Wednesday, August 18, 2010

What do you think of my gender essay?

know it's bad...how can I make it better? Please help! Thanks Sooo much!








Heres the prompt:


Through narrative and descriptive strategies, compose an essay that explores how the idea of gender (gender training, gender narratives, gender markers, gender expectations) operates in your life.





Move your essay through 3 main sections: past present and future. Ground your reflections in actual texts, actual objects, actual experiences from your own life.





Past: refer to childhood. Reflect on toys/games gravitated towards and/or that were given to you, activites you were signed up for that you asked to be a part of, clothing you wore, familial interactions and chores...





Present: Refer to your current life. Consider gender dynamics as they surround affect, and define you (as presented by media, family, school, workplace, friends, etc).





Future: Refer to your adult-self. Explore how currrent narratives from different parts of American culutre project what it means to be a adult woman or adult man.








Heres the essay:


Newton’s Law


To understand gender we must understand why and how we label certain objects/habits/demeanor feminine and masculine. Personally, my decision to mark an object female or male becomes dictated by the audience of appreciation. Who appreciates Barbies more, boys or girls? Through observations in society, girls enjoy Barbies more; therefore Barbies become a feminine aspect of playing rituals. By exploring masculine and feminine labeled gender themes, I attempt to comprehend my gender trends.


As Katha Pollitt suggests “…you’ll find that for every kid who fits a stereotype, there’s another whose breaking one down. Sometimes it’s the same kid-the boy who skateboards and takes cooking in his after school program; the girl who collects stuffed animals and A-pluses in science.” I represent the latter in regards to displaying both masculine and feminine traits. In my “gender defining years” (pre-school) I played with dinosaurs and Barbies. Masculinity (the act of playing with dinosaurs) and femininity (the act of playing with Barbies) both equally represented my playing rituals. Through assorted gender experiences, I understand balance (between masculine and feminine behavior) to represent my understanding of personal gender roles and expectations.


While sitting on the old blue couch in the living room, cornflakes crunching in our mouths, my brother and I watched the Power Rangers race down the “Widow Maker” and defeat monsters. With each play station controller in our hands, I defeated my brother at Mortal Combat. On Christmas morning (after a cliché and picturesque race to the Christmas tree), I ripped open the gleaming red wrapping paper to find my first Barbie. My next present was a plastic Brachiosaur. As a child, I never represented the epitome of a female or the epitome of a male. I represented some grey area in between: sometimes playing with Barbies, sometimes with Dinosaurs, sometimes watching Sailor Moon, sometimes Power Rangers.


The equal masculinity and femininity exhibited in my playing rituals resulted through my personal necessity for company. My failure to watch Power Rangers or play dinosaurs with my brother resulted in an absence of a playing partner altogether. Similarly, my failure to play Barbies with my female friends would result in a loss of company and playing partners. My trends in gender comprehension resulted from my social necessities (the need for company) rather than from gender expectations or gender associations. The question now becomes: what playing habits would be exhibited if I hadn’t the need for company? Would I collect dolls to mother? Would I race fire trucks and build airplanes with Legos?


Throughout elementary school, I became obsessed with contain a similar look, a similar voice, a similar attitude, a similar lifestyle and similar clothing as Britney Spears. However, I also enjoyed masculine music (mostly appreciated my males) to balance Britney out. One of my favorite songs was “Last Resort” by Papa Roach and various Blink 182 songs. At Tam Valley Elementary, I represented the only girl who listened to this particular music. After hugely growing in regards to musical taste, I now ask myself what was so great about Britney? Big question. She had the shiny blonde hair, the perfect face, the many cool clothes, and the slender body, the equivalency to the real Barbie. Britney: a new type of Barbie, the full-scale Barbie that all girls (that played with Barbie) wanted to be. Britney contained the artificial beauty that girls (including myself) strived to have.


It wasn’t till late in middle school that I began to grow out of striving for Britney’s artificial beauty. I began to embark upon the journey of encountering the self-acceptance that I still search for. Currently, I dress neither feminine nor masculine. A rare occurrence would prevail if I wore a dress or a skirt. At the same time I won’t wear baggy jeans and a basebWhat do you think of my gender essay?
';you’ll find that for every kid who fits a stereotype, there’s another whose breaking one down';...really? I doubt it. Please think why you choose to believe this? I have no intention of being rude, but...the essay is an example of ';progressive'; b.s. That is, a lot of words with no meaning. I bet your professor will eat it up. Turn it in, for the grade but a wise move will be to realize that while it IS what you have been taught to think, it is not thinking at all. I hope you get it.What do you think of my gender essay?
good but need better conclusion

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