Milestone 3: A Letter from the Future – What is oppression?

For this milestone project, you will be asked to define oppression and apply this definition to real-world experiences. You will write a letter to yourself as a kid. Knowing what you know now, and what we have been discussing and learning about in class, teach your younger self. Write your former self a letter using the following prompt:

1. After completing your discussion assignment, think about what oppression is and what Frye and Young’s two approaches have in common with respect to how they define oppression. Write a letter to your future self that responds to the following prompt:

· In the first paragraph/section, define oppression for your younger self by summarizing the two theories we examined (Iris Marion Young’s essay “Five Faces of Oppression” and Marilyn Frye’s essay “Oppression”).

· In the second paragraph/section, explain how sexism and racism are two different types of oppression by describing them in terms of the definition of oppression you have established in the first paragraph. Expand on this by describing:

i. What do racism and sexism have in common with one another?

ii. How do they differ from one another?

iii. Briefly describe how racism and/or sexism occurs on a local, national, and global level. Be sure to include these considerations.

· In the third paragraph/section, explain how forms of oppression such as racism and sexism violate Kantian (categorical imperatives), Aristotelian (virtue ethics), and Millsian theory (the greatest happiness principle). You don’t have to discuss every aspect of each philosopher’s theories. But it is important to discuss the central concepts within their theories.

2. Be sure to follow the letter format from Purdue OWL:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/