Patriciah Wangui
Profesor Hélènon
Africana Studies Book Review
11/30/15
Feminism is for Everybody
Feminism is for Everybody: passionate politics is a book by bell hooks also known as Gloria Jean Watkins an American author, cultural critic, distinguished professor, feminist and social activist born in September 1952. She does a good job in the groundbreaking work on feminism and the feminism theory. Originally published in January of 2000, this book of nineteen chapters is an easy read for anyone who is new to the word feminism or generally wants to gain a better understanding of feminism basic principles and ideas it brings forth. Also it introduces bell hooks writings and ideas to a person interested in reading her other books.
Beginning her career due to the frustrations of the lack of interest in race issues, bell hooks in this text provides a passionate account of the struggles, challenges and endeavors faced by the women in the feminism movement. Bell provides some of her personal experience in the book to support her ideas. For example how and why she become a feminist, who
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One of the main points that the author is trying to pass across is that the main goal of feminism is to end all forms of sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression. In our world today and back then before our generation, it has always been a male-dominated kind of community where man has power over woman. The notion portrayed been that man is in control hence deserves better paying jobs, better privileges and opportunities etc. leads to what is known as Patriarchy. The author believes that in order to create a world free of sexism, exploitation and oppression is by men and women both believing in and fighting for the cause. Equality brings committed relationships, which are more lasting and healthy to the
bell hooks gains the power and credibility of her audience through knowledge of the topic at hand, establishing peace with the reader, and demonstrating honesty. Ethos shows an audience that the writer is credible, or expert in the subject of the agreement. bell hooks is widely known for being a writer, feminist thinker, and her academic background. She establishes her credentials through her personal struggles with understanding social class during adolescent. The reader gains respect for hooks as she takes the audience back to a time where they may have desired something, but never attained. For example she says, “As a child, [she] often wanted things money could buy that [her] parents could not afford and would not get”(hooks, 138). bell hooks writes to not only help others find strength to hold on to their desires, but to show how
Hooks’ monograph was written to inform people how feminism was not just for women, but also for men. For she illustrated her thesis in the introduction when she said, “Come closer and you will see: feminism is for everybody,” meaning that men and women should
Within the excerpts of writing Sheryl Sandberg and bell hooks offer us, their focal point is feminism. Although this is the case, their reasonings for being a feminist are quite different. Sandberg focuses on rising in the career field as a woman, and hooks argues against her writing because she has a narrow definition of being a feminist. There are strong arguments for either side as to which is more correct.
Through this book, the most important point she puts emphasis on is the acknowledgment of the complex interlocking of classism, racism and sexism. Bell Hooks is not a poor working-class any more,
In Feminism is for Everybody, hooks introduces a popular theory of feminism rooted in common sense and the wisdom of her own personal experience. In my opinion, hooks’ book is perfectly poised to become THE OFFICIAL “handbook” or “cliff notes” to feminism. Although it’s short, Feminism is for Everybody is powerful. It addresses all of the most prevalent issues facing the contemporary feminist movement, everything from where feminism stands, reproductive choice, beauty, violence, race, class, work, all the way to where feminism will go in the future. She uses simple, direct language to express complex issues. However, that is not to say that she “dumbs-down” such topics. Rather, she makes them more comprehensible to those not as familiar with feminism as a discipline. This book offers everyone (man or woman) a chance to explore feminism. It serves as an eye-opener to all those “would be” feminists who are afraid to label themselves as such for fear of being called a man hater or worse, a lesbian! She dispels these myths and others, forcing her audience
Feminism exists to give everyone the same opportunities and basic rights typically granted solely to straight, wealthy white males. Modern and early feminists alike fought for these rights and “while acknowledging these limitations (sexual orientation, race, and personality), both groups of peace workers recognized the significance of building identities for their respective communities through embracing principles of nonviolence and respect for diversity” (Pois). Feminism is a movement for those who are not born with everything handed to them, and for those who are forced to fight for everything they have. Anyone placed in a lesser position, seen as not meeting the expectations set before them, or otherwise disprivileged is represented through feminism. Feminists from each generation have aided in the development of women’s rights to create a better world for themselves and those around them.
