women in power - issue 1

issue 01 / nov 2021

literature

women in power independent feminist magazine

editing, writing, photography & design by fenella maclennan

contents

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editor’s note

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once upon a time the princess saved herself

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testament of youth : book review

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a psychoanalytic feminist reading of ‘the bloody chamber’ by angela carter

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one does not simply write feminist fantasy

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on the punctuality of poetry

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a small collection of my poetry

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works cited

editor’s note So much of what we learn and consume about feminism is negative.

Since discovering feminism in my mid-teens, I have noticed that it’s often approached in a very defeatist way. Of course, it is vital to understand the intricate inner workings of the patriarchy, but if all we do is hyperanalyse every way in which we are oppressed, it’s impossible not to become trapped in an endless void of male dominated hoplessness. I think we should aim to balance the typically negative feminist conversation with recognition and acknowledgement of women, past and present, who have contributed to the world as we see it today.

The focus of this issue is literature, the ways in which women are treated in texts and the broader implications this has, and notable female writers and poets worthy of your attention. For most of us, education is the most accessible and achievable way to break down patriarchal structures, as Laura Bates said in her book, ‘Women who lead, read’.

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once upon a time the princess saved herself “She lunged forward, suddenly in an effort to catch him off guard. It worked. He lost his footing for a moment but lifted his sword just in time to parry. She drove him back further, their swords clanging and crashing, creating a song of metal on metal in the dim courtyard. Her crimson cape billowed out behind her and with every strike, her long, dark brown, plait whipped about her shoulders. His black hair was plastered to his face and he grimaced at every blow. At last he gave way and fell to his knees. His sword was knocked to the ground, hers at his throat. He glared and spat at her feet, but she was grinning, and panting. She had just unarmed the best swordsman in the village.” This is a preview of a creative piece I wrote in my second year of university for a creative writing course. Titled ‘Red’ it is a feminist re telling of the traditional and well-known Little Red Riding Hood tale, in which a strong female protagonist is destined to save her town from the Wolf, the beast within the forest that symbolises the destructive nature of the patriarchy, that threatens their livelihoods. Her feisty, independent and courageous nature I created in 05

order to contrast with the typical, sexist depictions of Red Riding Hood and most women in fairy tales for that matter. Both Brothers Grimm and Perrault exemplify the typical portrayal of women in fairy tales in their versions of Little Red Riding Hood. A helpless girl who described by Perrault as ‘the prettiest creature that ever was seen’ (Lang, 1889) and in Brothers Grimm is told to ‘walk nicely and quietly’ (Canga & Grimm, 2011) through the woods on her own, eventually being saved by a brave huntsman. The role of the wolf in the story combined with the use of this degrading and submissive language, is according to Jack Zipes (1993, p.xi), encouraging rape culture and sexual violence, concepts that are still being instilled in children who read the story, and many other fairy tales today. In Perrault’s own words the moral he was trying to teach was this: ‘From this story one learns that children, especially young lasses, pretty, courteous and well-bred, do very wrong to listen to strangers, And it is not an unheard thing if the Wolf is thereby provided with his dinner. I say Wolf, for all wolves are not of the

same sort; there is one kind with an amenable disposi tion - neither noisy, nor hateful, nor angry, but tame, obliging and gentle, following the young maids in the streets, even into their homes. Alas! Who does not know that these gentle wolves are of all such creatures the most dangerous!’ Here, Perrault hints at the symbolism of the Wolf as men, and that even ones who possess the appearance of gentility can be predatory. Other interpretations recognise the colour red as symbolism for menstruation and sin, both of course which align with the sexual advances represented by an aggressive, male Wolf on a young girl, in the woods.

Of course, there are copious fairy tales that share these morals, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella just to name a few. Impressively, some of the messages of these bedtime stories still apply to young children today. Cinderella teaches us to be good, Snow White and Red Riding Hood to understand stranger danger, Beauty and the Beast to love one’s character not their appearance. Unfortunately, not all the morals of fairy tales have stood the test of time, especially by looking at them from a feminist perspective.

Women in these fables can be categorised into two distinct character types. The first, is the naïve, gullible and submissive, but beautiful and kind young protagonist, a symbol of female perfection. She contrasts and is often in conflict with the evil, ambitious and envious witch, stepmother or queen, whose sole purpose is to destroy the goodness of the first.

