Final Paper Proposal

What are the social and psychological impacts of transsexualism on the transsexual, the people close to them, and society as a whole?
 This isn't like a thesis....this is kinda what I want to focus on...I'm kinda thinking out loud.
I aim to focus on the socio-psychological impact Dana Stevens' decision to undergo a sex-change operation had on the characters of the book Trans-sister Radio, and if that is an accurate depiction of how it effects other parts of society. The townspeople of Bartlett were outraged by Dana's decision to undergo the operation, and were equally upset by the fact that Allison decided to stay with her. Allison's reputation as a teacher and as a member of the community were at stake throughout most of the book due to irate citizens. Allison and Carly begin to question their own sexualities, as does Will, who ends up living with Dana. Dana, throughout her whole life, struggled internally with her gender dysphoria, wondering if he was just gay, or if he truly was a woman trapped in a man's body. With research, I will look at other stories of real-life transsexuals and compare/contrast them with Trans-sister Radio. I will also explore research about transsexualism, to see if I can get a better understanding of the biological and psychological components, if any, that exist within the brain and mind of a transsexual. I'm not entirely sure of the question I want to ask.....but at least I know what I want to talk about!

Blog Musings

My blog postings have been decent over the semester...except for the fact that I've already had to take a blog holiday and I didn't really contribute on the last one because I hadn't read the book yet =/ I found that I really focus on the more direct aspects of what we are talking about. I look at the language of what we read, rather than imagery or symbolism. I guess that surprises me a little because normally I am good at discussing that stuff, but it hasn't really caught my attention as we've been reading. See, look. Right now I'm discussing what I've said rather than trying to delve into some deeper meaning behind what I've said. I've also noticed that my posts are not particularly long...which is something I should maybe fix.

My favorite post was the one about the paintings, which also surprised me, because I am not a artsy person. I actually do not see the point in most forms of art, so it surprised me that I was able to invest so much in the paintings we looked at. I also feel like this is my most intelligent post; I was able to get my point across while using good language and being clear. I would love to go back and be able to talk about those more.

I think blogging for this class is helping immensely because it's giving me an insight into what other people are thinking that I might not necessarily hear from in class. It's also a place for me to talk about things outside of class that I maybe didn't get to talk about in class. I like hearing from everyone else, and it gives me a different perspective on what we read or watch or look at in class.

Trans-sister Radio

I actually haven't started reading the book...sorry guys! It hasn't come in from Amazon yet...I'm still waiting on it. From what I remember from the back cover though, it sounds like a really interesting story. I think it would make an awesome movie! I feel like transgenderism is still a touchy subject in society, so for there to be a movie about it in such detail would really turn some heads and enlighten some people. I'm sorry I don't have more to offer...I'll get started on it as soon as it comes in!

Tyler