In the reading "Fast Speaking Woman", by Anne Waldman, it is written in contemporary poetry and ritual chants. Waldman is defining herself and defining every other woman trying to find herself. Waldman's  reading is very uplifting and empowering for women. Poetry about modern womanhood. It seeks to define the possibilities of what it means to be a woman. Although, this may have been written to reflect a certain period in time.

    In the reading "From Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza", by Gloria Anzaldua, it is an autobiography and prose. Each of the essays and poems draws on the authors life experiences. A search for identity in a world that refuses to allow one. Anzaldua, grew up in a world of confusion and oppression.

    Both of these readings focus on women and self identity. Many women are facing an intense internal struggle to find their identity, and that this struggle is an effect of what they experience as enormous pressure to achieve certain goals. Who am I ? A question everyone at some point will ask themselves. Who you are is your self identity, the way you look at yourself and your relationship to the world. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. If you focus on what people think about you, you will become increasingly self-conscious and dependent on how others perceive you. People often focus on what other people say and think about them instead of focusing on themselves and their self worth.