Marguerite+Marcoux+Block+A+2012

Diary Entry #3
November 9, 1799

Dear Diary,

It’s been terrible these past few years. There has been so many deaths because of the Jacobins, and now that Robespierre was executed, I have no idea what will happen to France. I have been living my life as usual, trying to cope with my life as a maid. However, I have been getting Mistress’s favor. I was also promoted to housekeeper, so now it is my responsibility to go and run all of the errands. Steadily, I have been working to realize my dream. Today was a less eventful day, but I learned a lot of information, as well as meeting someone new, Camille Allile. I met Miss Camille while running an errand for Mistress. Mistress always gets clothes from different designers, and I always have to go and collect her latest dress. So, this morning, around 8, I left the house and headed to Brittany. The house that Mistress wanted me to go was modest and not with excessive decorations. That is always a good sign. I knocked and entered, calling out that I was here to pick up the dress for Mistress DucLavigne. A woman appeared, and she smiled. She introduced herself and Camille Allile, and I immediately took a liking to her. She gave me a gorgeous dress, and I handed her the money that Mistress had given to me. As I thanked her, I turned to leave. However, a newspaper was laying on the floor, and the title popped out: Napoleon Gains Power as First Consul! I stopped in my tracks, and asked Miss Camille what the newspaper was talking about. She looked surprised at my ignorance to the outside news and told me that Napoleon was a military leader who has been slowly gaining power and finally gained the complete power over France. I was shocked that another ruler suddenly appeared, and expressed it to her, saying that I thought that a dominant leader was something that would hurt France at its current state more than help it. She strongly disagreed and convinced me of his abilities. Still in doubt, I asked her about how France would do under Napoleon, and Miss Camille brightened and said that under Napoleon, there was a hope that things might get better. She also mentioned that France needed a leader, and that Napoleon was just that person who could unite France once again. I asked her how the war would turn out, and she presumed that the war might end, now that France is under a strong leader. I told her with a slight smile that I wished for that as well. Full of thoughts, I departed from Miss Camille’s house and tried to sort them out. I arrived back to the house and gave the beautiful dress to her. She got angry at me for being late, but I held my pride and apologized. The rest of the day I spent maintaining the household and kept everything in order. After a long day, I am writing this to sort out my thoughts. Napoleon seems like a turning point, and I am hoping for a change. It is quite ironic how there is already a sole person who holds all the power after all the work to get rid of the monarchy, but I just want peace again. I am just tired of this war. Throughout the years, my opinions have developed strongly. When I think about the war, I get extremely angry, and that is something that I don’t experience a lot. Everyday, I hear stories of deaths. Sometimes I hear news of the death of a friend or an acquaintance. However, I live my life on as normal, working towards my dream in a future that is not certain. I just want it to be over. The only thing I wanted was an easier life, a life where I don’t have to work every hour of everyday trying to make a living. When the revolution started, I saw a glimmer of opportunity, but it faded quickly. The revolution just served the interests of the revolutionary leaders, and not for the people. My life didn’t change one bit, but people are dying for it. Their deaths for this kind of cause that has no effect is useless and a waste of energy. If Napoleon can help end the deaths and fighting, then I will truly respect him. I wouldn’t even mind having another dictator rule France, as long as a level of peace exists within the country. I just want a life where I can be who I want, and that is an educated woman. I will work really hard to become that, but I don’t want to hurt others in order to recognize my dream. That is all revolution seemed to be. In my mind, the revolution and the war finished a long time ago, and that was when it turned into a reckless slaughter with no purpose. I will sleep now, for tomorrow I must work again.

