This document provides guidance for writing a feminist analysis of Gwendolyn Brooks' poem "The Mother." It discusses analyzing the text through a feminist lens, with a focus on roles of female characters and issues of gender, sexuality, childbirth and motherhood. It also mentions applying queer theory to analyze representations of LGBT issues in the text. Students are instructed to write a 300+ word analysis anchored in feminist and queer theory, using relevant vocabulary and citing specific theorists.

1. A feminist analysis on Gwendolyn Brooks
Write A feminist analysis on Gwendolyn Brooks, "The Mother" looks at the roles of female
(or lack thereof) characters or issues in the text. Further issues include female vs. male
writing differences and women writing about the female experience (sexuality, childbirth,
motherhood). "Queer Theory" looks at gay and lesbian issues brought out, either overtly or
covertly in a text. The analysis should be at least 300 words long (double-spaced). There are
no "right" nor "wrong" answers for this– the power will be in what you use from the text
and the theories to support your points. Be sure to anchor your thesis statement in a theory
using vocabulary we’re learning and practicing. Include the theorist(s)’ name(s) throughout
the response when you use the vocabulary. No problem explaining briefly what the theory
or vocabulary means in your discussion. It’s very important to focus on feminist and queer
theory angles. Stick to larger issues related to feminist and queer theory concerns. It’s fine
to bring in outside socio-economic events to the texts– dates, events, etc. Assignments # 2( 1
Page / 8 sentences each/ 2 References each)A). Respond to Michael Lassell, "How to Watch
Your Brother Die" in terms of critiquing it for following a feminist critique. Point out areas
that you believe a "classmate" may have overlooked or not have had room to analyze. Your
response should be a solid paragraph of about 8 sentences. Anchor the Response in
vocabulary terms and theory, giving credit to the particular theorist you are using
(Showalter, Chodorow, Gilligan, Sedgwick, Cixous, Butler, etc.). B). Respond to Diane Di
Prima, "Brass Furnace Going Out: Song, After an Abortion" in terms of critiquing it for
following a feminist critique. Point out areas that you believe a "classmate" may have
overlooked or not have had room to analyze. Your response should be a solid paragraph of
about 8 sentences. Anchor the Response in vocabulary terms and theory, giving credit to the
particular theorist you are using (Showalter, Chodorow, Gilligan, Sedgwick, Cixous, Butler,
etc.).STUDY SHEET FOR FEMINIST AND GAY/LESBIAN CRITICISM1. For the following
authors, list their their most famous works (pick one) and dates of publication.a. Mary
Wollstonecraft b. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (speech)c. Virginia Woolf d. Simone de Beauvoire.
Kate Millet f. Germaine Greerg. Gloria Steinem h. Betty Friedani. Carol Gilligan j. bell hooksk.
Judith Butler l. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick2. What is meant by the term images of women
school of criticism? Give a leading critic of this so-called school. What is the focus of this
type of criticism?3. Killing the angel of the house is a famous metaphor relating to women’s
psyches when entering traditionally male-dominated professions. With whom is it
associated and from where does it come?4. What is gynocriticism? With whom is it mainly
associated? How does it differ from the feminist critique or the images of women

