“The Writer’s Book of Memory: An Interdisciplinary Study for Writing Teachers” Janine Rider
Chapter 7: Re/Membering Culture(s)
I am going to be honest; when reading this chapter, there were many points I wrestled with and disagreed with. However, one point that stood out to me was refreshing. In the middle of the Feminist Rhetoric section, the idea of renaming comes into context when talking about women who want to establish a voice. She cites Carol Gilligan who explains that women’s voice
“…needs to be heard and recognized for ‘the different perspective it brings to bear on the construction and resolution of moral problems’ (482); concepts of responsibility and care are central to the woman’s moral domain, and they need to be heard.”
Rider, 124
This assertion rings true to me because there are differences between men and women both physically, mentally, and emotionally. The beginning of the chapter seems to suggest this as a bad thing, but I glean a more positive reading. A different part of the reading (p. 115) talks about how uniformity is a bad thing because it erases individual voices. I happen to agree; every single person that was conceived in this world is unique in his or her own way. The fact that mass media and television try to fit people into cookie-cutters is truly a shame.
The best personal example I can think of which embodies this idea is my involvement with community service as part of the Catholic Scholars program here at St. John’s. Last year, we were given a Vincentian mission goal to help, in any way, the parish of St. John the Baptist, the site of the original St. John’s University. In a devastating fire, much of the interior of the church was ruined, and the buildings adjacent to the church, where the classrooms were, have fallen into a state of near-decay. What were we supposed to do? Well, St. John the Baptist is still a parish community, and they gather in a church under a reconstructed, lower roof every Sunday and weekday. The faith and dedication of the faithful was inspiring to all of us. But we still did not know what to do. So, we got together and decided the best thing to do would be to do a fundraiser. We split into two teams: Team Pasta Party and Team Bake Sale.
My fellow cohort member and I were in charge of Team Bake sale. He is smart and practical and was easily able to figure out logistics of the event, as well as the management of the funds. The other young men on the team contributed in ways such as advertising and inviting people. Myself and the other young women assigned ourselves to the task of baking (because we enjoy it, not because we were told to…don’t worry Feminists) and spreading the word about the event. There were other shared responsibilities the day of, such as walking around with the cupcakes, sharing the story behind the fundraiser, and compiling and counting money at the end of the day.
In this way, everyone on Team Bake Sale used their own unique set of gifts and talents in order to make the event a success. We made $260 in one single afternoon!
So, my question is: When we recognize the positivity of the differences between men and women, how does that give hope to the field of Rhetoric? Does recognizing the uniqueness of every human being give Rhetoric a breath of fresh air, or do you think it just complicates the matter?
May you experience love and light,
Theresa
Caritas et Lux 