Womanizer

As I was searching for my favorite cover song of the song Womanizer, originally by Britney Spears, I discovered a lot of bands that created their own rendition. I was actually quite surprised at the selection of bands I had to choose from. Bands and singers that created their own versions included Lily Allen, Franz Ferdinand, and All-American Rejects. Although Lily Allen’s version didn’t really surprise me, I was surprised that bands like Franz Ferdinand and All-American Rejects chose to recreate a pop song like Womanizer because they are so different. It surprised me, but I really liked both of their versions of the song.

Although I do not really think that the meaning of the song changed, I feel like the “voices” were completely different. Obviously, gender plays a huge role in what I define “voice”. I almost feel like the two versions were competing with each other. In Britney Spears’ version, it’s about a man who has many different girlfriends. One of his girlfriends figures it out and wants to make sure that he knows that she is too smart to be played by him, or any man. When I watched the version by The All-American Rejects, I felt like they were being antagonizing. It was like the band members were the womanizers that could get any girl they wanted and they were smart enough to pull off having multiple girlfriends.

2 Voices

Initially, Written on the Body was a very confusing book to me. I found it hard to understand because the narrator was never fully disclosed, I still don't even know if the narrator was a man or a woman. So, at first it was hard for me to get into the book because I did not even know who the narrator/protagonist was. Then I started to realize that maybe that's the point. Our lives, who we are as people are so defined by boundaries, by what a man should do versus what a woman should do. The two voices that seemed obvious to me, was the stereotypical male and female (a male who just wants sex and a female who wants more).
Male: I can have sex with a woman with no emotional attachment. Sex is just sex, two people using each other as a means of sexual pleasure. I liked how the main character has a lot of sexual partners. It was something that I could really relate to because I think it is a realistic portrayal of human relationships.
Female: Sex is something special and an intimate thing shared between two people. The only way for sex to be fully stimulating and pleasurable is for it to be with someone who you love and deeply care about. Sex is something that is meant to be kept sacred and should be saved for a special person.

Desire is a concept or idea. It has no concrete definition and people interpret it differently. People also desire different things at different times. What I desire now, as a 21 year old, will be quite different twenty years from now. Although it changes according to context, I think desire is love with sex. Someone can love another person without being physically attracted to them, like a friend or relative. But as soon as you add a physical or romantic connection, it becomes desire.

The painting "Fire and Desire" represents the concept of desire very well. The roses, candles, and wine suggest a romantic or sexual connection between the two people. I noticed that many of the roses were just petals and got to thinking about how it is usually rose petals that are associated with love. Could it represent eliminating the possibility of getting hurt, the thorns?

I also noticed their position and her facial expression. Her eyes are closed, suggesting that she is so content and comfortable with him. She feels safe and trusts him enough to let him hold her. He's holding her in such a way that suggests he really cares about her and wants to keep her as close as possible. The painting isn't dramatic, there is no action. Its just simple. The only thing they care about is each other.

"Desire"

The roses, candles and wine gives the impression of sex
The way he is holding her makes it look like he loves her and wants her to be safe and protected
Her facial expression and closed eyes gives the impression that she is comfortable around and safe

Skim

I really liked this book. I think it was easier to relate to than the other books we read this quarter because I think everyone had good and bad memories of high school. Although the events in the book were not typical of a normal high school experience, they were still more relatable than the experiences from the other books. Throughout high school, people have similar, maybe not as dramatic, experiences in love and tragedy.

La Perdida

To begin, I liked that La Perdida was like a comic. It was different from most novels that I have to read. Sometimes my mind wanders and lose focus on what I'm reading. The drawings helped me stay on track and understand the story the novel better. I also liked the story. Being in Mexico and meeting many different people, the story was like an adventure. I thought that the end of the book were confusing. It kind of left you with inconclusive ending.

Like Water For Chocolate

This novel was different from Love in more ways than one. I enjoyed both, but for very different reasons. Love was disturbing and sad while, Like Water for Chocolate was romantic. For me, Like Water For Chocolate was an easy and enjoyable to read because it was not complicated with different character perspectives. The first thing I noticed while reading was how much it resembled Romeo and Juliet. It followed the story of Romeo and Juliet almost exactly-two lovers are kept apart because of family, sneaking around to be together, and when they finally can be together, they die with each other. Throughout the whole story, like Romeo and Juliet, I just wanted Tita and Pedro to be together. When they finally could be together, I was relieved but knew something else would follow. I was not surprised at all when they died side by side. It was the ultimate romantic story.

Love

When I read the book Love, my initial thought was that it was very confusing. The back and forth between seven different narratives made it quite confusing to keep track of all the characters. Once I understood and remembered who each of the characters were, I thought the book was very interesting. It was one of the few books that got me thinking about my life in relation to the story. Whats the point of holding on to a grudge when you might need that person in the long run? I really enjoyed how each of them had connections with each other that seemed so insignificant on the outside but, slowly you see the deeper and more significant connections they have. It really makes you think about how you effect the people you come into contact with. What might seem like a small thing could have a much larger effect on someone else.

articles #1 and #2

The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm.

ByAnne Koedt

Frigidity-the inability for a woman to have a vaginal orgasm

Clitoris-responsible for female orgasm

Conventional Sex-men have orgasms from friction on the penis, while women have orgasms from stimulation of the clitoris. Conventional sex has led to primarily penetration and not stimulating the clitoris.

Anti-Male Phenomenon- Freud’s theory assuming that frigidity is the result of a woman having trouble accepting her female roles. It is a psychological “problem”, not an anatomical one.

Vagina-responsible for menstruation and giving birth

Psychologically Stimulated Orgasm-achieving orgasm through mental stimulation

Lusting for Freedom

By Rebecca Walker

Sex defines both men and women. For a woman, sex marks you as promiscuous or prude, but for a man, it makes them “popular”.

Sex-sexual intercourse between a male and a female

Language of Sex-pretending to be something that you’re not in order to appear more desirable to the opposite sex

Pleasure-sexual gratification