Reading Analysis 2: The Lenses Of Gender

when talking about the social construction of sexuality, that "sexuality is not a given fact, it is a product of negotiation, struggle, and human actions"(pp 30).

Men have a historical reputation of treating females poorly and thinking they are above them. Men have also been known to create generalizations and stereotypes towards females that limit them in society. In the short story “The Women's Open” by David Sedaris, Lou is taking two of his children, David and Lisa, for a ride in his second-hand Porsche. Lou is shown to be a golf enthusiast, trying to spend as much as he can on the golf course, whether that’s playing or watching golf. He constantly tries to trick and force his children to be more involved in golf which is evident by the quote, “Once again we’d been duped. There was nothing worse than spending an afternoon on a golf course.” The male nature mentioned is evident in Lou because he is accepting the female stereotypes by treating females disrespectfully throughout the text.

What makes this edition different than any of the other editions before is the Foreword written by Catharine A. MacKinnon and the Afterword by Rebecca Mead. Catharine is a well renown author and professor. She gives a point of view on the book that is more up to date and challenged what Millett was trying to say. For example, MacKinnon talks heavily on the sexual revolution and how it was for men rather than for women and the elimination of patriarchy. The point MacKinnon makes that is very prevalent is (MacKinnon, 2016, Location No. 167), “in light of what is known now about rape, sexual harassment, pornography, prostitution, sexual abuse of children, and the changed relation of sex to gender in the family as well as further information on terrorism and war, is that male dominance, potentiated and centrally entitled and expressed sexually, is indeed the key to politics.” At the end of the Foreword, MacKinnon talks about how much of an influence this book has had on the feminist movement since it was written and how many people have tried to act on it and will continue to after reading this book. The Afterword by Rebecca Mead, a writer for the New York Times, focuses on the societal changes and biases in our culture. She brings to our attention that things such as abortion and state supported child care, things people were demanding during the movement in the 1970s are still not fully there. She said (Mead, 2016, Location No. 10575), “Sexual Politics now brings to

Ira L. Reiss, a well-known sociologist, has contributed greatly to the field of human sexuality and in the 1960’s brilliantly predicted the revolutionary changes in sexual attitudes. In his novel, An End to Shame: Shaping Our Next Sexual Revolution, Reiss develops the notion that our previous sexual revolution did not adequately eliminate the inequalities related to sexuality. In reality he argues that America is in need of a newly formed sexual revolution, one that will address the negative consequences that our sex negative culture is experiencing. A significant portion of our population argues that these consequences are due to the fact that we talk too much and too soon about sex. This is an inaccurate view of the reasoning behind the sexual problems we are experiencing in America, as in reality the negative sexual outcomes we observe are due to the opposite of this view. This misconception is a common explanation for our sexual problems and many believe it is the key to solving our sexual crisis, but in reality is part of the problem. Reiss argues that “America is long overdue for a rendezvous with sexual reality” (18) and that the future of our nation depends on accepting these realities.

It’s much easier to openly express sexuality in this current era of social awareness and change. Many people have been slowly accepting the idea of the reclamation of a woman’s body, possibly due to the wide representation in contemporary media. However, this still seems like a radical idea to others. Susan Minot’s “Lust” describes a time when society was near the beginning of sexual liberation. On one spectrum, there is the narrator- a teenage girl attending boarding school, exploring her sexuality by having all of these experiences with different boys. On the other spectrum is the narrator’s house mother, who’s only been with one man her entire life. It’s implied that she believes the sole purpose of sex is to deliver babies. These two

First of all, in The Simpsons, the scene where we get into the actual plot of the story opens with Marge and Lisa walking into a department store that sells dolls. The gender stereotype that girls are only interested in playing with dolls is reinforced here as a huge selection of Malibu Stacy dolls is on display with a throng of screeching, bloodthirsty girls tearing the store apart. Lisa says, “I’m warning you mom, I might get a little crazy.” and immediately knocks down a girl and snatches another in a choke-hold to be the first in line for the new Malibu Stacy doll. In the very next scene we have the whole family in the car with Homer driving. He is baking a cupcake with an easy-bake-oven that he bought from the mall. Marge advises him

