The Refusal of Motherhood in African American Women's Theater

Meier, Joyce

doi:10.2307/468239

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, as the topic of the anaylsis in this article is about motherhood, there are myriads previous studies of it. As the context of Zikora's story is about African woman, one of the previous studies that in line with this article's discussion is the writing of Joyce Meier about The Refusal of Motherhood in African American Women's Theater (Meier, 2000). The article talks about the heroines in some plays who refuse motherhood and/ or child rearing because they cannot bear the alternative of birthing and raising a child in a culture that discriminates on the basis on race, culture, and gender.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Becoming a Mother: The Transition to Motherhood in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Zikora

Roifah

2021

prosodi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In patriarchal society, motherhood is viewed as a responsibility for women although not all are willing or able to carry it on. To become a mother, a woman has to experience a challenging phase in life and ready to sacrifice everything they have. Feminist critics see motherhood as a complex issue operating patriarchal institution that regulates, dominates, and oppresses women. What is more, some women are not ready with the consequences during the transition to motherhood and bear the status of becoming a mother that often results in having a hard time. To bring this issue into discussion, this study is going to explore the crises that Zikora has to undergo in her transition to become a mother. Zikora is the protagonist in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's short story, Zikora. In analyzing the issue, this study applies the theory of motherhood by Andrienne Rich and uses a qualitative approach with a close reading method. The result of the study shows that motherhood brings women to a new world full of challenges. Motherhood requires not only physical strenght but also mental strenght and self control so that whatever the crises are, women can bear them and overcome the obstacles they are facing.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Becoming a Mother: The Transition to Motherhood in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Zikora

Roifah

2021

prosodi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Under Lynching’s Shadow: Grimké’s Call for Domestic Reconfiguration in Rachel

Jansen¹

2014

afa

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“Terrible Laughing God”: Challenging Divine Justice in African American Antilynching Plays, 1916–1945

Prentiss¹

2008

Relig. Am. cult.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the early twentieth century, African Americans waged a propaganda war against the scourge of lynching. Theater was a vital element of this effort, and over two dozen plays were written with the intent of depicting the horror that accompanied these brutal acts of violence. These plays, though largely neglected by historians, have been studied as elements of an effort to promote antilynching legislation. Until now, however, their testimony to important religious currents in African American culture has been ignored. A closer look at these texts reveals them to be engaged in theological discourse that examines the role of God and the church in the face of evil. These plays reflect a burgeoning humanism in African American culture, particularly among the intelligentsia. By creating characters and constructing plot lines that explicitly challenged the goodness of God in light of African American suffering, or by exposing the hypocrisy and impotence of the church to bring about an end to violence and oppression, these playwrights were engaged in a form of vernacular theology. By observing their efforts, we add a fresh layer to our understanding of African American life during this time period.

show abstract

The Refusal of Motherhood in African American Women's Theater

Cited by 4 publications

References 8 publications

Becoming a Mother: The Transition to Motherhood in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Zikora

Becoming a Mother: The Transition to Motherhood in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Zikora

Under Lynching’s Shadow: Grimké’s Call for Domestic Reconfiguration in Rachel

“Terrible Laughing God”: Challenging Divine Justice in African American Antilynching Plays, 1916–1945

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About