There are so many problems with this.

Firstly, it teaches young girls and boys that the perfect woman is compliant, attractive and stupid, and that the opposite - women with some sort of power or influence - are cunning, evil and ugly. It also encourages the idea that women should always be at war with one another instead of uniting and being as one, to be complicit in the patriarchy and to take one of these binary roles.

Considering how popular these tales have remained hundreds of years after their publication, is a testament to their storylines to be sure, but at what cost?

Children from a very young age are brought up listening, reading and watching women as one extreme or the other. While there is no shortage of females as main characters in these stories, they can’t exactly be classified as role models for young girls and have in fact become quite the opposite.

Luckily, we’ve had some revamps like Snow White and the Huntsman, Maleficent, Tangled and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland which have transformed the traditional tales into something more empowering. In these productions we have seen Snow White and Alice as fighters in battle, Maleficent as an admirable hero and Rapunzel as a quick-witted and resourceful princess whose use of a frying pan as a weapon becomes an interesting subversion of gender roles.

There have also been numerous literary adaptations.

Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente is a Western meets fantasy novella, in Cinderella Liberator by Rebecca Solnit (writer of Men Explain Things To Me) Ella saves herself and Blueblood by Malorie Blackman sees the main character Nia replace misogynistic violence with feminism. Malorie Blackman, alongside Rebecca Solnit, Jeanette Winterson and Kamila Shamsie have each created a modern retelling of a fairy tale for their ‘A Fairy Tale Revolution’ series, which includes feminism, liberation and environmental awareness.

Other empowering and modern fairy tale anthologies I would recommend reading include ‘Fierce Fairytales: & Other Stories to Stir Your Soul’ by Nikita Gill, ‘Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls’ by Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli and ‘Fairy Tales for Fearless Girls’ by Anita Ganeri.

In an effort to dismantle stereotypical gender roles that restrict female characters within fairy tales, these stories present women in a modern, empowering and strictly feminist light. My hope is that if I ever publish my story ‘Red’, she will be an inspiration to the next generation of children and encourage young girls to see women for the power they possess and hopefully be added to this list of must-read feminist fairy tales!

I was lucky enough to be raised by a feminist mother, so the sexist ideals of fairy tales were overrun by tales like Jane and the Dragon, Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. Of course, these are not tales of vocalised feminism or suffrage but the subtler ways in which female empowerment was communicated has, I think, made it easier to dismiss fairy tales and their misogynistic messages, as I always had these role models to look up to.

Because of this, I’m a strong believer that reading and education is key, as it’s where it all starts. So next time you have to entertain young children or buy one a gift, think about the values you are encouraging and perhaps buy or read one of these modern adaptations instead of the traditional tales we’re used to.

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testament of youth: book review Having first seen the ‘Testament of Youth’ film in my teens and retaining an eager interest in World War One after learning about it in school, I felt certain I would love this book. And I did! However, what I was not expecting, was just how much it would affect me, and change how I look at the world, history in general and reflect upon my own youth. While the COVID-19 pandemic restricts our lives in so many ways, I realised when reading this book, just how lucky I am and how much we take for granted.

By early 1918 all the men she loved: her brother, two friends and fiancé, had been killed. On this she wrote: ‘Now there were no more disasters to dread and no friends left to wait for; with the ending of apprehension had come a deep, nullifying blackness, a sense of walking in thick mist which hid all sights and muffled all sounds. I had no further experience to gain from the war, nothing remained except to endure it.’

Four years of physical and mental exhaustion had finally caught up with her and, following the Armistice in 1918, she suffered from hallucinations and emotional trauma. Had it not been for her tireless work ethic and her passion for writing, she would have certainly suffered a nervous breakdown.

