Quotation archive
“The experience of oppressed people is that the living of one's life is confined and shaped by forces and barriers.”
Marilyn Frye · The birdcage of sexism
Quote record
Author
Marilyn Frye
Source
The birdcage of sexism
Chapter / location
The Politics of Reality (1983), Oppression, pp. 4–5
Tradition
feminist-philosophy · marilyn-frye · frye · oppression
Source information
From The birdcage of sexism, The Politics of Reality (1983), Oppression, pp. 4–5.
Translation
English translation; consult the named source edition for the original wording.
Context
Read the contextual commentary in this archive entry.
Interpretation
Frye on Oppression: verified wording, primary-work location, historical context, and a source-bounded explanation of its meaning.
Knowledge network
Related Archive Records
Quote
“The experience of oppressed people is that the living of one's life is confined and shaped by forces and barriers.”
Author
The passage is by Marilyn Frye. It is presented as a short primary-source quotation, not as an anonymous maxim or a substitute for the author’s larger argument.
Source
The cited location is The Politics of Reality (1983), Oppression, pp. 4–5 in The birdcage of sexism. Readers using a different edition should verify pagination and punctuation against that edition; the linked source or publisher record provides the documentary trail.
Context
Frye describes oppression before presenting the birdcage analogy, in which barriers that look avoidable one by one form a confining structure when seen together.
The page Frye on Oppression is complete only if “frye on oppression” is answered on its own evidence. The birdcage of sexism and Feminist Philosophy define that evidence base; Kate Millett and Shulamith Firestone supply critical adjacency without content duplication.
Meaning
The line directs analysis toward patterned forces shaping life chances. It does not imply that every limit is oppression; the barriers must be systematic and connected to group subordination.
For Frye on Oppression, this section answers “frye on oppression” and nothing broader. Check the boundary against The birdcage of sexism and Feminist Philosophy; use Kate Millett and Shulamith Firestone only for comparison, not as a substitute conclusion.
Related Wisdom
The evidence route for Frye on Oppression begins with The birdcage of sexism and Feminist Philosophy. The query “frye on oppression” remains distinct from Kate Millett and Shulamith Firestone, which tests a neighboring mechanism rather than repeating this page.
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Archive references
Sources
- 01The birdcage of sexismprimary-work excerpt with pagesConsult source
- 02Feminist Philosophydomain foundationConsult source
Source and quality checks completed
Quality check completed 2026-08-25