Challenging Patriarchy: Feminist Reading in Select Poems of Adrienne Rich

Abstract

This paper examines the feminism of Adrienne Rich, focusing on how she subverts patriarchal ideas and themes in a few of her poems. Rich's criticism of gender roles, power relationships, and the repressive aspects of patriarchy can be found by looking at her poetry through feminist lens. Rich effectively promotes gender equality by challenging patriarchal norms through the use of language, imagery, and poetic methods.Rich's poems under study are: ‘‘Tear Gas’’, ‘‘Paula Becker to Clara Westhoff’’, ‘‘Snapshot of a Daughter in – Law’’, ‘‘Diving into the Wreck’’ ‘‘Power’’, and ‘‘Rape’’.The shape as well as themes of Rich's poetry prove a new style of American writing poetry. Rich refuses the rule that is put by male on female writing because she wants to express her voice and dream. Rich fights the patriarchy that is imposed on women and represses them for ages. Women are oppressed and their rights are violated by males society.Rich has used her poetry to defend women and has released them from the oppression of patriarchal society . She dares to write as a woman. Rich Introduces herself as a female who suffers in a patriarchal society. Rich is aware limited of language to transferring woman's voices, so she searched for an efficient device to transfer the experience and suffering of women.