Following this event, we see a critical shift in Lorde’s writing and journal entries. Lorde contends “the emphasis upon the cosmetic after surgery reinforces society’s stereotype of women, that we are only what we look or appear, so this is the only aspect of our existence we need to address” (58). Women not only should be afforded prosthesis as a choice rather than requirement, the “ability to act [upon this choice] in public the public domain” is the right to her own story (Heilbrun 17). Considering the previous self-prescribed labels Lorde gave herself, one can envision her unwillingness to confirm to this particular societal pressure. Comparable to the multiple selves Kingston defined for each of her subjects in The Woman Warrior, Lorde …show more content…
Elizabeth Alexander suggests “without resistance, survival and growth are impossible in an unjust world [of socially created norms]” (705). Lorde contends that creating a new voice, a voice of true self, comprised by allowing each individual identity within one’s self to “touch, meet, cross, and blur” rather than accepting a socially created single voice can alter the discourse from othering into acceptance (21). Conforming to the societal expectations of a female’s outward appearance serves as an enabling behavior to the oppressor, however, breaking the silence by embracing differences allows those subjugated to move from being object to being subject (Olson 55). Ironically, women often denounce newly acquired power upon recognizing the violence necessary to maintain it, and are often “criticized for imitating [such] a male activity”, relinquishing them to the delusional belief that “the world and the condition of the oppressed can be changed without acknowledging it (Heilbrun …show more content…
With each of my own labels I, like Lorde, find identity and comfort, as well as, fear and isolation. The narrative dictated to my gender by the dominant masculine sex often blurs finding the true narrative of my life. Consequently, I have often subscribed to the central insight that silence is a response to internalized or wrongful deeds, and therefore silence is required (Olson 57). Such prolonged masculine control finds each one confined in silence to “draw the face of her own fear; fear of contempt, of censure, of some judgment, of recognition, of challenge, of ambition,” and recognize that it is in the silence that we are immobilized not in our differences, but in our silence (Lorde 21-22). Lorde argues “differences within the self is a strength to be called upon rather than a liability to be altered” and allowing differences to work together refute a history of limitation (Alexander
The forty-nine year old Black lesbian feminist socialist, Audre Lorde claims a significant statement in her speech which is “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”. The master according to Lorde, is primarily a group called the hegemony which consists of people with power and knowledge production. The master tends to be white, a male, rich and the dominant majority. The master’s tools are to divide and conquer and no one can really use these tools because the tools is the master. The tools of the masters contain groups that are exclusive for certain members and even though they are fighting for the same cause, the master dismisses certain people. For example, when it comes to women rights movement, women sometimes dismissed females who are black or lesbian. The house of the master is the parameter that only change can occur within the master’s space or boundary. Although the master and the
“The inclination to bear witness seems aligned with the missing self” (Muske 4). Women create the ‘missing’ self by telling their stories, not the stories that have been told to them by a male dominated society, but those stories that define that missing self. In so doing, Muske reiterates the statement James Olney makes when he says, “... even as the autobiographer fixes limits in the past, a new experiment in living, a new experience in consciousness ... and a new projection or metaphor of a new self is under way” (Olney).
As a woman in the world, I am a prisoner, trapped in an idea of how women should be and how I should force myself to be. In the allegory one prisoner had escaped, until we can put aside the standards and expectations that were forced upon us, we cannot escape the endless cycle. The shackles bind the prisoners, to only view what the captors allow; the feeling of being held back and being weighed down by invisible forces. Women are bounded by expectations, standards and limited to their success, we are always one step behind. If we speak what we think, we are threatening others and if we act the way we want, we are condemned. Even now, as a teenager when I walk the halls of Weston; I hear derogatory words being thrown mercilessly at a woman for dressing the way she wants, what is seemingly provocative in their minds. Her clothes automatically determine what type of personality or character she is, without knowing who the person really is. One can think that a high school filled with millennials, they would be more evolved in their way of thinking but still that is not the case. Why are women degraded to some type of object? Many of us feel as though, we can’t dress the way we want or a label will be put on us, we think about how we should dress in the morning and how people
Lorde's experiences with women have shaped her life. Lorde has discovered who she is and where she fits into society through all of the relationships with women that she has had. In overcoming the hardships, that society has placed on her because of her minority status she has defined herself as different. Lorde embraces her differences from society and therefore is able to integrate, find freedom and therefore settle into her home.
