In the article “Oppression,” Marilyn Frye, Frye discusses how a birdcage symbolizes the systematic oppression of women, which means that women are consistently in the cage as well as people of color, LGBT, and disabled individuals. Frye believes women have been oppressed for some time without realizing it. The thought of men holding the door is like keeping something against women. My mother raised her boys to hold the door and do the heavy lifting around the home because, ultimately, men are more potent than women. When I read the article, it made me feel as though she was analyzing the thoughts of men, women, and people of ethnic groups and backgrounds. Suffering can be a feeling that we all can relate to, mental or physical suffering. We see oppression when we are discriminated against by our skin color, being a woman, or not being heterosexual. I can’t entirely agree with Frye about men not being oppressed. I believe men have been oppressed as well. Men are shown to be hard workers; they typically are not allowed to show emotions because they look weak. After all, they are men, and the thought of expecting the most out of them is because they are the primary breadwinners of the household.
In the article “White Privilege,” Peggy McIntosh Peggy speaks about “As a white person, I realize that I have been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see ones of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.” Peggy conveys that being white puts her right on top of everything without doing anything. She is straightforward about her feelings and explains that white privilege is like how males are not taught about male privilege. The division is between white and non-white people. More people should read this article because she is true to herself and her power as a white woman. As for people of color, everything comes so much more difficult.
