Women

The Why

The Feminist Lens appeals to me because of my previous experience researching gender inequality and the current / past status of women globally. I recently wrote a 25-page research paper on gender inequality and was able to fully analyze the major gaps between countries’ outlooks on women and men. I got to read about the women whose voices have been silenced or amplified, and was deeply fascinated to discover women that have overcome the prejudice and sexism of their time period / country.

Throughout history, men and women have been subject to gender roles. It is hard to believe that only around 100 years ago women were first given the right to vote in the United States. I believe we still have many more hurdles to overcome, some regarding political action (ex. equal pay, and equal representation), and others regarding psychological improvements (ex. distancing ourselves from the judgmental labels often attached to women and men) in the US. Globally, there are places where it seems that they are still stuck in the Middle Ages; polygamy, domestic violence, under-age marriage, etc. are openly tolerated (this may have to do with the state of government and the people in power, part of the Marxist Lens). I believe that men and women should be treated equally and be judged based on their talents, ideas, and experiences instead of their sex. No matter where a woman lives, she should be treated with the same respect and dignity as her male peers.

I almost went with the New Historical Lens, as you can analyze various topics. You could incorporate the status of women and look at the economic background of a novel under this lens. However, I wanted to focus more on the feminist lens because of my prior knowledge on the subject. I look forward to reading Beloved and finding out how my personal lens differs from the lens I chose. Since it is a novel following an African American woman in the 1870s whose past is riddled with despair, turmoil, and injustice, I believe I will find lots of passages to explore and draw connections from.