The memoir by Caroline Paul, introduces a very delicate yet important problem in society. Sexism. I have learned that a female's life in the San Francisco Fire Department was a tough and challenging one between the 1980's and 1990's. It was not enough that women were frowned upon generally in society, but they were degraded and looked small upon within the department. "A firefighter is a mans job" they would say. Some females would even believe in the degrading comments and beliefs, and second guess themselves if they were capable of applying for a freighters position, Caroline being one of the "victims". People should not be looked down upon, just because they are a female or male or white or black. Instead they should be judged based off their skills and behaviors. Caroline proved herself to be a worthy asset to join the SFFD, with her determination to do the job and learn the trait of a firefighter. She taught a valuable lesson through this memoir which is to judge by character, not gender. This is an important value to live by in order to be successful in life. Hating on people would just make both lives difficult. Instead live a comfortable life, help everyone, love everyone, in order to live a stress free and comfortable life.
Lesson Learned