French and Multicultural Feminism

French feminist activism is more important than the American or British feminism. Most of the radical feminists like Simone de Beauvoir, Christine Delphy, Helene Cixous, Luce Irigary and Julia Kristiva are French. They developed many novel ideas and theories. They offered some ways to think beyond patriarchy. They initiated many activities in creating intellectual awareness. So, they have very important role in the field of feminism as a whole. The study of feminism is imperfect without knowing about the French feminists. The whole feminist activism of these women is known as French feminism. French feminism can be divided into two forms: materialist feminism and psychoanalytic feminism. Some talk about social and economic domination over them but others talk about their mental or psychological troubles. So, they are divided into materialist feminists and psychoanalytic feminists. Some of the important materialist feminists are Simone de Beauvoir, Christine Delphy and Colette Guillaumin and psychoanalytic feminists are Helene Cixous, Luce Irigary, and Julia Kristeva. 

Feminism attempts to create awareness in various fields of knowledge. But it has centered its attention on the experience of middle class white women. The mainstream feminism has ignored the experience of other marginal women such as the Asian women, African women, and the women of color in America, underclass women, undereducated women and many others. All these women are oppressed by patriarchy; and their experiences are ignored by mainstream feminism. So, the feminism initiated by these women is known as multicultural feminism. There is the need of multicultural feminism because the women from different backgrounds have different problems. If he experience of a black woman in patriarchy is associated with her experience of racism. The experience of an Asian woman in patriarchy is associated with her experience as a marginalization. Likewise, the experiences of lesbian and poor women are associated with their own troubles. So, there is the need of multicultural feminism. 

There are some basic relationship between French feminism and Multicultural feminism. First, both of these movements raise voice for the oppression over the women. Both of them try to defy the traditional patriarchal beliefs pose discrimination over them. Similarly, there are psychological French feminists and material French feminists. The psychological French feminists talk about the mental and psychological oppression over the women whether they are black or white, lesbian or straight. These psychological experiences are similar to the women of color and the lesbian identity which is related to Multicultural feminism. In the same way, material French feminists talk about the social status of the underclass women. They talk about how the lack of status affects the women. This is the subject of Multicultural feminism. Therefore, both French feminism and Multicultural feminism are closely related. 

Susanne K. Langer in "Expressiveness" uses analysis

Analysis is an effective tool to evaluate an issue. It is an intellectual process of reexamining the subject at hand. When we analyze an issue, we are involved in rethinking, reexamining, and rewriting the subject matter with necessary modification. Since analysis demands some intellectuality, we find that the philosophers and critical thinkers are more skillful in this job. Philosophical essays also use close analysis of the topic. Here, Susanne Langer has used close analysis because her subject matter is more philosophical. She talks about the inherent quality of art that can express human emotions. She says that both art and human emotions have similar form being formless. Art is congruent with human emotions. So, it is only art that can express human emotions. Her analysis of the form of art and human emotions is very effective. We find that most of the philosophical essays use close analysis. The use of analysis as a rhetorical strategy is very appropriate here. 

Langer analyzes the subjects one by one, point by point. She talks about one point at a time. In the beginning, she talks about different types of art such as designer’s art, painting, music, dance, poetry, fiction, drama, film, architecture, sculpture, etc. Then she talks about the common quality among them. So, she comes to talk about the expressiveness of art which is common among all. After that, she talks about the form of art and the form of human feeling. She says that both of them have same form. Both of them are congruent. She uses many examples and analogies to make us understand what form is. .Then, she again comes back to her point, expressiveness. Therefore, Langer has used point by point analysis of the subject. 

Some other rhetorical strategies of this essay are the topic of definition, analogy and some rhetorical questions. She has used some striking analogies here in this essay like the analogies of the lampshades, the analogies of hands and the analogies of the river. All of them clarify her concept of form of art and its congruency with human feelings. Finally, there are also some rhetorical questions on the second paragraph that draw our attention. She asks many questions here but they do not demand our answer.

Great Gatsby "Daisy internalize the patriarchal values".

Daisy has internalized many patriarchal values as her character is exposed in relation to her husband Tom and her lover Gatsby. Feminist reading of the novel explores the effect of patriarchal social system and the role of men and women in the novel. We know that the novel was written in 1920s when women had just got new freedom. They were not allowed to vote before 1920s. They were also oppressed by many other traditional social dogmas of the time. It was the time when they had to be careful for what they speak, what they do, or what they wear. They had limited freedom as they were dominated by male chauvinism. They were not allowed to smoke or drink. Though this novel refutes some of the patriarchal dogmas, it has still some traces of patriarchy. 

