One of the most terrifying places to be confined besides a prison is a lunatic asylum. The setting of an asylum has often been used in telling tales of horror. The works that are used to tell these tales could in fact come from incidents that have happened in the past. Jane Cochran is one such person that was brave enough to be admitted to detail the mistreatment being dealt to the patients. She accomplished this in 1887 and it was a daring feat which gained her notoriety in the field of journalism. American Horror Story is a fictional television show that started with a haunted house in the first season. The second season was retained many of the same actors but the story and setting change yearly. This season the setting was an asylum set in the 1960’s. These two works have similarities the give the audience an account of the injustice and abuse women faced in these institutions. 

The time period that Jane infiltrated the asylum, women were expected to be submissive and obedient to men. She fought against that and wanted to be treated as an equal in her field. She wanted the type of assignments that were normally given to men instead of subjects that were mundane to her. She fought to give women a voice and went into the asylum to document the treatment provided by the staff. She went in for ten days and it gave her more than enough evidence to expose the harsh treatment. Her story was published and this would lead to drastic change and reform for this asylum.

The text that I paired with Ten Days in a Madhouse is American Horror Story: Asylum. Ironically or by coincidence, a journalist investigating the asylum in the show, is committed as a patient. The journalist in this text is Lana Winters and she is committed because of her lifestyle and not for her mental state. The year is 1964 and the fight for civil rights is being waged across America. Lana is like Jane Cochran in many ways and wants to be seen as an equal amongst her peers. They both have an ambition for journalism and want to report on broader subjects besides crafts and hobbies. 

The asylums use to be more common and filled with many patients. The research into mental and psychological made it aware to the public that many diagnoses could be treated without being admitted. Here are some examples that could get a woman admitted into an asylum, “young woman with ‘menstrual derangement’, woman suffering from ‘change of life symptoms’. (Ziff, Catherine, et al.) It did not take much to get you admitted into an asylum. Also displayed in these texts is the fact that medical experts did not know the extent of mental health illness or how to treat it. It was evident in the ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ (Gilman, Charlotte) that their cure for women’s mental illness was isolation and rest. Which only made the situation worse but by her being a good submissive wife she followed his direction. 

The two texts have an age difference of about 80 years but you can witness the discrimination in both. The United States of America has a history of racism, sexism and bigotry. I linked both of these texts together because they give you a glimpse of the culture climate from our history. American Horror Story: Asylum displayed bigotry and sexism, as well as horror throughout the season. Even though it was a story it did portray events that have occurred. There are many heroines that fought against the bigotry and oppression that woman faced. The fight for women’s rights occurred the same time that African Americans were also fighting for rights. The women’s “movement called the two branches ‘women’s rights’ and ‘women’s liberation.” (Freeman, Jo.)

In my thesis I wanted to make a strong outline so my audience will get a look into the abuse woman faced. 
