Audre Lorde's The New Misandry

Feminism promotes gender equality, not misandry. Feminism wants to protect the men that are told they need to be emotionless robots with extremely “buff” bodies. Feminism wants to protect the people who are neither male nor female who aren’t represented in media or anywhere in society. Feminism wants to protect people of all genders from the ridiculous standards society sets for them. In the end, we are all just people. The fact that we are constantly told we have to do and say and act like this, that, and whatever other thing simply because of our gender is (in my opinion) completely

Technology has changed people’s communication greatly. Technology hurts human communication because it separates bonds, and people don’t know how to do face to face talking anymore.

Has the criminal justice system always been unfair to minorities? Lauryn Hill, a famous songwriter talks about several things that opened the eyes of citizens everywhere across this nation in her album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. In her song, “Mystery of Iniquity” she exposes the unjust court system and how everyone plays a part. The word iniquity means immoral unfair behavior. In the song Lauryn is trying to understand the meaning of the unfair behavior by the criminal justice system. She released this album in 2001, and she was not wrong for publicizing her views on this masterpiece of an album. We tend to forget that under President Clinton’s term, he enforced the 3 strikes and you're out policy, which placed more African American men in person for using crack cocaine than ever before. In the early 2000s, African Americans made up nearly 80% of a prison's population due to the federal crack cocaine laws and they also served more time in prison for drug offenses than their white counterparts. However, during this time period more than 67% (⅔) of crack cocaine users were either white or Hispanic.

In a world where vapid bubble-gum pop songs garner the most Youtube hits, radio requests, and overall attention from today’s youth, it is shocking to think that a pop music icon could release such a thought-provoking song. Contrary to the quintessential 21st century radio hits, Rihanna’s 2008 single entitled “Disturbia” challenges listeners to look beyond captivating beats and an irrefutably alluring hook. Beneath the rhythmically appealing instrumentals lies a series of ominous lyrics that would assuredly frighten the listeners if they comprehended these lines on a deeper level. The speaker explores themes of mental illness and Hollywood infamy and employs a desperate tone that begs the listener for assistance.

The poem “No Country for Black Boys” by Joy Priest represents the sorrowful incident which happened on February 26, 2012 for Trayvon Martin in Florida. Trayvon Martin was an innocent African-American young boy who bought iced tea and some skittles. On the way back to his father’s home, he got shot by the neighborhood watch and treated as a victim because of his skin color. Guilt was not defined by what Martin did but by what he said, also it determined something deep-rooted in the young age. No weapon was needed to identify him as a victim. He is a young black boy, so he is already guilty enough to be killed. Black people have the same rights as the other people, however in reality, America’s society discriminates against them compared to other nationalities.

Young adult literature such as The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, emphasizes teenagers using both their actions and their voices to overcome injustices such as racial inequality and police brutality. Racial inequality and police brutality is discussed greatly throughout The Hate U Give, due to the difficulties the protagonist, Starr Carter, endures when her best friend, Khalil, is killed because of him being African American and situated in an unsafe neighborhood. Starr embraces an inner conflict with herself in regards to speaking up and taking action against the presented injustices she constantly faces. The author, Laura M. Robinson, of Girlness and Guyness: Gender Trouble in Young Adult Literature thoroughly explains why adolescents are

“Something More” by Tracey Moffatt is a formal and stylistic experimentation photography and her work draws on the history of cinema, art and photography as well as popular culture and her own childhood memories and fantasies. Themes such as struggles between individuals, childhood cruelties in suburban life, the toughness of life on the ‘frontier’, the subversion of stereotypes and relations between black and white Australians are apparent in her works. There is a strong implication of narrative: a young woman dreams of leaving her isolated home for the big city, but never makes it. However, Moffatt does this in such a way that the story still remains enigmatic and open for interpretation.

The 4th of July is recognized as the historical anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; the day when the British colonist became Americans. With the country’s new independence, the country experienced new freedoms which it never had before. Therefore, when one reads Audre Lorde’s essay “The Fourth of July”, one would think it is about freedom or how the day is represented as a historic anniversary for independence in the United States. However, Lorde described an appalling summer in 1947 that first exposed her to racism, unfair practices, and inequality in the nation’s capital. The United States has always been a predominantly white nation and the introduction of African Americans as slaves exacerbated the integration of African Americans in society after the Emancipation Proclamation. Audre Lorde 's essay explores the meaning of independence by exposing the irony of her trip to Washington, D.C; with specificity and detail, she highlights the contrast between the country 's vague ideas about "Independence" and the daily reality of living in a racist country as a black person.

