Quilting - The Feminist Dynamic of Lucille Clifton

1687 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women's status in Christianity

The Feminist Dynamic of Lucille Clifton

Quilting bees were occasions for women to gather bringing discarded scraps of material, which they masterfully transformed, into works of art. The bee was also a social gathering where women told tales, exchanged ideas, and encouraged one another. Lucille Clifton's collection of poetry entitled Quilting continues the wonderful tradition by skillfully bringing together poems that entertain, inform, and encourage. Two of Clifton's poems, "eve's version" and "a woman who loves," are excellent examples of the quilting process where material is re-worked to reveal a perspective that is female. The poem, "eve's version" defies the negative issues that have arisen from the Christian tradition of the fall of mankind. The present female condition is addressed in the poem, "a woman who loves." Women have been blatantly marginalized in our society and a reading of these Clifton works offers a description of how feminist power has been subverted to construct the inequality of power that is entrenched in our patriarchal culture.

The ancient Greeks attributed the power of love and procreation to women. The goddess Aphrodite exemplifies their knowledge of this fundamental power. Christian doctrine subverts female power by aligning Eve, the original woman, with the fall of man. The power that is life producing is tainted because it is suggested that Lucifer was able to control Eve by manipulating her power. The resulting Christian premise is that Eve must be protected because she is unable to resist the forces of evil. Eve's garden experience resulted in punishment subjecting her to the rule of her husband. It therefore becomes God's will that men should dominate women so that evil can be con...

... middle of paper ...

...a woman who loves" because Clifton has given her a pattern for success in her offering of "eve's version." She provides direction to those women who are locked behind windows and lack the vision necessary to see beyond the view that society has presented to them. The direction affords the possibility of telling their own story from their own unique point of view. Women are also given the responsibility for providing an honest allocation of power in today's richly diverse culture. Lucille Clifton 's quilting bee gathers the feminist dynamic that has been altered and dispersed and reworks it into a garment which makes this powerful force available to all women. These quilts can be displayed to tell the story or they can be used to offer warmth and security.

Work Cited

Clifton, Lucille. quilting poems 1987-1990. Rochester, New York: BOA Editions Ltd., 1991.

Show More
Related

  • The Manhattan Project : A Research Project

    1563 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...had hit him. Before they found out, they were hit again . on August 9 the fat man was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. It had looked as if the enemy was finally ready to surrender. the Hiroshima bombing became and remains one of the most controversial episodes in American history.

    Read More

  • Sweet Lullllaby Of World Music Case Study

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because of this, though, the globalization of a song can be seen as detractor to the value of the song 's original use or purpose as there is an essential loss of identity for the song when it is utilized for purposes that stand in contrast to the personal value that it originally possessed. This article is essential in understanding global pop music and the relationship that it has with various forms of music because of the introduction of this discussion that it poses. Feld illustrates many of the reasons behind this development and the causes as to why this phenomenon

    Read More

  • The Symbolism of the Handmade Quilt in Everyday Use by Alice Walker

    284 Words  | 1 Pages

    In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, two sisters want the handmade quilt that is a symbol of the family heritage. Alice Expresses what her feeling are about her heritage through this story. It means everything to her. Something such as a quilt that was hand made makes it special. Only dedication and years of work can represent a quilt.

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wallpaper and A Doll’s House

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    In society, there has always been a gap between men and women. Women are generally expected to be homebodies, and seen as inferior to their husbands. The man is always correct, as he is more educated, and a woman must respect the man as they provide for the woman’s life. During the Victorian Era, women were very accommodating to fit the “house wife” stereotype. Women were to be a representation of love, purity and family; abandoning this stereotype would be seen as churlish living and a depredation of family status. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Henry Isben’s play A Doll's House depict women in the Victorian Era who were very much menial to their husbands. Nora Helmer, the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” both prove that living in complete inferiority to others is unhealthy as one must live for them self. However, attempts to obtain such desired freedom during the Victorian Era only end in complications.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness and Feminism in The Yellow Wall-Paper

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author of the short story The Yellow Wall-Paper, wrote a story with a focus on mental illness; while doing so she began a feminist revolution in the late 19th century. The narrator, Jane, is attempting to break free from society’s patriarchal ideals and begins to carve a path for women of the future. While the narrator of the story may not have fully escaped, her efforts mark an act of martyrdom for women’s rights and freedom during this era.

    Read More

  • Women in Sport: “Sacrificing the womanly attributes we admire”

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    We are all familiar with the creation story in Genesis of the Bible—a rib was taken from Adam (man) in order to create Eve (woman). Did this set the tone for women’s submissive role in society? History shows us that this is not true, since women dating as far back as the 6th century had power and were taken seriously. Strong women, such as Perpetua of Carthage, used their faith as a means of helping others and asserting their power in a male-dominated culture. As the years went on, though, women experienced a loss of power and control. A woman’s worth was directly associated with h...

