Women and the History of

Rhetoric
The term feminism describes political, cultural,
and economic movements that aim to establish
equal rights and legal protections for women.

Feminist history can be divided into three waves:

The first wave, occurring in the 19th and early
20th century, was mainly concerned with
women’s right to vote.
The second wave, at its height in the 1960s and
1970s, refers to the women’s liberation
movement for equal legal and social rights.
The third wave, beginning in the 1990s, refers to
a continuation of, and a reaction to, second-wave
feminism. The third-wave sees women’s lives as
intersectional, demonstrating how race,
ethnicity, class, religion, gender, and nationality
are all significant factors when discussing
feminism.
Feminist Rhetoric
Strives to accord visibility whom men have
rejected as the “nothing to be seen”
It seeks to dispel distortions about the nature of
women that appear in the historical,
philosophical and scientific texts.
Draws its grounds from an essential analysis of
patriarchy, which identified the 'man-made
world' as one built on the oppression of women.
The feminist perspective is important as it (a)
certifies values and experiences often associated
with women; (b) gives voice to individuals
marginalized and undervalued by the prevailing
culture; and (c) establishes and legitimizes a
value system that benefits mutuality, respect,
caring, power-with, interconnection, and
immanent value, and (5) they see the definition
of feminism as a dynamic and evolving one.
Feminist literary theory suggests that the
gender of the reader often affects our response to
a text. For example, feminist critics may claim that
certain male writers address their readers as if
they were all men and exclude the female reader.
 feminist literary theory asks us to consider the
relationships between men and women and their
relative roles in society.
 feminist literary theory reminds us that the
relationship between men and women in society is
often unequal and reflects a particular patriarchal
ideology.
In the 1980s, scholars from the discipline were
making moves to discontinue the oppression
against women:
 writing women into the history of rhetoric
writing feminist issues into theories of rhetoric
writing feminist perspectives into rhetorical
criticism.

“Education for women was usually nothing more

than domestic understandings and left them at a
loss to maintain their own lives”
 feminist criticism highlights the various ways women, in
particular, have been oppressed, suppressed, and
repressed.
Feminist Lens:
Is the author male or female?
Is the text narrated by a male or female?
What types of roles do women have in the text
What are the attitudes toward women held by the male
characters?
Is feminine imagery used? If so, what is the significance
of such imagery?
Do the female characters speak differently that the male
characters? In your investigation, compare the frequency
of speech for the male character to the frequency of
speech for the female characters.
I Got Flowers Today
 I got flowers today!
It wasn't my birthday or any other special
day.
We had our first argument last night;
And he said a lot of cruel things that really
hurt;
I know that he is sorry and didn’t mean to
say the things he said;
Because he sent me flowers today.
 I got flowers today.
It wasn't our anniversary or any other
special day.
Last night, he threw me into a wall and
started to choke me.
It seemed like a nightmare.
I couldn't believe that it was real.
I woke up this morning sore and bruised
all over.
I know he must be sorry.
Because he sent me flowers today.
 I got flowers today!
It wasn’t our anniversary or any other
special day;
Last night he threw me into a wall and
then started choking me;
It seemed unreal, a nightmare, but you
wake up from nightmares;
And I woke up this morning sore and
bruised all over—but I know he is sorry;
Because he sent me flowers today.
 I got flowers today!
And it wasn’t Valentines Day or any other
special day;
Last night he beat me and threatened to
kill me;
Make-up and long sleeves didn’t hide the
cuts and bruises this time;
I couldn’t go to work today because I
didn’t want anyone to know—but I know
he’s sorry;
Because he sent me flowers today.
 I got flowers today!
And it wasn’t Mother’s Day or any other special
day;
Last night he beat me again, and it was worse
than all of the other times;
If I leave him, what will I do? How will I take
care of the kids? What about
money?
I’m afraid of him, but I’m too scared and
dependent to leave him! But he
must be sorry;
Because he sent me flowers today.
 I got flowers today….
Today was a special day—it was the day of my
funeral;
Last night he killed me;
If only I would have gathered the courage and
strength to leave him;
I could have received help from the Women’s
Shelter, but I didn’t ask for
their help;
So I got flowers today—for the last time.

By Paulette Kelly