Written as an autobiography from the years 19001925, Vera Brittain published her recount of those extraordinary times in 1933, when another World War was appearing on the horizon. At just 18 when war broke out in 1914, she was part of the generation that would later be called the ‘war generation’. They were However, her life did not end with the war. She finished the generation most severely impacted by the conflict. her studies at Oxford, where her interest in feminism and pacifism were rekindled, strengthened even. As such, Brittain begins by addressing the limitations of ‘provin- she became heavily involved in international relations cial ladyhood’, the superficial role expected of and ac- and spoke for the League of Nations across England and cepted by women in society, and the ridiculousness of Europe, advocating for world peace and an end to global chaperons. Young women were literally accompanied conflict. Brittain was equally vocal on the issue of female everywhere. Not only were women restricted socially, emancipation, so much so that she struggled to relinbut academically as well, a tradition that Vera Brittain quish her newfound freedom to marry the man she had sought to destroy by attending Oxford University. She fallen in love with! Brittain was published in academic had spent months pestering her conservative, mid- journals, and she had several novels published as well. dle-class parents to let her go and join her brother. Finally they conceded. In a society that expected women to be- She tells her story with complete honesty, intense intelcome wives and mothers not academics, just attending ligence, and open-mindedness. It is no surprise she beuniversity is a demonstration of her sheer determina- came the voice of the war generation, and why ‘Testament tion. She was motivated to pursue a passion for knowl- of Youth’ became one of the most revered war memedge and to dismantle patriarchal norms in the process. oirs. Her incredible endurance, bravery and strength seem to have no bounds, as she persevered through Unfortunately, not long after her acceptance at Ox- four of the most traumatic years in human history. ford, World War One began and her brother, her two best friends and her lover all enlisted. Wanting to share as much as she could in the pain and anguish of her male contemporaries, she began nursing in London, then Malta, and finally on the Western Front in France. Her academic dream had given way to duty.

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a psychoanalytic feminist analysis of ‘the bloody chamber’ by angela carter

ters of the heart, the Marquis establishes a very blurred line between desire and extreme violence. Even the setting is saturated in red, from the ‘red velvet armchairs’, to the ‘vermilion lacquer’ of the ‘matrimonial bed’, and the ‘rugs on the floor…red of the heart’s dearest blood’.

His lips are repeatedly described as ‘bare’ and ‘red’, and the ruby choker becomes a significant and reoccurring symbol, described explicitly as ‘…an extraordinarily slit throat’ and ‘bright as arterial blood’. Here, Carter attributes the colour red to the heart, lips, and throat which correspond to love, desire, and violence respectively, to demonstrate the monistic nature of Freud’s concepts of Eros (pleasure, sex and life drive) and Thanatos (death drive) (Barry 2002 pp.97). As violence is integral in the erotic drive, sexual pleasure can be directly linked to death (Kli 2018, p.70-71). Libidinal urges for human creation are similarly dependent on the principle of destruction (Kli 2018, p.71) which becomes clear in the lasting ‘heart-shaped’, ‘red mark’ that the Marquis leaves on her forehead. It solidifies the ultimate connection between love and brutality and his warped perception of desire, rendering the ideas of Eros and Thanatos indistinguishable. ‘No paint nor powder, no matter how thick or white’ can conceal the physical and emotional stain he leaves on her, therefore, no amount of purity and innocence can obstruct or heal the detrimental effects of patriarchal violence engrained in Western scripts for traditional fairy tales and relationships alike.

