The Phenomenology of the American Woman: Past and Present Howard L. Bethany Liberty University HSER 509, B05 Multicultural Issues in Human Services July 10, 2011 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore and to educate others on how sex and the female gender role have perpetrated oppression on the American woman. This paper crosses racial and ethnicity lines as it relates the true phenomenology of women through the conception and the growing pains of a young nation. An examination of Scriptural passages unfolds so that one can establish knowledge of how their ancestors translated the verses pertaining to women. It will also provide the reader a chance to analyze their perception of the Scriptures as they scrutinize their worldview on the woman’s place in society. Most of all it dramatizes the oppression that has continued throughout the history of the woman.
Throughout her career, Nikki Giovanni's poetry has been valued, at least in part, as a benchmark to the latest political and artistic ideas in Black American writing. She explains her thought process when developing her poem. I am confident this is a great source to utilize in my paper because it gives direct insight straight from the poet herself. "Ego-Tripping." Poetry for Students.
A common theme through Anil's Ghost is violence. Anil Tessera is symbolic of the Western audience, and the inability to understand the trauma due to postcolonialism. Through out the novel, Michael Ondaatjee uses different literary devices to describe trauma, and what it does to victims during civil wars. As a novel focused around historical strife, there is no mention of government and religious factions. Since there is no mention of key factors to point at Sir Lanka, readers are to take the novel as a commentary about several places that experienced post-colonial trauma.
This poem is an explanation in its finest form of “What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)” by Patricia Smith, it is just that, an explanation. From the beginning of her poem “First of all,” this author gives a sense of a story being told. She uses the jagged sentence structure and the powerful language to show the reader the importance of her topic. Smith’s poem give her audience an insider’s view into a young black girls transition into black woman hood during a time where being a black young girl and a black woman was not very welcoming. Puberty is very hard for both boys and girls biologically their bodies undergo many changes from the age of 8 up until their about 16.
The power of language in constructing us is revealed by exploring how words that signifies “love and justice…shift meanings as we grow older.”(Saadawi, “Daughter” 15). The very same words became “a sword over my head, a veil over my mind and face.”(Saadawi, Daughter of Isis: Autobiography 16). Saadawi enlightens us about her own experiences and perception of growing up in a society that is systematized by patriarchal order and structured around hierarchical divisions based on gender, religion, social status, politics and class. Saadawi’s truth and understanding of race, religion, sexuality, and gender constitute her reality of what it really means to become a woman. To stand up for yourself, be your own, and believe in what’s right and not let anyone control you.
Two well-known authors, Amy Tan and Jhumpa Lahiri, have portrayed in their short stories of how they overcame their struggles of having a dual identity by introducing literary devices, literary terms, and how those devices and terms were used to convey thematic concepts. Amy Tan expressed in her nonfiction short story “Mother Tongue” in an eager manner of how she valued the diversity of the Englishes and languages and the powers that the languages have in evoking emotions, visual images, complex ideas, or even a simple truth (Tan 242). Being a first generation Asian-American, Tan believed that her English language derived from multiple Tracy 2 “Englishes.” The “simple” English she used when speaking to her mother, the “broken” or “fractured” English her mother used when speaking with her, her translation of her mother’s Chinese language which, she
Black feminist must have personal life experiences, must interact with the ordinary Black woman to develop deeper thoughts and ideas, and must maintain accountability for their work and whatever backlash it might receive. The second key group is the acceptance of Black women scholars themselves. Black scholars must be able to not only support you but also relate to the ideas presented. The final group is the confrontation of Black women scholars with “Eurocentric masculinist political and epistemological requirements.”
Anzaldua Summary “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” is an essay written by Gloria Anzaldua. Anzaldua was a six-generation Tejana and a prolific Writer, and this essay was published in her book named Borderlands/La Front era. Throughout this essay she gives some personal experiences of her childhood on racism, sexism, and linguistic prejudice. Basically throughout the essay she discusses her refusal to stop using her first language just to feel like she belongs there. This essay has a good discussion of Anzaldua defending the feelings and explaining how people like her feel when they are exposed to this because of the way she speaks the ‘American’.
Their realization of being victimized based on gender and race brought about this movement. They raised their voices against this injustice. This helped to tear down the walls of racism, sexism and gender discrimination to certain extend. Like Alice in Wonderland the women of colour experience pitfalls of inequality and sexual harassment to identify their needs against the dominant society. They brought a personalized knowledge and experience into literature.
Consider the theme of sisterhood in the novel. In your answer you should consider: Ø The ways in which women support and oppose each other in the novel. Ø The relationship between the Olinka women Ø The challenges faced by women in the patriarchal society in which they exist. Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple typically, focuses on the struggles of African Americans, particularly women, and what they witness against societies that are racist, sexist, and violent. The Color Purple also focuses on the role of women of colour in culture and history.