Women’s Studies J111:  Women in Culture
Sample Reading Response

This sample reading response was written by one of my students last fall, in this same course. The response is posted with her permission, but the student's name has been omitted. This isn't the only way to do a response, but it's one good way. We aren't, by the way, reading this essay—I used a different book last time.

Anonymous Student
Response #1
9 September 1999
Sherry B. Ortner
"Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?"

Ortners' article sheds light on the fact that women are seen to be closer to nature and men are seen to be closer to culture. She explores this idea and gives clear examples of her reasoning. I found this article to be very hard to follow and complex with ideas sometimes vague and other times very bold. One such idea is that there is some sort of bond between women from many different cultures. I think this is because of every cultures ability to devaluate women. Ortner mainly was general on her approach to specific cultures, but I did bring out of my reading one such example: China has a symbol that is commonly known as the yin yang, in their culture the yin is symbolic of the female in all aspects and the equal half is the yang being symbolic of the male. I do believe that complete opposites cannot exist without the other, such as the male and female. Why do we make this distinction between the two? Males are given more power than the lesser important female. Ortner gives us many examples of female devaluation and she carries these ideas throughout her article giving them support with evidence. She also challenges anyone with contrasting beliefs and goes on to say if they believe otherwise then she demands some examples to support their beliefs.

Ortner presents the fact that there is no society that is truly egalitarian. I am totally convinced that this is true. Even in societies that hold women to be majestic and very pure do not allow women to own things such as property and some societies do not allow women to hold important leadership roles. Ortner supports her conclusion by saying that women are even thought of being polluted during the menstruation process. These women are also treated differently by having to ride inferior horses and even the men are forbidden to have contact with them during menstruation. This is such a primitive idea to me and it enrages me to think that something so nature can be looked at as something so ugly and demoralizing. So as I read I noticed in these such cultures that a women's power was decreased by something that happens once a month and they have no control over. I may research this topic later in the semester because I am so strongly against discrimination to women because of mere menstruation.

Another way women are looked at as being closer to nature is through childbirth. Ortner touches on this and goes on to say that childbirth is the "most satisfying experience of life" for women. Ortner also explains in her article that everyone is born to a mother and then ultimately dies, this lessens the importance of giving birth. Women only contribute to the world with babies that grow and die whereas men can create things that live on beyond themselves so that they are remembered. I really hate this statement because personally I consider childbirth as being a very important act. Another reason I disregard this statement is because I myself create art. I do not paint or draw or make sculpture for the idea that I will merely live on it is more on the need to express what I feel and what I think is important to say. I can be a women and create art and by no means does my sex lessen my quality of work or the response I get from others. I feel I create art for myself and not anyone else in the world that is what makes it special to me. Getting back to the article I cannot see myself as closer to nature or culture, I like to think that we have more of an equal balance of both. This makes for a better quality of life and to me I am happier to not only feel a part of nature but that I also grow and learn from my culture. For the most part I enjoyed reading this article but I feel I could read it a hundred times and still miss something. It does although enrage some of my feelings and it makes me think about how very trivial we can all really be.