This notion that women are meant to find fulfillment in household duties (cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, though I know you didn't touch on the latter), and stifle their personality and intellectual curiosity in the process of these traditional domestic pursuits, has been a part of the feminist discourse for a long time -- as least as far back as Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963 (still worth reading today). But despite the strides we have made toward equality, you need only to look at data about the modern-day division of labor within a household to know that "women's work" is still often considered just that. This quietly charged and quietly profound powerhouse of a poem challenges this custom, and makes it clear we still have much work to do.
"What have we done to be put in parentheses?" is such a strong and potent question; I honestly feel like you couldn't have found a better example or turn of phrase that gets to the heart of the issue, to feminism itself. As women, we are so often given parentheses around our very existence, but they are wrapped around our actions and proudest achievements too, explicitly or implicitly: "She ran the marathon with such endurance (for a woman)"; "She did well on the chemistry test (for a female student). You've really hit the nail RIGHT on the head, in a way that makes the reader challenge their own internal biases.
This notion that women are meant to find fulfillment in household duties (cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, though I know you didn't touch on the latter), and stifle their personality and intellectual curiosity in the process of these traditional domestic pursuits, has been a part of the feminist discourse for a long time -- as least as far back as Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963 (still worth reading today). But despite the strides we have made toward equality, you need only to look at data about the modern-day division of labor within a household to know that "women's work" is still often considered just that. This quietly charged and quietly profound powerhouse of a poem challenges this custom, and makes it clear we still have much work to do.
"What have we done to be put in parentheses?" is such a strong and potent question; I honestly feel like you couldn't have found a better example or turn of phrase that gets to the heart of the issue, to feminism itself. As women, we are so often given parentheses around our very existence, but they are wrapped around our actions and proudest achievements too, explicitly or implicitly: "She ran the marathon with such endurance (for a woman)"; "She did well on the chemistry test (for a female student). You've really hit the nail RIGHT on the head, in a way that makes the reader challenge their own internal biases.
aaaaaand revised!
Thank you so much again! :))
i'll have to check out his other books lol! :)
:)
oooo, that's a really cool idea! i might try it out some time :)
Yeah it's amazing to know you're not alone! :)
This is so beautifully written, and it’s so true. Thank you for writing this!
Me too! I have stopped watching the news as well.
I actually just read that book and really enjoyed it! :)