When We Dead Awaken

A detailed Summary of When We Dead Awaken

Rich uses many poems in her essay as examples of change in her writing. Some of which include: "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law," and "Planetarium." There are also many examples used in his "Sources" page. All of these poems add up toward the main goal of Rich's, which is pointed toward the aims of education. "The poems also talk about the people who helped her to reimagine her situation as a women and a poet, and about the work that she had to do on her own (Bartholomae, Petrosky, 802)."

"Re-vision-the act of looking back, of seeing with fresh eyes, of entering an old text from a new critical direction-is for women more than a chapter in cultural history: it is an act of survival (Bartholomae, Petrosky 629)." In Rich's case, she is looking back and pointing out how it was just a given that the women stayed at home and took care of the kids while the father got and a job and supported the family. In turn, when he came home he expected a fresh meal on the table after a long day of work. Rich states, "We need to know the writing of the past, and know it differently then we have ever known it; not to pass on a tradition but to break its hold over us. (Bartholomae,

Rich plays the role of the teacher in the essay by educating us with revision, non- revision, and the equaling out of roles that women have received throughout the past few years. At one point in the essay she states, "I wanted women poets to be the equals of men (Bartholomae, Petrosky 632)." The reader is the student because Rich is informing us with the knowledge of Re-Vision and the progress women have made throughout the years to be treated more equal. Rich also writes about the different journeys that women have been through to receive more equality. What a statement she made when she said, "I am aware of the women who are not here with us today because they are washing dishes, looking after the children, and women who sat out on the streets last night in order to feed their children (Bartholomae, Petrosky 631)." They have to act more masculine than not to balance it out.

Petrosky 629)." By saying this, Rich means that we should not totally reverse the roles but even them out. Make it so the men and the women do and equal part and get rid of the stereo type that the women stays home all day and takes care of the kid and cleans the house. In today's society, there are a lot of cases where the couple has just had a baby and the man stays at home with it and the women goes out and works at her beneficial job and supports the family. The roles between men and women haven't totally evened out. Although if you ask any man or women they will tell you things have come a long way since the early days. Rich pointed it out to the reader that "The dynamic between a political vision and the demand for a fresh vision of literature is clear: without a growing feminist movement, the first inroads of feminist scholarship could not have been made (Bartholomae, Petrosky 628)." This basically means that women have taken a stand and gained more equality and rights from it, yet they still have a long way to go. In my opinion, it's great that in today's world a man can sit at home with the baby while the women goes out and busts her butt. It is a stereotype that has gone away in

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Approximate Word count = 1406
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English