The feminist movement of the 1960’s focused solely on the improvement and well- being of women. The idea of Feminism is a critical theory as it is an analytical examination of social conditions and what tools could be utilized to proactively improve these conditions. Overcoming the consistent barriers women had to endure during this era remains prevalent and continues to have psychological effects. In order to strengthen one’s mindset regarding feminism, we must first refer back and understand the intellectual history of the women’s movement and examine areas of how counseling can assist with overcoming these impediments. The Feminist philosophy is the philosophical dimension of intellectual feminism. Many philosophers understand their intellectual history and the history of the women's movement in terms of three "waves."
The goal of feminism as both a social movement and political movement is to make women and men equal not only culturally, but socially and legally. Even though there are various types of feminism that focus on different goals and issues, the ultimate end to feminism is abolishing gender inequality that has negative effects on women in our society. The issues and goals that a feminist may have are dependent on the social organization or the type of economic structure that is present. However, an ultimate end (a goal, achievement and/or accomplishment) would have to be social equality between men and women. This would mean the elimination of bias and discrimination towards women and the elimination
In the Feminist Theory, bell hooks provide vivid examples and assertions on how mainstream feminism exclude the issues of women of color. Mainstream feminism in America pertains to the ideals of “white, middle-class privileged woman” as they “reinforce white supremacy by negating the issue of race and class amongst woman of color” (hooks, 2000, pg. ). Due to not fulfilling the attempt to gain equality, as they may claim to do, it also can be an organization that displays “narcissism, insensitivity, sentimentality, and self-indulgence” (hooks, 2000, pg. 3). As mainstream feminism shuns the needs and interests of African-American women, it allows current social issues and inequalities to persist.
Referring to these two stories or titles Virginia Woolf and Bell Hooks, I found very interesting topics on how women struggle with many difficulties on how to become a writers or to have a voice. Meaning that women’s didn’t have a voice or to have that freedom to speak freely, because they were marginalized. We can see how in the title “bell hooks” pg. 72 it explained how she struggle in their early years growing up in a segregated South community, where she didn’t had that help or that understanding why she need it to speak or write. Also hooks create a journey to help other women’s that were downgraded that had been victims of sexiest and racist violence. I can say both essays covers a great understanding on feminists challenge life and the
bell hook is a famous feminist author who wrote the book “Feminism Is For Everybody” hooks attempt to create a quick, simple start on feminist history, theory, and politics to the masses who receive a misinformation, misunderstood, and maligned version of the feminist movement. Hooks says “To understand feminism it implies one has to necessarily understand sexism”.We define feminism as the advocacy of women 's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.Where she simply define and shows that being feminism does not mean women have to become mean or they are better than men,she simply saying that men and women need to be equal like the civil right movements. The book begins with a brief statement of feminist political positions, then discusses some history of the movement.She discusses the change in the movement from personal to groups where women have close relationships with one another and began to feel personally empowered by their participation in the establishment of large, and how some women feel like they are working for the high middle-class women.Every single time it doesn’t matter you a women or men, you will always have someone in the higher level than you.hooks feel like it will very exciting for the women who have the power to work with other so they could build each other up..Hooks views the formation of large women’s organizations as the beginning of a stage where the movement took on the role of
This statement interested me because it made me begin to think about how she would want to organize feminists around the world. If she believes that society will not accept an organization that is trying to start a transformation, then how will she go about taking action? It seems to me that a transformation is the eventual goal that hook would want to reach. My question to her would be, “what ideas do you have about how to go about reaching a goal through feminism that society is not willing to accept?” Throughout the reading I thoroughly agreed with what she was saying but this issue was the only one that seemed to be left open. This issue was one of the most important because it is the course feminism needs to take to reach the long term goal of social equality.
According to Hooks (2000) as cited in Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”. It is necessary to explain the different types of feminism that are present in society first. Freedman
For many years, women have aimed for gaining equality with men. They’re opportunities were taken away because of the fact that they were women. Overtime feminism has expanded and diversified in many different aspects including approach and priorities. The changes in them are result of many different social economic groups of women because of the various goals set for methods of creating change, which are implemented within the movement. The feminist movement has been trying to give equal rights to women who have been destitute of their equality and privileges that man have never given them. Feminism is beneficial to men, women, and their families because it is allowing everyone to have an equal opportunity in life to achieve all they can without any discrimination based on their sex.
Feminism can be defined as a recognition and critique of male supremacy combined with efforts to change it. Feminism The goals of feminism are: To demonstrate the importance of women To reveal that historically women have been subordinate to men To bring about gender equity.