Gwatter06, Cixous/Butler

Cixous’ reading at the very least was a bit difficult to grasp, it was almost as if the reader knew what concepts she would bring up but the exposition was definitely difficult to follow. One of the first interesting concepts that I was able to grasp came early on in the reading when Cixous states, “thought has always worked through opposition” (157). This is a concept that does not come strange to us, as we have covered similar concepts in the past. This most closely relates to the concept of binary opposition in which we define things by their opposites, or as de Sausser would have it, “in language there are only differences.” Cixous also speaks of differences but those that pertain to the separation of men and women. She attacks this notion in a peculiar way by looking at bisexuality. Cixous explains that bisexuality is “a fantasy of unity. Two within one, and not even two wholes…that is to say the location within oneself of the presence of both sexes…” (159). What I believe Cixous is explaining here is that to encompass bisexuality, which men despise due to conformity in masculinity, is to essentially be whole and have an understanding of the other.

Butler on the other hand was a much more straightforward read. She tackles the concepts and problematic situations with women in society in a feminist matter. Butler states, “For feminist theory, the development of a language that fully or adequately represents women has seemed necessary to foster the political visibility of women. This has seemed obviously important considering the pervasive cultural condition in which women’s lives were either misrepresented or not represented at all” (191). I think this sums up a lot of what Butler then goes on to deconstruct. What I believe she is saying here is that feminism exists and is necessary because society has conformed our hegemonic ideologies to undermine women and relinquish their ability for properity through, what she later calls, “universal or hegemonic structure of patriarchy or masculine domination.” I would relate Butler’s feminist ideals closely to those of Bell Hooks in the sense that they both refer to women as being forcefully subordinate in a masculine based society. All in all, both authors take up some strong positions in constructing different notions and concepts pertaining to societal inequalities and feminism.