Gender and Communication: Response/Reaction Papers

Purpose: The purpose of the response papers assigned in this class is to improve your learning of the course content.
1. Do the reading. All the reading: Response papers provide a clear external motivation for
completing your reading. Each paper must respond to all parts of that section's readings. Late
response papers will not be accepted.
2. Clear writing leads to clear thinking: Response papers force you to re-process what you've
read. You are required to read actively and engage the arguments within the readings. Taking
apart, reorganizing, and paraphrasing the readings will help you to understand and retain their
content.
3. Practice: They provide essential practice in analytical writing without the strict requirements of a
formal essay. A response paper should be a "proofread draft." The clearer your writing is, the
better, but form of a response paper is looser and more conversational than most academic
writing.
4. What do you think? When you respond to a reading, you evaluate (i.e. give your opinion) of it
of course, this evaluation must be supported by specific reasons. From your responses, your
instructor gains a clearer understanding of what the class as a whole is taking from each set of
reading. He or she can then adjust lessons to stress essential points and avoid needless repetition.
5. Speak up confidently: Because youve already analyzed the reading for each class, youre
prepared to make comments for class discussion (remember, you are also receiving a participation
grade).

Things to consider:
1. Discuss how a reading fits with the course as a whole.
2. Explain where the text fits historically.
3. Explore the authors implicit biases and assumptions.
4. Analyze the authors logic.
5. Discuss the readings relevance.
6. Evaluate the argument or its parts: Decide if you agree and explain your reasons.
7. Compare/contrast the reading to some other text.
8. Draw connections between readings that are not otherwise immediately obvious.

NOTE: For each response paper, some of the above considerations will be more important than others.
You must decide which aspects of each reading to focus on.
Your goal is to develop an original critical argument regarding the issues raised by the reading
using specific evidence and examples from the reading or from outside knowledge. To
accomplish this, you must show you understand these issues.

Length: response papers should be 400 to 600 words.

Submission: Responses should be submitted to your classs listserve before the time due (see the syllabus).
Late submissions will not receive credit. And remember, according to UNCs system, there is no e on
listserv.
 Comm 24 Response Paper Samples

Below are six response papers representing the range of possible grades. Please notice that check papers may
admirably summarize the readings but do not develop an original insight or argument. In general, check-minus papers
dont focus closely enough on the authors arguments.

check-plus

I found the "Betrayal of the American Man" to be lacking in a good argument. As a woman, I find it difficult to
agree with her claim that, ". men have lost a useful role in public life, a way of earning a decent living, respectful
treatment in the culture." While it is commonly believed that the Vietnam War was a betrayal to the men who fought and
returned home to find protest rather than glory, that is the only such betrayal of which I am aware. It seems possible to
me that men maybe missing opportunities to feel as though they are men. Most of today's men do not enjoy a rite of
passage to manhood, but Faludi blames the problem on media and consumerism.
Faludi blames men's problems on a "culture of ornament, manhood is defined by appearance, by youth and
attractiveness, by money and aggression." By blaming the media and entertainment industry, she admits that these
oppressors are already male run institutions. Does this make sense? Is this a battle of the have and have-nots? If so, then
this is nothing new. Many human cultures have suffered from issues of the wealthy versus the poor, the only difference I
see is that today a man can gain a lot of wealth and admiration by making good use of his God-given facial structure and a
bit of weight lifting. I don't see that as oppression. Then again, two wrongs don't make a right. If men are being
demeaned by popular culture in ways similar to the ways in which women have been demeaned in the past, I agree that it
may be more difficult for the men to protest.
In "Blame it on Feminism", I was surprised to realize how the backlash against the women's movement has hindered
women's participation in it. As the media blames feminism for many of today's common ills, more and more women
leave the cause or begin to even fight against it. This has affected me. I have always thought that equality among humans
was a noble cause, but I have been hesitant to consider myself a feminist. It seems as though the feminists make it more
difficult for women to make their own choices between traditional and nontraditional relationship roles and career goals. I
have also fallen victim to the media-hype that career women are lacking in femininity and have difficulty maintaining
relationships with men. Before reading this article, I never considered the agenda of such a backlash.
I like that Faludi makes a point to explain, "The backlash is not a conspiracy" or "an organized movement," because
it seems that conspiracy theories would simply hurt her argument and yet again work against the feminist movement. She
does however mention that the instigators of the backlash are conservative law-makers in Washington. They may be more
responsible for the backlash than Faludi is willing to admit. I agree, "American women have a way to go before they
enter the promised land of equality." (500 words)

