This essay is a critical comparison of Adrienne Rich's "When we Dead Awaken: Writing as Revision," and Ralph Ellison's "Extravagance of Laughter."

Adrienne Rich vs. Ralph Ellison Adrienne Rich and Ralph Ellison's essays both refer to their means of resistance to the oppression they experience in their lives. Rich's "When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision" describes her experiences as a female writer overwhelmed by the "patriarchy" in the "masculine world of the academy."(Rich 557) Ellison's essay, "An Extravagance of Laughter," is an account of his life as an African American in the largely white population of …

…One of them is the oppressed gender and the other is a member of the oppressed race. However, their mechanisms of dealing with their oppression are as distinctly contrasted and opposite as their reasons for oppression. Their methods of dealing with their oppression are suited towards their reasons for oppression. Therefore, it can also be said that each author's method works specifically for each different person, and only towards the person it was created for.