The topic of women's equality with men has been a constant debate over the centuries. Women have fought for equality and have achieved many things and are much more equal than they were, especially early in our nation's history. This fight for equality has gained more support over the centuries and at this point the two sexes are more equal than they have ever been in the past, however, even now, when this nation claims to be a land of equality for all, there is still inequality present. Letters written during the fight for women's suffrage went like this: “Ah! how many of my sex feel in the dominion, so unjustly exercised over them, under the gentle appellation of protection, that what they have leaned upon has proved at best a broken reed, and often a spear. "(Grimke) The author will go on to exclaim that femininity is a bond due to men believing that the fairer sex is inferior to them. This was evident in poet Robert Browning's poems My Last Duchess and Porphyria's Lover, which are both dramatic monologues that express a woman's position in relation to the men in her life The speakers in both poems talk about a lover or wife who is happy and often smiles, both are jealous and both kill and attempt to justify the their actions in the poems. The poems seem to place women beneath men, but on the underside of this topic they call attention to the disturbing actions that anyone can take or the drastic measures that can take place due to simple jealousy or attempting to justify their actions when they are so clearly wrong. The speaker of My Last Duchess begins by describing the beauty and happiness that surrounded his Duchess. He explains to her how kind she was to him and her ability to do everything... middle of paper... Literary Resource Center. Network. April 10, 2014. fourthOdden, Karen. "Browning, Robert (1812–1889)." Poets of the world. Ed. Ron Padgett. vol. 1. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner, 2000. 163-173. Scribner Writers on GVRL. Network. April 10, 2014. fifth