Today George, along with several close friends, proved to the monarchy that we will not be suppressed any longer. No longer can they imprison us for expressing our thoughts! George and the other men stormed the Bastille prison. Although only a few people were freed, the act symbolized our refusal to submit to the monarchy. I'm so glad George wasn't hurt! I was worried about him.
I'm so exhausted--today was a long day. We thought storming the prison a few months ago would be enough to end our mistreatment, but we've been starving for days now. We've been forced to use only cake flour when making bread. My husband, baby, and I are so weak. But today, I joined a group of women and we decided we wouldn't let ourselves waste away. We wanted to make the King listen, to force him to see the horrible state of his people, so we marched to Versailles and brought him and his family back to Paris.
I think things are turning around. We are all banding together and reclaiming what the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy have taken from us. It's not really stealing because it's really ours. Today, we showed them what it feels like to have things taken away. We will no longer starve and suffer--it is their turn to suffer for what they've done. I only pray that these atrocities are coming to an end. Oh! The baby's crying . . . .
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Composed by Elise Hager and Dianne Sartoris, Miami University of Ohio.