Most critics focus mainly on Adrienne Rich’s feminism; however, she describes herself differently. In an interview with Michael Klein her first concern is with politics:
I came out first as a political poet, even before The Dream of a Common Language, under the taboo against so-called political poetry in the US, which was comparable to the taboo against homosexuality. In other words, it wasn't done. And this is, of course, the only country in the world where that has been true. Go to Latin America, to the Middle East, to Asia, to Africa, to Europe, and you find the political poet and a poetry that addresses public affairs and public discourse, conflict, oppression, and resistance. That poetry is seen as normal. And it is honored (A Rich Life).
Even Diving into the Wreck plays a more general note of individuality than of feminism; in the words of Judith Lewin, ‘In Rich’s 1972 poem “Diving into the Wreck,” the lyrical voice is that of a diver, who, as her body descends in the water, resists the distraction of undersea life in order to pursue her goal, both the exploration of a sunken ship and the exploration of self’(54).
Nevertheless it is the feminist side of Rich that provokes most discussion. Monica Fagan presents Rich’s belief in a kind of feminine bonding asserting that in her essay "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" Rich argues that whether or not girls and women desire physical genital contact with one another, friendship and camaraderie can fuse with eroticism to form an intimate bonding among them. Rich suggests that this "lesbian continuum," as she refers to the bonding, has "many more forms of primary intensity among women, including the bonding against male tyranny, the sharing of a rich inner life, ...
... middle of paper ...
... which corporeal stimulation, the incitement to discourse the intensification of pleasures, the gathering of particular knowledge and the empowering of controls and resistances, are associated with one another, in accordance with a number of major strategies of power and knowledge ( qtd. in Halperin 258).
Rich also has concerns other than feminist issues. Piotr Gwiazda asserts that in an interview with Bill Moyers Rich comments that the title poem of her 1991 volume An Atlas of the Difficult World, “reflects on the condition of my country which I wrote very consciously as a citizen poet, looking at the geography, the history, the people of my country.” She was inspired by the Persian Gulf War of 1991, which on a different occasion she presents as the first Bush administration’s plan to turn the attention of the people away from domestic “anger and despair” (165).
Rampton, M. (2008, September 1). The Three Waves of Feminism. - Fall 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2014, http://www.pacificu.edu/magazine_archives/2008/fall/echoes/feminism.cfm
The. Bhavani, Kum-Kum. “Complexity, Activism, Optimism: An Interview with Angela Y. Davis.” Palgrave Macmillan Journal. Feminist Review - The. 1989.
“Feminist” has a negative connotation nowadays; we often times here people call feminists “feminazis,” “man haters,” or even just a “bitch.” Many people think that “feminism is anti- male” (Hooks). Many female celebrities stay hush about the issues surrounding females every day, but Lena Dunham is not one of them. Stemming from a family of artists, Lena became a writer, actress, producer, and director and was put in the spotlight. Instead of keeping hush about the world and Hollywood’s issues pertaining to the mistreatment of not only women, but those of different genders and other oppressed people as well. Lena Dunham shows her bold character and feminist visions by using her pedestal to speak out on social and political issues.
The ocean is mysterious to mankind. The unfathomable vastness of the ocean intrigues humanity into exploring it. In life, the immense possibilities that lie in the future compel us to reach for the stars. In the poem “The Story” by Karen Connelly, an individual willingly swims into deep waters even though they are fearful of what may exist in the waters. The swimmer later finds out that their fears were foolish, which illustrates the human tendency to venture into the unknown. The theme conveyed in this poem is that life is like a rough, uncertain, uncontrollable ocean that we must find get through with experience.
“Let us resolve to think of transcendental mobility—as a mobile. The poem as a mobile of words and signs, dangled over the crib of culture, as to stimulate the mind to imagine new combinations.” – Leonard Schwartz
Nussbaum, Felicity. “Risky Business: Feminism Now and Then.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 26.1 (Spring 2007): 81-86. JSTOR. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Until “Diving Into the Wreck” in 1973, Rich had not yet shared her political views with the world. It is thought that the views she shared in poems during this time were formed through her love of African-American literature. However, these poems were frequently disliked by other feminist writers. They believed Rich had gone too far and that her poems had become ugly and much too extreme. Although Adrienne was an extremely influential in the feminist movement, she did not participate in more traditional forms of protest. In “Diving Into the Wreck” Adrienne exemplified her feminist viewpoints in a less extreme form. Her exposure of inequality between men and women propelled the feminist movement, before and after women had gained the right to vote. Rich continued to fight patriarchal society, even when many people saw no problem with
Shaw, Susan M., and Janet Lee. Women's Voices, Feminist Visions: Classic and Contemporary Readings. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
Much of Adrienne Rich’s poetry is applauded for its rhythm and form, which helps emphasize the meaning of each poem. The freely placed lines and unique structure do not break up the poem, instead they bring power and significance to the unique features of her individual poems, stressing the meaning of the poem to the reader. Concretely, her poems have much imagery, and, also, most of the time, lack comment or conclusion to the emotions and purpose of her work. The structure, form, and rhythm of Rich’s poetry work together flawlessly to help portray the meaning of the poem, separate from just the images themselves. We can see Rich’s conscious effort to use form to portray meaning in many of her poems, but more specifically in Planetarium, Power, and For an Occupant.
In this paper, I plan to explore and gain some insight on Audre Lorde’s personal background and what motivated her to compose a number of empowering and highly respected literary works such as “Poetry is Not a Luxury”. In “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, Lorde not only gives voice to people especially women who are underrepresented, but also strongly encourages one to step out of their comfort zone and utilize writing or poetry to express and free oneself of repressed emotions. I am greatly interested in broadening my knowledge and understanding of the themes that are most prominent in Lorde’s works such as feminism, sexism and racism. It is my hope that after knowing more about her that I would also be inspired to translate my thoughts and feelings
Poets from every part of the world from all times of history have written about the
Hooks begins by stating that Feminism in the United States did not emerge as a result of victimized, underprivileged women who faced sexist oppression so much so they have internalized it , but in fact by bourgeois upper-class white women whose idea's of equality were far different. She begins this criticism with Betty Friedan, a leading figure in the women's movement and the author of the classic The Feminine Mystique claiming that the book ignored the difficulty and even the existence of non-white, poor women with the assumption that her concerns were harmonious wi...
Echols, Alice. Daring to be bad: Radical feminism in America, 1967-1975. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota P, 1989.
Strong and outstanding Political and Feminist poet, Adrienne Cecile Rich, captivated her audience with her true and soft words. She is a prime example of uncovering hidden struggles for more than one community and responsible for delivering so many eye-opening pages to read. The most stable way to describe her tremendous gravitational pull would be to quote the woman herself, “Art means nothing if it simply decorates the dinner table of the power which holds it hostage”. She is a creative individual to me because of her courage with standing up for Women’s Rights for so long, and unveiling what should be in everyone’s line of view to begin with.
Hooks, Bell. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2000. Print.