Shawn Frank-Forbes

Melissa Sipin
English Composition 211
March 21, 2015
1. The word "feminism" has been getting a lot of attention lately in popular media:
Beyonc posted the phrase "We Should All Be Feminists" at the VMAs and TIME
Magazine said that "feminist" is one of the words that should be banned (read article
here). What's the heat with the word, "feminism"? Why does the word cause such an
emotive reaction in audiences? After watching Adichie's talk further about feminism in
her TEDTalk, analyze your own critical and emotional reaction to the word that means
"equality between the sexes."
Feminism is a very misunderstood word. With many other things feminism is
associated with the radical and extreme form. Men and women have different reactions to
the word but both are negative. Feminism to a man means they are hated and
accomplishments have resulted to the superior preferences they receive in society. Which
could be the truth but many males also face difficulties in distinguishing a career and
success. The women who find the word feminism offensive are usually women who have
chosen to be stay at home moms and feel the cause look down on their personal choices.
The point of feminism is not so women have to have a successful career but that a woman
has a choice in the matter. She can either choose to remain at home or enter the job force
which will be on equal footing with her male counterparts. I believe the men and women
deserve equal opportunities in the job market but I also realize there are biological factors
that will prevent this for women who choose to have children. Women physically have a
much higher involvement than men. Pregnancy and Birth prevents women from staying
competitive with her male counterparts. I also feel equal rights for women should be a
global fight not just within each culture. We should for women who are unable to do so
themselves. Education and Opportunity should be open to both sexes.
2. After reading bell hooks's selected readings and watching Adichie's TEDTalk, both
purport that patriarchy and sexism hurt both genders. Analyze both their arguments: how
do they reach their conclusion? What kind of style of argument are they using? What is
the context of their arguments?
The bell hooks selective readings and Adichies TEDTalk both argue that
patriarchy and sexism negatively affect both genders. Men are negatively impacted
because they are forced into a mold that discourages any emotion not related to
testosterone. Rage in the right form is encouraged and can be a tool used to keep the
female member properly in this page. This also enables a collective society. Even if you
choose to raise your sons free from patriarchy and sexism society still exist and will use it
means to describe what is and not acceptable. The negative implication to women is
much clearer. They are discouraged from competing against their male peers. Success is
often looked down upon with the ultimate goal being marriage and children. Women are
encouraged to be quiet and meek and not seek attention. Not meeting society factors is
often leads to punishment form her male superiors. Both arguments end with the

acceptance of their womanhood but also the realization that being a feminist is not bad.
Feminism should be celebrated and the preconceived notions that society places on
feminism should be removed.
Both arguments are using a Toulmin style. There is no compromise in these
situations. When fighting for equal rights there can be no middle ground, unless complete
equality has been reached than the movement has failed. The context of their arguments
is that the definition of feminism needs to be change and so does the perception of the
word also needs adjustment.
3. Micheline Marcom quotes D.H. Lawrence in her interview on her book, A Brief
History of Yes: The bodys life is the life of sensations and emotions. The body feels real
hunger, real thirst, real joy in the sun or snow, real pleasure in the smell of roses or the
look of a lilac busy; real anger, real sorrow, real love, real tenderness, real warmth, real
passion, real hate, real grief. All the emotions belong to the body, and are only recognized
by the mind. In response to your question, I would say that I have long been and remain
interested in the real, and intuitively and sometimes consciously, as Lawrence says it
here, I know that the real is experienced in the body. Its how we know anything. He goes
on to say: The Christian religion lost, in Protestantism finally, the togetherness with the
universe, the togetherness of the body, the sex, the emotions, the passions, with the earth
and sun and stars. Perhaps thats part of my writing the body, my interest in writing
the whole, the togetherness. I have long thought that there ought to be a word in
English that encompasses to think-feel, this seems to me how we come to know things,
and then just recently I realized that the Latin word sentire, which in English we define
as to realize and is the root of words like sentiment, actually does mean that! Thinkfeel."
Critically observe the word she uses, "think-feel." Analyze how we use that word to
deconstruct different concepts, like "gender" and "male vs. female" and "woman vs. man"
and "girl vs. boy." In the fiction excerpt you've read, Marcom paints a story between two
enigmatic and mythic-like lovers. What are your responses to the fictional piece? To
Marcom's concept of "think-feel"? How does this tie to your notion of what is feminine
vs. what is masculine?
Think-feel is the action of thinking and feeling about an idea or thought at the
same time. We us this to deconstruct different concepts associated with being male and
female. When we think about what is it to be female or male not only do we think about
the biologically differences but we feel with our emotions. The fictional piece we read
was interesting. I personally found it very difficult to follow along with the authors train
of thought. The details while imaginative often made we have to reread the paragraph to
grasp her meaning. Her story ties into my notion of what is feminine versus masculine
because Maria is always forgotten because are her inability to possess the womanly
qualities her lover is looking for.