Poems about sexism confront the pervasive issue of gender discrimination, exposing the biases and injustices women and marginalized genders face. These poems present the extensive impact of gendered oppression through the voices of those who have experienced sexism, underlining their struggles, trauma, rage, and fightback amidst the norms of patriarchal society.
Through evocative language, they emphasize the extent of violence and oppression and call for empathy, understanding, and collective action to dismantle the sexist expectations and patriarchal entrapments that limit, suppress, and degrade individuals based on their gender.
Simultaneously, these poems make the readers aware of the pronounced and far-reaching adverse impact of gendered norms and expectations, empowering them with the knowledge to advocate and support change and foster a world that embraces diversity and inclusivity, allowing each individual to bloom equally.
‘Barbie Doll’ by Marge Piercy shows the absurd ideals demanded of young girls and the consequences of those gendered expectations.
The poem brings out the sexist stereotypes that pressure women to look and behave a certain way, causing immense psychological trauma. The protagonist was made to feel bad about her body since childhood and advised to mold herself into the sexist gendered expectations as the lines suggest - 'She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.' Moreover, the gendered taboos made her apologetic for her positive attributes such as intelligence, health, strong arms, and back. In the end, entrapped in the sexist outlook, she dies while trying to achieve unrealistic standards of beauty nurtured by the male gaze.
‘Her Kind’ by Anne Sexton celebrates brave women who value freedom and fearlessly break away from patriarchal norms.
The speaker enlists women with different personalities who stand outside the set patriarchal standards, thus transgressing the sexist norms. The first woman breaks the household boundary and ventures into the darkness of the night bravely, while the second woman rejects domesticity and family life. The last woman 'is not ashamed to die' and prefers the punishment of burning at the stake instead of following the sexist rules. Additionally, 'Her Kind' underlines female solidarity as all the women are not alone, but there are other women of their kind too; notably, the speaker states after every woman's description that - 'I have been her kind.'
‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath uses emotional, and sometimes, painful metaphors to depict the poet’s opinion of her father and other men in her life.
In 'Daddy,' Plath sheds light on the oppressive and sexist parenting women receive. By extension, she pounces on her husband and larger discriminatory power relations between men and women with rage erupting from sexist suppression. Even after his death, the speaker's father exerted psychological domination due to the trauma of oppression from which she tried to liberate herself. The poem also reflects on the sexist manipulation of women wherein they are manipulated to suffer and become sacrificial angels, as evident in lines- 'Every woman adores a Fascist, The boot in the face, the brute.' Nonetheless, Plath vehemently celebrates her liberation, stating, 'Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.'
‘The friend’ by Marge Piercy explores an abusive relationship in which the woman is subjugated by her selfish partner.
Piercy's 'The Friend' is a powerful poem exploring the dark romantic relationships with sexist partners that exploit women. It sheds a critical light on the gendered norms that mold women into submissive and sacrificial angels. The speaker's partner doesn't care for her and only seeks to satisfy his vanity, exerting control. The speaker in the poem agrees even to chop off her hands for her exploitative partner while saying - 'I love you.' The bare show of a woman's love in the face of her abuse exposes the patriarchal society that manipulates women into being sacrificial angels, responsible for loving and keeping the relationship intact.
Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market,’ narrates the fantastical tale of Laura and Lizzie, delving into sin, redemption, and sisterhood.
In a folk-tale style narrative presentation, Rossetti challenges the ages-old sexist narratives of patriarchal societies wherein transgressive or the 'fallen' women declared witches are often punished with death. In the poem, Laura transgresses the societal rules and eats Goblins' fruits and is expected to meet death like a woman Jeanie earlier did. However, her sister Lizzie saves her life by fighting the vicious Goblins and bringing the fruit to her sister to save her life. By saving Laura, Rossetti undoes the punishment given to the witches historically or fallen women during the Victorian era and even in many works of literature with the 'fallen woman' trope. Moreover, she presents the strength of sisterhood and unity as the sisters undo the pathetic end written for women by sexist rulers of society.
‘Medusa’ by Carol Ann Duffy reinterprets and retells the myth of Medusa with a feminist lens in a modern setting.
Carol Ann Duffy's 'Medusa' is a feminist reinterpretation of the classical mythological gorgon monster Medusa. It critiques the stereotypical and sexist representation of women historically declared witches and monsters in the phallocentric society. In this poem, the Medusa-like protagonist transforms into a monster due to the anguish and trauma given by her disloyal husband as she talks about his betrayal - 'which turned the hairs on my head to filthy snakes/ as though my thoughts/ hissed and spat on my scalp.' It accentuates the oppression suffered by women by underlining the cruelty of the husband with lines like, 'And here you come/ with a shield for a heart/ and a sword for a tongue.'
A suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy
grew in my mind,
which turned the hairs on my head to filthy snakes,
‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning is a well-known dramatic monologue. It suggests that the speaker has killed his wife and will soon do the same to the next.
The poem explores women's objectification and oppression in a patriarchal society through the figure of a narcissistic and sexist duke. The duke in the poem narrates the story of his last duchess, whom he murdered or instead punished for not obliging to his desires. The sexist duke wanted to control the duchess and her smile as if she were an object or his toy. Since the duchess didn't alter her freedom, satisfying his male ego, he took away her life. He then controls her story as she is 'alive' only in her portrait now, lacking agency and freedom as the duke narrates her story and character according to his whims.
This poem delves into death, rebirth, and the endurance of suffering, drawing parallels to the biblical figure of Lazarus.
The poem interweaves the reality of patriarchal control and sexism within the primary thematics of disturbed psyche and suicide. The speaker highlights her oppression and objectification as a woman through various metaphors; for instance, she says she is her enemy's 'gold baby.' She seeks agency in death because she has no control over her life in the male-dominated society. Nonetheless, her oppressors don't even let her die and continuously bring her back to life, asserting their authority.
This section of ‘The Merchant’s Tale’ by Geoffrey Chaucer establishes January’s impossible expectations of a wife and his own shortcomings.
This poem features sexism as a prominent theme, as the poet highlights the unfairness of early modern society through the characters of the Merchant and January. In this section, January establishes his unreasonable standards for women, which men could not fulfill either. Women are dehumanized and objectified throughout the poem, depicted as a means for sexual gratification and nothing more. They are not allowed to be discerning about their future husbands, but are expected to be perfect themselves.
‘Still I Rise’ is an inspiring and emotional poem that’s based around Maya Angelou’s experiences as a Black woman in America. It encourages readers to love themselves fully and persevere in the face of every hardship.
'Still I Rise' is part of Angelou's feminist collection 'Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women.' The poem is a tale of a black woman's resilience, strength, and courage in the face of sexism and discrimination. The speaker confronts her oppressors with a confrontational tone, asserting that she'll keep rising against the obstacles planted in her path. The speaker's defiance of sexism and patriarchal outlook is evident in lines like 'Does my sassiness upset you?/ Why are you beset with gloom? 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells/ Pumping in my living room.'
‘Medusa’ by Louise Bogan describes an encounter the speaker has with the eyes of Medusa and the eternal results of that meeting.
Louise Bogan's 'Medusa' is often interpreted as a feminist reinterpretation of the classical myth of Medusa. Bogan's Medusa isn't mean and monstrous; instead, it reminds of the Gorgoneion mask used as a powerful symbol in ancient temples, which Armetis also used in her battle shield. The lines like 'The end will never brighten it more than this' suggest the appropriation of Medusa's head after her death, indicating her murder and subjugation.
‘Penelope’ contrasts the realities women and men have historically experienced during wars to asks questions about what bravery means.
Penelope has to endure as much, if not more, than her husband, Odysseus, during the twenty years that he is gone. While he is being feasted and sleeping with immortal goddesses, she is forced to wait for him and endure his absence in silence. Parker's poem exposes the blatant sexism in the original story.
‘Advice to Women’ by Eunice de Souza is a clever poem that suggests women should own a cat in order to understand relationships.
In 'Advice to Women,' Eunice offers ways for women 'to die alone' as all women have to 'cope with the otherness of lovers.' Eunice's critique of sexism is not a furious rhetoric; instead, she subtly exposes the extent of its oppression by presenting its impact on women's intensely private lives. By suggesting women learn from a cat to cope with loneliness, she exposes the patriarchal society's male partners busy in their outside world, alienating women.
‘The Merchant’s Tale’ by Geoffrey Chaucer features January’s quest for a wife and the Merchant’s satirical views on marriage.
Although the latter parts of this poem are dedicated to telling the story of January and May, the first section of 'The Merchant's Tale' is overrun with the Merchant's sexist ramblings. In this monologue, he implemnts satire to hide the overt sexism, but is unable to hide his unconditional hatred of women. Throughout the poem, he regards them as disobedient, unfaithful, and useless. He regards them as no more than servants to their husbands.
Plath’s ‘Mushrooms’ uses a creative metaphor of mushrooms to represent the struggle of marginalized sections, widely interpreted to be women.
It is often considered that mushrooms represent women and the sexist discrimination they face, as Plath has frequently expressed women's marginalization while sharing her own gendered experiences in her poems. The mushroom's exploitation and behavioral expectations, such as 'Bland-mannered,' meekness, voicelessness, and invisibility, resonate with the sexist suppression and expectations of women as the patriarchal society traps them into a domestic femininity, against which the gradual yet firm women's voice was growing during Plath's time as they started claiming their space in public and private like mushrooms.
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