Reading Response 22

Goals: "to demonstrate how transgender theories can inspire pedagogical methods that complement feminist compositionist approaches to understanding the narration of gender as a social construct; and second, to suggest how such theories might usefully expand and extend-for ourselves and for our students- our analysis of the stories we tell about gender." 9   What is the story we tell about gender?

Summary
In his article "Transgender Rhetoric: (Re)Composing Narratives of the Gendered Body," Jonathan Alexander argues that how we perceive gender is a social construct.  Gender is a set of rules that you are supposed to follow, and if you don't you may be outcast.

Synthesis
This article relates to the articles on identity that we have read this year, such as Wardle's article.  Alexander argues that your gender should have less of an effect on you identity than it does for most people. This article also strongly relates to Flynn's article; Flynn was even mention in it.  Flynn writes about the difference in composing as a man and as a women which directly relates to this piece because it is about gender identity.

Review
I did not like this article, it was way too long.  It seemed to hit on some of the same points multiple times and I think that the author could have made it shorter.  With that being said, I'm not sure if I agree with Alexander or not because I did not completely grasp his argument.

AE
3.  "Normally" gendered students can learn to look at gender as a social construction and begin to realize the things that you do because of you gender.  It can also help them empathize with transgender students.  Both of these are also true for every minority discourse we have read because learning about any group will help you empathize and understand them.

4.  Gender is a construct because it is a way that we look at the world based on what we think.  Men and women are each supposed to act certain, different ways.  People who don't want to act the way that people of their gender are supposed to act are looked down upon.  We have constructed gender roles.  These can also be political because historically men have had more power than woman because they are stereotyped as being better leaders and more intelligent.