One of the objectives of feminism, especially in the African context, is the need for women to come to terms with themselves in order to engage in actions for their collective good. This paper seeks to examine the level of women‘s awareness of their plight in a society that is male-controlled, the extent of their participation and the need to re-educate and liberate them from obnoxious patriarchal conceptions. It is an overview of what women have been teaching themselves with respect to the patriarchal societywhich often depicts them aspassive, emotionally unstable, psychologically infantile, masochistic, penis-envying, which many female writers have criticized and rejected. Through the method of consciousness raising, some of the matrixes of male domination and the objectification of women are brought to the fore, and the platform upon which women can resist such cultural practices established by society against them has also been created. Furthermore, through the assertiveness of the characters portrayed in the novels under review: Ama Ata Aidoo‘s Changes and Aminata Sow Fall‘s The Beggars’ Strike, women can view themselves differently and defend themselves against the societal assumptions that women are relatively weak and dependent individuals. The paper working within the accommodationist strand of African feminism, recommends that women should persist in the process of educating themselves on strategies for self-defence against patriarchal excesses but that they should also explore the possibilities of a harmonious relationship between them and their male counterparts. It concludes that no matter how naggingsome of the issues confronting the woman could assume, if the woman is properly guided, these issues would become avenues through whichther latent strength can be activated so as to maximize life‘s opportunities better.