HOMEWORK
I strongly believe Emily Davison did intend to kill herself on the Derby of June 1913. Many labelled Emily Wilding Davison as a suicidal fanatic but I think not. I feel as if the plan been contemplated by herself and kept secretive, even from her fellow suffragettes. We are aware of this as Sylvia Pankhurst wrote in 1930 (more than 26 years after the Derby had taken place) Emily Davison was an intelligent and qualified woman who was a teacher before joining the WSPU, and I do not think that her intelligence faltered in this scheme. Many in opposition of the Suffragettes would use the fact that she was an honoured and privileged woman and teacher who would never commit such a deed, hence causing more criticism towards the Suffragettes and advertise that they were merely a group of merely mentally unstable women. But Emily Davison had her strategies. She was prepared to die for the cause of the WSPU, to show that in spite of her qualifications and education she was a women and she wanted women to have the vote-not that she was mentally unstable. Her deed spoke louder than any words could, just as the Suffragtte Newspaper quoted: “More eloquent than all words of all speeches could be”. Many believe that it was coincidental that she collided with Anmer (the King’s horse) but I feel as if she had strategically planned to position herself in front of Anmer as a representation of the King’s treatment towards the women of this country-practically that he walks all over them. In terms of the plan, I think she kept her plans secretive so nobody would be definite of her motives and there would be long debates in history regarding what her intentions were- so her act would be known regardless of what they thought she intended to do. They would know her, the Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison. And they would know of the Suffragettes. It is speculated that Emily intended to pin the prime colours of the Suffragette movement onto the King’s horse,