of woman born motherhood as experience and institution

Order custom essay Motherhood as Vocation In fact, readers are made to believe that, perhaps, all motherhood was for Rich was the trials and tribulations. Readers are not privileged to the enjoyable aspects of her motherhood experiences. Rich's reflections on motherhood, though, only seem to fixate on the loneliness, fears and negativity associated with the difficult occupation of motherhood. We hear of the fun in taking a toddler to the park for exploration.Įven the trials we hear of regarding the trouble-making teens seem laced with a subtle but happy sentimental reflection. We hear of the joy in hearing a child's first words. These feelings seem to sum up the experiences of many mothers and, yet, we also often hear of the fine points of mothering, as well. Rich describes her experiences in motherhood as being fairly forgettable save for the exception of 'anxiety, physical weariness, anger, self blame, boredom and divisions within' herself. In reading the book, though, her message of motherhood as a skewed institution becomes entirely clear. From this description it is not entirely clear the depth of Rich's personal experience and perception of motherhood.

Motherhood, as described by Rich, is a 'Sacred Calling' with a healthy dose of irony. This classic piece of feminist literature is an exceptionally relevant work even after the thirty years since its original publication. Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution reveals the trials and tribulations of mothers everywhere and across time through the voice and experiences of its author, Adrienne Rich.

Of woman born motherhood as experience and institution