Loneliness is a complex and usually an unpleasant emotional response to isolation as well as separation; it is a product of the lack of contact experienced with another individual. Moreover, it includes anxious feelings due to the absence of connection or communication with other beings, both in the present and extending into the future. Some describe it as emptiness or hollowness inside of one’s being. In the narrative The Bloody Chamber (1979), Angela Carter’s characters deal with the emotion of loneliness by taking action and intervening through any circumstances. In contrast, in Zadie Smith’s Hanwell in Hell (2004) the main characters Clive and Hanwell deal with loneliness simply through hope. While over twenty years apart, these two narratives explore how an individual deals with the notion of loneliness through the use of the colour red, the symbolism in animals, and the condition of blindness. However, Carter illustrates the refusal of the protagonist to simply accept any circumstances; but the interference in any situation. On the other hand, Smith demonstrates the acceptance and balance of the existing situation at hand through hope.

When people think about the 4th of July, most Americans can say it was the day the Declaration of Independence was signed and with that declaration came their independence. With independence comes freedoms such as the pursuit of happiness, a promise of equality and so forth. Therefore, when one reads Audre Lorde’s essay “The Fourth of July”, one would think it is about freedom or how the day is represented as a historic anniversary for independence in the United States. However, Lorde describes an appalling summer in 1947 that exposed her to racism, unfair practices, and inequality in the nation’s capital, which brought about a revelation that not everyone had the freedoms that were promised on the 4th of July. Audre Lorde’s essay explores the meaning of independence by exposing her trip to Washington D.C. and revealing how Independence Day is a mockery to Lorde and her family because factors such as racism limited their freedom which contrasts the meaning of independence.

When we think of the color white we think of purity or innocence, for the child in the poem it was something far more than that. The color white gave her a sense of freedom and hope it was a way for her to be part of the society. The “white lies” were lies that would not help anyone but her. She used it as a scapegoat to get away from her heritage that she didn’t want to accept. In a society where they consider white to be acceptable any bi-racial child would want to forget their other half. Instead of embracing this fact that she is neither black nor white she lies about the fact that she is bi- racial. Natasha Tretheway uses double entente and irony to express the theme of childhood innocence and the struggle to find her identity in America.

Barbara Perry’s article “Doing Gender and Doing Gender Inappropriately” addresses violence and gender, and how gender is influenced through the way it is perceived in society. The construction of gender comes in polar extremes, with masculine dominant men and feminine subordinate women. Gendered violence is used to control women as a class. It is a systematic tool used by men to reinforce gender norms and patriarchal ideas of masculine superiority and feminine inferiority. It “terrorizes the collective by victimizing the individual”. Like any dichotomy, it has scripts, and to deviate from these scripts will leave you labeled as ‘unnatural’ and ‘immoral’. These scripts “constrain everything from modes of dress and social roles to ways of expressing emotion and sexual desire”. In Judith Lorber’s “A World Without Gender” we are introduced to the possibility of eliminating gender and how “degendering [would] undercut the patriarchal and oppressive structure of Western Societies”.

There are, in fact, feminists hate men, and it is a fact that nobody can hide. Surprised to hear that of me? It is true and there is no reason to ignore it; just look around the internet. You do not have to look very long to find examples of "feminists" who hate men. But there is a difference between a feminist and a misandrist. A misandrist is a person with hatred for men and a feminist is "a person who believes that people should have fair places in society regardless of gender." Some so-called "feminists" may be the misandrists but do not know the definition of the two therefore calling themselves

“An Unknown Girl” by Moniza Alvi is a free verse poem about the author’s experience getting her hand hennaed in an Indian bazaar. Throughout the poem, Alvi makes use of structure techniques like end-stopped lines, occasional rhymes, language, imagery, and changes in tone to explore different aspects of the concept of identity.

Throughout the history of the world, patriarchy has been rooted into the very essence of our lives, shaping our thoughts and actions. Patriarchy is present in virtually every society and unfortunately is the underlying problem to most violence in the world, particularly violence towards women. Patriarchy exemplifies the misogyny that has been ever-present since probably the beginning of every society. Whether it is discrimination towards women, lack of equal rights, or