Reading Response #23

Summary:

     In the article "VIEWPOINT The Laugh of the Medusa" by Hélène Cixous, the main topic revolves around feminism and women writing. Cixous believes that a change in the society can occur if women learn to write in order to "reconnect with their bodies" and "write themselves into existence." She claims how men are the prominent voice in writing, and she thinks that this should be changed. She thinks that this holds women back from having their own voice in writing. Cixous uses the myth of Medusa to show how she believes men have made "horrifying" images of women in order to keep them from exploring their own voice in their writing.


Synthesis:

     Cixous' article relates to many of the other articles we have read regarding gender and gender roles within writing and literacy. The article especially relates to the Flynn article because they both discuss the differences between men and women in terms of writing. It can also relate to the Alexander article; identity is partly the issue with the feminist writing Cixous discusses, and identity was the main concept in the Alexander piece.



Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

1. The article did not really make me feel uncomfortable because I have been getting used to reading things of this nature. However, I do think that Cixous wanted to cause some discomfort in her readers. I think this is so because the topic is not really one you would hear or talk about normally. In order to see and understand her viewpoints and argument, it would require a deeper level of thinking and would probably cause some kind of discomfort or strange feeling within.

2. When Cixous tells her readers to "write themselves," she means that she wants them to explore their own identity and put it into their writing. She believes that feminist writing can help women discover themselves and may even bring about a societal change as far as the way men and women are portrayed in writing and the authority each gender plays.



Personal Response:

     I was not that fond of this article. I think it is because we have been reading about gender and gender roles (especially for females) for a while. It's not that it was interesting at all, it just didn't seem very new to me and Cixous' ideas were kind of complicated. It was strange to me how she thought of Medusa in order to relate it to her argument. I couldn't really use her points to relate them to my own life or writing.