Literary Analysis Essay on Bell's Communion

Introduction

Bell introduces Communion: The Female Search for Love as literature that proliferates love and its meaning among the American culture. The book illustrates that the voyage towards finding love is one of a heroic context as it perpetrates the highest sense of freedom in humanity. The book meant to explore the role of love and its significance in women. The book explores how feminist's movements and culture alternated ideas regarding women and love. Bell explains that "feminism only reinforced the idea that we women were superior to men when it comes to our emotional universe" (99). Culture and feminism represent some of the critical perspectives that have abridged women's affection in the society. These notions have faulted women's heightened affection towards societal beings and objects as a pointer of their social weakness. The book stirs the significance of love among women as a decent perspective to amplify affection towards their partners, parents and family, their bodies and their past as they tend to aspire for their career progress and self-help initiatives.

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Love is the path that leads to women's fulfilment as it guides and acclaims their social freedom. Bell explores several experiences of women, shares wisdom that settles women from contrasting situations and defines lessons that women can use as they trade in the art of love. As Bell describes, love is a gendered perspective that arises from the societal narrative of patriarchy. The uncertainty of social love arises from tender ages among females because mothers and fathers and the society as well are not that "perfect" in advocating affection. The idea of aspiring for their social right of "to be loved" is something that young girls should fight for as they transform into womanhood simply because women are not entitled to the superiority of love in the society. Girls arise from the perspective that love is beyond their self-worth and that being loved by others is the true definition of love (Bell, 53).

Q2: Describe the gender-specific relationship between men, women and love. How is it different? Why? How does gender socialization contribute to these masculine and feminine roles concerning love and relationships in general?

Bell points out that women who lack male partners are actively looking for men (159). As explained in the text, women aspire for love in their lives, and males represent the social complements that drive passion to them. The book explores that men are easy to find but not love. Feminists introduced elements that enhanced women's aversion towards men. As a result, women expose spiteful sentiments about affectionate relationships with men. Bell establishes that such disdain if upheld among women would cease the relevance of female-male links in society (160). Patriarchal culture presents most men as inspiring fear and such notions of masculinity articulate derision towards males in young girls. The community offers different kinds of men when it comes to love. There are those men that openly express love; a sect of men whose women destine to be inspired by their passion. Alternatively, there are those men that incite violence and unkindness; the sect of men whose women hate as they encourage their failure to shield women from harm Bell asserts that girls "look to the male authority we know to teach us about masculinity" (161). Generally, men who inhabit women's love are men who engender feeling.

Feminists introduced women who envision men as foolish in their sense, still ensuring that these notions hold in their thoughts and not actions. Consequently, women view male-female relationships as inflicted with imminence to pain. Feminist movements represent unsanctioned gatherings that women use to air their concerns regarding male violence since it is rare for the media to advocate for women's affectionate heartening in patriarchy societies (Bell, 164). The community is male-dominated, and women have lived to propagate this notion regarding the fact that they derive benefits from men. Males, on the other hand, use this notion to enhance dominance over females. As a result, men array emotional abuse as a way of avoiding intimacy.

Q3: Describe and discuss Hook's critique of feminism. Why is this discussion important for younger 3rd wave feminists in particular and all women in general? What new insight does she offer: love and patriarchy, love and feminism?

The traditional view of feminism, as explored by the text, is that men are emotionally unsatisfactory (Bell, 194). Feminism is just another social con that arises to offer deceitful promises regarding the position of love among women. Women who embrace feminism are either scornful of men or coldheartedly similar to the unkind men that feminism presents (Bell, 22). Feminism is not a social order movement for women as it does not present ways in which women can devise love. Feminism only portrays love as a portrayal of weakness; an insight that perpetuates women's gain of power as the alternative notion. Feminism has only introduced a new outfit for women, the sense of heightened beauty as a perspective that urges women's attribute for social power. In reality, feminism has not provided a longing solution for ordinary women. Women still live in a male-dominated society since feminism has failed to transform males into feminist practice Bell points that "women were not eager to acknowledge publicly the ways feminism had failed to convert men to feminist thinking" (66).

