3. According to the author, in Chapter 1, "Black Women - Shaping Feminist Theory," what were black feminists initially trying to do in the feminist movement?

4. What can happen to women in light of the social views about their gender?

5. How does the author describe the family in "Western society"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Does the author mention different branches of the feminist movement in Chapter Eight, and if so what kind of relationship do they have?

2. How does the author discuss feminists views on housework?

3. In Chapter Eight, "Educating Women - A Feminist Agenda," what does the author encourage black women to do regarding education and academic work?

4. What doe the author mean when she says that black women have no "institutionalized other."

5. What differences and similarities does the author see between black men and white men?

6. Does the author encourage a particular attitude towards manifesting change?

7. Do early feminists beliefs about violence support traditional patriarchal concepts of gender?

8. Why is educating women a "feminist agenda," as the title to Chapter Eight suggests?

9. What is the author's view of feminism as a social movement in the Preface to the First Edition (1984)? What kind of movement does it need to be and why?

10. Describe the author's views of how modern western cultures deal with the process of change.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Essay on Ch. 7: Women and work.

From the beginning of the feminist movement, work has been an important issue in feminism. In this paper you will discuss early feminist views of work, as well as the idea of a gendered division of labor (e.g. housework as women's work, and therefore as devalued).

1) Describe traditional beliefs about work and gender. What kind of work was seen as men's work and what kind of work was seen as women's work? Do we still see these ideas reflected in contemporary society?

2) Quoting the text, discuss early feminist views of housework and of work outside the home. Does the rejection of housework by women reflect society's devaluation of so-called "women's work."

3) What is the author's critique of this early view, e.g. how is the early feminist idealization of work outside the home connected to traditional beliefs about success?

4) How can changing attitudes about work in and outside of the home assist in addressing the imbalances perpetuated by traditional, gender-biased beliefs?

Essay Topic 2

Essay on Ch. 2, 3, and 10: Parenting.

Compare the author's discussion of the family in Ch. 2 and 3 with her discussion on revolutionary parenting in Ch. 10.

1) What is the author's thesis?

2) How can the family as a unit reproduce patriarchal ideas? E.g., how does sexism affect the family structure?

3) What role does feminism play in redefining family?

4) How can the idea of the family be reformulated so as to transform traditional models and ideas about motherhood?

Essay Topic 3

Essay on the two Prefaces, Ch. 12, and the book as a unit: Personal review of the book.

In the two Prefaces, the author introduces the notion of revolutionary feminism. She explains what it is and why U.S. feminism has not created revolutionary change. The author reintroduces the term in Ch. 12.

1) Review the homework in which you discussed the term "revolutionary." Has your understanding of the author's definition of revolutionary feminism expanded after reading the book? How?

2) Do you feel that the book itself is revolutionary?

3) Do you see any areas of the book that seem contradictory?

4) Does the book ultimately achieve its objective of being accessible to everyone?

5) Does society still need books such as this one to provide a "guiding light" for social change?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,064 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample