Paula Barrero Saiz, 4ºA
Suffragette
Questionnaire
1. In the beginning, the main character
(Maud) seemed reluctant to join the
Suffragist movement. What made her change
her mind?
It wasn't only one thing what made Maud change her
opinion, but the sum of different facts she noticed
around. Anyway, I think the turning point was to see
his boss abusing Violet's daughter.
2. Were Suffragettes only middle-class
women? Or was it a cross-class
movement? Justify your answer using
examples from the film.
No, there were women from different social
classes, so it was a cross-class movement. For
example, we can appreciate this difference
between Maud or Violet and Alice. Also
between Maud and Edith (the pharmacist)
because of their jobs.
Alice was a high-class
woman.
Edith was a middle-class
woman who worked as a
pharmacist instead of in a
factory like Maud. She had
studied in the University.
3. When the women in prison are released,
can you see any difference because of
their social status? Justify your answer.
Yes, I can. Alice and the pharmacist's husbands came
to pick up them, even by car; but some of the women
were not as lucky: they had to go home alone by foot.
At least, other suffragettes waited for them and gave
the newly released women flowers to encourage
them.
Suffragettes encouraging the
newly released women.
Edith's husband waiting for her.
A lot of the suffragettes had been
abandoned by their families.
4. What personal and family related
consequences does the fact of joining the
Suffragist movement entail for Maud?
Her husband threw her out of their house because he
was embarrased of having a Suffragette as a wife.
She had to live in a guesthouse alone or even sleep
in the church because she had no place to go. That
made her really sad because she couldn't spend time
with his son.
She lost her job
as well.
Maud was deprived of
her son, but she tried to
be with him as much as
possible.
5. The film shows some violent actions,
a. What types of planned violent actions are shown
in the film? And not planned?
Planned violence: throwing stones, plant the bomb, explode
the mailboxes...
Not planned violence: police's assaults, Maud hitting her
boss with the iron...
b. Can it be said Suffragettes did not want any
personal harm and casualties as a result of their
actions? Give examples.
Absolutely. They always tried to protest avoiding any
kind of victims. For example, they acted during the
night or when the streets were empty, like when they
exploded the mailboxes. When they planted the
bomb in the house, they made sure there wasn't
anybody inside as well.
c. During one of the conversations which Maud has
with the Police Inspector, what is the reason given
by Maud to justify the use of violence?
She argues that violence and war is the only language
men can understand, words can do nothing in that
situation.
d. What situations of explicit and implicit
violence against women are shown in the
film?
They are beaten in many occasions. they are insulted
and underestimated. Some of them are sexually
assaulted. Maud, for example can't use the money
she earns, she suffers economic abuse. They are
forced to eat in prison.
6. Describe the attitude towards suffragism
and towards women shown by some of the
men that appear in the film:
a. Sonny, Maud's husband.
b. Pharmacist's husband.
c. Mr. Steed, the police inspector.
d. Lloyd George (the minister).
e. Alice Haughton's husband.
f. Mr. Taylor, Maud's employer.
a. Sonny is afraid. He doesn't want Maud to join the
Suffragettes because that would make people talk badly
about her an her family, so when she joins them, he
doesn't allow Maud enter home again.
b. He was involved in his wife's fight as well, and helped
the Suffragettes in many occasions, but he was worried
about Edith's health and stopped her from going to the
Derby.
c. He is against the Suffragette movement at the beginning.
He told maud nobody would hear a woman, but really he
doesn't like to imprison them. He only does it because he
thinks his task is to enforce the law. At the end of the
film we can appreciate how he thinks the way polices
and men treated women, and specially Suffragettes, is
excesive.
d. He actually wanted to help them. Maud's speech
made him realise how women suffered, but
unfortunately, he wasn't able to convince the rest of
the Parliament to change the laws.
e. He only appears once in the film, when he pays to
release his wife, but he refuses to help the other
women in prison. He doesn't like the Suffragette
movement.
f. He thought women were more inferior than men. He
was cruel and even abused sexually some of the
workers of his factory. He was sexist and laughed at
the Suffragettes's ideas.
7. The hard working conditions of the time are
shown in the film. Give examples to justify that in
the laundry these conditions were worse for
women than they were for men.
In the film some of these inequalities are mentioned: women
worked more hours per day. Their work was more dangerous
due to the machines and the chemical products they used. A
lot of women suffered diseases and accidents because of
those hard conditions they had to put out with.
Men worked outside as well, but women were always inside
the factory doing the same little action once and once again.
And of course, one of the worst things shown in the film is that
some of those women were sexually abused.
Maud worked inside while Sonny had to deliver
things and went outside.
8. At the end of the film you can see a real incident
which marked a turning point in the history of
the Suffragist movement. What was it and why
was it so controversial?
It was Emily Wilding Davison's death in the Derby.
It's controversial because some people say she held
out hope of hanging the Suffragette's flag in the
king's horse, but other people think that she knew
she would die.
Also, a piece of evidence supporting people that say
she didn't plan her death is the ticket she had for a
party that evening.
The real images of Emily's
death in the Derby.
Here the Suffragette magazine
portrays Emily as an angel. She
became the martyr of the women's
movement.
Real images of Emily's
funeral. Thousands of
people went to this
ceremony, and it was a
turning point for the
Suffragette's fight.
9. The film ends by revealing women's right were
recognized in Britain in 1928. Scrolling text
reveal other countries who followed suit to the
present day. When were Spanish women granted
this right? And why was it suspended short time
after?
Spanish women achieved this right during the
Second Spanish Republic, specifically in 1931.
Regretfully, it was suspended when the Civil War
began. Then, in 1939, Franco's dictatorial regime
started so they couldn't vote until 1975.
Group of Spanish women voting for
the first time in 1933.
My conclusion
I really liked the film. It shows how hard life
could be for women in those years. And how
they fought to change it.
The rights we have nowadays have been
achieved thanks to past fights, so all we must
do is to show gratitude for that brave people
who made the world a fairer place. And of
course, continue these fights until we get the
same for future generations: rights and a better
place to live, without any kind of oppression or
discrimination.