The concept of Feminism is understood differently in different groups of people; some understand it as a movement towards achieving global gender equality. Others think of it is a group of angry and bitter women who do nothing but hate men. Varied definitions of feminism show insufficiency of accurate information about what it truly entails. Therefore, many authors and advocates of women's rights, such as Bell Hooks, have published materials to shed some light on the subject. Hooks crafted Come Closer to Feminism for everyone, particularly men, to educate them about what feminism is all about and why it is good for society using various literary techniques.
The article is about understanding the concept of feminism. According to Hooks, a significant number of people, mostly men, are misinformed about what feminism is about. They think it is a movement of angry and hateful women devoted to making the world a worse place for men. The author asserts that this is not the case; rather, feminism is about fighting for gender equality by ending sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. From her experience, she discovered that the poor attitude towards the movement comes from a lack of direct experience with the movement. That being so, the writer believes, by equipping men and every one of us with the right knowledge, feminism can make the world a better place for both men and women. Hooks explicitly mentions her target audience—men and the rest of us. Most men despise feminists based on negative connotations and fallacies they hold about the whole idea of feminism. Because of this, they are quick to dismiss individuals with feminist agendas. As Hooks puts it, men understand feminism from thirdhand experiences. Those that gain firsthand knowledge about the idea are more accommodative of the movement. That also explains why the audience is important to Hooks.
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Hooks employs various literary techniques to convey her message. First, the author identifies a contention—varying points of view and opinions regarding feminism between men and women. The contention in the article is the issue of feminism. The writer firmly believes that women should not be on the receiving end of sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression due to men’s dominance. She adopted an idea while still a teenager and has held on to it through her adulthood. She says, “when I began to resist male domination, to rebel patriarchal thinking, I was still a teenager” (Hooks, 2000). This technique works in accomplishing her objective because it asserts her position on the issue.
Secondly, the author appeals to her audience through empathy. The author incorporates an empathetic technique strategically to appeal to her readers' emotions and sensitivities. Emotional appeal is a complex technique to execute, especially from a female writer who wants the plights of her kind to be felt by the opposite sex. However, she successfully appeals to her readers' emotions when she says, "I was still a teenager, suicidal, depressed, uncertain about how I would find meaning in life and a place for myself. I needed feminism to give me a foundation for of equality and justice to stand on" (Hooks, 2000). Through the statement, she paints a picture of the state she and how feminism would deliver her from her pains. The emotional picture painted justifies the need for feminism.
The tone used in the piece plays a significant role in sending the message to the target audience. In persuasive writing an author will adopt a tone as a means of accomplishing an overall goal. A variety of tones can be used in a persuasive text. In Come Closer to Feminism , Hooks employs rational, emotive, and objective. The role of the neutral (objective) is to identify an issue, logic (rational) tone helps describe the depth of the issue, and passionate (emotive) tone is to draw the audience into seeing the necessity to address the problem. By the time a reader finishes reading the piece, they are convinced that there is a patriarchal issue and feminism is the right call to end the problem.
Fourthly, a technique Hooks employs in her writing, is the use of inclusive language. Even though the author addresses men who lack accurate knowledge of feminism, she uses inclusive language to her advantage. An example of this is when she says, “to end patriarchy we need to be clear that we are all participants in perpetuating sexism until we change our minds and hearts” (Hooks, 2000). Men mostly perpetuate patriarchy in society. Hooks could have acknowledged this fact in her statement but instead uses inclusive language to reinforce positive outcomes as far as patriarchy is concerned. By doing so, she conveys respect to all people, and because of this, her target audience is easily convinced.
Imagery is also evident in Come Closer to Feminism . Imagery is a literary device in which authors paints a picture to describe a phenomenon. Imagery generates vibrant and graphic presentations that appeal to readers' senses. For instance, in the literature, Hooks uses “imagine living in a world where we can all be who we are, a world of peace and possibility” strategically to make the impact of feminism abstract, concrete and tangible to her readers (Hooks, 2000). She uses the technique to evoke certain feelings in her readers to connect with the literature's underlying message.
The sixth persuasive element the author incorporates in her writing is repetition. Repetition is a common writing technique that a writer or speaker emphasizes on things they perceive significant. The idea of incorporating repetition into writing is to tell a reader or audience that the words, phrases, or statements used are central enough to be repeated; thus, they are worthy of paying attention to. Throughout the text, the words "feminism" and "feminist" repeatedly appear—in almost every paragraph. Hooks uses the technique to reinforce an argument and emphasize that feminism has varied misinterpretations in society and is costing the movement's progress.
The text is a perfect reference for understanding the fundamentals of feminism. According to the author, her objective is to teach men and other members of society what feminism involves and get them to acknowledge the importance of the movement. The writing is motivated by the author's observation of misinformation among men regarding the term and the whole concept of feminism. She uses the text to emphasize that feminism is not bad in society, as most men believe. On the contrary, it is a major step towards achieving a peaceful society full of tranquility. By the time a reader finishes the piece, they are sold based on the idea of feminism. The effectiveness of the text is attributed to the persuasive techniques the writer employs.
References
Hooks, B. (2000). Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate politics . Pluto Press.
