Getting into the Conversation: Ideas for Writing

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Part 3: Gender

This activity contains 3 questions.

Although there are usually obvious physical differences, sometimes defining what it means to be a "boy" or a "girl," a "man" or a "woman," is quite a bit more difficult than it might seem. As Betsy Lucal details in her "What it Means to Be Gendered Me," included in the first section of this part of Conversations, the "two-and-only-two" gender system leaves some folks feeling left out—not completely fulfilling the stereotypical version of either gender. After reading her piece, which is a somewhat extreme case, respond by discussing ways in which you feel that the two-gender system is inadequate to capture all of what makes you who you are.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Sheryl Kleinman's essay argues, as its title suggests, "Why Sexist Language Matters." Many people, however, argue that labeling language as sexist is in fact an overreaction of the sort that David Sally satirizes in "Genderator 1.1" (also included in this section). After reading both of these pieces, and drawing upon your own experiences, write a refutation to one or the other author in which you illustrate flaws in their argument and supply your own evidence for disagreeing.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

The third section of this part of Conversations features a dialogue conducted among Susan Brownmiller, John Irving, and Andrea Dworkin. After reading the three essays by these authors, join into the conversation, writing your own response to any one of them—or to the entire group—defending your own position on the perils of either pornography or as Nadine Strossen puts it, of "pornophobia." Feel free to draw upon personal experience as well as the other essays in this section.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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