Reading Response # 3 : Code Breaking

Science fiction as a genre has always been thought of to be in a constant state of advancing. Whether it be with new technology, a new type of society, or new creatures, science fiction is always progressing and growing to be more and more complex. However, even as the majority of the contents grow and expand, there are some things that rarely seem to change, and those things are the status of women and “the other.”

A feminist lens looks at the relationships between men and women. It specifically focuses on the portrayal of women within the work of literature. It attempts to analyze how women have been affected by men and their actions. It not only works to show how women have been marginalized and suppressed by society, but also how they have been privileged. However, a “feminist lens” mustn't solely focus on femininity. It also examines the role of “masculinity” in the portrayal of men .The “feminist lens” accomplishes all of this in the pursuit of analyzing gender boundaries and norms (Delahoyde 1).

Science in fiction can emphasize topics such as fate through the use of an intersex character. For example, in Dr. Luce’s case file on Calliope, he writes how the girl was raised is what will determine what kind of

Doreen Massey’s book delves into the theory behind the concepts of space and place, while including the effect these concepts have on gender. She also includes gender’s effect on space and place. She views these theories with a feminist’s mindset. This means to look at these ideas while understanding that the dominate form of conceptualization has been influenced by the dominance of masculine ideals or how they “are commonly conceptualized” (Massey 1994, 1) in Massey’s viewpoint. The masculine ideals contrast the feminine. Feminine is seen as the lack of or absence of the masculine. The ideas of masculine and feminine are shaped by the time and place of a society, which Massey dedicates a portion of the book on and this will be the section discussed in the majority of the essay.

In the fifth and sixth chapters of Sandra Bem’s book The Lenses of Gender (1993), Bem discusses how androcentrism, and gender polarization contribute to one’s gender identity.

Gender as a Social Construction This annotated bibliography is focused on research that supports the idea that gender has been socially constructed. Haslanger’s chapter offers an understanding of what is meant by the term ‘socially constructed’ and how gender can be defined from this viewpoint. Zimman complements Haslanger’s argument by explaining that it is our discourse that influences our perceptions of gender. Eckert and McConnell-Ginet’s chapter is helpful when explaining how gender is socially constructed by exploring how from birth we are treated and labeled according to whether we’ are male or female.

In the book written by Wes Moore, “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, One Fates" Moore states, “When we're young, it sometimes seems as if the world doesn't exist outside our city, our block, our house, our room. We make decisions based on what we see in that limited world and follow the only models available." (Moore 178) Why is it when we are young we see everything easy and not hard?

We’ve studied three fictional novels throughout this course, all of them having to do with plague or epidemic. These books all fits into the genre of dystopian. One of the themes that seemed prominent throughout all three books were the roles of the female protagonist or antagonist or the male counterpart of it. In Matheson’s book, I am Legend. The protagonist is a masculine man named Robert Neville, he is the last surviving human on the planet, living with only vampires around him until he meets what presumably is another human that is a feminine character. We find out later she is the reason he meets his demise. In contrast, James’ novel The Children of Men, the female character of Julian plays a huge role in saving humanity from the health crises they are facing in their world. The role of gender plays a huge part in these two works of literature, the health of both genders in both books determine the outcome, Julian being healthy, and Neville being able to survive by himself, they both represent an exceptional idea of masculinity and femininity. But the meaning of gender changes because of the epidemic of crises they are facing, for Neville’s case seeing a woman for the first time in three years, or Julian being pregnant, these changes the importance of gender.

While reading Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman I was very intrigued by the stories and pieces of writing within the book because they really gave an inside view of what it is like to identity differently than the stereotypical born male and female when it comes to sexuality and gender preference. I feel it is rare to be able to have this insight and understand the processes and views that non-typical gender roles have without thinking of the stereotypes you may see through pop culture and media. I feel the writing in the book added so much personality and was just a clear looking glass into the lives of people who are trans or represent other kinds of gender roles. There are a lot of interesting perspectives

Despite the fact that the science fiction genre was created by a woman, science fiction is now overrun by people who now feel the need to write articles titled “Dear Fake Geek Girls: Please Go Away” (Brown, 2012). This article will summarize the works of Joseph Reagle and his article “Geek Policing: Fake Geek Girls and Contested Attention” (2015).

In “Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis,” Joan W. Scott provides many angles to explore the relevancy of gender. The first thing that needs to be examined is her argument. The main argument that Joan W. Scott is trying to make is how beneficial to history using gender as a category for analysis would turn out. Another factor that needs to be made in assessing her article is how she presents her argument and findings. Scott formats her article with a beginning, middle, and end. She begins by defining “gender,” and how that term has been used in general. She goes on to describe some of the theories that have analyzed gender. The next part that she explains is how, of late, politics has been coincided with the analysis of gender. Finally, she ends her paper by providing her bottom-line opinion about the analysis and approach of gender.

“ You cannot talk about genre without talking about gender.” Initially, this would appear to be a simplistic statement. On closer analysis, however, one fact becomes evident. It is the representation of gender which informs the genre of the text. Ismay Barwell , in her essay ‘ Feminist perspectives and narrative points of view’ states that “ Every text is gendered since every act of narration…..involves a process of selection….and the nature of that selection implies certain values” ( p.99). She makes the point that “ The desires, attitudes and interests which guide any choices made must be either male or female”( p.98 ). It is within this frame of reference, that the two texts will be analysed.

Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996) mirrors the ideology of a sci-fi film outlined by Susan Sontag in the Imagination of Disaster so closely that it borders on a lack of creativity. That is what qualifies this film as a ‘revival’ of the sci-fi genre following revisionist works like Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). This film, among other things, believes that femininity in leadership will lead to disaster on the political stage and that personal relationships should mirror the ideals of this government balance. This scene uses framing and set design re-erect themes of the traditional sci-fi ideology such as the military embodiment of masculinity and the weak femininity of a ‘scientist’. This scene also sets the stage for what Sontag calls the balance of a ‘good war’ and the ‘yearning for peace’ which unfolds throughout the film. The ideology of Independence Day is despairingly unoriginal, touching on almost all themes outlined by Sontag as what makes the science fiction genre.

Judith Butler’s approach in “From Undoing Gender” lets the audience see a different side of opinions regarding gender. Judith’s presence and way of speaking lets us look at things in a way we never had before. She demonstrates her way of thinking, acknowledges other peoples ways of thinking and also goes outside the box in creating her own definition of undergoing gender.

The literary genre of science fiction, or sci-fi, delves into the seemingly predictable and utopian-like future. Science-fiction is often looked down upon due to its unrealistic plot lines. However, Isaac Asimov enlightens the average person: "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today - but the core of science fiction, its essence, the concept around which it revolves, has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all." Having said that, although sci-fi isn’t as respected as other literary genres, its presence in school curriculum is very apparent, often times taught in the eleventh and twelfth grade, due to its inevitable influencing of the reader to think beyond what is “inside the box.” For the reader, science fiction is read for the sole purpose of its imaginative nature, and what “could be.” The purpose of this investigation is to interpret the ignored emotions often felt by a reader of color when reading a science fiction novel with the evident absence of diversity amongst the characters. Furthermore, the misunderstood significance of sci-fi will also be explored. As previously mentioned, the lack of people of color within science-fiction also detracts from the genre’s credibility that it has gained from authors such as George Orwell, Margaret Atwood, Isaac Asimov, and more. Nonetheless, these writers could perhaps be to blame for the exclusion of Latinos and African Americans in