In Defense of Gender Written by Cyra McFadden

        IN DEFENSE OF GENDER written by Cyra McFadden

        In my article the author is trying to show that the neutering of the English language on the west coast is laughable. Both in written and spoken. I believe she is trying to show in what we would call being “politically correct” that the language is being butchered. My opinion of the authors goal has not changed since week 1. After using what I learned in week two I think I have a better understanding of what the authors goal is.

        Some new key points that I have discovered after re reading my article one would be a personal experience she shares in the second paragraph. “At 15, when I worked in my first job- as what is now known as a newspaper copy person”. She would go running towards the voices of men yelling “Boy”. I believe she is trying to show a personal opinion that “male pronouns” did not and still don’t bother her. Later in the article paragraph Seven she uses an example from a professional conference she attended. Where she heard, a text crammed with “he/shes” and “his/her’s”. Hear she uses an observation to help show her claim.

                The audience I will be trying to address in my essay is the group that feels everything does need to be gender neutral. There will defiantly be some challenges in convincing this group. While I personally am open to the need to change some things about the way society writes and speak some words. My audience may be steadfast in their opinion that the male dominated language needs to be completely change. If everyone can be opened minded maybe there can be some sort of compromise.      

The author provides a large amount of evidence in her article. This evidence helps show what I believe is her goal in writing the article. I will try and introduce new evidence into my essay by looking at current events going on in the world today. I will also try and look at personal experiences that I can incorporate into my essay. Some examples of evidence the author uses that I would try to use in my essay would be. In the first paragraph where she talks about a classified ad where a mother was searching for a “Childcare Person”. And how she incorporates Saturday night lives coneheads skits saying spoken it sounds like a conversation they would have.

In my goal, I will try to expanded on the authors point. Showing why I believe her opinion in the article is correct. The article was written in 1981 I believe that since then this epidemic if you can call it that has only gotten worse over time. I hope to show that while yes there should be something’s changed about the way we speak and write. The entire language does not need to be “slashed”.

I have never been good or comfortable in writing essays. So, I believe feedback could be an important tool for me to use. I like to think I am open to criticism and able to sort through which criticism would be helpful to me. Someone may have a different view on something in my essay that may change my entire opinion on the subject. I would then feel the need to revisit my essay and try and include some of this feedback somewhere.