Tradition becomes a problem when it blocks the effectiveness or growth of something or someone. While there are many good traditions, we should not be held hostage by them or ostracized for breaking them. The authors of these essays continue to expand boundaries and challenge audiences by breaking the hold of traditional writing styles. I am impressed, amazed, and challenged by these authors' writing styles. These essays allowed me to think outside the box and go against the grain. Some people may see Adrienne Rich as radical or out of control. I have to disagree and consider her a writer with controlled thoughts who refuses to be defined by what society deems politically correct. This is shown in part of his statement when accepting the national book award. “Together we accept this award on behalf of all the women whose voices have gone and remain unheard in a patriarchal world, and on behalf of those, like us, who have been tolerated as token women in this culture, often at great cost. and with great pain. We dedicate this occasion to the fight for the self-determination of all women, of every color, identification or deprived class, the women who will understand what we are doing here and those who will not yet understand the silent women who gave us the strength to do our work” (Bartholomae & Petrosky 518). In the essay “When We Dead Awake” Rich makes an interesting point when he says “It is exhilarating to be alive in a moment of awakening consciousness; it can also be confusing, disorienting, and painful” (Bartholomae & Petrosky 522). Rich shows us the triumph of our consciousness exposed to a new revelation and at the same time gives us a reality of the turmoil this awakening could bring. I define the word turmoil in this case as disorienting, confusing, and painful. That doesn't mean awakening will never be exhilarating, but there will be a process to get there. Rich's poems show a process of writing styles during different phases of his life. He talked about how he needed to find “a creative rage, until I can tap into the very rich ocean, I think my work has been limited in certain ways” (Bartholomae & Petrosky 517). The dynamic between a political vision