From gender delegations, gender discrimination, and gender shaming the world is messed up place. From Scout, to the Flappers, to Leelah Alcorn nobody seemed to show any remorse towards the discrimination of any of them. Whether its society, the friends, or even the parents everyone seems to follows society’s gender guidelines and they beat up on who doesn’t no matter who they are, even if it drives them to the point of suicide. When society admits a gender rule everyone is pushed to follow this guideline and if they don’t well, from what it seems like they should just kill themselves unless they change. Similar to Scout, she was perfectly fine dressing like a boy, acting like a boy, and playing with boys until her Aunt installed these insecurities in her head to make her change her views and essentially herself. Society seems to always get it’s
Realistically, when someone is more powerful, they have the ability to set the rules. Men have historically held power in society, which means that women did not have as much stance or freedoms as men have had in the past. For example, Canadian women did not have the right to vote until the year 1916. This factor has continued to trail into the present day, creating the ‘weak’ image towards women, overall forcing and pushing men to become the opposite of this factor. Thus, cultural ideals of masculinity rely on the ideas of femininity through patriarchy and gender binaries. The emphasis on characteristics of men are being exaggerated, as society is pressuring men with unattainable standards of masculinity such as being tough, muscular and buff. Men continue to conform to these characteristics, in the fear of being oppressed through exclusion, which only strengthens society’s standards even more. This leads to more societal pressures on men, thus leading men to experience more societal pressures in the fear of feeling excluded. These “systems of inclusion and exclusion are divisions or barriers that prevent people from joining and belonging.” (50). For example, if a man wears nail polish, they may be oppressed and excluded through facing ridicule and bullying, because wearing nail polish is considered “girly”, therefore this boy is rebelling against society’s socially
“Sexism is an oppression that is hard to avoid, as it is difficult to rid ourselves of the social institutions of gender that we have been taught at a very young age (“Sexism in Society”).”
...rms of power and source of pride in society. Emphasizing sexism in language and rising the concern with words can be a vital feminist strategy to provoke social change (Weatherall, 2002). Language can produce a false imagination and represents women and men unequally, as if members of one sex were somehow less wholly human, less complex, and has fewer rights than members of the other sex. Sexist language also characterizes serotypes of women and men, sometimes to the disadvantage of both, but more often to the disadvantage of women. (Wareing & Thomas, 2012). As a result, it is necessary that individuals have the right to define, and to redefine as their lives unfold, their own gender identities, without regard to genitalia, assigned birth sex, or initial gender role. Language about women is not a nonaligned or an insignificant issue but profoundly a political one.
Women work just as hard as men and can do anything that men are able to do, but they do not have the right to vote. They are also paid less and not treated as equals. With her assertive tone, she stands up to the men listening and exhibits her claim just as well as any male would’ve done. A woman must talk to a man with confidence and power, because using a timid, meek tone will create no effect. She puts down the idea that men are superior to women.
