The Feminist Manifesto, And Susan Glaspell s Trifles

The feminist movement lays claim to a history of both victorious struggle and violent controversy. As women fought for equality with men in the early twentieth century, literature was inspired by this movement. Modernist writers used their artform to provide social commentary in similar ways to realistic writers of the nineteenth century. However, modernist thought allows a much more obvious agenda to be presented through literature. Mina Loy, in â€Å"Feminist Manifesto,† and Susan Glaspell, in â€Å"Trifles,† both used their respective writings to convey personal opinions on the women’s movement and the relationship between men and women. Though this similarity places them in the same category of modernism, the two differ in their writings†¦show more content†¦Similarly, Glaspell attempts to incite critical thought among her readership regarding the role of gender in determining a person’s worth. The two women in â€Å"Trifles† are shown to be both morally and intellectually superior to the men in the story, though they are derided for their method of investigation (Glaspell 748). This form of derision and lack of respect is indicative of the social climate at the time. Angel writes, â€Å"The women in the story start from different facts and reach different moral and legal conclusions than the men in the story. The men’s view of fact and law reflect our traditional legal system, which men created and continue to dominate† (Angel 779). Therefore, Glaspell not only uses the irony of the women’s superior observance to showcase women’s equality to men, but she also uses it as a method of critiquing the sociopolitical order of her day. Ergo, both Glaspell and Loy find commonality in their use of smaller gender related topics to address broader issues relating to feminist concerns. Though both authors share similar desires to relate their work to social issues, their methods are quite differe nt. â€Å"Feminist Manifesto† provides an aggressive and bold statement regarding women’s rights. Loy uses tonal and stylistic elements to express an urgent need for reform. Language and word choice are one of the primary elements by which Loy accomplishes this. The author makes