"Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History"
This is a quote that has circled the globe and become cliche among posters and bumper stickers. But I find it also works well with what Adrienne Rich has to say about the women she knows and her message in her writings. Here she mentions the modest means by which she was raised: "my sister, mother, and I--were constantly urged to speak quietly in public, to dress without ostentation, to repress all vividness or spontaneity" (p. 231). They were taught at an early age that women should be kept quiet and behave well. This is exactly the type of thing Adrienne Rich has a problem with, women need to be more expressive of themselves, assertive and become active, equal members of society. Otherwise their potential to contribute, to "make history" is lost and submitted in the male-dominated world. whatever passions, hobbies, skills and ideas any woman has deserves to be displayed and recognized. I think today women obviously have felt freer and more independent, but there is always room to continue. it's like the gap between paychecks for men and women and why men make so much more. They say because women aren't assertive enough as one excuse. Well, apparently "well behaved", quiet women never get a pay raise either. You have to speak up for what you want...to make history...to express yourself and become a free individual.
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3 comments:
I nominate this blog post. I think that Alex has hit the nail on the head, and I would even argue that this point is Rich's overall thesis to this collection of works. She even relates it to women writers, saying that the day has come for the truly phenomenal woman writers to compose works which are free of that (old) paralyzing notion of submission, which makes them censor their work and not be their true selves. Only in their most true state will they actually change the world... for the better.
I nominate this as post of the week. I agree with a lot of what Alex says, and wrote similar things about this topic in my blog. Although this cliche quote has some truth to it. I think it also true for men, not in the sense that well behaved men do not get noticed, but rather that ill behaved men get noticed. We always hear about the bad guys in history.
I nominate this post because I agree with Christina, the quote does seem to sum up everything she is saying in her book. All her life she struggled to fit not only her father's ideas, but also her society's standards. she was never noticed until she decided to be herself. That's what made her such an important writer.
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