Diary Entry #2
January 21, 1793

Dear Diary,

Today I experienced something that surprised me. I also made a new a friend. I also received a letter from Father, and I was so excited when I read it. He asked how I was doing, and thanked me for what I was doing. He also told me the latest news. Lately, the revolution has come into full swing, and internal conflict has appeared. There are now a group of peasants called the san-culottes, who want more change. A group of nobles who are against the revolution also formed, called the Emigrés. Soon after, a radical group called the Jacobin formed as well. Father warned me to avoid them because they seemed dangerous. In addition, France has entered into a war with Prussia and Austria! I can't believe how much war is going on, and I am starting to believe that this is not right. But let me start from the beginning. Recently, I was promoted to a Chambermaid, due to my hard and diligent work. This is the first step to going to college! The day started out as usual. I woke up early and heated up water. When Mistress and Master woke up, I made their beds. I got my daily breakfast and went to start dusting and cleaning the many chambers of the large house. Then, at around 9 in the morning, there was a knock on the door, and since I was the closest maid, I answered the door and welcomed the guest with all the politeness I could conjure up. The man at the door was short and chubby. Mistress came at that moment and welcomed him. I went and hid behind some furniture, busying myself to eavesdrop. He introduced himself as Jean George. He was a merchant, coming to sell Mistress jewels for her accessories. I have to admit, this man had a way with words. He sold her three jewels, and received her pay. I was going to leave when I heard him mention about King Louis XVI. The other maids were gossiping about the king as well, and I heard that he was imprisoned. However, I did not know that the king was to be executed. I perked up and stayed alert. Mistress seemed very interested, and asked for more details. The execution was to be held today at the Place de la Concorde, and it was by guillotine. Today! Mistress looked around and I cleverly made myself shown. She saw me, lit up, and called me over. She ordered me to go to the execution and report everything that happened. She threatened to cut my pay if I went somewhere else. I solemnly nodded, but could hardly contain my excitement of going out. Mr. Jean George smiled kindly at me and offered to take me with him. On the way, he asked me about what he heard from others, that Mistress was mean and cruel. I didn’t want to say anything, but this man was so kind so I confessed how she would order us around and blame us if something went wrong. We then arrived at the Place de la Concorde, and boy it was packed! There were so many people there to witness the death of their former king! I was curious and excited to be present at such an important event. He walked up to the guillotine and was put under the blade. I almost couldn’t stand to watch. As it came down, he exclaimed that he was innocent. Then, blood splattered and it was over. The head was held up for all of us to see, and I winced as I gazed at the man we once called king. Mr. Jean George looked interested and satisfied, but I was surprised. People had told me many times of executions and how fun they were to watch. However, I didn’t enjoy it. My excitement was gone and horror replaced it. This was the first execution I had ever attended, and the death of another person is never something that is pleasing to see. The scene replayed over and over in my head as I walked home with Mr. Jean George. He was enthusiastically telling me how happy he was and how necessary the death of King Louis XVI was for France to move forward. I was weary and tired by the time that he dropped me off at home. I said my farewell to Mr. Jean George with a forced smile, and went inside. I told Mistress everything that happened, down to the last detail. I left out my opinion, for I knew it was not welcome. She dismissed me and I collapsed onto my bed. It seems that whenever I am troubled, I spill out my feelings in this diary. I have been thinking hard on the death of the king. I don’t really know what to think. I admit that his excess spending has been terrible and really hard on us, but since he was arrested, I haven’t seen much difference. I’m still poor, I’m still trying to make a living, and I’m still having a difficult life. I believe that killing people for these reasons is wrong. His death did not help my life, or the situation of France. We are still at internal and external war, and extra deaths aren't going to help anything. Life is something to be treasured. Mother has been ill in bed for so long, and I miss her. We have to treasure life, for reckless killing won't help the cause of freedom. I do wish to live in a country where I can have rights when I grow up, but if that is achieved by stepping on others and killing them, then I do not want to be apart of it. I am adamant in this decision. This is all I have to say for today. See you tomorrow!

Diary Entry #1
October 5, 1989

Dear Diary,

It was an interesting day today. I woke up early, and went down to wash the vegetables. Apparently, today’s breakfast was another feast because Mistress had some guests over for the night. I don’t understand how she can be so kind and pleasant around other rich people, yet so cruel to the rest of us. I received my pay a week ago, so I cannot stop working until Mother recovers. I can’t afford to let down my sisters. Then, Élisabeth Petit came to deliver our bread and milk. I was last to get some, but Élisabeth slipped me an extra big piece hidden in her pocket and winked at me. I accepted gratefully and gobbled it up. She left ahead to tend to the children, but I stuck around and heard the latest news from the other maids. They were talking about the excessive spending of the royal family, and exclaiming that all the money went into their selfish decisions. They angrily discussed how the bread prices were increasing and that Marie Antoinette was hoarding all of it. I wondered what would happen to France when we were in this kind of situation with terrible leaders. I pondered, and then left to finish my work. The next few hours went by slowly. I diligently cleaned, scrubbed, and emptied dirty dishes. I worked hard, until my fingers ached and my feet became sore. I was exhausted by lunch time. But the housekeeper, who usually goes to the market, ordered me to do it. I think its probably because she wanted to get lunch early. I didn’t care much though. I was excited go out. So, I took the money and travelled to the market. I bought all the heavy groceries. I was about to head back when I saw Élisabeth again with some extra supplies and a cake. I walked over and greeted her with a smile. I was happy to see the older, kind, woman there. We started to return to the house together when I heard a commotion. I turned around and guess what I saw? A huge crowd of women all heading in my direction! On a whim, I decided to follow them to find out what was happening. That was something I would never regret. So, Élisabeth and I tagged along in the crowd. The whole area was filled with shouting, and as I listened closely, I made out the words that they were yelling: “Bread! Bread!” Bystanders were cheering and urging them to continue. I asked the woman next to me what they were doing and she looked at me. There was something about that look that caught my eye. There was strength, hope, and determination. She told me that they were going to storm the palace and demand bread. Hearing this was quite shocking. I looked at Élisabeth, and I saw that she was just as impressed and surprised as I was. It was getting late, and I was afraid of getting a terrible scolding from the housekeeper, so we pushed out of the crowd and walked home talking about what we just saw. We arrived, and I said goodbye to Élisabeth. I hurried and finished the rest of my duties quickly. But instead of reading before bed, I needed time to write down all of my thoughts. I have a feeling that this is the start of a new beginning. Father had told me about the storming of Bastille in a letter, but I couldn’t believe that something along those lines was happening in front of my eyes! The fact that the women were just charging into the palace for bread was a pure protest and demand for rights. I remembered that the maids were saying that Marie Antoinette was hoarding grains. But words and action hold a completely different weight. I was in awe of what I saw today. I admire all those brave women who stood up to make their voice heard. If their life was miserable, they didn’t stand by and wait for someone else to help them, but did it themselves. I want to be like them. I want to have a voice and stand up for my dreams. I hope one day, college won’t just be a dream, and that I would fight for it myself. This may have been an act of rebellion to the king and queen, but I see it as an act of courage and hope for all the rest of us who are in poverty. I hope the brave women succeeded. Something is happening and changing, and I believe and hope that it is for the better. I feel my eyes drooping, so this is as far as I’ll say today. Tomorrow will be a busy and long day, and I should sleep.

