Women are powerful! Their voices echo loud and clear through the
written word. Literature throughout the ages lets us hear them.
Read books, poetry - learn their stories, touch their grace,
feel their power.
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Much has been written about women and women's issues throughout
the ages - by women themselves, and about women by men. Books
and poems about women’s mastery and mystery, their beauty and
perceived lack of it, the ties that bind them to good men, the
lies that bind them to bad men. Millions of words have been
written about women's tight-knit bonds with other women, their
co-dependency on men, the wondrous bliss and fulfillment of
being a new mother. Writers throughout the ages have turned
ordinary women into legends, pariahs, or superheroes being
equally vilified, vindicated, or honored in their society for
their perceived weakness, overcoming the odds, or simply because
they are beautiful.
Significant works of literature by women like Germaine Greer,
who authored a ground-breaking and controversial book called The
Female Eunuch in 1970, echo still within the hearts, minds, and
sexuality of many women over fifty. This one work was so
compelling and controversial that the women of the time were
confronted with an 'in your face' force that propelled them
beyond any place they otherwise would have more comfortably
inhabited. Some of them embraced the message and passed the
passion down to their daughters. Anti-feminist critics accused
Greer of being a bitter man-hater. Some feminists accused her of
catering to men and castigating women for the sexual
disabilities of society.
Many women did indeed rise to the challenge of that rallying cry
way back then to break free, to empower themselves! It was
called 'women's lib' in those days. But, here we are more than
half way through the first decade of the 21st century and women
have a considerable journey ahead. Still women must persist and
strive for that peaceful place where their accomplishments are
recognized and ultimately their needs are met - where their
souls, spirit, and value as human beings are defined by
themselves and no one else.
Today, with the women's liberation movement almost entirely
demobilized, women's lives are actually getting harder. Social
services are de-funded, wages and working conditions are eroded,
and women once again are working round the clock, on the job and
at home. Ironically, Greer's most recent book, The Whole Woman,
documents this new turn and angrily refutes the claim of some
feminists that women have achieved their liberation. She states:
"Fake equality is leading women into double jeopardy. The
rhetoric of equality is being used in the name of political
correctness to mask the hammering that women are taking. When
The Female Eunuch was written our daughters were not cutting or
starving themselves. On every side speechless women endure
endless hardship, grief and pain, in a world system that creates
billions of losers for every handful of winners. It's time to
get angry again." Books such as this, whether you agree with
their message or not, will keep track and gauge women's
progress.
Women writers have given us bibles, road maps to navigate the
passages of time, how to turn roadblocks and detours into new
roads - they have told us how to avoid crashing. But, men too,
often with great sensitivity and understanding of their subject,
write perfectly eloquent treatise ode to women. Thus many poets
and authors have played a key role in advancing the society of
women. Others, sometimes unintentionally, have aided women's
regression. Others still, have elevated women to goddess and
queen who rules all, their mellifluous poems and stories an
unabashed celebration of WOMAN. Awestruck they have created for
women's hungry hearts and minds, female characters who like
birds on the wing, are fluid, magical, flash-dancing bolts of
warm liquid lightening whose very existence makes man's world go
'round. And writers from every age have felt compelled to
chronicle that sparkling, and ever so scary dance of love and
desire, that men and women either wickedly or heartfelt, engage
in every day of our lives.
Literature is the mirror that reflects our society. It is
unforgiving and completely accurate. Books and poetry have given
us an in-depth exploration of women and their journey, how they
fit into the complex tapestry of time - how far they have come,
and where they need to travel next. The written word teaches us
that mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and life partners
make rich contributions to their loved ones and to the world.
Through reading, we sense their power and become acutely aware
of the elegance they possess - even beyond their own imaginings.
Thousands of women throughout the world overcome adversity every
day, rise above their circumstances to create beauty, share
their boundless love, and lead the way for others. Literature
records it all. The essence of women resonates through the
poetry and stories of women themselves and those who love and
appreciate them. Ample proof that courage, strength,
perseverance, and vision can and do change laws, scare the hell
out of the powers that be, give children successful role models,
and ultimately make for a better world. Read the books, welcome
poetry into your soul, write your own story! Because sometimes,
putting it in writing is the only voice we have that can really
be heard.