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Post by Admin on Jan 4, 2016 13:14:47 GMT -5
Part 1 discusses pages 1-25, up to the part where she says "And this is how to start: We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently".
An interesting theme that runs through the first part of the book is that she continually makes references to what feminism is not. She does this using a lot of examples from her own life, when people, knowing that she was a feminist, assigned certain characteristics to her because of that label, even though she did not feel they were true. What do you think was the most important point she made about what feminism is not? When have you been in a similar situation? Do you think she was wrong about any of her characterizations?
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Post by Prerana on Jan 5, 2016 16:00:50 GMT -5
The first 25 pages were quite interesting. Chimamanda rightly points out the unfortunate circumstances girls face as a result of their gender. It is unfortunate that feminists need to defend their worth to an audience who refuses to learn more about what feminism really means. Furthermore, it is unfortunate that there are still individuals who fail to understand what feminism truly means. Chimamanda says that what we must raise our boys differently, which I wholeheartedly agree with. However, I also believe that it is important to make our younger citizens aware of these issues at a younger age. When we teach children the importance of equality at a younger age, we can hope that they understand the importance of feminism when they are older.
I will also add, I found myself highly intrigued when the author wrote about her anecdotes in Africa. I appreciated how she separates the nuances between feminism in the US and feminism in Africa. Obviously, this book should not be used to African society but I never considered how feminism might be different in other countries. The anecdotes provided something intimate.
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Post by schmidty on Jan 5, 2016 17:56:45 GMT -5
It is always interesting to understand the differences of various labels through different societies. Much like in the United States where Liberal and Conservative can be viewed negatively through the antagonist views of each, the term feminism and feminist can be viewed negatively by those on the other side or even just by outsiders. In Iran, for example, there are two separate groups that label themselves "feminist" just with different agendas. The first 25 pages did well to show her own anecdotes and lead the reader to become interested in what her specific definition of the word may be.
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Post by Gwendolyn on Jan 6, 2016 18:56:30 GMT -5
Page 19... "These are little things, but sometimes its the little things that sting the most."
The detail in which she talks about the aggressions towards here I think are described particularly well. These micro-agressien are a common in our "post racial" and "post sexist" society. These acts were not seen as overtly sexist to the person, many of whom I am sure if she had asked would have said they were not sexist, yet they ignored how the authors sex deeply impacted the way in which she was treated. The hotel she talked about only assume that women were sex workers, and never questioned a man if he was walking into the hotel to receive (let alone preform) a paid sexual act. While the author was talking about thing that were specially happening to her as a woman in Nigeria, the same manner in which the micro-aggressions took place can be seen in the ways in which those who are non christian, non white, and/or non male are treated in many first world nations. Teaching women from a young age not to get rapes, instead of teaching men and women both not to rape. This would not only deal with the problem of victim blaming but it would also address the issue that women can rape too, and that men can be victims, and that rape is not just a heterosexual problem. It is small little nuances like this that are brought out of we think more widely about what the author is talking about when she says that it is not just the big things like when a woman is raped, but it is also the small things concerning the language. It is in how we talk about things, and to other people.
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Post by Admin on Jan 8, 2016 18:13:20 GMT -5
One of the things that stayed with me after I read the first part of this book was when she spoke about the role of anger in shaping her own views of feminism and how she communicated her goals for society with others. In many of her anecdotes, she often expressed how upset she was by the unfair treatment, but she included a cautionary note about how that anger can often be perceived. As women, it is hard for us to be angry. When we express our anger, it can have an extremely negative effect on the social perception of our femininity. As a result, many women, myself included, are reluctant to express anger, and often translate it into a more acceptable emotion; sadness, frustration, or disappointment. While female children are discouraged from expressing anger and aggressiveness, male children are often encouraged to engage in such behaviors, be it on the sports field, in the classroom, or when they are roughhousing with their friends. In doing so, men have a powerful tool at their disposal, when employed correctly. Not only does anger get attention and have high shock value that can get other people to act quickly, it is also a highly relatable emotion, one of the most recognizable, even to young children. Chimamanda emphasizes how necessary anger is to feminism. She reminds us that feeling this way in response to inequality is normal, and we need to be honest when we are representing the impact of an unequal society on our everyday lives. Not only can anger be a powerful tool to break through the habit of inequality that is evident everywhere in society, but the very act of reclaiming anger can be a victory.
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