check-plus

When I was reading "Blame it on Feminism," I felt that it was ridiculous that people were blaming many
problems on the feminist movement (i.e. teen suicides, eating disorders, and even the rise in the number of slasher
movies). All these misconceptions are perpetuated by the media who present women professionals as cold-hearted, lonely
people who can't have all that they want. They very rarely show a woman who is successful both professionally and
personally.
I feel that a lot of these misconceptions arise due to misinformation about what feminism truly is. Once there was a poll
conducted where women were asked questions that dealt with feminist beliefs (such as do they believe in equal pay for
equal work) and the women responded that they agreed with most of the ideas that they were presented with. However,
when the women were asked if they would label themselves as being feminists, many of them refused to accept such a
label because of the negative connotations that the word "feminist" provokes. Many people are misinformed as to what
feminism truly means. It does not mean that women are seeking the power that men have in our patriarchal society. It's a
movement that seeks equality in all forms. It not only fights against sexism, but also classism, racism and heterosexism,
because all forms of oppression are linked. Earlier feminists were criticized because of their "me only" or "career
feminism" they were fighting for. However, as the movement has evolved, feminists have realized that society needs to
change on many levels in order to assure equality for all women.
 My one criticism about this article was that it did not reflect any of the pressures that men feel because of the gender
roles as defined by society. Then I read the excerpt from Stiffed and saw that it dealt with what I felt was lacking from
the other article. Faludi speaks at length about the "invisible enemy" that men are fighting against. While women had a
clear target in their fight for equality (men), men have no one to place the blame on. I found it ironic that men are
experiencing the same demeaning things that were deemed misogynistic by women. Men are being judged by their
appearance, youth and by their money. They are having their essence (their masculinity and sexuality) sold to them by
commercial industries. Men are finding that they are fighting against the same things that women were fighting against in
the 70's and as apparent by the media, still fighting against today. However, as mentioned before, men lack a target to
fight against such objectification. I think that society as a whole could be held accountable for the pressures that men feel
in their gender role. There needs to be changes by everyone in order for an overall change to occur in gender roles. (475
words)

check

In Susan Faludi's two articles, she covers the issue of Feminism and its affects on both males and females. In the
beginning of her excerpt from "Backlash", she proposes a "riddle" of "how can American women be in so much trouble at
the same time that they are suppose to be so blessed?" The suggested answer to this riddle for the past decade is that
women are "enslaved by their own liberation." Faludi goes on to explain that this is not the case even though women's
equality has increased throughout the years. The true problem lies in the fact that equality between males and females has
not been reached. With this point, I especially agree when she gives statistics such as, women "shoulder 70 percent of the
household duties", they don't have "federal law guaranteeing maternity leave", or "decent child-care services." To me this
seems that along with a woman's "normal" work, they have now taken on the work force. I've heard my close friends
complain of not only having to do the cooking and house chores, but also working a 7:30-5 job Monday thru Friday. With
this type of stress it is easy to agree with Faludi when she says, "women consistently rank their own inequality, at work
and at home, among their most urgent concerns." I don't believe that equality between males and females at home or in
the work place will occur any time soon. Faludi supports my idea when she closes her article saying, "American women
have a way to go before they enter the promised land of equality."
Faludi's second article focuses on men and how they "are in crisis because women are challenging male
dominance." She also points out things such as their need to be in control at all times and that they feel as if their power is
some how being challenged. With examples such as "father failures" and felling the need for war times, is hard for me to
understand. I still believe that men have most of the control in the house and in the work force, so when she talks about
"men have lost a useful role in public life, a way of earning a decent living..." I disagree. This is not to say that they don't
face troubles or difficulties or times of failure.
A question that I wonder about is whether or not societies fast pase along with media and an ever-changing work
force contributes to the stress and inferiority that both males and females experience. Trying not to associate these
experiences with inequality, but just the need to keep up. (435 words)

