Course: ENG 201 Spring 2022 with Prof. Perry

Writing as Activism

After reading the writing as activism, it is clear that writing is a form of activism. This is shown in the written word, and it is used as a platform to express the empowerment of other vulnerable groups and transform society (Britannica, np). The book depicts different types of activism that humanity faces today, and this kind of writing should be made available in the present day. When such writing is used in the future, it will help to keep the history and promote the form of activism. Empowerment of the society, especially women and vulnerable populations such as those living with a disability, can benefit from such writings. ThisThis means that when we read from the literature, we help and have the behavior change.

Marxist Criticism

Marxist criticism is mainly concerned with class differences, economic disparities, and their impacts and complications on the financial system. In his writing, he uses the type of writing called the material dialect (Dexter, np). This implies that what describes the change is the economic base of the society. Also, he explains that those people who are oppressed suffer, and they form revolutions to channel their interests. The writing supports that the educational system was crippled, and women were given pressure to become good wives in society. They were put at homes to take care of the children. In some cases, the conservative harassed the Christian missionaries since they advocated for providing better education to women. Social standing is also a challenging measure since when women grow old, they get married and live under strict rules, and they do not have the power to make crucial decisions in the family. 

Feminism in Ichiyo 

It reflects the badass women in Japanese history. It outlines how women were given bad things in Japanese culture. The writing suggests the revision of the crippled education since the education system only provided the only six years of teaching for girls compared to boys (Lab, np). The writing also outlines different social standing where things usually did not go well for women compared to men, struggle for the young girl, tragedy, and separate ways. The author of the writing outlines that women are sidelined in different aspects of life economically, socially, psychologically, and politically; they are marginalized and defined based on their weaknesses. It supports that if biology understands sex, culture plays a pivotal role in shaping gender roles. 

Armand 

The writing describes the antidote to the poison of racial abstraction, which destroys Desiree’s baby. It outlines the strength of personal relationships, which inhibits dehumanization and impersonal categorization. It also defines the act of racism within the community, which is determined by human traits and capacities (Repositorio, np). Also, some tragedies can make the ladies vulnerable. For example, being left by the husband and the head of the family to take care of everything makes them under a lot of depression and thus affecting their health. It supports that racial differences also produce the inheritance superiority of a given race. As well, the writer describes the inequality of the systems. Therefore such writings should be encouraged since they will inspire women to be responsible and promote gender equality between men and women.

Chopin 

Bambara’s influence on her writing was developed in New York City. He was influenced by Pan African activities, Muslims, and communists in the city, mainly from jazz music. He edited a collection of different short stories. Some of the stories are built when he traveled to Communists Cuba, where he conducted research on women and booked several appointments (Cornett, np). He was more focused on writings about political and social change and television production. Therefore the goal of literary criticism and feminist theory work hand in hand to change the view of society on marginalizing the women gender, and they should focus on promoting gender inequality. It is also essential since gender issues play a critical role in both experience and production of the literature used by society. 

Work Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Higuchi Ichiyō”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Nov. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Higuchi-Ichiyo. Accessed 4 April 2022.

Cornett, Doug. “Big Picture, Small Picture: Context For Toni Cade Bambara’S Gorilla, My Love”. Blog.Pshares.Org, 2022, https://blog.pshares.org/big-picture-small-picture-context-for-toni-cade-bambaras-gorilla-my-love/.

Dexter, Kristen. “Higuchi Ichiyō: Badass Women In Japanese History”. Tofugu, 2022, https://www.tofugu.com/japan/higuchi-ichiyo/.

Lab, Purdue. “Feminist Criticism // Purdue Writing Lab”. Purdue Writing Lab, 2022, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/feminist_criticism.html.

Repositorio.Ufsc.Br, 2022, https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/132722/Desirees_Baby_%28Kate_Chopin_1893%29.docx.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.