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abriden's blog
ENGL 360K Vincent (184-287) Ms. Vincent – I think in order to have had a more profound impact on me as a reader I would have liked to know whether or not, from the beginning of the project, you were going to tell everyone that you encountered you were a woman. It is my opinion that you should have decided to tell everyone or no one at all. Two reasons came to mind for why you did not tell the retreaters about yourself. The first you provided. You were scared of how they would react and thought that they could not emotionally handle the embarrassment they might feel after they had opened up to you. The second, one that I felt while reading, was that you established a closer connection to these men than other “subjects” you experienced as Ned. If I had been one of your “subjects,” one you told your secret to, and knew that you chose not to tell other “subjects” about your true identity, I would wonder why they were seemingly more privileged than I. I would think them more privileged because they would never know that they were used and deceived by a friend. They would not have to continue life in constant paranoia of whether or not the people they meet are really who they think they are or whether or not they are imposters. The bottom line from Amanda is that you crossed the line. You deceived and broke the trust of people you encountered.
ENGL 360K Vincent (92-183) I am probably being over critical of this book, but I did not like the style of Norah Vincent’s dating; by that I mean too physical too quickly and dating via e-mail. Maybe that is how the middle aged crowd dates these days, but it was weird to me. To address the first issue of too physical too quickly; I know that Vincent had a three date limit, but I could not believe that she felt intimate enough to go to bed with Sasha after this time period. Everyone has their own opinions for what is ok to do and what is not in relationships and for me that just is not long enough, even if you have corresponded through e-mail and have become attached. This brings up the second issue I have, why is society technologically oriented when it comes to dating? It is so impersonal. What ever happened to calling people on the phone or planning something fun to do together? Now everyone is on AIM or e-mailing and through these forms of communication there is no body language or vocal pitch changes. You do not get to know how a person reacts to something on the fly, but rather are only exposed to writing in which they have had time to plan the diction of in order to “win” another person over.
ENGL 360K Vincent (1-91) I commend Norah Vincent on the depth of her preparation for this book. The speech coach she hires, the techniques developed for the facial hair, and the prosthetic penis all evidence just how serious she was about authenticating Ned. Vincent states that “being Ned was often an uncomfortable and alienating experience” (16). Honestly, reading about her experience is very uncomfortable, too. Some of the experiences Ned has, especially those at the strip clubs, are not experiences that I want to have in my lifetime. They are also not experiences I wanted to read about. Ignorance…yes, I know.
ENGL 360K Winterson (146-190) In class today, some people expressed that they did not feel connected to the feelings of the narrator and were not emotionally involved in the book…well, at the end of it I cried. Why? It was because I was able to identify with the actions, thoughts, and emotions of the narrator while dealing with the loss of Louise (or the thought of having lost Louise). I have participated in them, thought them, and felt them, too. I have visited hospitals, I have visited places where we spent time together before they died, I have smelled their clothing and remembered them, I have prayed for them, I have been angry, I have helped pick out a coffin, and I have missed them.
ENGL 360K Winterson (97-145) As was suggested in class, I evaluated the characters in the novel and came up with a theory of what was going to happen in this section. I thought the narrator was going to get his/her heart broken by Louise, but in a nasty and betrayal sort of way. I thought my theory might be accurate the way the narrator described how connected he/she is to Louise. I read, “Once you once me. Can I be sure which is which?” (99). It is like the narrator and Louise are one person and that Louise could hurt the narrator in the same way the narrator was able to hurt Jacqueline. Then, cancer strikes and destroys my theory.
ENGL 360K Winterson (49-98) Winterson uses some ingenious imagery as metaphors of love in ways that are not cliché. Each metaphor appeals to a different type of person and to each of the senses. In the last section, cooking and food were metaphors of love. Love is given taste and is something to be consumed or that can be consuming. A person who is more scientific may enjoy the way Winterson uses cells and molecular bonding as a metaphor of love. “There are many ways to fit molecules together but only a few juxtapositions that bring them close enough to bond” (61-62).
ENGL 360K Pronouns, Politics, and Femme Practice I will admit that prior to this reading I did not know that there was a femme liberation or that females labeled themselves in the category of femme or butch. This reading coincides well with the class discussion from today. This is certainly a subject matter that I am ignorant of and do need to be open to learning more about. I found the notion that “sex and gender is structured by race and class oppressions” (193) interesting. This is evident with celebrities today. Although, they are of the higher class, various backgrounds and races alter how gender and sex are represented by these individuals. For example, the way Shakira expresses her gender very sensually in her music videos and in her music is not how Lil’ Kim expresses herself. I think this is caused by their race and their backgrounds. This is a great point that Minnie Bruce Pratt gets across to readers.
ENGL 360K Brantenberg 231-269 Is Gerd Brantenberg Petronius? Did she want to “build a new world” (260) as Petronius hopes to accomplish with his manuscript? At the end of this book, this fictional society finally witnesses our reality and scrutinizes it. Until Petronius writes his manuscript, only he and Brantenberg have the power to imagine a society with complete reversal of sex and gender. That is why I think Brantenberg has included Petronius, herself, in her own book. Had anyone ever written a book like this prior to Brantenberg? If not, why not? Why had I not ever imagined a society where the roles between men and women were reversed? Why had I just accepted that I would shave, paint my toe nails, wear make-up, be fashionable, play with dolls, etc.? Was it because I did not want to expend the energy contemplating it or did not have the effort to try and change it? Why is it that I find some “girlie” things acceptable and others annoying? For example, I like getting made up and having people compliment the way I look, but I do not do it everyday.
ENGL 360K Brantenberg 180-230 There are many political issues, socioeconomic issues, sex issues, gender issues, and reference to Others in this section and I am quite sure these will be discussed and analyzed in class. Thus, for this journal I am just going to focus on the transformation of the relationship between Petronius and Gro, which I found to be interesting. Petronius finally has a voice in this section! Petronius takes a stand with Gro and gets angry with her for not trying to put herself in his shoes and for always impressing her ideas upon him.
ENGL 360K Brantenberg 121-179 This section of Brantenburg and the “Bodily Inscriptions, Performative Subversions” really complimented one another in terms of analyzing gender. Through this reading and during class discussion, I discovered that I have certainly been misusing the term gender and never made a distinction between it and sex. Sex is certainly biological whereas gender is un-definable, subjective, and an expression of ones sex. In the “Bodily Inscriptions, Performative Subversions” reading the question is raised, “is gender an act?” In order to express ones sex does an “action” occur? I think yes, as evidenced by the “Palace of Birth” chapter in Brantenburg.
ENGL 360K Brantenberg 62-120 After this reading, I grew to empathize with Petronius and found myself concerned with the rate at which he is loosing his innocence. Petronius’ loss of innocence jumps into overdrive when he is raped. As a reader I was not expecting this turn of events at all and was caught off guard. I was mystified by the rape scene because of its juxtaposition to my reality and found myself angry at the women who raped Petronius, but not furious with them, as I would expect myself to be. The experience for me as a reader was just too foreign to completely wrap my head around. However, it was the shame, anger, and loss of self-confidence Petronius experiences after the rape I was able to empathize with.
ENGL 360K Arguing with the Real I found this material to be very difficult to get through. I had to look up definitions of words left and right and a synopsis of the main ideas and conclusions that can be drawn from the text would be helpful.
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