Why do women choose to live in abusive and miserable relationships? Instead of taking actions and strive for happy life, women choose to stay silent. They have all the power to go against self-empowered men, but most of women renounce action. There are certain obstacle created by society and especially men that make it harder for women to stand up for themselves. The following articles explore and elucidate the idea of women’s silence and timidness to act. John Berger in his article “The Ways of Seeing” indicates women and men’s roles appearance in society and towards each other. The writer introduces the concept of surveyed and surveyor, where men play a role of an observant and women are an item that they observe. In the article “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” Audre Lorde discusses the importance of speaking out in order to show your true self. Silence only increases anxiety and feeling of oppression. The inspiring story in the excerpt “The Church and Slavery” by Harriet Jacobs tells us about slaves fighting for there freedom and equality through gaining knowledge of reading and writing. A lot of risks were taken to overcome the control of white man and oppression, but in the end those risks brought the start to the better future. Very illustrating and encouraging poster “You Body is a Battleground” shows the conflict that goes within abused women The light side of the poster shows the masked life of abused women, who pretend to live a happy life for others. The dark side illustrates women true feelings and emotions. The colors black, white and red, which were chosen by the artist Barbara Kruger connects us more to the poster, and makes us, share the pain of abused women. In the article “Once classroo...
...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
As Lorber explores in her essay “Night to His Day”: The Social Construction of Gender, “most people find it hard to believe that gender is constantly created and re-created out of human interaction, out of social life, and is the texture and order of that social life” (Lorber 1). This article was very intriguing because I thought of my gender as my sex but they are not the same. Lorber has tried to prove that gender has a different meaning that what is usually perceived of through ordinary connotation. Gender is the “role” we are given, or the role we give to ourselves. Throughout the article it is obvious that we are to act appropriately according to the norms and society has power over us to make us conform. As a member of a gender an individual is pushed to conform to social expectations of his/her group.
As women, those of us who identify as feminists have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at what cost do these advances come with?... ... middle of paper ... ... Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/whatisfem.htm Bidgood, J. 2014, April 8 -.
In today’s advanced societies, many laws require men and women to be treated equally. However, in many aspects of life they are still in a subordinated position. Women often do not have equal wages as the men in the same areas; they are still referred to as the “more vulnerable” sex and are highly influenced by men. Choosing my Extended Essay topic I wanted to investigate novels that depict stories in which we can see how exposed women are to the will of men surrounding them. I believe that as being woman I can learn from the way these characters overcome their limitations and become independent, fully liberated from their barriers. When I first saw the movie “Precious” (based on Sapphire’s “Push”) I was shocked at how unprotected the heroine, Precious, is towards society. She is an African-American teenage girl who struggles with accepting herself and her past, but the cruel “unwritten laws” of her time constantly prevent her rise until she becomes the part of a community that will empower her to triumph over her barriers. “The Color Purple” is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker which tells the story of a black woman’s, Celie’s, striving for emancipation. (Whitted, 2004) These novels share a similar focus, the self-actualization of a multi-disadvantaged character who with the help of her surrounding will be able to triumph over her original status. In both “The Color Purple” and “Push”, the main characters are exposed to the desire of the men surrounding them, and are doubly vulnerable in society because not only are they women but they also belong to the African-American race, which embodies another barrier for them to emancipate in a world where the white race is still superior to, and more desired as theirs.
Adichie was born in Nigeria and is most known for giving a TEDxTalk in 2013 about modern feminism. After the overwhelming success of the talk, such as having millions of views on YouTube and being featured in the song “Flawless” by Beyoncé, she decided to publish the speech into an expanded essay named “We Should All Be Feminists.” In this essay, Adichie talks about her life and encounters of sexism from a young age, especially her introduction to the word “feminist” occurring at fourteen. She is having a normal day, playing and arguing with her friend Okoloma, until he “harmlessly” quips, “`You know, you’re a feminist’” (8), which in Nigeria, is not a compliment. She also spends a third of the essay addressing the fact all negativity towards gender inequality has the same root: unwavering tradition. She questions, “What if, in raising our children, we (the parents) focus on ability instead of gender… interest instead of gender” (36)? Simply, if negativity towards the opposite sex is eradicated in a new generation, there will be no more inequality to worry about. She also parallels Wollstonecraft in commenting on the fascinating diversity of males and females. She claims that if men are undeniably strong physically, women should be held in the same