Beginnings
In the 1960s, the second wave of feminism began and one major goal was to raise society’s consciousness of the struggles of women. The goals of feminists were largely carried out in university classrooms. Specifically, in the composition classroom, some claimed that the way writing was taught largely favored male writers. Female writers, struggling to strive, felt as if they were not intellectuals (Howe). The task at hand then was to learn how to teach composition to women. Some claimed that women implicitly write differently than men, and that men tended to write in the dominant, most oft taught style.
Mary P. Hiatt argues that the terms “masculine” and “feminine” are applied to styles of writing–that of men and women, respectively–but, instead of describing the style, what is actually described is the male views on both men and women. Her examples include “strong,” “rational,” and “logical” for men, and “emotional,” “hysterical,” and “silly” for women. Thus, the aim of feminism in composition studies was to create a classroom in which women perceived themselves intellectually and in which their voices were relevant in what some feminists perceive to be an androcentric world.
Read more about this topic: Feminist Theory In Composition Studies
Famous quotes containing the word beginnings:
“When the beginnings of self-destruction enter the heart it seems no bigger than a grain of sand.”
—John Cheever (1912–1982)
“The beginnings of altruism can be seen in children as early as the age of two. How then can we be so concerned that they count by the age of three, read by four, and walk with their hands across the overhead parallel bars by five, and not be concerned that they act with kindness to others?”
—Neil Kurshan (20th century)
“[Many artists], even the greatest ones, are not sure of their own existence. So they search for proof, they judge, they condemn. It strengthens them, it is the beginnings of existence. They are alone!”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)