claiming an education summary

Claiming an Education by Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich (1929-2012)

• American, poet, essayist, scholar, teacher, and feminist.
• She was a strong supporter of oppressed people or marginalized groups.
• She stood for the rights of women and sexual minority groups and brought the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of the poetry.
• She has participated in the Civil Rights Movement and anti-Vietnam war protests.
• The questioning of the patriarchal system and patriarchal assumptions are the essential themes in her early works.
• She was also a radical feminist and always criticized for her anti-male biased way of writing.
• She also was the one who openly acknowledged homosexuality.
• In her writing, she continuously questioned the traditional perceptions of the gender self and sexuality.
• In her controversial essay, Adrienne Rich, "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" she questioned the traditional concept of heterosexuality. And she confirmed that this is the root cause of the exploitation of women. In the essay, she explains women's sexuality and needs for lesbian relationships

Adrienne Rich Major Works

Poetry collections

1. Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law 1963
2. Leaflets (1969)
3. Diving into the Wreck
4. Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems 2007-2010 (2010)
5. Collected Early Poems: 1950-1970 (1993)
6. The Dream of a Common Language (1978)
7. An Atlas of the Difficult World: Poems 1988-1991 (1991),

 Prose works

1. Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations (2001) 
2. What is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics (1993).

Claiming an Education Analysis.

Claiming an Education is the convocation speech that she delivered at Douglass College, New Jersey, the US where she addresses graduate women students. In the speech, Adrienne Rich talked about the difference between receiving education and claiming education. In her speech, she demanded that education is not something reived from the offer, but something that is demanded because it is a right. In the essay, Adrienne Rich says that men and women have to demand and claim their education 

The essay Claiming an Education first appeared in the magazine, The Common Woman in 1977 later reprinted in her prose collection, On Lies, Secret, and Silence: Selected Prose (1966-1978).

This convocation speech, Claiming an Education, has two parts. In the first part, she talked about the students and their responsibility. and in the second part, she expressed some thoughts about teachers who teach in a women's college. 

In the first part of the essay, she wanted to talk to women students in the college. What she says is that you are here not for receiving an education but for claiming education. In the paragraph, Adrienne rich differentiates claiming education from receiving education. To claim means to become a rightful owner. Give means to get or given by someone. Education is something that is not given to anyone. Education is a right and anyone can demand it. 

Further Adrienne Rich talks about the weakness of University learning. The curriculum of the universities is made by men and the thoughts and experiences of women are excluded from it. The number of women members in the academic community is also very low when compared with the number of men. Recently there is an increase in the number of women students in every branch of learning,  but still, we can see very few numbers of female faculty in higher education and administrative positions.  She took an example from Douglass College itself. Douglass College is a women's college but it is administered and controlled by men. Another thing she reminded the students is that what you learn from universities is made by male subjectivity. It means what you are taught in the colleges is made based on the male experience, male history, the male idea of social relationships, the male concept of good and bad, and sickness and health. Male especially white men are the one who decides what to teach and what should not teach in Universities. 

Further, Adrienne Rich says that in earlier times blacks and minorities are not eligible to be human beings. Therefore they are excluded from scientific studies. Because of many reasons, the majority of women are not even conscious of their exclusion from science. Society believed that women are not eligible to be intellectuals. Further, she says that women are not even able to realize sexism in the field of science. Higher education also was not wide open for all women including white and middle-class women. Further Adrienne Rich says that women are always fed up with the books written by men and about them. She also gives examples of such books as The Descent of Man, Man and His Symbols, etc.

Further Adrienn Rich says that After the rebirth of the feminist movement, many students and teachers demanded to start women's studies courses that are directed and controlled by women. There was a backlash and budget cuts from the different corners of the society against women's studies. But still, women's studies grow by imparting more intellectual views about women's life, their history, and the female vision of human experiences. Apart from that, with the help of women's studies, women can critically analyze or evaluate what they heard and listen from the male.

Then, Adrienn Rich made a suggestion to Douglas women's college students that they can enroll in Women's studies courses. That can only enrich your experience. It only depends on you. You have to take responsibility for yourself or for yourself and your world. Each woman has to bring herself as a woman and fulfill responsibilities towards themselves. Responsibility towards others, like mother and wife, comes only in the second position. Adrienne Rich further says we are not supposed to accept the model of self-denying wife and mother, and intelligent women always deny or reject becoming more feminine. 

