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3 pages/≈825 words
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MLA
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Literature & Language
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English (U.S.)
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Ancillary #3: New Perspectives on Feminism
Essay Instructions:
Ancillary Assignment #3:
Use the questions below to guide a thoughtful response to bel hooks’ essay, “Feminism and Class Power.” Your essay should be three pages long, not including the works cited page. You are expected to use standard, academic English, and follow MLA guidelines in formatting. As always, be sure to mention the title of the work to which you are responding, the author, and the main thesis of the text in the first paragraph.
Be sure to state your own position, or thesis, in the first paragraph as well. The goal is to present a coherent essay with a clear statement of your perception of hooks’ essay. After stating your general argument in the introductory paragraph, use the rest of the essay to support your position, making sure that you deal carefully with each of the issues the author raises in subsequent paragraphs.
- What is does the author have to say on her topic? What arguments does she use? What examples does she rely on to make a case for her point of view?
- Is she credible? Why?
- Does she use rhetorical devices to shape her argument? Which ones stand out to you?
- The essay is actually a chapter in hooks’ book, Class Matters, published in 2000. In what ways does the author agree or clash with contemporary views of women and feminism? Does she add any interesting twists to the conversation?
- Are there unique or unusual qualities to the author’s language/writing style/perspective that are of interest?
- What can, or should, readers take away from this essay? How did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all? Did the text communicate with you? Why or why not? Give examples of how your views might have changed or been strengthened (or perhaps, of why the text failed to convince you, the way it is). Please do not write "I agree with everything the author wrote," since everybody disagrees about something, even if it is a tiny point. Use quotes to illustrate your points of challenge, where you were persuaded, or where the text left you cold.
- How well does hooks address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world? How does it address things that are important to your family, your community, your ethnic group, to people of your economic or social class or background, or your faith tradition? If not, who does or did the text serve? Did it pass the "Who cares?" test? Use quotes to illustrate.
- Reading and writing "critically" does not mean the same thing as "criticizing," in everyday language. Your critical essay can be positive and praise the text if possible, as well as pointing out problems, disagreements and shortcomings.
- How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art? Use quotes or examples to illustrate the quality of the text as art or entertainment. Of course, be aware that some texts are not meant to be entertainment or art--a news report or textbook, for instance, may be neither entertaining nor artistic, but may still be important and successful.
Remember:
1.) When quoting or citing from sources, use MLA formatting.
2.) Be very careful to avoid plagiarism. Do not use words or ideas from the internet, from any publication, or from the work of another student without citing the source. Also, if you use more than three words in a row from any source, including the document you’re writing about, those words must be enclosed in quotation marks.
3.) Please staple your papers in the upper left hand corner.
4.) Your essay should be drawn from a close, careful reading of the text. Of course you can use appropriate background information from the textbook and class lectures, but you should use most of your space to discuss the text.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Name
Instructor
Subject
Date
New Perspectives on Feminism in Bell Hooks' “Feminism and Class Powerâ€
When people hear or talk about feminism, they usually conceive images of selfless female activists fighting for gender equality and recognition of the rights of women in the society. Personally, I imagine groups of successful career women and female academicians fighting to create more space in the private and public spheres for their fellow underprivileged womenfolk. I imagine a group of assertive women who, having fought their way up the social ladder in a male dominated society, are committed to help their womenfolk overcome the challenges of male chauvinism, sexism, classism, and gender discrimination that keeps them under the oppression of patriarchal domination. However, Bell Hooks' essay “Feminism and Class Power†paints a significantly different picture. Hooks' essay argues that feminism was inspired and supported by privileged high society women who were dissatisfied with the passive domestic roles they played in their married lives. Their ultimate goal was not opposing gender discrimination, but using it as a means to achieving their self-interests, which were centered on gaining access to the same economic power as the men in their privileged social class. This essay argues that although feminism has helped expand the opportunities available for women by pushing for social reforms aimed at ending gender discrimination in all spheres of life, it (feminism) is still an elitist movement that achieves little for the working class women. Like in its earlier days when it was “a white woman thing†(Hooks 107), feminism is not a collective class struggle, but an upper-class affair that is dominated by career women interested in gaining more economic and political power.
