Revision In Adrienne Rich's essay "When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-vision", the author writes about her personal experience as a woman writer in a male dominated society. Her essay consists of poems, which she had written throughout different times in her life, to demonstrate the transformation in her writing. As a woman writer in a male dominated society, Rich begins writing in the traditional style, "the man's way," but as she continues writing, Rich breaks from these traditional styles to form her own. Like Freire, Rich believes people should break from society and be able to think and question things for themselves. While Freire wants to change the educational system, Rich wants to change writing. Both Freire and Rich want to break from the traditional ways of the past. Rich believes that women need to break from the enduring attitudes of traditions which society has placed upon them.
rich in one of his poses
Rich prepares to rock Stump
Rich and Poor Serving InequalityRich is upset with the limitations placed on women in society, particularly in marriage. It is for this reason that the themes of many of Rich's poems are advice for women to live life for themselves, listening only to what their hearts tell them. The three poems "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law" and "Planetarium" are analyzed to demonstrate the changes in Rich's way of writing.
Rich wrote "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" in 1951, while she was a student. At this time in her life she conforms to tradition in her writing, and tries not to identify herself as a female poet. Rich does not identify herself as a female poet by detaching herself from her character and allowing her character to accept the life that man has placed upon woman. Rich's writing is constrained by man because she allows her character to be oppressed by man...