A psychoanalytic feminist reading of Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’ (1979) exposes the damaging nature of dualities intrinsic to normative patriarchal conceptions of heterosexual relationships: desire and violence, purity, and death. This is presented in two visually evocative threads in the text. Carter deploys hyperbolic focus on colour aesthetic, especially through red and white, to reveal the deep links between Freudian’s concepts of Thanatos and Eros in normative sexual desire. Within the story, red imagery is representative of desire and lust and, paradoxically, violence and blood, to portray the destructive subtext of heterosexual constructions for women. Similarly, white symbolises the dualism between the unnamed narrator’s purity and innocence, her husband’s sadistic desire, and consequently death. Red and white serve to both represent and trap the heroine and the antagonist in their socially constructed binary roles and are presented together and separately to convey the detriment of the patriarchy. White imagery is used extensively by Carter to represent the innocence and virginity of the heroine, who Carter emphasises the colour red to establish violence arouses sadistic desires within her husband, and to as a damaging but inherent aspect of desirability with- directly connect purity and their marital union with in heterosexual relationships and amplify the dualistic death. Often in contrast to the use of red, the white nature of Eros and Thanatos. The gifts of ‘love’ present- lilies are a constant symbol of her chastity, their mared by the Marquis to his new wife are riddled with un- riage, but also his ‘deathly’ and ‘waxen’ features. Despite derlying hints of violence and overt allusions to blood. portraying the journey into the ‘unguessable country ‘Red ribbon’ (Carter 1979, pp. 1) is used to wrap her of marriage’ as ‘burning’, ‘thrusting’ and ‘pounding’, wedding dress, the fire opal wedding ring is presented the narrator acknowledges a ‘pang of loss’ at leaving in a ‘crimson velvet’ leather box, and the ‘choker of ru- the ‘white, enclosed quietude’ of her mother’s apartbies’ is a luxurious alternative to the red ribbons worn ment. Marriage, a supposed erotic union, represents by women who had ‘escaped the guillotine’ during the the death of her childhood and foreshadows the death Terror. By wrapping her wedding dress in the kind of of her virginity. This conflation of Eros and Thana‘red ribbon’ that previously signified the escape of a tos becomes pronounced when she directly associates brutal death and offering her a fire opal wedding ring her husband with the ‘ominous’, ‘funereal’ and ‘cowhich is already affiliated with sex, passion and mat bra-headed’ qualities of the white lilies. He, ‘with so

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much love’ fills her new bedroom with them, making it an ‘embalming parlour’ complete with ‘insolent incense reminiscent of death’. This elaborate imagery explicitly combines his wedding gifts, facial features, and obsession with her virginity, with death and foreboding. Simultaneously, she associates him with snake-like qualities, which alludes to the snake who tempts Eve to sin and discover knowledge, which acts as a foreshadow to the discovery of the bloody chamber. The serpentine allusion and the ‘fat stems’ that appear like ‘distorted’, ‘dismembered arms, drifting drowned’ conjure phallic imagery to associate the white lilies with the male organ which in Freud’s theory is an ‘emblem of social power’ (Barry 2002, pp.131). Through alliteration, the repetition of the letter ‘d’ creates short and stunted sounds to affiliate the white lilies, and consequently the male organ with death and destruction. Male domination is clearly communicated through these phallic symbols to align with Freud’s concept that men represent the ‘active’ and women the ‘passive’ roles in sexual encounters (Botinelli & Laxton 2018, pp.23). However, by consistently likening the Marquis to the ‘white, heavy flesh’ of the lilies, the narrator, while representative of innocence and compliancy, subtly undermines his power and inverts the Freudian binaries within heterosexual relationships.

In conclusion, Carter’s overwhelming focus on colour aesthetic within her story ‘The Bloody Chamber’ draws attention to the intrinsic links between purity and death, desire, and violence within the damaging constructs of heterosexual relationships. Both red and white are presented as paradoxical within themselves but are especially potent when combined within the bloody chamber, to reveal the ultimate fusion of Eros and Thanatos. The socially constructed narratives that oppress, restrict, and ensnare women within the patriarchy are challenged within ‘The Bloody Chamber’, and it is quite fitting that a story so heavily saturated in colour should end in blindness.

"...by consistently likening the Marquis to the 'white, heavy flesh' of the lilies, the narrator, while representative of innocence and complacency, subtly undermines his power and inverts the Freudian binaries within heterosexual relationships."

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one does not simply write feminist fantasy From Aragorn to Jon Snow, Harry Potter to High King Peter, the spell bounding worlds of fantasy are full of admirable, self-sacrificing, and exceptionally courageous heroes, though unfortunately, most of them are men. I have always been captivated by all things fantasy, ever since I first read the Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon and The Fire Within as a child. Transporting me to windswept castles, deep forests, desolate deserts, craggy mountains, across archipelago; with characters, societies, and creatures just as diverse, fantasy has provided me, like many, an escape from the modern world.

However, through the years I have noticed a concerning trend amongst many books within the genre. They are too often stories about men, for boys. While there are women within fantasy that are developed, deep and powerful, they never seem to be held in the same esteem and awe of their male counterparts. The fundamental nature of fantasy contributes greatly to these representations, as the magical worlds characters inhabit closely imitate social structures of the Middle Ages. Their characters are bound by the confines of patriarchal societies and so their roles are constrained within the boundaries of the time. This in turn, leads to the perpetuation of stereotypes and sexual discrimination that can be viewed as quite damaging for readers of the genre.

