I find Jaisley’s choice in this snapshot quite interesting because it is open for interpretation, with support from the texts, including the lead on the term “patriarchy” serving as the roots of a sprouting tree. As seen in Allan Johnson’s, “The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy”, it is clear that patriarchy is something deeply rooted into society, in which we find other branches within society that are affected by patriarchy, although not directly affiliated with one another. Just as in Audre Lorde’s, “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions”, they explain that “any attack against lesbians and gays is a Black issue, because thousands of lesbians and gay men are Black.”, supporting the idea that direct affiliation is not necessary because it negatively affects both categories. The branches in this snapshot also bring the word “intertwined” to my mind and that is because all categories that create the identity of an individual become one and can be either faced with the oppression that a patriarchal society holds or can either find themselves at an advantage. The boldness in the red color also stands out to me in a way that reflects the evil and harm that comes with keeping patriarchal values to maintain a sense of control in a society. That is when the scissors come to play, symbolizing the potential liberation and growth that can happen if society were to act against patriarchal norms.

Allan Johnson explains how it is our stagnant and bystander behavior that allows these norms to remain in place and that society has a chance at this liberation if there exists a willingness, despite backlash that one may receive, to embrace and act for change. Even so, this would take a considerably large effort from society to eliminate what’s been in place for many years. I suppose this is why the tree in this snapshot is only at a sprouting state in comparison to its roots. Going back to the topic of branches, it is not easy to specify which categories are impacted within a patriarchal society but there is one that puzzles me. That would be the male experience within a patriarchal and their awareness, or lack of, this existing matter. If a male is aware that they cannot express the emotions that a woman is expected to express, despite both being human and knowing that emotions are natural occurrences, would that not motivate men to end this norm set in place by patriarchal values? After all, that is their silent battle. Something else that constantly seems to puzzle me is women’s degradation of one another, women who actively participate in the reinforcement of patriarchal values. Society is in a constant loop of oppression and there are cases in which some actively participate due to fear for several reasons. These situations reflect Audre Lorde quoted text, one should not pick and choose because one does not have the power of doing so, unless one does not directly experience any form of oppression from these values.