Adrienne Richs Revision Essays - Feminist Theory,

Adrienne Rich's Revision The author writes about her personal experience as a woman writer in a male dominated society. Her essay consists of poems, which she had written throughout different times in her life, to demonstrate the transformation in her writing. As a woman writer in a male dominated society, Rich begins writing in the traditional style, "the man's way," but as she continues writing, Rich breaks from these traditional styles to form her own. Like Freire, Rich believes people should break from society and be able to think and question things for themselves. While Freire wants to change the educational system, Rich wants to change writing. Both Freire and Rich want to break from the traditional ways of the past. Rich believes that women need to break from the enduring attitudes of traditions which society has placed upon them. Rich is upset with the limitations placed on women in society, particularly in marriage. It is for this reason that the themes of many of Rich's poems are advice for women to live life for themselves, listening only to what their hearts tell them. The three poems "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law" and "Planetarium" are analyzed to demonstrate the changes in Rich's way of writing. Rich wrote "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" in 1951, while she was a student. At this time in her life she conforms to tradition in her writing, and tries not to identify herself as a female poet. Rich does not identify herself as a female poet by detaching herself from her character and allowing her character to accept the life that man has placed upon woman. Rich's writing is constrained by man because she allows her character to be oppressed by man and does not make her a conscious being of oppression. In "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers", Rich writes about a woman who does not break from the accepted roles of society. Aunt Jennifer does not have the freedom to live for herself because of society's expectations on women. The only way for Jennifer to free herself is by making up a fantasy world. The author writes about the universal issues involved in the relationship between men and women, in where woman is a slave to man. Rich writes "the massive weight of Uncles' wedding band"; Aunt Jennifer is pinned down, the "band sits heavily in her hand", the image of the wedding band brings a feeling of slavery and fear (608). Rich's tone in the poem is observant and she makes it clear that she does not want to live a life like Aunt Jennifer's. In the poem Rich makes Aunt Jennifer distinct from herself by placing Aunt Jennifer into a different generation, breaking any connection between the author and the character. Rich's writing structure in this poem contains the real life within the fantasy life. The first stanza of the poem is about the proud tigers. The second stanza is about terrified Aunt Jennifer. The third stanza refers to the continuation of the second stanza and then to the tigers. In this way, by starting the poem with the tigers and ending with the tigers, Rich is containing the real life within the fantasy, in reverse of Aunt Jennifer, whose inner life is contained within her outer life. In this poem Rich portrays what can happen to an individual who accepts the fate prescribed by custom. The overall message is that men suppress women. "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law" was written when Rich was experiencing herself as a woman. During this time, society believed that women were put on this earth to make a family and take care of them. During this time in Rich's life, she was very occupied with being a wife and a mother; because of this she did not have time to think or write. She wrote this poem in fragments of time, while her children were taking naps. "The poem was jotted in fragments during children's naps, brief hours in a library or at 3:00 A.M. after rising with a wakeful child"(611). "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law" is a poem about a woman who is hearing voices that are telling her to resist and rebel but can not obey them. The woman wants to rebel against society but she will not, because society does not accept this kind of behavior. Rich still writes the poem in the traditional way. The woman in this poem thinks about rebelling but does not actually rebel; therefore Rich is still accepting the oppression on women. Until this poem Rich tried not to identify herself

Loonie Talks essays

Loonie Talks essays For many Canadians the value of the Loonie is a sensitive subject; the ever rising and falling of the dollar effects the everyday lives of Canadians. The value of the Loonie is like any other currency and rises and falls with global trends, yet, the largest economic trend to influence the Loonie is that of the United States. With a lower Loonie value against the US dollar Canadas exports become more appealing to foreign investors, this theory has been influential and exercised in recent Canadian governmental history. A strong Loonie is also good for the Canadian government as it encourages foreign investment and is much more lucrative for importers. The everyday lives of average Canadians, not just those involved in world economic systems directly, are influenced, changed and shaped by the value of their dollar: the Loonie. The Canadian economic system is influenced drastically by the cycles of the American system; the US cycles help set the future path for the Loonie and its users. Canada and the United States are the only G7 nations in the Americas this fact isolates these two countries and ties them closely together economically. With the United States being such a super-power within global markets Canada is forced to take a back seat and follow the cycles of its neighbors to the south. Whether the Loonie is strong or weak against the US dollar both a positive and negative effect are simultaneously taking place on the lives of Canadians. The value of the Canadian versus the US dollar also influences the personal lives of Canadians; the value of the dollar determines luxuries such as travel, retirement and even the consumption of foreign goods. The ever fluctuating Loonie value has its pros and cons for all Canadians. A lower Canadian dollar visvis the US dollar makes products manufactured in Canada relatively cheaper for foreign buyers and makes Canada a major competitor in the global market. This relatively simpl...