Feminism explores male domination and the effect of patriarchal ideology in the novel. The clearest example of male chauvinism is found on the conduct of Tom over Daisy. His domination over her can be viewed as chauvinism. Both Tom and Daisy are deeply influenced by patriarchal ideology. Daisy cannot refute him because she has internalized patriarchal values. Many critics believe that Tom is guided by manly power. His conscience does not regard women equitable to him. He also dominates Daisy as he wants her to be limited at home. He wants her take care of their daughter while he does not care her. He behaves as if Daisy is something in his use. He never regards her as equal partner in his affairs. He is deeply rooted by patriarchal ideology. We know that Tom buys her very expensive diamond necklace in her marriage and Daisy is easily led by it. Here, a critical feminist thinker can see the effect of patriarchy upon her thinking, her character and her conduct. We see how easily she is attracted by the jewels and the wealth of Tom! She is attracted by the jewels because she has internalized patriarchal values that women should wear expensive jewels to show their status. 

In the same way, we see that Daisy weeps so easily whenever she feels a bit troubled. She is not bold enough to cope with the challenges. Her dress-up is another clue to show her submission to patriarchal values. She believes that she should seem beautiful to attract men. She likes to be the nymph in her house to satisfy the needs of her husband. She can never go against the will of her husband. All these things show that she has become a victim of patriarchy from the unconscious level. 

A different look at the novel reveals that the author is also guided by patriarchal ideology. He is also a product of patriarchal ideology. Nick is the spokesperson of the author who describes the independent women as the ‘bad girls’. These evidences prove that the author is also deeply rooted by the ideology of male dominated society. 

Semiotics and Literature

Semiotics is the study of sign system. It is important in structuralism because it also functions in the surface and deeper levels like language. Every sign has two basic elements: Signifier and signified. Every sign is like a word in its function because it passes some message to somebody. Language usually uses words but it uses signs to convey the message. The sign itself is signifier and the message given by the sign is signified. So far, semioticians have recognized three types of signs. They are: index, icon and symbol. An index is a kind of sign that has concrete link with its meaning. In index, part represents the whole. For example, the smoke is the sign of fire, knocking on the door is the sign of somebody’s arrival, the crown is the sign of the king, and the wheel is the sign of the vehicle. Second, icon is a sign, mark or a picture that is similar to the real object in appearance. An icon physically resembles the signified. The traffic signs, the no-smoking sign, sign of male or female on the public toilets are all icons. They resemble the object by picture or some mark. Third, a symbol is a sign that is abstract or linguistic. Symbols are abstract signs because they do not show clear pictures of the things. All the words are symbols to give some messages that do not have any concrete pictures. 

The scope of semiotics is very large because it is applied in everything including literature and even our everyday life. In literature, semiotics helps us analyses the meaning of the text. The writers use different styles and figurative languages in their works. When one is familiar with semiotics, he can comprehend the text better. Semioticians believe that everything gives some messages; everything is sign. When we go to market, we see many hoarding boards, stylish houses, signs on doors, pictures on menus of the restaurants, on the bus, on the road, and so on. All of them are signs that impart some important messages. Sometimes, even the gap or a space is a sign because it gives some message. The whole world of human culture is a text, a sign waiting to be read. We need to understand their meanings. 

New critical Reading of the poem " There is a girl Inside".

A New Critical reading of this poem reveals that this poem is about the youth and sexuality hidden within an old woman. Though the speaker is old now, ' but she has very passionate desire inside. We analyses many formal elements of the poem in our close reading. There many images, symbols, similes and metaphors that gives meaning of the poem. Our analysis does not look for historical evidences of the author or the poem because New Criticism believes that the text itself 15 sufficient in the interpretation. So, we do not need to look for the author. ’ When we read the poem, we know that the speaker is an old woman. She says that there is a green girl inside her old body. The girl is randy as a wolf. She will not walk away or leave the old bones. Here, the first stanza makes it clear how the old woman' feels inside. We also know how passionate, uncontrolled and youthful she is. The girlhood inside her means that she has the very youthfulness hidden inside her apparently old body. Outwardly, she is old but inside, she feels the burning fire of her youthful hue. So, she says the girl inside her is randy as a wolf. This is very powerful simile that reveals her character inside. She is compared with the randy or sexually passionate woman. She is very lustful inside despite her old body. The speaker also says that the girl, inside her does not leave her or walk away. It means that her youthful self is not erased from her but it clings to her more firmly even in her senility. 

The speaker metaphorically says that the girl inside her is a green tree in the forest of kindling. It is also very meaningful because the metaphor ‘green tree’ also implies youthfulness. She is a green tree in the kindled forest. It means that her body is already ruined like a kindled forest but she is still young. , Not only that, she is a green girl in a used poet. Here, the speaker refers to her personality she is a poet who created this poem whoever she is. There is the feeling of a young girl in the overused old body. The used poet implies that she 18 old. . 