2. schools?5. In her 1977 book A Literature of their Own, Elaine Showalter breaks women’s
writings into three chronological and socio/political phases: the Feminine, the Feminist and
the Female. Give the approximate dates for each and briefly explain how they differ from
each other.6. According to Dobie (or other sources you have found), what are the major
differences between British, American and French feminist critical approaches? List one
writer associated with each side. 7. What is meant by the term ecriture feminine? With
whom is it associated? What is the title of her essay which introduces the term?8. One is not
born a woman– one becomes one. Who wrote this quotation and what do you think it
means?9. Briefly define what you think a psychoanalytic feminist approach to a text
entails.10. Describe briefly the difference between essentialist and anti-essentialist
positions on sexual identity.11. What do you think Adrienne Rich means by the term
compulsory heterosexuality? 12. Give brief definitions for each of the following terms. a.
homophobiab. homoerotic/lesboeroticc. queerbashingd. queer theorye. the closet and
coming out f. campg. butch/femmeh. hypermasculine/hyperfemininei. genderfuckj.
Stonewall (1969)k. gay ghettol. vanilla sexuality13. List two lesbian representations from
t.v. and/or movies.14. List three out lesbians from the public world.15. List two gay male
representations from t.v and/or movies.16. List three out gay males from the public
world.17. Evaluate the following statement for its accuracy. Think about the difference
between homosexual activity and homosexual identity (hint: Foucault):Gays and lesbians
have existed since the beginning of time. Assignment GVPT# 4 ( 2 Pages /4 References)
There are growing control gaps between state aspirations and state capabilities. What is
the control gap? What are the theories of globalization? And is it really all about oil? As
always use specific evidence to edify your comments. Include your perspective. Assignment
CSIA # 5 ( 1 Page/ 2 References) Speaking on Security Technology: Find an Article about
Prevention System, Intrusion Detection. Comment on the article, and include your
Perspective.Assignment HMLS # 6 ( 2 Page/ 4 References) 1) Should terrorist organizations
such as Al Qaeda be given prisoner of war status and thus be entitled under the rights of the
Geneva Convention? and Which system of justice would you advise the President to handle
regarding captured terrorist? Domestic courts, military tribunals or something other? 2)
How is the checks and balances in the U.S Constitution important to protect individuals
liberties? Can you cite two examples of this checks and balance? Could checks and balances
be limited during times of terrorist events or war? Why is this a good idea or a bad idea?
Please explain your answers and answer each separately. Assignment # 7 ( 2 Pages -one
page for each Note/ 2 References each) Respond to the following notes bellow Sonya’s
Response by Sonya DeHoyosNote # 1 1.Should terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda be
given prisoner of war status and thus be entitled under the rights of the Geneva
Convention? I do not believe members of Al Qaeda should be given POW status because
their actions are not committed as part of any ‘war’. They are criminals, whose extremist
beliefs have driven them to murder. However, I do believe when they are captured and
detained that they do have rights under the Geneva Conventions because the Geneva
Conventions are International treaties that were written for the purpose of ensuring
humane treatment of individuals in custody. I take this position because we as a nation,
must continue to uphold our integrity as a leader of human rights. The American Civil

3. Liberties Union also holds the position that the US should not deter from its human rights
leadership by detaining individuals indefinitely without charge, allowing torture of
detainees, and acting unfairly toward immigrants (ACLU, n.d.) I agree with ACLU that we
must uphold our moral authority by taking action to reject these injustices (ACLU, n.d).
Even our current President, President Obama, holds the position of human treatment and
respect of the US Constitution. I reviewed his remarks regarding National Security on May
21, 2009 and although he does make some valid points regarding transparency (not
releasing photos for the safety of our servicemen and women), which I do agree with, he
also makes it very clear that no matter what war or who we are fighting, we uphold our core
values, act humanely, respect the rule of law and due process (Obama, 2009). He also said
we are the nation that shut down torture chambers and replaced tyranny with the rule of
law (Obama, 2009). This is true, we were leading by example and all of a sudden that
changed after 9/11 with the policies. I agree with Obama, we need to get back on track.1.
Which system of justice would you advise the President to handle regarding captured
terrorist? Domestic courts, military tribunals or something other? Because these two
different systems can’t seem to co-exist as they are, I would advise revision of the detention
policy, as recommended by some Yale Law scholars. The Yale Law scholars also agree with
ACLU and Obama’s position in that the US should uphold its moral principles. They propose
the following principles be incorporated into the detention policy to help undo the damage
done to our nation’s reputation and to uphold our moral principles (Ahmad, et.al., 2009): •
o Observe the rule of law by respecting international humanitarian law, ceasing to engage in
run-arounds regarding the constitution and basic human rights. o Make Liberty the norm by
not detaining without trial or for preventative measures (incarceration is a result of what an
individual has done, not may do) o Individualized process should be carried out no matter
the circumstance or the individual. Every person, even those suspected of terrorism should
have the right to this process. o Engage in Transparency with the public to establish
credibility and legitimacy.They go on to add that there should be judicial oversight, zero
tolerance regarding torture of detainees, and overall adherence to the US Constitution
(Ahmad, et.al., 2009). I think if these principles were applied, the military tribunals would
be sufficient. 1. Part I 1) How is the checks and balances in the U.S Constitution important to
protect individuals liberties? I think judicial oversight is the best way to ensure checks and
balances in the U.S. Constitution. As we have seen, the question of the Supreme Court’s
authority keeps coming up but there should be no question because it is their oversight that
enables the checks and balances for the protection of individual’s liberties. Can you cite two
examples of this checks and balance? Two cases quickly come to mind as examples of this
checks and balance: Rasul v. Bush and Korematsu v. United States. Both cases took Supreme
Court rulings to ensure that our Constitution was upheld. As long as the Constitution always
takes precedence, individuals’ liberties are protected. 2) Could checks and balances be
limited during times of terrorist events or war? Why is this a good idea or a bad idea? Please
explain your answers. I think the checks and balances can be limited as long as the
Constitution, International laws, and Geneva Conventions are being respected. This can be a
good idea when time is of the essence but the procedures must be iron-clad with regular
monitoring and reporting to ensure the integrity of the procedures. Only in this situation

