WOMEN RIGHTS IN THE 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN POETRY (Pages 64-88) by Dr. Al-Musauba'a Bushra Nasser Ahmed in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

In many respects and for long women in America have been denied their rights and were considered second-class citizens, passive, and submissive with few legal and no political rights. They suffered male domination on their social and religious life. They had been given the role of house wives that were meant to stay home and care for the children. McMillan (2008), pointed out that women were considered naturally weaker than men, squeamish, and unable to perform work requiring muscular or physical development. Moreover, they had been viewed intellectually inferior to men, more emotional, too sensitive and less decisive and creative than men and therefore would not be able to reach fair political decisions. Nonetheless, tests performed by physiologists, sociologists and anthropologists have proved these to be incorrect. It was in the mid 1800's that American women started to take a step. They had to combat their way through state legislatures and congressional obstacles. The struggle for women's rights extended beyond the right to vote or own property in their own names. It was the fight for a woman to be considered an individual in her own right, defined on her own term, by her own intellect and accomplishment, to hold office, to enter the workforce and to plan her families, control her reproductive life and afford the same opportunities as her male peers. Despite all injustices and their lack of power, American women stood up to claim their rights and fought the difficulties they encountered. They worked hard to increase awareness of social wrongs, including gender inequality. But only later over the course of the nineteenth century did women's demands for equal rights changed from a series of isolated incidents to an organized movement. Enormous changes swept through the United States in the late nineteenth century altering the women at all levels of society. (Encyclopedia, 2003).The story of diligent women's rights activism is a litany of achievements against tremendous odds, of ingenious strategies and outrageous tactics used to outwit opponents and make the most of limited resources. It's a dramatic tale filled with remarkable women facing down incredible obstacles to win basic rights they enjoy today. This paper however aims at shedding light on the history and mystery of women rights in the United States which includes the study of the women's status in America and the hindrances they faced in their bitter battle for their rights, the causes and the associated consequences and ultimately suggest proper recommendations Further, investigating the treatment of women and their rights in American poetry. Eventually, two American poems of the 20th century are to be analyzed, compared and contrasted. It is hoped that as a result of this research, readers -- both males and females know the women rights and how females have been victims in American society due to many factors among which were women's lack of confidence and ignorance of their rights and men's domination and the society's injustice towards women. This paper attempts to explore how destructive and restrictive the traditional roles of women have been and examine the ways which women have used to explicitly and implicitly assert their need for freedom, equality, identity and power. And, finally points out the flaws in American society to help women prove themselves and better their situation in society. Keywords: social and religious life, muscular or physical development, physiologists, sociologists and anthropologists, legislatures and congressional obstacles, women's rights, gender inequality, American society etc.