Critique Of 'When We Dead Awaken' By Adrienne Rich.
Feminism is too often thought of by the men of the younger generation ( as well as some of the women ) mainly as an excuse for male-bashing; as a way for women to take credit for what they didn't work for, to make us, as men, appear evil as well as stupid, incapable of making a decision without consulting our genitalia.in short, to present the male as barely worthy of contempt and the female as superior in every way. Obviously, this closed-minded view of the movement is no more accurate than the narrow-minded stereotypes held therein. Feminist criticism certainly has a place in modern literature, both as a critique of the old ideologies as well as a discipline unto itself. Unfortunately, at times critics can go so far with an argument they come full circle, presenting the same argument on the other side. When this occurs, the general public is let off the hook, so to speak, from actually considering the merits of the ideals being presented due to the bias of the presenter. For example, a black man cannot hope to eradicate racism by claiming whites are actually inferior; it is a self-defeating exercise. This is where the uneducated masses find support for their shortsighted stereotypes.
While Adrienne Rich, an obviously gifted and passionate writer, raises a number of compellingly valid and accurate points concerning the plight of the feminist writer and the injustices suffered at the hands of a male-dominated society, I believe she overshoots her mark. In presenting her arguments for the strength, resolve and worthiness of women, she often falls into patterns of generalization, vilification, and, worst of all, dehumanization, towards men.