle to become part of the law world, and her being the first female lawyer in British Columbia, inspiring. I also felt I had more in common with her than others in her field of study. She exemplifies my goals in T.A.L.O.N.S. because she pushed herself in her education the way I want to push myself in high school. But she was born in a time where women weren’t considered people and when law school wasn’t an option. She lived during a time where women had to fight to get the same recognition and opportunities men did. I never experienced that. I was born in a time where men and women were seen as closer to equal, where there was no discrimination of gender in the workplace or in education. With this barrier between Mabel French and I, I’m going to research her time period and life during it in order to get a better understanding of the struggle she went through that I never had to.
Mabel French is said to have been the start of an evolution, an evolution where women would be seen in office and in court. Like those who came before her and those who followed after, Mabel French was a marker in the history of women in law, proving those who doubted her wrong and showing what she as a woman could do in life. That is why, if the history of law is mentioned in 100 years, I believe Mabel French will be mentioned alongside it. Recognized already in a news article by the Vancouver Sun for Canada’ 150 birthday, Mabel French is still leaving her mark today. And to ensure she doesn’t fall into the parts of history where important people are forgotten, she should be researched for this project. Mabel French broke the social barrier by incorporating herself into a career reserved for men and did so with flying colours. She was the top of her class in King’s College Law School and triumphed even with the taunts and patronization of some of her male classmates and teachers fighting against her. She wanted to be a lawyer, and that’s what she became.
She’s someone to look up to, to remember as a strong willed woman of the 19th century. As someone who never gave up on what she believed in, and who kept going even though everyone was standing in her way. As someone who did something nobody thought she’d be able to do. Anyone can learn from her. She went as far as bringing the court to a stalemate when she refused to pay her bills. Her defense was that if she weren’t a person, as they had claimed, she couldn’t be sued for debt. Someone who would go against court just for the right to be admitted to school is surely someone who earned their right to be called eminent and to be researched.
Mabel French is my inspiration, someone who stood out to me from the other women who became a part of the law world in a similar way she did.
I like how you expressed her eminence in a way which reflects your interest. You used a lot of examples when showing your connection, which showed your interest. I think you could have written more about her life to back up your claims.
Hello Sarah, I really enjoyed how you described the eminence in Mable French’s career clearly and with detail. I appreciate the balance of your claims for her eminence supported by the work she has done and the challenges she has overcome. Your professional connection to her is clear and concise, backed up with many excellent reasons. For your next blog post, you could work on adding more content and linking more media if people are interested and want to learn more about Mable. Also, It would be a good idea to include the citation alongside your blog as it can also serve as extra media for people who are interested.
Sarah, I liked how you described your connection with Mable French and it’s clear that you are interested in researhcing her and that you’d be the perfect fit for doing so. The post is clear and well formatted but the one thing i would say is that more media would be nice. A link to a video or another photo could make the post slightly more engaging but well done!
Hi Sarah, your blog post was laid out very nicely and I thought you picked the perfect quote for this post. It tied in very well with everything you went on to explain and was a great introduction to your person. You made a really strong connection that helped expand on how important your eminent person is. I thought overall it was really well done! The one note I have is maybe adding some paragraph headings to organize the different parts of your post.
Hi Sarah, I think you did a really good job explaining your connections to Mable French, and your format is very professional. You also give a lot of good information to support your claims. Next time I think you should add more media to make the post a bit more interesting-looking. Nice work!