Sexuality has an inherent connection to human nature. Yet, even in regards to something so natural, societies throughout times have imposed expectations and gender roles upon it. Ultimately, these come to oppress women, and confine them within the limits that the world has set for them. However, society is constantly evolving, and within the past 200 years, the role of women has changed. These changes in society can be seen within the intricacies of literature in each era. Specifically, through analyzing The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, one can observe the dynamics of society in regards to the role of women through the lens of the theme of sexuality. In both novels, the confinement and oppression of women can be visibly seen as a result of these gender roles. Yet, from the time The Scarlet Letter was published to the time The Bell Jar was written, the place of women in society ultimately changed as well. Hence when evaluating the gender roles that are derived from sexuality, the difference between the portrayals of women’s oppression in each novel becomes apparent, and shows how the subjugation of women has evolved. The guiding question of this investigation is to what extent does the theme of sexuality reflect the expectations for women in society at the time each novel was written. The essay will explore how the literary elements that form each novel demonstrate each author’s independent vision which questions the

Alike gender, sexuality is also a social construct, especially when looking at the period before the 18th century, when one’s sexual orientation did not matter, hence there being no need for justification, just as pointed by Foucault: “Sexual practices had little need of secrecy; words were said without undue reticence, and things were done without too much concealment; one had a tolerant familiarity with the illicit.” (3). And the 19th century came and brought with it a big change, and not only did people become engulfed by social norms, whom they should abide at all costs, but they also had to keep their sexual preferences under lock and key: “But twilight soon fell upon this bright day, followed by the monotonous nights of the Victorian

She shows how society has created a judgmental environment for many who feel that their sex, in reference to gender, doesn’t go by the typical definitions we see above, or how they choose to have sexual relations doesn’t fit the mold that has been created. For instance, with gender, a person with a penis may feel that they relate much more towards women than they would a typical man, or a person with a vagina feels that they relate more towards a man. We first see the example of negative judgment based on one’s sexuality through Oscar Wilde, a novelists and playwright, accused of being a homosexual, which is a word with a negative connotation for someone who has sexual relations with member(s) of the same sex (gender), who goes on to have his works discredited and lives poverty, based on who he decided to have sexual relations

Married Love was an unprecedented book, which inadvertently redefined female sexuality. Often regarded as the precursor of sex-manuals, Married Love launched Stopes’ enormously successful career as a writer. Published in 1918, Married Love reviewed the intertwining relationship of marriage, sex and contraception, which in Stopes’ view were the fundamental components of a fulfilling and rewarding marriage. Like all discourse, Married Love is heavily embedded within a distinct historical and cultural context. Darwinian theory and the development of eugenics had a phenomenal impact on Stopes. Recognising the equal sexual desire of women would make Married Love greatly influential in the shaping of modern perceptions into female sexuality.

When analyzing a piece of literature, it is easy to simply take it at face value. However, when you read between the lines you can often find subtle hints that tell you an even greater story. The Importance of Being Earnest is applicable to Gender and Queer Theories because it addresses past gender inequality, portrays women in a certain way, and is about people feeling like they need to hide their true selves from society.

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

Human sexuality is a common phrase for all, and anything, pertaining to the feelings and behaviors of sex for the human race. Sexuality has been a topic that has been discussed and studied for as far back as 1000 years B.C. and is still being studied today. As the discussion of sexuality has progressed through history, theories have been created based on research and experiments that scholars have implemented, based on their own perceptions of human behavior. Out of the many theories that pose to explain sexual behavior, Sexuality Now explained ten that are seemed to be the most overlapped, and built off of theories. Of these theories, two that were discussed in the text were the behavioral and sociological theory. These two theories cover some of the basic ideas of what could possibly influence a person’s sexuality.

What I got most from both the readings and the video, women sexuality is used to shame them and a lot of misconceptions about sex. When I was listening to the pro-abstinence speakers, I thought they were slut shaming females for liking sex, while not doing the same for males. Moreover, I felt like they were trying to say a woman with a lot of partners, her vagina becomes loose and non-pleasurable. Thus, a boys should not want female with loose vagina. From the readings, I get better understanding my gays so hated in society. Society hate gays because they not playing their gender roles correctly. Gay males are seen as weakling the dominate sex. A gay man is not a man because he chooses not to dominate women for his desire. Lesbians seen as going against nature by proving that they do not need a man for anything. Therefore, gays and lesbians are abnormal and straight people are seen as normal.

West and Zimmerman claim that gender is not something we are but something we do.