Bell Hooks Essay

INTRODUCTION

Growing up as a poor black woman can be hard, especially in the 1950s. For bell hooks this may have been challenging but, this did not prevent her from persevering. Hooks is known for being an American author, a social activist and a feminist. She attended University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Stanford University. Her teaching career began in 1976 as and English professor at University of Southern California. It was then that she published her first book called And There We Wept. Many of her works are about race, class, sexuality and feminism. bell hooks’ life certainly affects her works in many ways.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION bell hooks was born in Kentucky in 1952 into a working class family. She grew up in a racially segregated town and went to segregated public school. Later on she attended integrated schools. Being that she grew up in such a polarized era, she faced many obstacles that people now may not deal with to the same extent.

HOOKS’ INFLUENCE

In my opinion,

Her audience can use the mistakes in her life to learn how to change similar circumstances in their own life, whether it is for themselves, their kids, or their family so they do not experience the negative influences of patriarchy. Many other authors can learn from hooks’ writing and know that it is okay to share about their personal life so that others can learn from it. The world can also simply learn how to deal with patriarchy and learn from her feminist teachings. hooks’ writing was more connected with the audience of this time period because many people, not just women, in the fifties can agree that patriarchy was a normality. This made her audience realize that just because they grew up a certain way does not mean that they cannot change their circumstances. They have the power to change their lifestyle, if they truly want