The most outstanding argument that the author makes on her topic is that “It was not gender discrimination nor sexist oppression†that had kept the privileged women at home, but the fact that given their lack of special skills, they could have only performed unskilled labor roles and earned low wages like the rest of the working class masses (Hooks 102). This perspective clashes with contemporary views of women and feminism by denying the role that patriarchy and unequal gender relations played in limiting the advancement of women in society. It also changed my opinion regarding the fundamental reasons that inspired feminism. The author suggests that the feminist movement was not originally inspired by genuine reasons of gender inequalities, but a ploy by dissatisfied upper class women to turn their limited access to economic power (which was expected given their low education levels), into a gender issue (Evans 38). It is surprising, as one would expect under the circumstances, that they did not advocate for better access to education to improve their chances in the job market. The willingness of high-class women to do low-level jobs appears to be submission to male domination rather than a protest against patriarchy and gender discrimination. However, the strategy of politicizing their situation worked by making gender inequality a political issue that attracted media attention, and consequently brought gender issues into public conversations.
One unusual perspective by the author is the idea that patriarchy unwittingly fueled the feminist movement by resisting attempts by the few women who were willing to do jobs that were far below their educational level just to escape from their “imprisonment†at home. The attempts by upper-class husbands to deny their wives the opportunity to do work meant for the low-class masses turned the simple matter of a desire to work outside the home “into an issue of gender discrimination†(Hooks 102). It is at this point that the author adds an interesting twist to the conversation on feminism. The assertion suggests that the desire by high-society husbands to “domesticate†their wives was the excuse that rebellious privileged women needed to transform gender discrimination from a class struggle affair into a political issue. The twist here is the author's interpretation of the real issues that inspired feminism. Hooks seems to be of the opinion that feminism came into being not because it aimed to liberate women in general, but because high-class women were not content to just sit at home and wait for their husban...
Instructor
Subject
Date
New Perspectives on Feminism in Bell Hooks' “Feminism and Class Powerâ€
When people hear or talk about feminism, they usually conceive images of selfless female activists fighting for gender equality and recognition of the rights of women in the society. Personally, I imagine groups of successful career women and female academicians fighting to create more space in the private and public spheres for their fellow underprivileged womenfolk. I imagine a group of assertive women who, having fought their way up the social ladder in a male dominated society, are committed to help their womenfolk overcome the challenges of male chauvinism, sexism, classism, and gender discrimination that keeps them under the oppression of patriarchal domination. However, Bell Hooks' essay “Feminism and Class Power†paints a significantly different picture. Hooks' essay argues that feminism was inspired and supported by privileged high society women who were dissatisfied with the passive domestic roles they played in their married lives. Their ultimate goal was not opposing gender discrimination, but using it as a means to achieving their self-interests, which were centered on gaining access to the same economic power as the men in their privileged social class. This essay argues that although feminism has helped expand the opportunities available for women by pushing for social reforms aimed at ending gender discrimination in all spheres of life, it (feminism) is still an elitist movement that achieves little for the working class women. Like in its earlier days when it was “a white woman thing†(Hooks 107), feminism is not a collective class struggle, but an upper-class affair that is dominated by career women interested in gaining more economic and political power.
The most outstanding argument that the author makes on her topic is that “It was not gender discrimination nor sexist oppression†that had kept the privileged women at home, but the fact that given their lack of special skills, they could have only performed unskilled labor roles and earned low wages like the rest of the working class masses (Hooks 102). This perspective clashes with contemporary views of women and feminism by denying the role that patriarchy and unequal gender relations played in limiting the advancement of women in society. It also changed my opinion regarding the fundamental reasons that inspired feminism. The author suggests that the feminist movement was not originally inspired by genuine reasons of gender inequalities, but a ploy by dissatisfied upper class women to turn their limited access to economic power (which was expected given their low education levels), into a gender issue (Evans 38). It is surprising, as one would expect under the circumstances, that they did not advocate for better access to education to improve their chances in the job market. The willingness of high-class women to do low-level jobs appears to be submission to male domination rather than a protest against patriarchy and gender discrimination. However, the strategy of politicizing their situation worked by making gender inequality a political issue that attracted media attention, and consequently brought gender issues into public conversations.
One unusual perspective by the author is the idea that patriarchy unwittingly fueled the feminist movement by resisting attempts by the few women who were willing to do jobs that were far below their educational level just to escape from their “imprisonment†at home. The attempts by upper-class husbands to deny their wives the opportunity to do work meant for the low-class masses turned the simple matter of a desire to work outside the home “into an issue of gender discrimination†(Hooks 102). It is at this point that the author adds an interesting twist to the conversation on feminism. The assertion suggests that the desire by high-society husbands to “domesticate†their wives was the excuse that rebellious privileged women needed to transform gender discrimination from a class struggle affair into a political issue. The twist here is the author's interpretation of the real issues that inspired feminism. Hooks seems to be of the opinion that feminism came into being not because it aimed to liberate women in general, but because high-class women were not content to just sit at home and wait for their husban...
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