In Search Of Our Mothers Garde
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens - Alice Walker
When the poet Jean Toomer walked through the South in the early twenties, he discovered a curious thing: black women whose spirituality was so intense, so deep, so unconscious, they were themselves unaware of the richness they held. They stumbled blindly through their lives: creatures so abused and mutilated in body, so dimmed and confused by pain, that they considered themselves unworthy even of hope. In the selfless abstractions their bodies became to the men who used them, they became more than �sexual objects,� more even than mere women: they became �Saints.� Instead of being perceived as whole persons, their bodies became shrines: ...
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tasks of cooking, sewing, and growing food, tasks on which their survival depended, these women found a way to express the yearnings of the soul for hope and beauty, as well as the desire to be remembered. Unable to read and to write their own stories, these generations of mothers and grandmothers, their own lives became their greatest work of art.
Walker explores the theories and practices of feminists and feminism, incorporating what she calls the "womanist" tradition of black women. She proposes questions that invite the reader to respond with feeling. First, she discusses a touchy subject, being used as a sexual object. The color of our skin, direction of our lives, experiences as a male or female, knowledge of suffering, prejudice and sanity will all affect how we respond to her writing. This response could be confusion, shock, or even outrage.
Second, she presents questions that will affect woman in particular, especially black women. She draws a vivid picture ...
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In Search Of Our Mothers Garde. (2007, April 22). Retrieved December 1, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/In-Search-Of-Our-Mothers-Garde/63717
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"In Search Of Our Mothers Garde." Essayworld.com. April 22, 2007. Accessed December 1, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/In-Search-Of-Our-Mothers-Garde/63717.
"In Search Of Our Mothers Garde." Essayworld.com. April 22, 2007. Accessed December 1, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/In-Search-Of-Our-Mothers-Garde/63717.
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