tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post7795733838088404272..comments2024-03-26T22:47:45.276-07:00Comments on Intro to Critical Reading: Gender Issues in Lilith’s BroodAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post-28315045478017310802012-02-03T17:49:04.088-08:002012-02-03T17:49:04.088-08:00Overall, I think this is an interesting but somewh...Overall, I think this is an interesting but somewhat overly general essay, which could benefit greatly from a stronger connection to details of the text. Because you have interesting things to say about interesting topics in the book, I don't want to quash any of it - but I'm going to give examples of things which are problematic when you stay at a very general level.<br /><br />1) You reduce Lilith to the status of a breeder (conventional gender role) very easily, completely ignoring the fact that she first becomes the leader of a tribe (essentially) through Oankali superpowers! You also neglect the details of her relationship with Joseph. Now, it remains true that bearing a daughter remains part of her role - but you aren't actually arguing that we should understand her primarily in this way, even though your argument demands it.<br /><br />2) You want to both see the 3-gender system as metaphoric (a critique of our gender system) and literal (how can things change, since the 3-gender system is still imperfect, and we have no way to create a 3rd gender). But if the whole system is a metaphor, aren't the ooloi also a metaphor, for some destabilizing force of change which threaten many things, including the gender system (if I was taking this metaphorical reading, I'd argue that the ooloi represent the destabilizing power of contemporary science and technology -- see Wilson).<br /><br />I think there are good ways to see the 3-gender system literally, good ways to see it metaphorically, and ideally, you want to see how the two relate. My point isn't that you are wrong, but that this is a very incomplete reading.<br /><br />What's my overall point? You're biting off more than you can chew in such a short essay (it's too much even for a revision, really) by trying to do at least a somewhat comprehensive discussion of gender in the novel.<br /><br />What would I suggest if you revise? Maybe zero in more closely on *either* the three-gender system, *or* on the significance of Lilith's pregnancy *in context*. The problem is that these are two very large topics, which deserve extended connection - probably the essay needs to be more centered around one of them.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post-90206992794022053862012-02-02T13:55:38.402-08:002012-02-02T13:55:38.402-08:00this was really helpful! especially your thoughts ...this was really helpful! especially your thoughts on the sex between man, woman, and oankali. if i revise this, i will definitely include that. thank you!Alison Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03360096776852562068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post-80970620902931852452012-02-02T10:21:36.490-08:002012-02-02T10:21:36.490-08:00I really enjoy your discussion of gender critique ...I really enjoy your discussion of gender critique in Lilith’s Brood. The structure of your argument is well utilized, giving the use of gender in reference to the novel, the use of a gender neutral subject, Lilith’s position in the novel as a child bearing being, and finally your real life argument. In addition to your argument there are only a few things I think would be beneficial for you to regard. <br /> In your paragraph on the function of women and reproduction, I think you need to consider that the Oankali have at their disposal a plant that is entirely capable of doing all that the woman’s body does in the form of reproduction. In fact, the Oankali have already begun to create a race of children within these plants from the sperm and eggs of humans. We discover that the Oankali have been breeding humans for a while. Paul Titus says, “’’Your genetic material has been used in over seventy children.’ And I’ve never even seen a woman in all the time I’ve been here.’”(Butler, 95). However, your argument is still valid because it is clear that the Oankali intend Lilith to carry and give birth to her child. <br /> In addition I believe that the sex between a man, woman, and Oankali is something that you need to articulate within your paper. After mating with the ooloi, a man and woman no longer feel comfortable touching one another. In addition the humans, like the Oankali males and females, are incapable of conceiving without the mediation of the ooloi. “’They need us now. They won’t have children without us. Human Sperm and egg will not unite without us.’”(Butler, 245). This could add a lot to your paper in regard to the equalizing of male/female roles and how that applies to hierarchy.<br /> Other than these minor additions I feel your paper is solid, and I really enjoy the real life comparison. With all this discussion about equalizing gender roles it’s easy to forget that, because we don’t have an ooloi equivalent in real life, that it isn’t a completely realistic argument. Should you have questions or concerns feel free to contact me.Katelyn Antolikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01782157169013244674noreply@blogger.com