Essay on "Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker"

Home > Topics > Women's Studies My Account

Essay 3 pages (1158 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Symbolism in "Women" by Alice Walker

"in many, one:"

Alice Walker's poem "Woman" and the struggle of black women for equality

The history and work of African-American women has often been rendered invisible by historians, even feminist historians. The unique contribution of black women to America has been subsumed under either the rubric of 'blackness' or 'femininity.' The unique struggle and stereotypes black women have attempted to combat have all too often been ignored. In her poem "Woman," the black womanist poet Alice Walker tries to bring the entirety of the special and invisible history of African-American women to light in a series of a few, economical images that sums up African-American women's lives.

African-American woman, Walker suggests, are more than simply motherly, desexualized 'mammies' and overly sexualized Jezebels -- or victims. They have a distinct and separate history apart from African-American men as well as white women. "The uniqueness of the African-American female's situation is that she stands at the crossroads of two of the most well? developed ideologies in America, that regarding women and that regarding the Negro." (Gray 1999, p.27). In the archetypal 'woman' of Walker's poem, Walker pays tribute to all African-American women by stressing how hard African-American women have worked and how they have been denied an education and political equality both as women and as blacks.

Her ancestors, writes Walker, were warriors as well as women who "Starched white/Shirts" (presumably for their white masters or employers). Yet they also -- with their physical and moral strength -- "batt

Continue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

ered down/Doors," and had fists as well as helping hands. The contrasted images of fists and hands suggest that in addition to nurturing others, black women also demanded their rights through history. Because of these demands, their daughters now have access to education. Black women, in the images of Walker's poem, had to become generals, laying booby traps for racist, misogynistic people so that the younger generation of black women could discover "books/Desks." It is this struggle, the particular struggle of black woman that makes the advancement of black women today possible, argues Walker's poem. Although the women of previous generations may have been illiterate they were capable of knowing: "what we [young black women]/Must know/Without knowing a page/of it / Themselves." And the struggle of African-American women and all women continues today. "Despite the indisputable gains over the years, women are still being raped, trafficked, violated and discriminated against -- not just in the rest of the world, but here in the United States (Valenti 2010). Often these women are non-white.

Black women have always had to work states Walker, even if that work was often underpaid or unpaid, unlike some of the early white feminists in the Second Wave of the American Women's Movement. The legacy of black women's strength and commitment to political, social, and financial equality has had to be strong because it has never known the luxury of white privilege or the 'choice' of having to work outside the home. In an essay for Newsweek magazine, Anna Quindlen quipped: "Forbes magazine just published an essay titled 'Don't Marry Career Women,' by a male writer who couldn't see the advantages of a wife who could pay the mortgage and support the children even if her husband lost his job or suffered a massive coronary." Because of the history of discrimination in America, black women have never had the luxury of 'choosing' not to work until their rich husband suffered a massive coronary.… READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

Quoted Instructions for "Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker" Assignment:

“

Topic:Alice Walker was the first contemporary ***** to focus on the black, southern, rural woman. Closely Read Alice Walker*****'s poem, Women. Write a literary analysis of this work, which which argues that the women that Walker presents are in fact, every woman, without regard to race, ethnicity, or region.

Thesis: There are myriad memorable moments and behind-the scene roles that Southern black women played to overcome the oppression and the double minority of being black and female. This struggle supplied the support and the strength that led to the fight to make this the *****"land of opportunity*****" for all women, regardless of race, ethnicity, or region. Women share the commonality of oppression and unequal rights. Today, we are not fighting for the benefit of one woman or for one group of women. Throughout history, women have earned the right to vote, educate themselves and uphold leading roles in society, but the struggle continues for political, social, and economical status in America.

Introduction:

A. Who is the poet and what is his/her reputation in the world of ideas? What else did s/he write, what did s/he suffer, and why is s/he regarded as an acclaimed *****?

B. Briefly summarize the contents of the poem (paraphrase poetic content).

C. Set forth the underlined thesis statement, or controlling idea, based on the topic you selected (see topic and thesis above).

II. Body: In 5-7 fully conceived, closely reasoned, and cogent para*****'s, provide a vigorous defense of your thesis statement, based on specific and serious source material, represented by in-text documentation, copious lines and material from the poem, and of course, your own thoughtful thinking and interpretation.

NOTE: You must use each of the required sources at least once in your paper, and these must be sourced via in-text documentation, as well as in the works cited page, at the end of the paper.

III. Conclusion: Briefly restate your major claims, and conclude with a forceful restatement of the thesis statement, in different language.

Your discussion will be 3-5 pages, not including the works cited page, which is required.

Please use these sources as well as any other:

1. Deborah Gray White-Ar*****'N*****'t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South.

W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.

2. *****ica Valenti. *****"For Women in America, Equality is Still an Illusion*****". The Washington Post Feb 21, 2010.

3. Ellen DuBois. Woman Suffrage and Women*****'s Rights. New York: NYU Press, 1998.

4. Anna Quindlen. *****"Everyday Equality; Each of us Rose on the shoulders of women who had come befor us..Newsweek 25 Sept. 2006.

5. PBS Video, prod. One Woman, One Vote. Dir. Ruth Pollak. 1 Dec 1996

6. Marilyn Frye. The Politics of Reality. New York: The Crossing Press, 1983.

7. Christine Thomas. Women and the Struggle for Socialism. The Socialist. 15 Sept. 2010 *****

How to Reference "Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker" Essay in a Bibliography

“Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2011, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401. Accessed 5 Oct 2024.

Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker (2011). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401

A1-TermPaper.com. (2011). Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401 [Accessed 5 Oct, 2024].

”Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker” 2011. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401.

”Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401.

[1] ”Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401. [Accessed: 5-Oct-2024].

1. Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2011 [cited 5 October 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401

1. Symbolism in Women by Alice Walker. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/symbolism-women-alice/5401. Published 2011. Accessed October 5, 2024.

Related Essays: