Feminism in Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Feminism in Literature - Essay Example Men had more rights, and it seemed to be the most natural thing. The term "feminism" generally meant "the qualities of females during the mid-1800s. (Sally Haslanger; Topics in Feminism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) But in a way, it sort of distinguished women from men and may have led some women to start comparing the rights and roles attributed to both. After the First International Women's Conference in Paris in 1892, the term "feminism" came to mean "the belief in and advocacy of equal rights for women based on the idea of the equality of the sexes." (Sally Haslanger; Topics in Feminism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) "On the wave model, the struggle to achieve basic political rights during the period from the mid-19th century until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 counts as 'First Wave' feminism. Feminism waned between the two world wars, to be 'revived' in the late 1960s and early 1970s as 'Second Wave' feminism. In this second wave, feminists pushed beyond the early quest for political rights to fight for greater equality across the board, e.g., in education, the workplace, and at home. More recent transformations of feminism have resulted in a 'Third Wave'. Third Wave feminists often critique Second Wave feminism for its lack of attention to the difference among women due to race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, and emphasize 'identity' as a site of gender struggle." (Sally Haslanger; Topics in Feminism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) No doubt, feminism was meant to be founded and rallied for by women - it was just a question of which age in the history of the world it was destined to finally be started. No doubt, women were destined to know there is more to life that what it had to offer them during the dark ages when the world was mostly the men's world. A.2 The Major Issues and Concerns of Feminism There have been many published definitions of feminism, and there have been varying causes that feminism, as represented by different groups of women, has lobbied for. One general statement about feminism goes as follows: "Feminism is both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in all forms." (Sally Haslanger; Topics in Feminism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Justice for women, though, cannot always be easily determined - because women do not always compose one unified and solid group. This is because of the many varieties and differences that can be used as divisions - this can be both good and bad. When done in a logical and organized way that is accepted by everybody as binding and fair, then the further formation of small groups within the whole all-encompassing group would have meant strength in terms of unity and solidarity in the face of many issues and problems of the society. Feminism may be deemed as simply protecting the interests of women or fighting for their equal rights with men. "However, there are many different kinds of feminism. Feminists disagree about what feminism consists in, and what exactly ought to be done about it; they disagree about what it means to be a woman or a man and