The Secret History of Wonder Woman

Pick one figure from the first wave of feminism and situate them in the movement. What did they stand for and what methods did they adopt for obtaining their goals? How did any of this differ from others in the movement at the time? Do you agree with this person’s approach to fighting for women’s rights? Why or why not? If not, what would you have done differently?

In Woman and the New Race, Margaret Sanger stated that birth control was more important than the right to vote. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning in full, using specific examples.

Watch the 2017 movie Wonder Woman and compare it to the original story as told in this book. How is it similar and different? For the differences, why do you think changes were made? Look also for the themes the movie portrays and discuss how they compare to the original themes used in Marston’s version.

With Wonder Woman, Marston depicted the issue of women’s rights in comic form. What other societal issues have been taken up by comic books? Choose one issue and give examples of any comics that dealt with it. What was the purpose in showing this issue? Do you think it was successful? Explain your thinking in detail.

Do you think William Marston was chauvinistic in how he arranged the structure of his family? Was this arrangement consistent with his avowed beliefs about women and equality between the sexes? Why or why not?

In 1954, under pressure from government investigations, the comics industry adopted an internal code to regulate the content of comics. Compare this to the Hays Code, which regulated movies starting in 1934. How are they similar and different? Why was each adopted—and did they succeed? When did each end and what circumstances led to this?

Compare Wonder Woman with another member of the Justice Society. Which powers did each of them possess and how did they use them? Were the characters portrayed equitably in your view? Why or why not? Use examples from specific story lines to support your ideas.

Gloria Steinem is mentioned in the Epilogue in connection with her founding of the magazine Ms., which used Wonder Woman on the cover of its first issue. Steinem is often mentioned as a leader in the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Choose another woman who was also a leader at the time and perhaps doesn’t get the attention Steinem does. What issues were most important to her? How did she work toward achieving them? In your view, what is the legacy she left?