To preface, I wholeheartedly admire Tolkien’s ground-breaking contribution to fantasy, his intelligence, and his ability to enthral millions of readers and I acknowledge that his creations are a product of his time. However, certain patriarchal conceptions cannot be ignored within his work, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Arwen, a character with no depth beyond her beauty, gives up her eternal life to marry a mortal man, which is the most eventful plot development for her character. Galadriel does possess some power, but she is not depicted as heroic like Aragorn or Frodo, and while Eowyn kills the Witch-king of Angmar, she soon returns to a typical female portrayal, relying on affection from Faramir while she heals. In The Hobbit there are literally no leading female characters within the story at all. This was partially remedied in

the films, but there can be no doubt of it being a male orientated story. While Tolkien’s contribution to fantasy was defining, this concerningly low female presence set the premise for the rest of the genre.

My stance on Game of Thrones is somewhat conflicted. On one hand, I admire George RR Martin for his thoughtful development of deep and powerful women, but on the other, I struggle to see past stereotypical elements of their characters. There is admirable strength in Brienne and Arya, the fearsome fighters whose refusal to conform to the existing gender binaries within their society is inspirational. However, they still have to adopt masculine qualities to be considered strong and legitimate, which reinforces the idea that masculinity equates to strength, and femininity to weakness.

Cersei, arguably the woman with the most influence in the books, is painted as cruel, manipulative, bitter and cold and whose obsession with power and control leaves her with not many honourable characteristics.

Contrastingly, heroes like Aragorn and Jon Snow are modest, courageous, sensitive, intelligent, and self-sacrificial. It poses the question, if these are the traits so obviously valued by readers and society more broadly, why is it that they are always bestowed onto male characters?

These great works of fantasy carry with them a trail of controversy surrounding their female characters. Are they empowered or disempowered? Either way, it is a complex argument that runs far deeper than these two binaries. If the type of society you wish to mimic is inherently sexist, it seems (male) authors cannot convincingly write admirable heroines into their stories. There is a fine line between honouring the past and perpetuating sexism, and I hope that emerging fantasy writers take this into consideration. It’s high time we gave the world fantasy heroines equal in all aspects to male heroes. Until we attribute female characters with the same qualities that make men in these stories so revered, women in fantasy will remain the damsel in distress forever.

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on the punctuality of poetry Reading is the best way to broaden your mind.

Through education and learning we gain power over the system that has historically sought to keep women and other marginalised groups naïve and oblivious to their own strength. It’s a privilege to have ready access to books and poetry, and not one we should take for granted as, still today, many millions of women do not receive a formal education. It can sometimes feel like there’s nothing you - as an individual - can do to combat the inequalities that exist in our society, but reading is something we can all do. It’s a simple and achievable way to say a big ‘fuck you’ to the patriarchy and you can do it every day! The ever-lasting effects of empowerment and the knowledge that it brings are unequal to anything else you can do on a daily basis, apart from loving yourself, of course. Naturally, everyone is busy. Between work, study, family, exercise and other endless commitments, sitting down for a couple of hours (even a couple of minutes) to read for pleasure feels like a long-lost luxury. That’s where poetry comes in. Quick. Short. To the point. Yet behind every 13

carefully chosen word there is an endless amount of meaning and opportunity for interpretation, which is what makes poetry so thought-provoking. It also makes them easier to approach than an entire book or even a chapter. You can read one quickly before work, on the way (if you’re on public transport, please don’t read and drive), as you ponder what to make for dinner, or perhaps with a cuppa while somebody makes you dinner. And, even if a single poem is all you can manage, you’re still getting your daily reading time and perhaps even your feminist fix. The technological age we live in has naturally changed the way we read and absorb literature, poetry in particular. For a society with short attention spans and virtually no spare time, the punctuality of poetry is perfect. Despite social media’s bad wrap for wasting time and spreading negative messages, it can create some very empowering things and modern-day poets known as ‘Instagram poets’ are a perfect example. Sharing work on Tumblr and Instagram is particularly appealing to millennials and means they can reach a large and diverse audience. The simplicity, readability and accessibility of their

straight-forward yet emotive language has seen them rise quickly in popularity. As a Gen Z myself, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this modern writing and publication method, as I have discovered and found inspiration from many poets through social media.

