Analysis Of Only A Woman By Amel Benaboura

If you do not stand up for yourself you will never be free. Freedom is essential for a happy life, but basic rights are so often taken from people. Amel Benaboura illustrates this issue in her short story ‘Only a Woman’ which depicts a young woman facing oppression in a patriarchal society. Benaboura uses metaphors, anecdotes and word choice to emphasise her key idea about fighting for your rights.
Yamina is a young woman who has grown up in Algeria, a patriarchal society, where violence towards women is common, and goes unpunished. So when she is abused by her older brother, she never thought to stand up for herself. Amel Benaboura’s story focuses on how Yamina learns to fight for her rights.
Amel Benaboura uses metaphors in her short text to teach the reader that you must be prepared to fight for your rights in order to be free. “Sharpen your nails, make them into claws to defend yourself with? which is followed by “your thirst for dignity?. The author is comparing the act of Yamina sharpening her nails to the way a soldier might prepare their weapon. This …show more content…
From a woman who “never had the nerve to begin with,? to one who was prepared to die for a cause she believed in. It is women like Yamina who have shaped Algeria into the country it is today, and although the battle for women’s rights is ongoing, in the foreseeable future gender equality is sure to become a reality.
‘Only a woman’ teaches us to stand up for ourselves if we wish to pursue freedom. In the short story Amel Benaboura exposes the reader to a world where oppression is common. Although in New Zealand we do not live in such a harsh environment, discrimination is still something that everyone has to deal with and Amel Benaboura inspires the reader to stand up for themselves in such