A La Mujer Analysis

In 1910 Ricardo Flores Magon, a prolific Mexican anarchist, foretold the coming of the social revolution in his article titled “A La Mujer”. “She [the revolution] carries death on her breast… Her fists are the invincible fists of a people in rebellion. She does not offer roses or caresses; she offers an axe and a torch.” Magon 's prediction was published in his magazine Renegeracion less than a month before the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. He used this platform to educate women on their function in the revolt. However, the portrayal of the social revolution as a kind of female warrior in Renegeracion contrasts with the role women were assigned in the struggle between labor and capital. Examination of two of Magon’s articles, “A La Mujer” and “To the Proletariat”, will demonstrate that the roles individuals assumed in the revolution were determined by gender constructs and traditions. Similar to many male anarchists of the time, Magon held a progressive view towards women and acknowledged the importance of their struggle. A large part of Magon’s article focuses on the negative impacts sexism had in women’s lives. Magon identifies several of women’s grievances in “A La Mujer” including: the inability to vote or hold office, wage inequality between the sexes, suppression of female sexuality, and women’s inferior position …show more content…
This idea of mourning duties was adopted into Magon’s writing. In “To the Proletariat”, he outlines the role of men in the revolution, which is to “take up the gun of revindication.” He attempts to romanticize death in the Revolution’s battlefields by reminding men that they will be mourned by their wives, mothers, and daughters. Note that sons aren’t included into this narrative, presumably, their role would be to follow in their father’s footsteps and fight in the revolution. Magon claims that “tears of sadness, of widowhood” will