Adrienne Rich's Poetry and Prose Lesson Plan

Why does Rich believe her father deemphasizes his Jewish identity?

When Rich returned home from college and accused her father of denying his Jewishness, he said he has never denied it, but that it is simply unimportant to him. He says he considers himself a person, not a Jew. Rich believes that her father chose not to identify as Jewish out of fear of anti-Semitism. She notes that his appointment to professor at Johns Hopkins was delayed because his particular position had never been held by a Jew, and that he encouraged Rich and her sisters and her mother to act quiet and dress well in public in order to appear more WASPy. She says that she thinks her father thought more...