Thinking About Manifestos: “Feminist Manifesto” (Loy)

Thinking about the reading…

**Be sure to look up the words you are unfamiliar with.

  • How do the first two lines (“The feminist movement as at present instituted is/Inadequate“) set the tone for the rest of the reading?
  • Would you classify this as an essay or a poem? Why? Does it matter?
  • Why are certain words underlined, capitalized, and written in a larger font?
  • Why is the form of this text important?
  • In the fourth stanza (paragraph), Loy writes that men and women are enemies. How do you understand this– are they literal enemies, theoretical enemies, etc? What do you think of this idea– both when the text was written in 1914, and today, over 100 years later?
  • What are the major areas of discussion/complaint in this text?
  • Is there a “call to action” in the text? If so, what is it? Is this an important part of the text?
  • What do you think is the most powerful line (or lines) in the text?

Beyond the reading…

  • Would you classify this as a Manifesto? Why or why not?
  • How does this text compare to “The Declaration of Sentiments and Reasons” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton?