Right now what we are discussing about is, the ‘political issues’ which is a bit harder term than others. According to the oxford dictionary, politics is “activities aimed at improving someone’s status or increasing power within an organization”—from where we can define politics in a different way. Political texts can actually affect the norms of the society; it can bring a political change. Even most of the writer’s actually write their articles to impact the society for a change.
The articles which have been read throughout the class, most of the students were actually confused how are they political as most of them are related to women. Some students misunderstand that they are actually talking about feminism. But actually they are political papers as they showed how a certain group of people are being dominated by a powerful group of people by the name of society and they have the hidden urge to solve this problem.
In “a room of one’s own”, Virginia Woolf described how we have made the women the “worm” which has nothing to do by herself and the privileges which we are giving to the men are introduced as “wings of the eagle”. The society is so dominant towards the women that they kept them in a corner of the society and if they try to be like the men, they suffered because it doesn’t suit them actually—just like the wings on a worm. The author actually illuminated to the fact that how women were dominated by the society and her criticism implies to the persuasion for the betterment of women, which is a part of politics.
But in the text, “Women’s Capabilities and the Right to Education in Bangladesh”, we saw that women are being given the right for education. But for what do they need this right? To get married. To be educated has become a criterion to get married in the society. Isn’t it politics? To fulfill the demand of certain group of people we are targeting the women. They are still oppressed though they are allowed to be educated. This text focused on how the education rights of the women are misused as the society is actually using this right for a purpose. This is how this text is a political text, which seems to be a text about feminism but shows the politics of a certain group of people to dominate women. It shows how a powerful group in the society is ruling over another group of people to dominate them
“Politics”, this word is still not clear to us as it has a critical meaning. But I think why the texts we are reading are political readings, is clearer than before. And if it gets more confusing then it’s a great opportunity to discuss about this and come to a conclusion.
Works cited:
Arends-Kuenning, Mary and Amin, Sanjeda, “Women’s capability and right to education in Bangladesh.” International Journal of Politics and Society, Vol. 15, No.1, September 2001. Print
Woolf, Virginia. “A Room of One’s Own.” Fort Washington: Harvest Book. 1981. First published 1929.
AUW's Interpreting Texts, Spring 2013 