The feminist practice has taught women to shy away from engaging in emotional relationships with men. If intimate relationships mattered in the society, then the discussion of male dominance in close relationships would not factor. Feminism interests on changing the exertion of power in emotional connections; to surge women's control over males when it comes to holding intimate relationships (Bell, 99). As seen in the text, it is clear to explain that feminism is a social movement that politicizes intimacy between men and women. Even though it empowers men against male dominance, one thing remains clear; privacy is a social order that cannot be alternated through the radical swing as advanced in feminism. Women should consider love as a two-way practice, and lesbianism, which is the social practice of feminism does not provide intimate satisfaction of women (Bell, 200). Bell dares women to love, to view love as a positive course and that modern woman should advance their courage in developing love.

Q4: Explain hooks' statement on p.105, "Nothing belies the assumption that women are more loving than men as much as the negative feelings most females hold about our bodies."

The statement aims to alternate the notion of self-love between men and women concerning their bodies. The report holds that men have a higher drive when it comes to advancing self-love because they can alternate independence of the body and mind when it comes to developing love. Women traverse this concept since they view an interconnection between cognizance and the body when it comes to love. Women are more suspicious of their looking and thus continuously tend to enhance their physical magnificence. The notion comes in with the dominance concept of this text, the regard that women play as principal factors in advancing love when related to their male counterparts. Mothers play a critical role in enhancing this attribute. Young girls do not merely believe in sentiments and attribute acclaimed to them, but rather consider affirmation through aesthetics Bell adds that "Nothing belies the assumption that women are more loving than men as much as the negative feelings most females hold about our bodies." (105). The relevance of aesthetic in advancing beauty of the body is a matter of recognizing that aspires from the common assertion. The notion forms the basis of promoting bodily self-esteem as revered by women.

The social and social media platform has introduced beauty and aesthetic as a principal element among women. The discussion has taken relevance among women, and these women have not realized the independence between physical attraction and love. A father, for instance, cannot change aesthetic notions of his girl child without instilling self-hatred. Women often upheld negative opinions on their bodies. As a result, women tend to apply recognized aesthetics to meet socially realized standards of beauty. For many men, understanding their bodily appearance is a way of realizing self-worth. Men infrequently consider physical affirmations as drivers of advancing love. This notion is what alternates with the women's view towards aesthetic approval when it comes to love.

Q5: On p. 134, bell hooks write that "self-love is always risky for women within patriarchy." Explain.

Patriarchy is a social order that advances masculinity and disempowers women. It considers men as supreme and that the relevance of women is seen through men. In such a society, women live in an environment that portrays them as "lacking." A patriarchy society defines women as flawed and insecure, tending them dependent on men for social approval. The notion means that women lack confidence in themselves, making them vulnerable in taking even the most comestible social elements such as intimate relationships. Patriarchy is thus a deviated social perspective that drives women into lacking self-love and consequently ending up having unhealthy affairs. Self-love drives acceptance among women, even if the society they live in is driven by sexist conventions Bell points that "self-love is always risky for women within patriarchy." (134). The advancement of self-love is not competent in communities driven through patriarchy. Since, in such societies, women often become confused about advancing self-love in a culture that only encourages resentment towards women.

As explained in the text, women often consider the relevance of love when it emerges from other persons, especially males. However, in a patriarchy society, men often lack a definite appeal towards women. As a result, women incline to emotional comfort and self-help conventions, hoping that they will convey happier lives to them. The psychological torture and resentment in patriarchy societies fail the realization of women which is the reason why women advance feminism as a path to realizing their self-worth in male-dominated cultures.

Works Cited

Bell Hooks. Communion: The female search for love. Perennial, 2003.