Eve's Apology in Defense of Women

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In the poem, "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" by Amelia Lanier the author decides to bring up the topic of Adam and Eve's sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge in the beginning of time which is what caused sin to enter the world. Amelia Lanier takes a strong stand against discrimination of women which she shows throughout the poem. Lanier composed this literary work during the time of the Renaissance which was a time where the people based their whole life on the Bible and based their attitude towards women from the creation story and blamed women for everything. Although men dominated society during this time, that didn't stop Amelia Lanier from stating her views loud and clear on women and how it wasn't Eve's fault at all and even shifts the blame from Adam to God throughout the course of the poem. In Amelia Lanier's, "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" she uses a very well known story from the Bible in an effort to defend all women from the discrimination and accusations they face and to get the point across that men and women should be equal.
Lanier argues that when Eve offered Adam the apple after she took a bite from it, it was an act of love. "Not Eve, whose fault was only too much love, Which made her give this present to her Dear, That what she tasted, he likewise might prove, Whereby his knowledge might become more clear" (Lanier 801-804). Eve was easily tempted because she was created from the bones of Adam so she was imperfect from the moment she was created unlike Adam. During the time of the Renaissance, it was argued by many that Eve was at fault because she was the one who persuaded Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, but Lanier reverses this argument in her writing. "But surely Adam can not be excused, Her f...

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...r breath" (Lanier 780-784). She basically questions why God allowed the serpent to be in the garden in the first place so it was God's fault because it was a mistake on his behalf.
Amelia Lanier boldly tackles the topic of discrimination towards women and has been making an impact through her writing since the time of the Renaissance until today. As I read Lanier's heartfelt poem, I could feel her frustration towards all of the injustice she faced as a woman and I have come to respect her not only as a writer, but as a person. Her perspective on how women should be treated is explained with clear examples that come straight from the Word of God without contrasting what it says, but rather looking at it in a new light and taking the blame off of Eve for the fall of humanity ultimately causing death for humans and leaving an imprint on women as the root of all evil.

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