FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK TITLED “IN THE CHEST OF A WOMAN”
“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (hook, 2000). The goals of feminism include: To demonstrate the importance of women; to reveal that historically women have been subordinate to men and to bring about gender equity, is a theme Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, the playwright, hesitantly advocate in his book titled “In the Chest of a Woman”.
“In the chest of a woman is not only an extension of the breast and a feeble heart, but a strong desire to hold and use power,” was the motivation which energized Nana Yaa Kyeretwe, the princess, to fiercely fight against patriarchy in the Ebusa kingdom when her dying Queen mother bequeathed the stool of the kingdom to her younger …show more content…
When patriarchy reigns, women are subjected to political, economic and social oppression and considered as the “other” and marginalized (Allen & Tompkins, 2010). Marxist Feminism is concerned with the division of labour in relation to gender role expectations (Catharine, 1982). The story “In the Chest of A woman” portrays a patriarchal society where males were dominant in power and were considered to have priority on leadership talent. All the elders of the kingdom to the Queen Mother were males while the females hold positions such as house maids and housewives with the exception of the Queen Mother. Though she holds the position of power as the ruler of the Ebusa Kingdom, the dying Queen Mother was very much entrenched in the custom of the Kingdom, hence, failing to consider women as capable of holding power in the presence of men. With this, the Queen Mother emphatically told her daughter “… never in the history of Ebusa has a woman ruled where there is a man to do so. And as such you have to accept. . . ”, when she bequeathed the stool of the Kingdom to Kwaku Duah II, defiling the possibility of sisterhood to fight against
“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (hook, 2000). The goals of feminism include: To demonstrate the importance of women; to reveal that historically women have been subordinate to men and to bring about gender equity, is a theme Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, the playwright, hesitantly advocate in his book titled “In the Chest of a Woman”.
“In the chest of a woman is not only an extension of the breast and a feeble heart, but a strong desire to hold and use power,” was the motivation which energized Nana Yaa Kyeretwe, the princess, to fiercely fight against patriarchy in the Ebusa kingdom when her dying Queen mother bequeathed the stool of the kingdom to her younger …show more content…
When patriarchy reigns, women are subjected to political, economic and social oppression and considered as the “other” and marginalized (Allen & Tompkins, 2010). Marxist Feminism is concerned with the division of labour in relation to gender role expectations (Catharine, 1982). The story “In the Chest of A woman” portrays a patriarchal society where males were dominant in power and were considered to have priority on leadership talent. All the elders of the kingdom to the Queen Mother were males while the females hold positions such as house maids and housewives with the exception of the Queen Mother. Though she holds the position of power as the ruler of the Ebusa Kingdom, the dying Queen Mother was very much entrenched in the custom of the Kingdom, hence, failing to consider women as capable of holding power in the presence of men. With this, the Queen Mother emphatically told her daughter “… never in the history of Ebusa has a woman ruled where there is a man to do so. And as such you have to accept. . . ”, when she bequeathed the stool of the Kingdom to Kwaku Duah II, defiling the possibility of sisterhood to fight against