Prompt 10

There are definitely gender distinctions in the book. I have talked about Molly’s body modifications in another blog, but I really think hers are interesting. She is a character that links the normal modifications that are normal today to the futuristic ones in the book. Her modifications are not so strange that it is hard to understand, like Case going into Molly.
I think that women have always been considered weaker than men. They warn girls to protect themselves when they go out. Molly has a cat-like claws made of blades to protect her. This shows that Women are still considered weaker and that they need to have a technological modification to protect them.

Molly also has lenses that make it impossible to cry. Women are more sensitive, and it is appropriate for them to cry, but men are not supposed to show their emotions. Men spit and do other things that women are not supposed to do. This is shown in Titanic where Rose learns to “spit like a man.” It was not normal for her to partake in that action. By forcing Molly to spit, instead of cry, makes her less than of a human. Her nature is to cry when she is upset. She can spit, which she does, but it is definitely hiding her weaker status as a female since she can’t let her guard down and cry.

Molly also makes an argument similar to Pitts by wanting to modify the body to reclaim it. She once used her body for money in prostitution. She wants to reclaim her body by modifying it, and this is seen through her fighting against Peter who tries to control the female body. She wants to use her new modifications to help herself and others to reclaim her own body that was once hurt and misused.

Prompt 9

I feel like the book makes body modifications the normative action in society. Case is labeled a “virgin” because he has no modifications. This is completely different from the bodies discussed during the other sections of the class.

I like Molly’s modifications. I feel like women in today’s society are considered weaker than men, and they are taught that it is important to learn defend themselves. For example, my roommate carries around pepper spray when we go downtown. However, Molly has blades that come out from under her burgundy nails. The new form of modifications allows her to be protected at all times w/out having to grab something from her purse or carry it around. That modification is the most practical out of most modifications we have discussed in class. This is a type of technology because it is not normally part of the body, but something added on to help it.

I also like the concept of alternative realities. Case can easily go from the real world in his physical body to another world in cyberspace. He is not restricted by his body’s limits because he can be in multiple places at once. This is not possible without technology. (exception: standing on the city border from the movie “A Walk to Remember;” I think that is the movie!!) Not only can case be in the physical world and in cyberspace, but he can enter another person’s body. He can actually feel what other people feel. I think this is the ideal situation for women now because guys never know what women want. If they could actually go inside the women, like Case does, they could feel and view things from a woman’s perspective. Except for the fact of losing all of your privacy, it is an awesome idea. People can literally “step in someone else’s shoes.” I guess there would be huge problems with this technology, but the idea sounds cool if you are the only one that could do it. If everyone could, it would probably cause major chaos. Overall, I think the modifications in this book are really amazing because they can take on multiple meanings and have different uses, like the examples above.

Prompt 8

I alter each form of writing depending on my audience. There is a formal way of writing and a more causal one. These are determined by who the message is going to. In the essays, the paper is being graded by the professor. This paper has to have arguments that are backed up by reliable sources, and my opinion would not be considered reliable. This makes the writing style much more formal. However, when writing this blog, I don’t have to come up with experts to back up what I think. Emails are the same way, especially when talking to friends. However, the audience of the email also changes how I write. If I am talking to a future employer, I want to make sure everything is spelled correctly, with complete sentences. I would need “dear” and “sincerely” to make the email more formal. To a friend I would just say “hey!” These are all examples of writing. Text messaging and instant messenger follow the same guidelines as well. If I am talking to a friend, I will use a few words, rather than a grammatically correct sentence. It is easier and faster to communicate to a friend this way. In the workplace, a boss has a company to run, and nonprofessional writing may confuse the message or look bad in a professional environment.

For body modifications, they are judged differently by different audiences. For example, my friends have tattoos that they show to me and their other friends. The will never show them to their parents because they are afraid that their parents will disapprove. The same thing happens in the work place. My roommate has a nose ring, but she must wear a clear one or take it out when she interns in the professional environment of her elementary school. It is really hard to work and succeed in the normative society with visible tattoos and piercings that cannot be covered up.

I think we learn these different types of writings in the classroom because it is preparing us for the real work world. I don’t think that students always realize that employers look at everything we do. People are judge by how they communicate. If they communicate poorly, by having a bad resume, dressing causally at interviews, or writing with poor grammar, it will be hard to get that ideal career. Facebook, Myspace, and other blogs are also a form of expression that employers look at. Pictures with alcohol and drugs show how a person acts, which might not be good for an employer to know. I feel that learning different types of composition are important because it will be easier to transfer from the sheltered college life into the real, unforgiving world.

School has taught me that writing is all about the audience!!!