Most women have not even been able to touch this anger, except to drive it inward like a rusted nail

Most women have not even been able to touch this anger, except to drive it inward like a rusted nail

Adrienne Rich, a renowned feminist poet and essayist, often explored the theme of women's anger in her work. In her poem "Diving into the Wreck," Rich delves into the depths of female rage and the ways in which it has been suppressed and internalized by society. The line "Most women have not even been able to touch this anger, except to drive it inward like a rusted nail" encapsulates the idea that women have been conditioned to repress their anger, turning it inward and allowing it to fester like a hidden wound.

Throughout her career, Rich challenged the notion that women should be passive and submissive, advocating instead for women to embrace their anger and use it as a catalyst for change. She believed that women's anger was a powerful force that could be harnessed to dismantle the patriarchal structures that oppressed them. In her essay "Of Woman Born," Rich writes, "Anger is loaded with information and energy...it is a powerful source of energy that can be mobilized in the service of change."

Rich's own experiences as a woman in a male-dominated society undoubtedly informed her exploration of women's anger. She witnessed firsthand the ways in which women were silenced, marginalized, and dismissed, and she was determined to give voice to their struggles. In her poem "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law," Rich writes, "You stand at the blackboard, daddy, in the picture I have of you, a cleft in your chin instead of your foot, but no less a devil for that, no not any less the black man who bit my pretty red heart in two."