**Age:** 13 years old
 * Name: ** Marguerite Marcoux

**Gender:** Female **Occupation:** Domestic Servant (scullery maid) for an aristocratic family (Duc Lavigne) in Versailles **Social Class:** Third estate **Financial situation:** Her family is extremely poor. Opportunities to work are scarce, so she took the first job she could find. She gains money but keeps very little for herself and sends the majority back to support her family. The family she serves is very well off so she is provided with food, water, and basic needs. She is saving slowly for college, a little at a time. **Appearance:** Short, curly, brown hair. Her usually outfit is the work dress with the same design with all the other servants in the house. Large, doe-like, brown eyes and a lopsided smile that shines through the fatigue her face shows. She is quite short, around 4 and a half feet tall.

**Location ( [|Map of France], [|Map of Paris] __Must be in the Paris region.__** Her family lives in Montparnasse, but she works and lives in Versailles.. **Habitual locations: (where are you found most of the time?)** Lives with the family she serves in Versailles. She is around the house for most of her days. It is a very large house, and home to the aristocratic family of 5. The mistress, master, and their three children, who are still toddlers and very young. **Daily routine: (typical day for you)** She wakes up early and goes down to the kitchen immediately to start cleaning vegetables and scaling fish. As the day goes on, the other servants of a higher ranking and age than her give her order on what to do. Usually, she cleans and scrubs pots, heats water, empties and cleans the chamber pots, and dusts the floors. After the long day is over, she returns to the domestic servant quarters and with much difficulty reads (or looks at pictures) of a book that she managed to buy with her small amount of saved up money. **Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits:** She is able to smile at the worst times. She has an optimistic mindset and is very selfless. She tries her best to give money to her family. She is very eager to learn for her young age. She dreams of college, even though all the other servants tell her that it would be difficult. She is willing to do anything to pursue this dream, and is determined to protect and take care of those close to her. She is very young, but poverty has forced her to mature quickly. **Past/individual-family history:** She is the only one other than her father who is able to earn money, so she moved to Versailles to support her family. Her mother is very ill, and her father faces many troubles trying to grow his crops. Her mother has always been unhealthy, and after the birth of four children, her body became very fragile.

**Family: (spouse? siblings?...)** She has a father (Nicolas Marcoux), a mother (Madeleine Marcoux), and 3 younger sisters: Josephine Marcoux (age 7), Isabelle Marcoux (age 4), Marie-Elise (age 2)

**Social relations with your own and other classes (people you deal with or know about in the class, AND your opinions and feelings about them):** Her mistress doesn't treat her servants very well, so she does not have much respect for the mistress she serves. Therefore, she has developed a slight dislike to all of the aristocrats, because it seems that it's because of them that her life is so harsh. However, in a time of need, there was a child from an aristocratic family that helped her, but that child remains as just a memory. **Religion:** Believes in the existence of God, but does not have much other knowledge. **Education:** Received elementary education but not much else. However, she is eager to learn and does everything she can to learn. She looks a newspapers, signs, and anything else with letters. She can read and write at a moderate level now.

**Languages you speak:** French **Main privileges and/or hardships:** She has a place to live in and has basic needs. She is able to read and purchase whatever she wants. She has a certain level of freedom. However, she has to constantly work in a tiring manner. She is the lowest rank of a servant in the house, so the other servants order her around and yell at her. She also does not earn a lot of money, and has to constantly struggle to get more money. === **Portrait: (find one online and paste it in)** ===