Anne Spencer's Feminism Analysis

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Anne Spencer and Modern Feminism
Anne Spencer was a lot of things; a poet, a teacher, a daughter, a wife, an artist, a scholar, a mother, a black activist, and she was recently recognized as a feminist. She is known today for the extremely modern ideologies that she believed in and communicated in her works. The feminist messages expressed by Anne Spencer and the modern feminists of today showcase a multitude of similarities; however the audiences and the methods used to share those ideals are vastly different.
The Message
The message of Anne Spencer & modern feminists is focused around the idea that American society is built off of the ideals of men being superior over women and until this ideal is disregarded women will not receive the treatment …show more content…
Spencer’s poem “Before the Feast at Shushan” outlines the effects of male driven society. The poem is based off of a biblical story in a patriarchal society where a queen, Vashti, is ordered, by the king, to be shown off in front of a group of drunken men to provide entertainment. When the queen denies the request in front of the king and the group of drunk men she is raped, then exiled and the king declares that all women must listen to the commands of their husbands. A section of the poem appears …show more content…
In order to reassert his dominance the king rapes Vashti and banishes her soon after. In this poem Spencer showcases the traits typically associated with men; supremacy, strength, and power in contrast with the traits associated with women; weakness, sorrow, and helplessness because of the society they live in. An overlooked but important aspect of the poem would be the fact that Vashti is a queen and she is treated horribly by the king. These titles are fairly close in terms of the supposed power they carry but it is made clear as to who is supposed to be superior with Vashti’s banishment and rape. This poem reinstates the message expressed by Anne Spencer and modern feminists; so long as women are thought of as strictly sexual entities their positions within society will not be on equal terms with the positions of men, even if they carry the same

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