check

After reading these two articles by Susan Faludi, it is obvious to me that the majority of people in this society have
many different opinions on the topics of feminism and how the feminist movement has affected the role of men in
society.
In the article, "Blame in on Feminism" Faludi gives examples of how people view the feminist movement as demise
of the quality of life for the female population. I find it personally offensive that someone could blame the feminist
movement for many of the wrongs in the world. I see the feminist movement as an act of "removing the blindfold." I feel
that it has allowed women to venture out and find more to life other than pleasing a man and having all of his children. I
do not mean to step on any toes, for there is nothing wrong with marriage and having children, but there is more to life,
and the feminist movement has provided that chance for women.
After the beginning of the article, Faludi shoots down any idea that the up rise of women's well being is the demise
of a happy and stable society. I would have to agree with practically everything she says, especially when she discusses
rise of assaults against women and how the government just turned their backs by cutting off special funding for support
programs.
 In conclusion to the "Blame it on Feminism" article, it is absolutely ridiculous to say the men and women are equal
on the professional level or on the domestic level. Yes, women have come a very long way from the beginning of time,
but it will be a long, hard journey before men and women are truly seen as equals.
In Susan Faludi's article, "The Betrayal of the American Man", she relays the "downfall" of men in society. Their
"downfall" is what the male gender views is the loss of their power. In my opinion this should not be seen as a loss of
power, but the opportunity to share the burden with the female population. This goes back to the topic of equality
between men and women. Faludi discusses her experiences going to a meeting for me who batter their wives or
significant others. One man says that the reason he beat this lady was to gain what he felt was total control.
The process of change that the men have endured during the feminist movement coincides with what women have
been dealing with for all eternity. Many men see this change as the loss of everything they have ever known. Faludi
reports the story about Shawn Nelson and why she felt he lost control. It was because he had lost everything he had been
taught to honor and protect.
In conclusion, women are on the rise in today's society. It will be a long time before equality is reached between
men and women, and until that day comes men need to learn to share the spot light and the power. (499 words)

check-minus

In Faludi's first article, "Blame it on Feminism," much attention is paid to the anguish and frustration experienced by
women who choose careers outside of the home, as opposed to domesticated lives. She says that these women are
"paying for their liberty with an empty bed and an empty womb" (25). Many women hold the conviction that the only
way to achieve equality is to acquire masculine roles and enter a world powered by men, leaving their femininity behind.
The antifeminist backlash of this movement "push[es] women back into their 'acceptable' roles" (29). While some women
are struggling, in a sense, to be men, the American men are witnessing a threat to their masculinity. Women have men to
blame for their perceived injustices, but who can men blame when they hold the power? Faludi discusses a "culture of
ornament" in her article entitled "The Betrayal of the American Man." This is a dilemma shaped by popular culture in
which "manhood is defined by appearance, by youth and attractiveness, by money and aggression, by posture and
swagger... These are the same traits that have long been designated as the essence of feminine vanity" (55). I view the
underlying problem as a lack of appreciation between men and women. Men, by nature, are protectors and breadwinners.
Women, on the other hand, are socially recognized as being nurturers. Equality should not stem from men and women
being equal within the same domain. Instead, equal amounts of pride and prestige should be earned based upon mastery
of separate domains. The pressure currently rests upon the women to gain respect in the work force. We should challenge
the men to acknowledge women as equals for being feminine and achieving their goals and dreams, even when they
assume the role of homemaker. That is my theory on a grand scale based on what our society generalizes about men and
women. I believe that each individual is different and decisions about each person's life should be founded upon their
own happiness and productivity in this world at this time. Women should be equally accepted as professionals or
"domestic engineers;" the same goes for men.

check minus

The articles by Susan Faludi made me think and question the views of the American society. The fact that she
states that women are more equal now then ever before seems misleading. I was still under the influence that our society
thought that woman would never be equal to man. Women are always struggling to keep up with men and be equal. Many
women think that they are making huge advances, but in reality they are not getting any further then they were ten years
ago. I agree with Faludi when she lists just some of the reasons that men and women are not equal such as job
opportunities and the fact that men still make more money then women. I do not think that men and women will ever be
equal, there are too many things that would have to take place in order for that to happen. Our society seems scared of
change and to give women the opportunity to be in charge may mean that the country could fall apart.
The other exert from Stiffed was rather shocking to me- I was unaware that men had these struggles. I am a
woman so it may be that it is harder for me to understand they have concerns as well. I do not feel however that men have
had any power taken away from them. They have always been the leaders of our country and I think that will continue for
a long time. In my opinion, women will never be in the position that men are in. Society will never allow it.