4. can the involvement for judicial oversight be limited.Sources: ACLU. (n.d.). National
Security. Retrieved on April 14, 2014, from https://www.aclu.org/human-rights/national-
security Ahmad, M. L. (2009). Scholars’ statement of principles for the new president on U.S.
Detention Policy: an agenda for change . Yale Law. Retrieved on April 14, 2014, from
https://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/Alumni_Affairs/Scholars_Statement.pdfObama,
B. (2009). President Obama: our security, our values. Retrieved on April 14, 2014, from
https://www.whitehouse.gov/video/President-Obama-Our-Security-Our-ValuesWeek
5_Lee by Shannon Garcia Note # 2 Policy: 1) Should terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda
be given prisoner of war status and thus be entitled under the rights of the Geneva
Convention? and Which system of justice would you advise the President to handle
regarding captured terrorist? Domestic courts, military tribunals or something other? Part I
1) How is the checks and balances in the U.S Constitution important to protect individuals
liberties? Can you cite two examples of this checks and balance? 2) Could checks and
balances be limited during times of terrorist events or war? Why is this a good idea or a bad
idea? Please explain your answers. In all honestly, this question pumps and prods for a
personal opinion in relation to the answer to question one of this week’s conference. It does
not matter what should happen among terrorist and enemy combatants, it matters what is
annotated and in doctrine that we can enforce. As of right now, according to the Homeland
Security Presidential Directive; terrorists’ seek to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit critical
infrastructure and key resources across the United States to threaten national security,
cause mass casualties, weaken our economy, and damage public morale and confidence .
Personally speaking, I believe that each individual situation is different in regard to prisoner
of war status for the question that is being asked. Following the breakdown of the cycle of
terrorist and selecting a target and recruiting personnel to get a job done, utilizing
personnel to prevent future attacks is an option. Creating harsh environments and not
gaining intelligence and information should some be given a prisoner of war status and
protected under the Geneva Convention may not always be the best option. In the past we
have been a reactive nation and not necessarily a proactive one. Each criminal, each
terrorist has breaking points and different situations just like no two humans are exactly
alike (even twins have differences).Within the justice department and the President
handling the capture of terrorists, they are in a category all of their own. I have had the
opportunity to understand and be a part of the domestic courts as well as military courts;
although I am no subject matter expert in either one. I believe that a checks and balances of
both would be quite interesting, meaning I would choose other. If a terrorist is captured or
found on American soil (meaning not on some sort of military combat outpost or forward
operating base in another country) than specifically domestic courts should be utilized. If a
terrorist is captured during a deployment of troops than a military tribunal with the added
benefit of the input of a domestic court should be utilized (in conjunction). I am not saying
that one court system is better than the other, we are all doing the same job, protecting the
same nation; what is so difficult about coming together to share knowledge and add joint
decisions in the highest regard? Checks and balances are important to the protection of
individual civil liberties due to the fact that they were set up to not only avoid any sort of
anarchy but to achieve justice and the correct and lawful way in correlation with law and

5. the Constitution. Madison felt that in a republic that the goal of it’s elected leaders should be
to maintain the authority of the Constitution, which of course gets it’s authority from the
people living under its laws. Checks and balances are used so that the perception and
interpretation of the Constitution is not only the correct one but it is adhered to and that the
good of the people is understood and civil rights and liberties are maintained. Two
examples of checks and balances would be the case between the New York Times and the
United States in reference to the Pentagon Papers as well as one of our previously discussed
court cases during class of Korematsu versus the United States.I believe that checks and
balances should not necessarily be limited during times of terrorist events or war, but could
be if there is no other option. Regardless the process would be slowed down. Many court
cases and reviews and trials are drawn out and lengthened when they are high profiled
which would consist of a trial for terrorism or during a war. Many things need to be taken
into consideration and the smallest hiccup could cause derogatory or negative results or
actions. It is understood that time is of the essence in relation to terrorism, but not so vast
that the Constitutional rights or laws are not adhered to in the process. References: Salvato,
N., 2005. Constitutional Liberty. Retrieved on April 14, 2014 from
https://www.basicsproject.org/constitutional_literacy/government/checks_and_balances_
maintaining_our_liberties.htm 2014. Casebriefs. New York Times Co. v. United States
[Pentagon Papers Case]. Retrieved on April 14, 2014 fromNew York Times Co. v. United
States [The Pentagon Papers Case]Legal Information Institute. Korematsu v. United States.
Retrieved on April 14, 2014 from
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/323/214Click here to get this paper done
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