Equality（平等） is one of the most influential（有影响的） and powerful words in the development of what our society is today. It is a word that represents fairness（公平）. A word that signifies（表示） justice（正义）. A concept（概念） that people have fought for, and that has revolutionized（革命化） our global culture in innumerable（无数的） ways. Today, I challenge（向…挑战） you to consider a different side of equality（平等）, one that isn't always positive. My question today is, can this amazing concept of equality have another side?

  Can equality ever be unfair? If you were to look at America about 150 years ago, you would find that it was radically（ 根本上） different from the America we know today. For example, this was a time where women were expected to wear a large hoop skirt and a very tight corset（紧身胸衣）. A time when lower class women were expected to have a labor intensive（加强的） job such as a servant, a factory worker, domestic（国内的） help, et cetera. Middle and upper（上面的） class women were expected to either help with the family business or to become a homemaker（主妇）. This idea of equality inspired（激发） both women and men alike（ 类似于） to start a revolution（革命） that would come to completely change the face of society for the better.

  Let's take a look at Mother Teresa. Born（承担） August 26, 1910, Saint（圣人） Teresa of Calcutta was accepted into the Laredo convent in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 18. From there, she was sent to India. Although she was not an American in 1999, she was voted by Americans as the most admired person of the 20th century. Her goal in life was to provide help to the helpless, home to the homeless（无家可归的）, and love to the lonely. In her words, "Let us always meet each other with a smile, for a smile is the beginning of love."

  Through her work, she advocated（提倡） for the rights of the people whom society had deemed（认为） unworthy. She dedicated herself entirely（完全地） to her goal and by doing so became one of the most respected and beloved（为…的爱的） people ever to live and she was a woman. Amelia Earhart, she was the first female aviator（ 飞行家） to ever fly solo（单独地） over the Atlantic Ocean. Did you know that Earhart was so admired by the public that people would write her and tell her that they would name things such as children, lakes, and even sometimes homing pigeons（鸽子） Amelia after her? Earhart once said, "Women must try to do things as men have tried and if they fail, their failure（失败） must be a challenge to others." These amazing women are just two examples of the many people throughout history who not only broke stereotypes（ 固定形式） but demolished（毁坏） them.