Rape Of A Woman example essay topic

The poem "Rape", by Adrienne Rich maps the journey of a woman who is. ".. guilty of the crime of having been forced". (Ln. 14-15) The nameless woman in this poem not only has to endure a physical rape, but also a social and emotional one. She struggles desperately to find her footing in a world that has been forever changed to her. She no longer feels at home in her own body, amongst society, and even within the safety of her own mind. The rape of a woman does not end with the act itself.

It is merely the first step of many on a long, lonely and deserted road. The first attack on this woman's soul is considered by many to be the worst. Her body has been ravaged and she alone has been left to pick up the pieces. What was formerly a holy temple has been left desecrated and unclean. What was once only hers now belongs to a demon that she is eternally bound to. All that remains is "the maniac's sperm" and a "mind whirling like crazy".

(Ln. 12-13) She has been crucified by a man whose hands have left an everlasting impression on her mind. The long, endless walk of shame and humiliation has begun, and for her there is no turning back. The helpless woman is instantly forced to take her new place in society.

A place where nothing and no one is familiar. She turns to the person who has sworn to serve and protect her, only to find that his allegiance is to another. 'There is a cop who is both prowler and father: he comes from your block, grew up with your brothers, had certain ideals. You hardly know him in his boots and silver badge, on horseback, one hand touching his gun. ' (Ln. 1-5) Having been stripped of her clothing, the woman is now forced to do the same with her dignity.

The time has come "to confess to him". (Ln. 13-14) 'And you see his blue eyes, the blue eyes of all the family whom you used to know, grow narrow and glisten, his hand types out the details and he wants them all. ' (Ln. 16-19) The police officer is a symbol for how the rest of society now views her; "He knows, or thinks he knows, how much you imagined; he knows, or thinks he knows, what you secretly wanted". (Ln.

24-25) Society has branded her a liar. To the officer this is just another rape. A daily routine he has become desensitized to. To the woman this is the end of her life.

Her attack has left her disconnected from the rest of the world. She is unable to think of the many women who have been here before her, the ones that have yet to come, and those who never found the courage. The woman's deepest wound is a self-inflicted one. When her body and place in society crumbled, her mentality followed suite. The war that rages in her mind is far more brutal than the one that defeated her body. To lock away her memories and pretend as if nothing happened, would be a dishonor to the woman she used to be.

However, the road of silence and shame is a less lonely one to travel on. The woman now has to ask herself, "if, in the sickening light of the precinct, your details sound like a portrait of your confessor, will you swallow, will you deny them, will you lie your way home?" (Ln 28-30) Some women survive rape and the accusations of society, only to succumb to suicide. It is that which we do to ourselves that violates us the most. Rape leaves no part of a woman's life untouched. It cripples her body, hinders relationships, and disables her mind. Even the strongest of women fall to its mercy and cower in its wake.

Once a woman has been raped, the raping never ceases. Adrienne Rich's account of one woman's journey is an account of every woman's journey. This women has been violated by a power hungry animal, the society that created him, and worst of all herself.