Now Adrienn Rich explains the meaning of 'responsibility. First of all, women have to fulfill responsibilities toward themselves. Adrienne Rich says that responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you. It means learning to use your own thoughts and brain instead of receiving thoughts and ideas from others, especially from males. It doesn't mean you have to treat your body as a commodity or object. 

Adrienne Rich continued her talk about responsibility. Further, she says that it is the nature of women that they sacrifice their needs, aspirations, and talents in order to avoid conflict and confrontation with society. And they accept the ideals constructed by the male-dominated society like, women have to be nice, have to play a safe game, have expectations of the low-paid profession, have to live for the sake of others and accept the place allotted by others.  Further Adrien Rich says that women have to feel responsible for themselves, and they have to commit to themselves. Do not continuously available for others whenever we need time for ourselves and our work. Even to friends, parents, roommates, lovers, husbands, children, or anyone. They have to accept and respect women's personal integrity. 

Now Adrienne Rich moves to the second part of her speech, Claiming an Education, where she talks to the teachers who teach in Douglass Women's College.   Further Adrienne Rich says that still there is a negative attitude toward women's education and their ability to think and take leadership in society. Such attitudes can be seen within the university and outside the university. Many of the male professors considered teaching in women's colleges as a second-grade profession. Apart from that many of the male teachers eroticize women students and are considered them as sexual objects, instead of igniting their minds and thoughts. Most of the male and female teachers are trained in a male-centered tradition that is constructed by the theories from the books written by males. They were trained without criticizing anti-women attitudes. The traditional training failed to teach and promote many things like clear thinking, active discussion, and excellent writing. These are the basic requirements of intellectual freedom. This is the responsibility of teachers in a college to give a chance to women students to become more thoughtful and expressive human beings.

Adrienne Riche browed ideas from the victorian poet, feminist, and a thinking woman, Elizabeth Barret Browning who had expressed her impatience with the studies which cultivate passive recipiency tendency among women. Further, Elizabeth Barrot Browning asserted that women have to think more actively and understand more quickly than of men. She also suggested intellectual training for women to improve logical and higher mental faculties.

In the concluding paragraph, once again Adrienne Rich reminded the students in the women's college that they have to reject the idea of "take-it-easy", "why-be-so-serious", "why-worry-you'll-get-married-anyway". Women have to take things seriously and show the range that they can do. Teachers and classrooms have a significant role in the formation of students' future life. Therefore it is very important that first of all teachers should possess the belief that women's minds and experiences are valuable and inseparable from any civilization. And teachers have to train the students based on their beliefs. Therefore education is a contract between the teacher and students. If the teachers and students fulfill the contract women never waste the inborn potentialities of their minds.

 

Claiming an Education short summary.

Claiming an Education is a convocation speech delivered by Adrienne Rich at Douglas Women's College, New Jersey, USA. In the speech, she addresses both teachers and students. At the beginning of the essay, she distinguishes between claiming education and receiving education. Adrienne rich reminded the students that they are here for claiming education not for receiving it. Education is a right for both males and females.

Further, she talked about the weakness of the university learning system. Most universities teach the curriculum created by men based on men's experiences. Women's thoughts and experiences have any place in the university education system. Just like any other minority, women are also considered as a group that is not eligible for scientific studies.

Further Adrienne Rich reminded us that women should full responsibility for themselves. They are not supposed to sacrifice their wishes and will in front of others. Responsibility toward other relations parents, children, and husband come only after that.

Adrienne Rich says that never let others do your thinking and talking. That is your responsibility, never borrow thoughts and ideas from men. Another thing she highlighted negative side of the teachers' training system. Teachers' training system is followed by a male-centered tradition that is constructed by the theories from the books written by males. Therefore teachers were trained without criticizing anti-women attitudes and beliefs. Teaching and learning is a contract between teachers and students. First of all, teachers should believe that women's thoughts and experiences are also valuable and inseparable in any civilization. It is the duty of teachers to impart this belief to their students. If the students and teachers fulfill the contract women can utilize the inborn potentiality of their minds.