Brendan Donohue

English 123 D

Prof. Cripps

April 10th, 2018

Added Language for the

Complication of Argument

Communication is the means by which information between individuals or places is exchanged. What started out as grunts, moans and cave paintings, has progressed into one of the most complicated practices, amongst the most intelligent species. Communication is complicated, and is conducted in nearly 7,000 different languages across the globe. However, written language is an evolution of communication that has allowed for a more efficient and permanent means of exchanging ideas, opinions and information. What started out as logographic stick figures and phallic symbols has evolved to a practice of deeply complicated exchange. Authors Richard Miller and Ann Jurecic discuss the complexities of language in their book Habits of the Creative Mind. In an effort evaluate the ideas of Miller and Jurecic on complexities of modern language, I will examine Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist.

Roxane Gay is a self proclaimed feminist who struggles to fully embody what other female figures to consider to be “essential feminism” (Gay 1). She weighs the pros and cons of what modern feminism is supposed to be and how she feels aspects of it obfuscate her.

 

In reading Gay’s take on modern feminism she claim’s there to be much confusion, misunderstanding and disagreement on what exactly feminism is and supposed to be. I very much agree with her sentiment. In today’s world feminism has evolved into a confusing structure of ideas and beliefs about what women SHOULD and SHOULD NOT DO.

On her second page Gay discusses feminism being used as an insult. I have witnessed this and believe this to happen. Many people, most of whom may be men look poorly upon women who self identify as being feminist.

Miller and Jurecic discuss the power of the use “and” in their book. I think they’re evaluation of the words usage is correct and can be scene at point in Gay’s argument. On page one Gay discusses what “essential feminism should look like and in doing so goes on to list many attributes such “humorless, white, heterosexual, hate men”. In describing these characteristics she links them with what “essential feminism is expected to look like. Her use of the word “and” is powerful in it’s ability to link and combine the complexities of exactly what is expected of “essential feminism”.

 

In addition to writing on the use of “and”, Miller and Jurecic also discuss “or”. However, they do so with a slightly less optimistic idea on its capabilities. They believe “or” is an element that has limited abilities. Rather that “or” suggests one “or” the other.

I tend to agree with this idea of Miller and Jurecic. That two ideas, claims, realities, cannot exist in harmony and its a fork in the road at which two things may not be chosen. Quite frankly I read “or” as an evidence of an ultimatum.

In Roxane Gay’s very last sentence of “Bad Feminism” she says; “I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all.”

This opinion and claim of her suggests she has two options, to be a bad feminist, or to be no feminist at all. A clear circumstance in which it’s one choice “or” the other. There is an obvious middle ground of feminism that Gay has yet to have settle on or discover. But for now, Gay is stuck in “or” and therefore limited.

 

Miller and Jurecic describe “or” as being the “Foundation for creative thought”, they also claim “and” as well as “but” as having the same capacity.