Creighton 1

Mary Ann Creighton

Prof. Kelly Slivka

Engl 250: Section NP

29 February 2017

The [Real] Roots of Feminism

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines feminism as, the theory of the political, economic,

and social equality of the sexes. People often have a misconception of feminism and assume it

is some movement for female supremacy or male inferiority. Not only can the actual meaning of

feminism be confused, but the origins of it can be too. Though feminism has been present in

America since roughly the mid-1800s, it did not originate there. The next logical guess might be

Greece, a place where westerners have adapted many philosophical ideas for hundreds of years,

but this is not the case either. Surprisingly, Ancient Egypt is where the works of equality in

gender all started. By knowing these roots, feminism can have a whole new meaning to people in

other countries. In the article The Egyptian Roots of Feminism, Khaled Diab writes to

encourage the spread of feminism globally by demonstrating the actual origins of feminism

through historical examples emphasized by visual cues.

To start off, Diab uses historical examples to demonstrate the treatment of women

throughout time and relates it to the struggles and advancements of gender equality today. He

begins his text by explaining how underestimated Ancient Egypt is when it comes to having

influence on Western civilization. Ancient Greece has been given credit for many social trends

architecture, philosophy, sciencesbut we tend to forget modern society has some major

differences from society in Ancient Greece. In contrast to what we see in the West, women were

basically not considered citizens in Greece and couldnt vote or attend certain public places, Diab
 Creighton 2

writes. Sparta was the only place in Greece where women could own property, receive an

education, and wear moderate clothing. The article then addresses Ancient Egypt, a country

where women could choose who to marry or divorce, arrange prenuptial agreement, and even

hold high job positions such as a Pharaoh or a doctor. All these legal rules contributing to gender

equality were great, but they were only a the glass ceiling. Males still dominated most of the

superior positions of Egyptian society. As stated, a woman could become a Pharaoh, but it was

mostly off bounds to them. The female pharaohs Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra are

examples of the few exceptions to this society trend. These historical facts help the audience

relate better to the text because these problems are still very much presents today, as seen

through the gender pay-gap, male-dominance in high position jobs, discrimination, and much

more. All in all, Diab includes these surprising facts to show the beginnings of feminism and

help the audience relate historical struggles of gender equality to present ones.

Moreover, the author uses ethos and logos as rhetorical appeals to further support his

argument. Khaled Diab is an award-winning Egyptian-Belgian writer, journalist, and blogger. He

is also the author of a book about Israelis and Palestinians in Israel. The article mentions this

both at the beginning and at the end for emphasis. Through his expertise on different global

customs globally and his professional writings, Diab demonstrates that he is a credible source

and, therefore, uses ethos. Secondly, readers can note the use of logos throughout the text. The

treatment of women in Ancient Greece is explained through examples of typical rules women

had to follow, but men did not. Diab further supports his argument providing facts about laws

that enabled women to have similar rights as men, showing that women were legally viewed as

equals in Ancient Egypt. The author also makes a comparison of Saudi and Greek women, and

shows how women of Saudi Arabia actually have more rights than the women of Greece did.
 Creighton 3

This supports the authors argument of Ancient Greeces lack of gender equality, since Saudi

Arabia is a country that is well known today for not treating women the same as to how men are

treated. Through the author being a credible source himself and the use of historical facts, the

text succeeds in getting its message across.

Notably, the style and organization of the text are examples of some ways it works to

persuades its audience. To begin, one of the audiences being targeted is the Western World. The

article works to clarify that the West is not the first region to practice feminism, nor is feminism

just some western import. It summarizes this in the end of the article so readers can get the

best interpretation of it. This can appeal to audiences of other nations, such as Muslim societies

and the global south, who are not interested in practices that originated in the West. Moreover,

Diabs layout for his text is unique and easy to follow. He uses large, bold words that summarize

each sections topic and divides them for further emphasis on his main points, making them easy

to follow. The top of the first page sums up what the article is about with a short and simple title

and a statement under it saying, The history of ancient Egyptian woman can teach the West that

it is not the first region in the world to empower women, explaining one of Diabs main points.

These direct words can intrigue the audience and make them want to learn more. He further

draws readers in by discussing the influences Ancient Egypt and Greece have had over America

and Europe, then closes with a powerful statement in the last paragraphknowing the origins of

gender equality should provide other countries alternative inspirations for female empowerment

and emancipation, not just to emulate but to surpass. He saves this for the end because it is a

good representation of his purpose: to inspire others to embrace the idea of feminism by

educating them on where it came from. To sum up, the language and visual cues used enables the

audience to easily follow along and be drawn in.

 Creighton 4

Through context, rhetorical appeals, style and organization, Khaled Diab is able to

successfully reach out to his audience and get his main points across. He goes in depth with

historical examples to provide evidence of how poorly women were treated in Ancient Greece, a

place where the West gives most credit to for social trends, and accredits Egypt as the first region

to have gender equality. He also connects the audience to the text by mentioning the glass

ceiling, which is still very much present in modern society. Ethos and logos were used to further

support Diabs argument, demonstrating his credibility as a writer and giving historical facts to

logically get across his message. Lastly, the overall delivery of the text is unique and flows well.

The text is divided into different sections by bold titles to create emphasis on each point and keep

the readers interested. In all, the article The Egyptian Roots of Feminism, by Khaled Diab,

strides to persuade the audience for the globalization of feminism by providing evidence on the

origins of gender equality and giving detail on how it isnt just some western import.

Works Cited

Diab, Khaled.The Egyptian Roots of Feminism. Al Jeezera, 3 February 2017.

"Feminism." merriam-webster.com, 2017, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism.

Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.