ipl-logo

Audre Lorde's Influence On The Feminist Movement

347 Words2 Pages

Audre Lorde influenced the feminist movement in many different ways. Like her poetry, Lorde's prose merged social criticism with personal revelation. Feminist in her time only looked at the problems of women from a white middle class perspective. Audre felt that just because you are white does not mean that you are safe from the effects. She believed that because racism, sexism, and homophobia were a part of their everyday lives that they should stand up and speak out against it. Many of Lorde’s writings address the ‘theory of difference’, which is the idea that gender is not binary. That the way we see the opposition between men and women is overly simplistic. Audre believed that it is not our differences that divide us but the inability to

Show More
Related

  • Sarah Grimke's Arguments For The Abolition Of Slavery

    660 Words  | 3 Pages

    She says that men denied them opportunities such as voting and others and forced women to become less valued than men. She also was very focused on getting rid of the term separate spheres. Her main points were that women and men have equal rights and women should be able to be involved in

    Read More

  • Feminist Scholar Audre Lorde's Speech 'The Uses Of Anger'

    60 Words  | 1 Pages

    Feminist scholar Audre Lorde has thoroughly documented this phenomenon, having been on the receiving end of white feminist scapegoating more than once. In her speech "The Uses of Anger," which she delivered at a 1981 National Women's Studies Association Conference, Lorde recounts the the times she's been dismissed as "angry" for bringing critiques of racism into predominantly white feminist spaces.

    Read More

  • How Did Susan B Anthony Fight For Women's Rights

    1578 Words  | 7 Pages

    Leading up to the 19th century women beginning to want a new change in the system. Not only just for women’s rights but for equality to be made to everyone. The era of this new decade allowed for so many changes to be made, both good and bad depending on who you asked. Women taught traditions passed down, never being able to branch out on their own were finally able to have new freedoms. These are the women who caused a difference in history and helped fight for right to be equal.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Silent Speech In Audre Lorde

    1087 Words  | 5 Pages

    Silent Speech in Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Even though, she was born on February 18 1934 as Audrey Geraldine Lorde, her name quickly changed to Audre Lorde; “I did not like the tail of the Y hanging down below the line in Audrey” (Lorde 24). She was only 4 years old when she made this decision, already marking her head-strong character, which Audre Lorde possessed throughout her turbulent life. Not only was Audre Lorde a fervent civil rights activist, but also a devout feminist, however she described herself as; “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” and “dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia” (Poetry Foundation). Most of Lorde’s poetry and critical essays are focussed on black female identity, feminism, civil rights issues or a combination of these issues.

    Read More

  • Why Is Susan B Anthony Important To Women In The 1800's

    768 Words  | 4 Pages

    The women's rights movement was very important to women in the 1800’s. Women were fighting to gain momentum in society and gender equality. Women wanted to have the same rights as men did and the same power because they were getting tired of how their lives were being unfairly treated in society. All women wanted was to be allowed to live life in an atmosphere of religious freedom, having a voice in the government, and living free of lifelong enslavement by another person. Since women were treated poorly since the time period of the American Revolution, when the patriots fought to win their freedom from tyranny, women thought it was unfair since they hadn't gained freedom for themselves.

    Read More

  • Margaret Sanger Feminism Analysis

    1638 Words  | 7 Pages

    In relation to the previous discussion on Margaret Sanger, this chapter will explore the theories of Sanger who wrote in the period of first wave feminism in relation to Betty Friedan; a second wave feminist and women’s activist who, like Sanger chooses to focus on the constraints of female biology despite the difference in time. This direct comparison allows a critical analysis between the parallels and differences of the first two waves of feminism on the grounds of bodily autonomy; investigating further whether these two waves are connected on these grounds and how significant they are in the different time frames. Friedan positioned herself within society as one of the most influential figures to contribute to the development of feminism

    Read More

  • S Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master's House By Audre Lorde