In the final stanza, she says that her lovers will harvest honey and thyme. It means that her lovers will get the taste of honey and thyme when they enjoy with her. The place of their celebration will be a wild wood. She likes to be Very wild in her celebration of the youth. It will fulfill all the wild wonders of her. So, the last stanza is about her celebration of the youthful love and the fulfillment of her desire. 

There are many images, symbols, similes and metaphors. Some of the words with special meanings are; ‘randy as a wolf’, bones, green tree, forest of kindling, green girl, used poet, patient as a nun, the second coming, gray hairs, blossom, harvesting, honey and thyme, wild woods, and the damn wonder. All these words have special meanings in our analysis. From the New Critical analysis, we come to conclusion that this poem shows the feeling of youthfulness within an old woman.

Reader Response Criticism

As the title suggests reader-response criticism focuses on reader's responses to the literary texts. This theory believes that the meaning of the text depends on. the readers. The text does not come into existence until the readers have read it. When the readers read the text, it becomes a real text. This theory believes that the meaning of the text depends on the readers. The text does not come into existence until the readers have read it. When the readers read the text, it becomes a real text. In the same way, readers are free to interpret the text in any way they like. They can form the meaning of their own. So, this theory believes that the meaning of the text is not fixed because the different readers will find different meanings in the same text. They are also free to use any other literary theory to interpret it. But most of the reader-response critics use their own style of interpretation which is unique in itself. Reader-response criticism became Catchier in 1970s. It believed that the role of the reader cannot be omitted from the texts' interpretation. It means that the readers have great role for the existence of the literature. This is one of the two great values of this theory. Second, it believes that the readers are not passive in reading the text. It suggests that readers actively make meaning. The meaning depends on the readers. In fact the same reader will also find different meanings from the same text because of the different life experiences. The knowledge we get through life makes difference in the understanding of a text. If we read a text now, we make some sense but if we read the same text after twenty years, we will find different sense. Our personal experiences and change in thinking make the reading different other texts. They try to show the evidence that how the text shows the meaning. This is the best interpretation.

 
New criticism gives the best interpretation for the short poems and stories because the shorter the text, the more of its formal elements are analyzed. But in the longer texts, the detail analysis of the formal elements is impossible. In that case, only few elements are analyses. They analyses imagery, the role of narrator, function of setting, pattern of light and dark and few other elements. The analysis of every word is not possible for the longer texts. So, new critical analysis is more effective for the shorter texts. Anyway, the whole process is devoted to find them embedded in the text. New criticism believes that it is the only method ‘to interpret the text, according to its formal elements. It is purely literary criticism. Therefore, it is the single best interpretation. 

Literary language and organic unity

New criticism differentiates the literary language from scientific language has two meanings: direct meaning and indirect, metaphorical meaning. The direct meaning of a word is called denotative meaning but the indirect, metaphorical and symbolic meaning is called connotative meaning. Scientific language uses denotative or direct meaning of the word but literary (the language of literature) language uses connotative metaphorical and symbolic meaning. Therefore, literary language is very different from the common language. Literary language has complex unity between form and content which is called organic unity. 

Literary language gives pleasure because of the organic unity. Here organic unity means the complex unity between form and content to make an inseparable whole. New critics believe that it is impossible to separate the 'how-ness’ of the text from its 'what-ness’. How a text gives the meaning is inseparable from what it gives. This inseparable unity that makes the literary language more pleasurable is called organic unity. There are four linguistic devices in the organic unity. They are paradox, irony, ambiguity and tension. Paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory but represents the truth in depth. Paradoxes seem apparently meaningless and contradictory but we find the truth when we analyses it closely. Paradox gives aesthetic quality in the text; similarly, irony is another element of the organic unity. Irony means the mismatch between reality and appearance. It is a mismatch between what it tells and what it means. The writer says one thing but he wants to mean another. There is the opposition between what he says and what he means. In dramatic irony, the audience expects one thing but the action turns to be quite opposite. Therefore, irony also gives very great pleasure in literature. 

Ambiguity and tension are other elements of the organic unity. Ambiguity means generating two or more than two meanings. Sometimes literature creates ambiguity by giving multiple meaning and the undesirability in them. But new critics say that ambiguity is a richness, depth and complexity that make the text more valuable. Finally, tension is also necessary in the organic unity which means the association of concrete things to show the abstract concepts. It is creating an abstract sense by the concrete objects. In this way, organic unity involves the four elements.  Paradox, irony, ambiguity and tension in the form.