The Double Bind Marilyn Frye Analysis

i.
What passage did you find interesting/meaningful? Why? (Please quote the
passage)

The passage discussing the double bind was interesting. It is as follows: “The mundane experience of the oppressed provides another clue. One of the most characteristic and ubiquitous features of the world as experienced by oppressed people is the double bind – situations in which options are reduced to a very few and all of them expose one to penalty, censure or deprivation.” (pg.2).
I chose this passage, because I personally believe, the double bind is a factor to take into consideration when an individual has the belief they are oppressed. The double bind occurs when individuals are placed in situations where there will always be a consequence to follow, regardless of their decision.

It was mentioned earlier in the essay, the word ‘oppressed’ has been used in the wrong context for many years.

This is done sometimes in an attempt for pity, or individuals not knowing or understanding what oppression is. Therefore, I found Marilyn Frye’s definition of the double bind to be an interesting concept.

ii.
Was there an idea or concept in the reading that you understood but someone else in the class might not? Explain the idea or concept as if you were explaining it to someone who did not understand.

When Frye brokedown the word ‘Press’, she mentioned, “...barriers which are so related to each other that jointly they restrain, restrict or prevent the thing’s motion or mobility.” She then went on to use the birdcage analogy. This analogy explains, we simply cannot view just one aspect of oppression, because there are many.
This concept ties into the topic of intersectionality. Individuals can be oppressed to due many factors, which include: gender identity, race, sexual orientation, class, and a number of other factors.
iii.
Quote a passage that you did not quite understand (or that completely confused

you)

“One must look at the barrier or force and answer certain questions about it. Who constructs and maintains it? Whose interest are served by its existence? Is it part of a structure which tends to confine, reduce, and immobilize some group? Is the individual a member of the confined group?” (pg. 14).
I was confused by this quote, because Frye initially discussed how the word ‘oppression’ is used in the wrong context. For an individual to answer these questions, it is easy for them to misinterpret life events, and automatically assume they are oppressed.