It seems this modern approach to sharing poetry is particularly appealing to female poets and there has been a renewal of feminist writing amongst these millenial artists. Typically, these aspiring writers begin by making posts on social media, allowing them to build a following and gain enough interest to take their work to publishers or self-publish. Then, combining the broad reach of Instagram and Tumblr with hard copies, the writers build credible careers and become established poets.

You have no doubt heard of Rupi Kaur, whose huge success initially stemmed from being recognised on these platforms and ultimately lead to the publication of her ‘milk and honey’ anthology released in 2014.

Translated into 40 languages, selling 3.5 million copies and earning a place on the New York Times Bestseller’s List in 2016, it was ground-breaking in terms of what ‘Insta-poets’ were capable of. Her publication coincided with a dramatic increase in the worldwide release of poetry books, so much so, it has become one of the fastest growing genres. Rupi Kaur’s poetry is predominantly focused on feminist themes as she writes about her experiences as an Indian immigrant, anxiety, love, sex and relationships. Lang Leav and Nikita Gill are two other notable contributors to ‘Insta’ poetry, both of whom focus on female empowerment, love, loss and immigration. I particularly enjoy Gill’s re-telling of fairy tales and Greek myths from a feminist perspective, and the final sentence in her poem, ‘An Ode to Women’ is perhaps one of my favourite lines ever: ‘I am both war and woman and you cannot stop me’.

It is these ‘Insta’ poets who initiated my interest in poetry, and exposed me to the broad range of writers within its genre. I have recently explored some of the ‘classics’ of poetry, namely Sylvia Plath’s collection ‘Ariel’ and Maya Angelou’s ‘And Still I Rise’. I was particularly struck by Plath’s intensely evocative imagery and the impactful final line of ‘Lady Lazarus’, ‘Out of the ash // I rise with my red hair // And I eat men like air’. In ‘Morning Song’, she captures the ambivalence of motherhood beautifully and possibly her most famous poem, ‘Daddy’, highlights the power imbalance between men and women, and the repressive and violent realities of the patriarchy. Maya Angelou is another must-read poet, famous for her poem ‘Still I

Rise’, with its impactful first verse, ‘You may write me down in history // With your bitter, twisted lies, // You may trod me in the very dirt // But still, like dust, I’ll rise.’ A personal favourite of this collection is ‘Phenomenal Woman’ which challenges the problematic notions of feminine beauty conveyed through the repetitious phrase, ‘I’m a woman // Phenomenally. // Phenomenal woman, // That’s me.’ Another notable poem in this collection is ‘Caged Bird’ which comments on the oppression of African-Americans.

There are so many incredible female poets to choose from, but I would also recommend Amanda Gorman, who performed her poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ at inauguration day for President Biden at only 22 years old and made history by being the youngest poet to do so. Emily Dickinson was one of the most original American poets and wrote the famous line, ‘Hope is The Thing with Feathers’. Joy Harjo writes about the displacement of Native American people, specifically the Mvskoke nation in her collection named ‘An American Sunrise’ and is the first Native American poet to become a Poet Laureate.

Hopefully now, engaging with feminist writing seems a little more accessible and less daunting as you may have previously thought. Of course, I recommend reading broadly including a range of feminist classics throughout your lifetime, but for now, I am certain you will find this array of female poets, whether insta-poets or not, worthy of some of your precious snippets of time in your busy lives. I very much encourage you to follow some of the poets I’ve mentioned. Social media can be a pretty dark place at times but with the words of Nikita Gill or Rupi Kaur or Lang Leav, a little light, intelligence, and positivity can filter through to your daily feed.

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a small collection of my poetry In this small collection of feminist poetry, I aimed to expose just some of the many damaging aspects of the patriarchy, and in doing so, highlight the direct and tangible impact it has on women. I wanted to replicate the feeling of dissociation as a result of harassment and gender discrimination throughout my transition from teenage girl to womanhood in the first poem ‘You’. While reminiscent of medieval aesthetic, the silencing and objectification explored in ‘the king’s jewel’ is intended to reflect the ancient values we uphold in heterosexual relationships in modern society. ‘Doll’ examines sexual harassment with animalistic imagery, to associate the perpetrator with the most basic and revolting qualities. Written as the final poem, ‘The Warrior’ highlights the importance of education in the battle against oppression whilst asserting the power of women.

