Op-Ed

Afnan Bakr Dr. Bailey ENGL 150 Op-Ed piece for Adrienne Rich’s speech “What Does a Women Need to Know'” Typical graduation speeches are mostly inspirational and encouraging. That’s what’s Rich’s speech sound like but with a twist! In her speech, she followed the technique of scaring yet real and for the benefit of her audience. Graduates of a women’s college, Smith, in 1979 were Rich’s audience. In her speech “What Does a Women Need to Know'” Adrienne Rich challenges women students to take control of their learning experience, to find out what they need to know, and to take responsibility for seeing that they learn it. Rich seems like a tough and an independent person, she is quite rich of general and self-knowledge and that’s what she is trying to turn her audience to look up to. I think her speech was perfectly delivered. The real life example she gave I believe were effective and helped her reach her goal of the speech. First, Rich began her speech by saying “Without such education, women have lived to and continue to live in ignorance of our collective context…” I agree with her as education is the most important aspect for each women to give attention to; as men’s power known as physical, likewise women’s power relies in the their intelligence and their knowledge. I think it’s true that women have always been put behind when it comes to almost anything in life other than taking care of their families and home but not themselves. They have been put behind in the art fields, science, media and other social activities. Women should know that they have the right to say NO if they feel that they are being blind folded to see only what the society and what men want them to see. Women should be awakening to see what opportunities are truly out there waiting for them. Moreover, Adrienne stated “There is no women’s college today which providing young women with the education they need for survival as whole person in a world which denies women wholeness.” I like her statement because it does reveal the better truth. The education provided in colleges is only focused on general knowledge and science; it doesn’t prepare the women for what they will be facing in their lives as a powerless individual. Women should be taught about their capabilities to overcome any struggle, they should be taught how to bring out the courage to defend themselves and that they have the right to be self-confidant. I think it’s a good idea for educational institutes to conceder-raising awareness for women about what is expected from them and they as human being have the right to be part of every field. Women should search for what feeds their intellectual side. They should know that there is so much in the world that have been hidden from them, they have only been taught what the society wants them to know. Accordingly, Rich supported her words with an example from personal experience and said “First four decades of my life was spent in a continues tension between the world the Fathers taught me to see, and had rewarded me for seeing, and the flashes of insight that came through the eye of the outsider.” I like how she related her speech to herself and her own life. That’s a strong and touching example. I believe it really makes the audience relate to their lives as well. It’s smart when a speaker’s speech is relevant to his life as the audiences are able to feel his honesty and they will act toward his words faster as an appreciation for the sharing of personal experience. I believe at this point she was being affective, able to make the audience believe that she is seeking their own benefit and hoping that they don’t suffer what she already suffered from. I agree that it’s really important on the long term for the women to think outside of the box that has been drawn for her by her father or even by the society. To be insightful in an early period of the life will help prevent a lot of psychological issues and will increase the chances of success. Afterwards, Adrienne moved on and noted, “For women, all privilege is relative. Some of you were not born with class or skin-color privilege; but you all have the privilege of education, even if it is an education which has largely denied you knowledge of yourselves as women.” I strongly agree with her point. She spotted the lights on what these women, most likely, have not thought about. It’s the value of what they spent the last couple of years earning. She reminded them of how precious the education they have is. She assures them that although they have earned only one type of education as she refers, they have been taught the knowledge in the scientific areas, yet it means a lot and it’s a privilege to be proud of. She cleverly noted that it’s a privilege that can be compared to money and race privilege; which I believe is true, specially as I have been raised in a society that is not only sexist but also gives a lot of credit to upper class families. I think it is true that education is a privilege because, despite the race and the economical status, it will defiantly be treasure for it’s owner and it is what matters the most for success. Of course, she advised the graduates to learn from the women who made history as she said, “Try to be worthy of your foresisters, learn from your history, look for inspiration to your ancestress.” I like how Rich advised her audience not to forget about their history and it’s importance to keep them inspired. History isn’t just a past that happened, it accrued so we can learn from it, improve ourselves and avoid fallen for the same mistakes or keep ourselves under the same roof for the rest of our lives. I agree that inspiration is highly important to keep us from giving up and encourages us to move forward. Inspiration reminds us that no matter how hard the current time might be, a better time will always come. Furthermore, Rich tried to make sure her point was taken seriously by saying “If this history has been poorly taught to you, if you do not know it, then use your educational privilege to learn it.” Rich emphasizing on the importance of history is nothing to be surprised of, as it’s full of achievements and success of foresisters; who have suffered a lot to reach were they wanted to be without any controls upon them or being limited to a certain way of thinking or life style. Their stories are to be taught. It is genus to make the most out of the knowledge you have to discover what you don’t have. This advice from Rich is valuable. Finally, she summed up by repeating her main goal of her speech “...but remember that most of your education must be self-education, in learning the things women need to know and in calling up the voices we need to hear within ourselves.” There is no doubt that what we search for and learn by ourselves is more likely to be remembered than what is being taught to us. Rich’s tip to her audience is great; as she reminded those women of the importance of self-education. A lot of knowledge has been kept away from those women, specially the knowledge of using their abilities to be independent and the knowledge of being insightful. I am with Rich’s thought of the voices need to be heard. It’s true that women in so many places in the world are suffering from the lack of freedom to be women, to act like women and to think like women. They are forced to be what the society and the higher powers among them have chosen for them to be. That’s something important to remind those women with, as they shouldn’t let themselves to be in such situations. All in all, Rich’s speech to the graduate women was strong and touching the life of each individual of the audience. I think she did a remarkable job of facing those women with facts they should be aware of and experiences they wouldn’t want to go through. She successfully reached her goal of warning her audience not to fall for the same mistake she had suffered from. I think her speech is worth to be spread as it really affects women and help them feel like human and not tokens.