    Read More

  • Understanding Race And Diversity In The Native American Culture

    1830 Words  | 4 Pages

    There is a historic museum that explores the diversity of Native Americans. The National Museum of The American Indian is located in New York, NY. Also, visiting Native American heritage sites is another way to learn know about their culture. For example, the Custer Battlefield Museum located in Garryowen, Montana contains the most famous photos of people and place of American West. Overall, there’s so much to learn about their culture other than their land was taken from them. Native American is an important culture that we should learn about. I find it interesting because it tells me more what our country has been

    Read More

  • 'Everyday Use And My Mother Pieced Quilts'

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    Heritage in a family can be preserved in many different ways. Be it a diary written by your great great grandpa or a pot your grandma passed on to your mum who passed it on to you, nothing compares to the great comfort in understanding ones heritage especially when it involves the deep love and devotion of a strong mother. In the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both authors use imagery and figurative language to establish a quilt as a symbol for a mothers love of her children to illustrate their themes.

    Read More

  • College Athletic Programs Undermine Academics

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    The impact of college athletic programs on academics has always been a controversial and contentious topic. It seems that athletic programs have some contemplative effects on academics of colleges and universities. Different people have different ideas about how college athletic programs should be carried on. College presidents, administrations, student athletes, parents of students, and athletic trainers are along with these people who point out different facts about the fallouts of athletics on academics. A bunch of people suggest that athletic programs should be dropped from college system, while another group suggests that athletic programs should be taken care with more advertence. An analysis on the effects of college athletics on academics has two personal approaches: college athletics undermine academics, and athletics amplify academic experience.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Religion

    463 Words  | 1 Pages

    To further explain, Cecil L. Franklin states that throughout the history of the Christian religion, Scripture has used and promoted by many individuals. Unfortunately, a handful of people have been misinterpreting Scripture and have been manipulating what the Bible truly states. In causation, women have been portrayed on both positive and negative roles. The problem arises when those who are interpreting and teaching Scripture, educate solely on the negative

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Quilt In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, is written in manner to inspire the reader to show them how deep some family traditions can go. Walker, in her writings, tend to talk about issues that she had experienced in her life, and being an African American, she has learned the value of certain things in her life that her parents and grandparents had taught her. The quilt is so important to Dee because it is something that tells a story of the previous generation; the quilt actually consists of pieces of material that the family once used. The issue of the quilt also sets the mood for the story. It helps the reader to understand the deep rooted power simple things can have when it comes to family relations. All this helps explains

    Read More

  • Catholicism and Oppression of Women

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first story in the bible, which is the creation of everything, is the main source of justification for the oppression in woman in the church. The passage tells the story that God created all animals, implying that He created male and female animals; however when creating humans, this was not the case. God created man in the image of God but did not create woman at the same time nor in the same way. God felt that man was alone and it is not suitable for him not to have a mate (Genesis 2:18), so God created women. God created man by taking clay from the earth and breathing life into him (Genesis 2:7), however when creating woman he took one of Adam’s ribs and formed it with flesh (Genesis 2:22). Adam then say...

    Read More

  • The Position of Women in Religious Scripture

    1664 Words  | 4 Pages

    With these interpretations of God’s words, society as a whole has held women back. This is caused by the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and because Eve gave Adam the fruit, women have been held in responsibility for all of man’s mistakes. It also forced God to punish mankind with an ending life. This confirms why women have been discriminated on by men throughout time in religious scripture.

    Read More

  • Daisy's Love In The Great Gatsby

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daisy’s original impression of Gatsby is evident in her early letters to him, “...he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself- that he was fully able to take care of her” (149). Daisy loved Gatsby under the false hope that they belonged to the same social class. She grew up surrounded by riches, never working a day in her life, and she could not comprehend the struggles of a man who must work for the food he eats each day. Daisy knew that she must marry when she is beautiful, for being a beautiful rich girl of good social standing was her highest commodity and most valuable chip in marrying well. In order to live a secure life, she had to find someone the had the means to provide for her extravagant lifestyle, and the deep care for her that would allow Daisy to do as she pleased. The only definition of love Daisy knew was one of disillusioned power and commitments under false pretenses in order to keep the wealthy continually rich. Daisy acknowledges the false pretenses of marriage for the wealthy in how she describes her daughter’s future. She tells Nick, “‘And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this

    Read More

  • Exodus And Genesis Analysis

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the creation, Eve was creating from “the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man” (Genesis 2). From this context one can see that this society believes that males were created first and women are created from men. The writer of the creation also makes the women seem like the ignorant one since she is the one that is tricked by the snake to consume the forbidden fruit. Thus, we start to see a society that belittle women. This is confirm when God punish Even by stating, “yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3). Furthermore, this line directly tells all readers that the wife is submissive to the husband and the husband has control over his wife. The key component of Genesis is that it gives a religious reasoning to why women are less superior to men. Genesis tells the Hebrew society that women are not equal to men because they are made from men, therefore, they have to be controlled by their husband or else they will get tricked like Eve. This time period uses religion to give reasoning to certain societal

    Read More

More about Quilting - The Feminist Dynamic of Lucille Clifton

Open Document