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You You whistled at me and my School friends It was Halloween But what scared me most that night was Men I was just fourteen.

You told me I sound Sexy But I didn’t make a scene I gave you silence then a smile I was just fifteen.

Then you told me how to look Hourglass, curvy, slim-thick, lean I began to question what I ate, I was just sixteen.

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You stared and ogled at me All night I should have foreseen You’d ask to buy me alcohol I was seventeen.

Then you grabbed My flesh My body You made me used, unclean I stared into your arrogant eyes And then I said: N o t h i n g.

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the king’s jewel She was ethereal, Admired far and wide, Enchanting all those Who laid eyes on her.

Resplendent in Sapphire, saffron, salmon, Decorated with silver and gold encrusted with jewels Shimmering, and sparkling from her Hair and Ears and Neck and Wrists. Twinkling Against her Translucent skin Against her Midnight Hair, so black it was blue.

But she was elusive.

Distant.

Cold.

Suffocated by the Thick, black velvet sky A mere glimmer of who She once was.

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Years of idleness And rehearsed politeness Had knotted her little pink tongue But he liked her more this way. He liked how they gawked at her Running their eyes up and down Stripping her It made him want her more and more, And more.

The king’s jewel.

Sometimes, She would lie Amongst the leaves, The moss, The dirt She would run her Ivory fingers Through the soil until it filled Her nails and turned them Black.

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She did not squirm when insects crawled and Clambered across her Bare body.

Concealed beneath the forest floor Drunk on the earth’s scent She lay Still.

But the worms refused her Dewy flesh Her bones did not decay, Death would not offer his Cold embrace (Even He knew she was Too beautiful to be buried.) Instead he Pinned her upon the Velvet sky The king’s jewel hung so high Upon her light, many gazed Her silent and distant beauty Left the eyes of men Crazed.

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Doll Sweet smiles slither from His lips Leans in laughing Too close Flattery slips from His mouth In calculated croaks. Poison Drips from His tongue My tongue He wants them Tangled Little does he know He cut mine off Silenced.

The hands that reach Reach Reach For my legs Grip Grab Grope

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Gourmand With green tentacular fingers Callous and corrupt Can’t breach. I’m impregnable.

My skin is porcelain White and cold and hard.

And I’m but a doll, a Play-thing Talk down to me Touch me if you like – I won’t know any better This head is empty after all.

Throw me away when you’re done and I’ll Shatter. So Beware the shards don’t Cut And leave your crimson blood a-splatter To shred your scaly skin would be a pity, This smile was painted on Isn’t it pretty?

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The Warrior Sharpen your wit with the Words of women gone before The warriors and The witches Both wicked and wise Whose power the history books despise.

Let them fill you up, Let them become your Weapons With them you will fight your own battles You don’t need a knight because you have saved yourself, You have sharpened your own Sword, And with it you will carve out Kingdoms Conquering and cutting through Your enemies Like cake.

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works cited Angelou, M 1986, And Still I Rise, Virago Press, Great Britain.

Barry, P 2002, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, 4th edn, Manchester University Press, United Kingdom.

Botinelli, K & Laxton, S 2018, ‘Psychoanalytic Feminism and the Depiction of Women in Surrealist Photography’, UC Riverside Undergraduate Research Journal, vol. 12, no.1, pp.21-27, http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/RJ5121039158 Brittain, V 1933, Testament of Youth, Victor Gollancz Limited, Great Britain.

Byager, L 2018, Roll your eyes all you like, but Instagram poets are redefining the genre for Millennials, viewed 6 March 2021, https://mashable.com/article/instagram-poetry-democratise-genre/ Carter, A 1979, The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories, Vintage Book, Great Britain.

C, Canga, Grimm, B, 2011, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Magic Wagon, Minnesota.

Dickinson, E 2016, Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson, Fall River Press, New York.

Haase, D 2004, Fairytales and Feminism: New Approaches, Wayne State University Press, Detroit.

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