Feminism in Adrienne Richs Poetry Essay - 2828 Words

Adrienne Richs poetry serves a prophetic function by articulating the history and ideals of the feminist struggle. By recalling the ancient chthonic mysteries of blood and birth, by reconnecting daughters with their mothers, by drawing parallels between women today and their historical counterparts, and by envisioning the women of the future who will emerge from the feminist struggle, her poetry celebrates womens strength and possibilities. Elaborating her vision, Rich brings a nurturing ethos to her analysis of social priorities: I simply believe that human society is capable of meeting the fundamental needs of all human beings: we can give them a minimum standard of living, we can give them an education, we can create an†¦show more content†¦( LSS, 213) This emphasis on making womens reality and values visible echoes the Puritan injunction to externalize faith. Like the Puritans who became visible saints through spiritual preparation for the day God called them, women name themselves by analyzing their experience and understanding the meaning of their lives: And it means the most difficult thing of all: listening and watching in art and literature, in the social sciences, in all the descriptions we are given of the world, for the silences, the absences, the nameless, the unspoken, the encoded--for there we will find the true knowledge of women. And in breaking those silences, naming our selves, uncovering the hidden, making ourselves present, we begin to define a reality which resonates to us, which affirms our being . . . to take ourselves, and each other, seriously: meaning, to begin to take charge of our lives. ( LSS, 145) In addition to shared rhetorical patterns, there are structural parallels in Puritan reformation and feminist transformation: both envision the creation of a new world and both are threatened by external forces--PuritanismShow MoreRelatedAdrienne Rich : A Literary Pioneer For American Women During The Contemporary Era1492 Words   |  6 PagesAdrienne Rich was a literary pioneer for American women during the contemporary era. Rich’s career spanned 60 years and she is most famous for her inspirational poetry that advocated for women. As an author, wife, mother, and Jew, Rich’s work encompassed the many prejudices that women face. Wendy Martin wrote, â€Å"Her work explores the experience of women who reject patriarchal definitions of femininity† (Martin 550). Adrienne Rich’s feminist upbringing inspired her poem â€Å"Snapshots of a Daughter-In-LawRead MoreThe Feminist Movement : Adrienne Rich1607 Words   |  7 PagesThe word â€Å"feminism† is s till a word that gets put in the wrong category. Many people, especially the stereotypical male who believes women should not leave the house, believe that the word â€Å"feminism† means that women are superior to men. Though there are the radical women who do believe that, â€Å"feminism† holds a completely different meaning. Feminism was created to fight for women’s equality. It was around the 1940s where the word began to gain its first wave of momentum. The second wave came in theRead More Adrienne Rich Essay1758 Words   |  8 Pages The Poetry of Adrienne Rich nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Adrienne Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland in the year of 1929. Rich grew up in a household as she describes it as † †¦white, middle-class, full of books, and with a father who encouraged her to write† (Daniel). 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A poem that really stands out is Diving Into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich. Rich is a well known poet born 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland (Milne). She is a very influential poet in the subjects of feminism and the rights of women. Rich’s literary work was released in the early 1970’s which was a trivial and controversial time in the rights of women. Her poem, Diving Into the Wreck is descriptive andRead MoreAdrienne Rich Twenty One Love Poem1053 Words   |  5 PagesAdrienne Cecile Rich was an American Poet and feminist born May 16, 1929 died March 27th 2012, was born in Baltimore, Maryland and the oldest of two sisters from a middle class family, Rich was educated by her parents until she entered public school in the fourth grade. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Radcliffe College in 1951, the same year her first book of poems, A Change of World, appeared. That volume, c hosen by W. H. Auden for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award, and her next, The DiamondRead MoreThe Power Of Poetry728 Words   |  3 Pagespower of poetry consists of three vital points: content, impact, and relevance. Poetry is powerful; however, not every reader will find its power in the same way, or find power in it at all. It is not that one type of poem is inherently more powerful than another. What it is, however, is that the value of poetry comes from a subjective place. Some poems may sit well with one audience but may not connect to another audience. Readers are the ones who determine exactly which pieces of poetry are powerfulRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Twenty One Love Poems By Adrienne Rich1782 Words   |  8 Pages Adrienne Rich was a highly acclaimed twentieth-century poet who railed against war and the injustices in the world, and also used imagery that spoke tenderly of love—feelings that she sensed were both highly individual for her, but al so universal. â€Å"Twenty-One Love Poems† were written between 1974-1976 to her lover of the time, and they track the course of the relationship through the sweet beginning stages, the development of mature love, and all the way through to its dissolution due toRead MoreWomen s Roles Of Reproduction1466 Words   |  6 Pagesmotherhood and marriage obligations. Conversely, other lesbian authors such as Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich utilized writing, speeches, and poetry in linking women’s oppression and heterosexuality. These rhetoricians asserted that heterosexuality is an unavoidable institution that is aimed at perpetuating men’s power across race and class. In Lorde’s (1984) Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches and Rich’s (1980) On Lies, Secrets, and Silence, these rhetoricians examined how classicism, racism and sexism