Free Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence Essays and Papers

Yes and No Adrienne Rich attacks heterosexuality as “a political institution which disempowers women” in her 1980 essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (Rich 23). What most see as a traditional way of life, Rich views as a societal mandate that serves as “a beachhead of male dominance,” (Rich 28). For a woman in Virginia Woolf’s time, “the one profession that was open to her [was] marriage,” and though females entered the public sphere as the 20th century progressed, “single

female relationships she so wholeheartedly promotes. The varying interpretations include everything ranging from Leapor as promoting lesbianism, to simply promoting good female friendships. Adrienne Rich termed this range of womanly bonds the “lesbian continuum,” and explains it as the inclusive realm between “consciously desired genital sexual experience with another woman,” and “the sharing of a rich inner life, the bonding against male tyranny, the giving and receiving of practical and political

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

empowerment it is imperative to include not just heterosexual women but lesbian and bisexual women as well, due to the fact that it integrates a sense of multiculturalism that inputs and values multiple perspectives of women experiences. In the fight for women’s equality heterosexual feminists have often overlooked lesbian and bisexual women, because of the negative connotations that have emerged, that deem all feminists lesbians, and haters of men. This is also frequent due to the fact that homophobia

Adrienne Rich’s Theory of compulsory heterosexuality, she discusses the erasure of lesbian existence in feminist literature as well as in society in general and heterosexuality as a political institution. Rich examines the relationship between compulsory heterosexuality and the patriarchy. The novel Orlando also explores topics concerning the patriarchy and gender. Although the novel does a good job of dismantling gender and gender roles, it does relate to compulsory heterosexuality as it is defined in

LeBlanc's attempts at defining and utilizing the notion of the "metaphorical lesbian" in her analysis of Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Tricky as they may be, however, definitions, at least in our efforts to formulate them, constitute our lives, our thought processes, and our discourse: Who are we? What is our purpose? What does it all mean? With this in mind, what are we to make of the "metaphorical lesbian" or of the "real" lesbian? Although I found LeBlanc's essay to be exceptionally interesting in its

which women have been convinced that marriage and sexual orientation towards men are inevitable – even if unsatisfying or oppressive – components of their lives,” a concept known as “compulsory heterosexuality” (Rich 290-291, 289). In The Poisonwood Bible, Nathan Price enforces this view of compulsory heterosexuality, leading his daughters to believe that a woman’s only purpose in life is to become an obedient wife. He breaks down the power and independence of his daughters in an attempt to enforce

Olivia Souza Prof Thompson GND 101 17 May 2016 Heterosexuality and Male Power While the people in the LBGTQ community have become more accepted by the heterosexual society in recent years, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage, they are still not in the clear. We still have a society that is controlled by the white patriarchy and praises heterosexuality. Compulsory heterosexuality is the theory that heterosexuality is enforced and made to be the norm by a patriarchal society. This term was

were some that were left out of the mass movement. Lesbians of the 1960’s were considered to be social pariahs by the Woman’s Movement of the 1960’s and not to be connected with. By being the outcasts, Lesbians created and founded their own movement that focused on not only Women’s Rights, but Gay Women’s rights as well. This movement was just as controversial if not more as the Women’s Movement of the time, but made just as big of an impact. Lesbian Feminism emerged from the second wave of feminism

that the institution of heterosexuality itself is a construct, or “a beachhead of male dominance” (p. 633), according to Adrienne Rich in her essay “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence” (1980). From a feminist theoretical standpoint, humans develop sexuality as their gender identities develop: “our sexual desires, feelings, and preferences are deeply imprinted by our gender status” (Seidman, 2003, p. 18). This relates to Rich’s notion of compulsory heterosexuality - a facet of feminist

called Westeros. This show puts an emphasis on both gender and sexuality, with men being dominant in that society while women are often referred to as the inferior. It also includes several double standards for men and women and comprises compulsory heterosexuality. The show also heavily focuses on class and social stratification: the differences between two of the main classes in the

what it meant to be a woman, highlighting the idea that societies expectations and norms imposed the idea of womanhood on a young women. This issue of becoming is even further discussed by authors like Judith Butler, who applies this idea to her own lesbian identity, and how it defines her relationship to society. In Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex”, the woman’s place in relationship to men is often discussed. She asserts that women are seen as the other, juxtaposing man’s place as the self, the main point

Introduction Oprah Winfrey Show is a popular American talk show that brought together celebrities discussing different inspirational topics about women in the society. It is rated as among the most watched shows in the United States. The main objective of this daytime show was to empower women in the US and the worlds at large. We are immersed from cradle to grave in a media and society and we should understand that how to interpret or understand it (Kellner, n.d.). This paper provides an analysis

Judith Butler and Postmodern Feminism What necessary tasks does Judith Butler identify for feminist criticism? How is her articulation of and response to these tasks characteristically "postmodern"? "She has no identity except as a wife and mother. She does not know who she is herself. She waits all day for her husband to come home at night to make her feel alive." This sentiment "lay buried, unspoken, for many years, in the minds of American women", until "In 1960, the problem that has

Anthía Muñoz April 23, 2014 WMST 3100-001 Final Exam IV: Feminist scholarship extensively details how the very tools that allow us to interpret the world can also constitute and reinforce inequalities of power. We are given over form the beginning to structures such as language, identity, law, nation and privilege (among many others) that implicate us in processes of exclusion, devaluation, and commodification. Drawing upon at least one reading from classes 15-21, one from classes 22-27 and another

Adrienne Rich's book Of Woman Born, as well as Cathy Griggers' essay "Lesbian Bodies in the Age of (Post)mechanical Reproduction." Rich discusses the cultural institutionalization of motherhood, while Griggers brings a Feminist and Marxist perspective to the topic of lesbian body image in a capitalist, market-driven society. Both consider the effects of patriarchy and heterosexism in their treatment of the experience of lesbians in society. I found these texts to be very helpful in offering an explanation

What Influence Do Parents and Schools Have? School Pyschology Review, 37(2), 202. 9. Bontempo & D’Augelli. (2002). Effects of At-School Victimization and Sexual Orientation on Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual Youths’ Health Risk Behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30(5), 364 - 74. 10. Bellini & Kitchen. (2012). Addressing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Issues in Teacher Education: Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 58(3), 444.

then, CW's drama The 100 (2014-) seemingly provided a welcome respite. Heralded as one of the greatest examples of positive teen media, the notable LGBT representation came in the form of the bisexual female lead Clarke (Eliza Taylor), and openly lesbian clan leader Commander Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey). Set in an post-apocalyptic society, the show brought to its vulnerable demographic the vision of an idyllic culture; nobody seemed to care who kissed whom, who liked whom. In the societally-advanced

are still fighting for equal rights and fair treatment. It’s hard to escape this male dominated world because society helped construct this obscene idea that men are more important than women. In the article by Adrienne Rich, Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, helps explain the idea that women are secondary to men, which then triggers male behavior towards women in a negative way. This leads to domestic violence, unequal pay and treatment in the workforce, and discrimination against

Securing a Place of Power: Reinventing the Role of Women in Theatrical Representation In The Feminist Spectator as Critic, Jill Dolan examines the current hegemony of the “white, heterosexual, middle-class male” (121) as the subject of representation in theater. She examines why feminist attempts to expose this bias and use it to change the objectification of the roles of women have failed, when this has even been attempted, and furnishes her hypothesis on how this failure can be prevented.