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Racism And Feminism In 'The Invention Of Wings'

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Lonestar Montgomery Community College Breaking Free Meredith Averitt General Psychology 2301 Raquel Henry April 24, 2017 Sue Monk Kidd is an author with many award-winning novels under her belt. She is very passionate about both racism and feminism, as it is the subject matter of bestseller Secret Life of Bees. It would only make sense for her to return to women who defy stereotypes of gender and race with her next novel: The Invention of Wings. The Invention of Wings is a powerful and uplifting story about standing up for what you believe in. The novel takes the readers on a journey of struggle for Sarah and Nina Grimké, nineteen-century abolitionists, and Sarah’s slave, “Handful”. The story starts off with ten-year-old slave …show more content…

The first example would be when Sarah remarks the Graveyard of Failed Hopes is “an all-female establishment”; ironic since she would become a driving force of change for the better. Sarah is discouraged to be a jurist by her family, even told essentially to give up her dreams and go husband hunting. Around the time Sarah Grimké was around, I’m sure a lot of women faced gender stereotypes such as that. Not only were they slaves to their family’s expectations, but also the rules of society. The world was very biased against females in all aspects back then, some of those prejudices still live on today. Take a look at the Eastern Asian cultures – they are expected to marry and start a family in their twenties. If they are thirty and still single, it is very frowned upon. They will be told to settle for less, or that they are too …show more content…

It represents Charlotte’s history: the experiences and hardships she and her family have endured. The feathers inside the quilt symbolize flying away and being free. The feathers and black triangle she always puts on her quilts represents the blackbirds from Charlotte’s story. When Miss Mary saw the story quilt, she saw the struggles they had to go through, and was ashamed. The quilt frame that hung above Charlotte and Handful’s bed symbolized a safe place or a home. Charlotte’s story quilt, the money, Sarah’s booklet, and Sarah’s letter telling Handful about the promise she’d made to free her were all hidden in the quilt

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