Flynn Reading

Flynn Reading

Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

2. I think that time is definitely a huge factor to consider in a piece of written work. You wouldn’t look at a piece of writing say about the technology from the 1800’s and technology today and be able to compare it! Time causes a huge change in writing. Although I definitely think that there are ways you can try to make them similar, time changes writing a lot. Even great works like Shakespeare, yes, it is a truly great work but can you compare it to how we now fight or love? I don’t think so. Although old written pieces are everywhere around us, new ones are also. Everyday someone is writing something or sharing a new theory. They can still survive through years and generations, there just not comparable to up to date work. Just like this piece of work, women were treated very differently even thirty years ago then they are now. Although we can pick out similar things, a lot has changed.

3. This quote has a strong and meaningful meaning behind it. She states that she believes there is not much women literature in this time; that woman’s voices have been suppressed and silenced. They have seemingly been swept under the rug so that they are not heard. That in a way, the literature that is out there for woman has been very small and very generalized. This is where the universal idea comes in saying that all women should believe the same thing and that their ideas are all the same. What every knowledge that woman are allowed to have is all the same. Individual voices are silenced and no one has a real opinion because they get generalized or not heard all together. This makes it even more difficult for women who are in minorities. They are all merged into one grand idea not only because of their gender but not their race also.

5. I think there are definitely parts of Chodorow’s claim about feminine vs. masculine identification processes are convincing but others can come up to be not true. I believe what she says about the feminine way is mostly true. I know for myself a huge part of who I am is thanks to my mother! So I would say most of me and the background I always carry with me is thanks to my mother, but at the same time I have learned a lot from my friends and situations I have been through. In other cases, some people don’t even have mothers for most of their lives and only live with their dads so they would more relate to the masculine identification. Same way with boys, some boys may not have a father so they would more likely relate to a more relational feminine approach. A boy could be very affectionate and close to his father. So although her Chodorow’s approach seems to be quite right and convincing, I do not believe it is entirely true, it is more for the generalization.

Applying and Exploring:

4. I definitely think that her article does show generalization. Although in some aspect she is sticking up for women and their rights in women’s literature, this is only her view. So even though she does not mean to generalize, there is almost no way to avoid it! This is still looking at her beliefs about the subject and even though she does bring other writers and theorists into the reading, she only brings one’s she wants to in it. I am a woman and I could completely disagree with what she has to say. So she is generalizing because as people always say there is always an exception to the rule. I think that generalizing does not have many benefits because like I said there is always somebody who is different than that generalization. Generalizations can be hurtful and not beneficial depending on what the generalization is.

5. Gender has so much influence on a writer’s language. Depending on whether you are a male or female, affects everything about you. It affects how you speak, talk, walk, how you carry yourself, and how you write. It is the basis for all the beliefs and experiences you have ever had. So depending on what you went through in your life, maybe you have been in a horrible relationship or have a sexist attitude, it would completely affect how you write. It affects how you see the world, how you see other people and how you see yourself. So you will see all these beliefs and theory’s in your writing. It affects how you speak to certain people and how you speak to your audience.