    664 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divisions within feminism through differences are demobilizing the necessary movement required to create change. In Audre Lorde’s piece, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House”, Lorde uses her experience at NYU’s Humanities conference to address how racism and homophobia are present in feminism. Furthermore, she believes not all women of a particular identity share the same experiences, so to change the patriarchy, feminists must work together and use their differences as a uniting factor rather than something to categorize and separate women. Through the reference to metaphor- the master house and the master’s tools- and the use of pathos, Lorde ensures to stress that differences between people need to be used as empowerment

    Read More

  • Industrial Revolution Dbq Essay

    890 Words  | 4 Pages

    (Do note there were feminist ideas during this time, none were acted upon though. Example: Vindication of the Rights of Women, by Mary Wollstonecraft). But during the succeeding movement in France, women’s rights and the feminist movement become more

    Read More

  • Age Of Equality Dbq Essay

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of her main points that would eventually make its way to modern society was the ability for women to go to school and get an education similar to a man’s. She wanted women to be given the same chance as men so that they could prove their worth to everyone. In a scene she wanted the reputation of women being weak and emotional to be destroyed that way women could have rights. In her book written in 1792, “A Vindication for Women’s Rights.”, she wrote, “To render mankind more virtuous, and happier of course, both sexes must act from the same principal;... women must be allowed to find their virtue on knowledge, which is scarcely possible unless they be educated by the same pursuits [studies] as

    Read More

  • The Need For Birth Control Margaret Sanger Analysis

    637 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Need for Birth Control" (1922) written by Margaret Sanger a feminist and birth control activist. Sanger started out nursing before she released in 1912 an article in a newspaper called "What Every Girl Should Know" starting her campaign to educate women about sex, during this time she was nursing women on the lower east side and treated many women who had back-alley abortions or tried to terminate the pregnancy themselves. This motivated Sanger to begin fighting to make birth control information and contraceptives available to women. In 1914 Sanger had published "The Rebel Woman" a feminist magazine that promoted women's rights to birth control, By doing this she was going against the Comstock act of 1873 and faced a possible five- year jail sentence. Instead of facing jail time Sanger fled to England and worked in the women's movement and researched birth control.

    Read More

  • Age, Race, And Sex: Women Redefining Difference By Lorde Lorde Analysis

    1305 Words  | 6 Pages

    Growing up, we were taught to look at the world in juxtaposition. This outlook forces us to order things such as race, sex, and socioeconomic status in categorical or hierarchical terms. In order to be on top, someone has to be beneath you, so those who are oppressors focus on maintaining their positions while still keeping the oppressed under their thumb. In the reading, Lorde speaking more on feminism but I feel like this is inclusive of men as well, but to me, this passage gives a sense of connectivity between various issues and how none of them can truly be addressed without acknowledging the others. This quote shows how oppression is largely universal while demonstrating how uncomfortable topics should not be avoided for fear of said discomfort.

    Read More

  • Feminist Movement Vs Civil Rights Movement

    835 Words  | 4 Pages

    The women of this movement were fighting for something they believed they deserve. Because of the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution, women were able to express their own opinions. The women’s rights movement led to many different events, impacted other countries, and created a new amendment. The feminist efforts in the mid 1800s were successful enough to allow women to take on occupations and educations they weren’t able to obtain

    Read More

  • Summary Of Don T Rewrite The Bible

    598 Words  | 3 Pages

    He continues with talking about how women feel inferior to men, but he argues that it may not be as big of an issue as some feminist groups make it out to be. Lastly, he brings to the reader’s attention that differences are

    Read More

  • Feminism In Louise Halfe's Body Politics

    459 Words  | 2 Pages

    As with all theories, this feminist approach to Louise Halfe’s “Body Politics” does not come without its flaws. While it can be argued that this poem criticizes the performativity of feminine gender roles in a patriarchal society, this cannot be proven definitively without knowing the author’s original intentions. Furthermore, the poem does not give its readers enough information to conclude that the society the women live in is in fact a patriarchal society. This becomes evident, as there is no reference to any masculine figure – so any assumptions about the masculine-dominant culture are purely speculative. It is possible that Halfe wrote this poem in an attempt to challenge the gender binary, however one stands to question how successfully she is in doing so.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale By Virginia Woolf

    1141 Words  | 5 Pages

    From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth

    Read More

More about Audre Lorde's Influence On The Feminist Movement

Open Document