The Female Voice

After reading Shen and Rodriguez (and to a certain extent, Rose) it is clear as to where they stand in the discovery of their voice and where they stand within the academic discourse. However, what are women saying about finding their written voice in academic circles, universities, and even in high school? Flynn had barely skimmed the surface with a feminist approach to the theory of composition. Yes, we had samples of male and female writing that more or less supported her theory of rational male thinkers and emotional female nurturers. Mellix does have a good compromise between the language she learned at home and the language she used at school from a very young age. It seems like she has to flip back and forth depending on who she is speaking with, her environment, or her mood. But she concludes that she is continually finding new aspects of herself and that enables her to grow. But what of inner-city girls that discovered a love of literature, or disillusioned college students who switched to an English major, simply more academic journal accounts of women who recount their efforts of negotiating between what is real to them versus what has been taught/ingrained into them by (male) composition.

Better yet, what is a student’s take on how they write? We have been discussing how the academics feel about the push and pull of academic vs. authentic voice. But how has the student, male or female, found what they feel is the most authentic form of writing to them?