"Feminist" Writers

     Throughout the English 06B class I am in, we have studied works that could be considered "feminist." In Christina Rossetti's poem "Goblin Market," and Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party," there are common themes surrounding women and their roles and value in society. From Watching the TEDx video, "We should all be feminists," featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it is clear that she fits in with the likes of Rossetti and Mansfield with her commentary on the female value and role in society.

    In "Goblin Market," Rossetti relies heavily on the use of symbolism to expose what navigating through society is like for a woman. Rossetti gives a feminine perspective of society, and how males view women, and Adichie talks about a similar concept. In the video, she talks about how women are raised to be good wives, and mentions that they are praised for virginity, but for men, it does not matter whether or not they are virgins. This can relate to the sexual undertones in Rossetti's poem, suggesting the only value men give to women is either as a wife and mother, or as a sex worker. Adichie argues that women have much more value in an ever changing world than what men give them.

    While Mansfield's "The Garden Party," focuses more on class distinction, she does also address some of the issues of women in society, most notably regarding age. The main character, Laura, is ignored by her mother when she pleads to cancel the party because their neighbor died, not only because of class distinction, but also because her mother views her as nothing more than an ignorant child. Age is also a topic Adichie addresses in her talk. She mentions how once unmarried women reach a certain age, they are thought of as failures for not being able to find a husband. On a similar note, women are also often ignored when around men, simply because they are women, much like how Laura was ignored by her mother, simply because she is young. 

    Adichie is a feminist, who honestly cares about the equity and wellbeing of women in a world that no longer requires brute strength to survive in. Her focus is to change the way people view women, much like the feminist writers of the past.

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