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Freud - Femininty Response
Freud - Femininty Response
what defines femininity according to Freud? Of what does femininity consist? Support
your argument with examples from the text.
All the while I am preparing to talk to you I am struggling with an internal difficulty. I
“From the very beginning of his discourse, Freud states plainly that he himself genuinely
questions his own professional credibility when it comes to the subject of Femininity. In
light of this statement, once having read the prescribed the text in full, it is clear to the
reader that this strongly expressed sentiment of uncertainty, permeates itself throughout
Freud’s discourse on femininity. In this paper I will highlight what Freud describes as the
and the female experience, but through creating a cross section of uncertainty based on
rhetorical compassions between the male and female sex, in order to establish a basis of
a man or a woman but always both—merely a certain amount more the one than the
other.”
This quotation marks what I would consider an unambiguous full expression of Freud’s
attempts to express and validate his uncertainty on the subject of Femininity. As result of
the above quotation as well as the aforementioned opening statement, Freud is seen
attempting to spread out the veil of uncertainty by espousing, purely rhetorical claims as
to his personal supposition of males and females being characteristic of both sexes at any
their genitalia. One may question Freud’s claims and their validity because firstly, his self
acknowledged reservations regarding his authority on the subject as well as secondly, the
lack of any scientific data as means for support to his claims, especially given that in
regards to the above quotation, his claims are rooted in observable (and therefore
“The distinction is not a psychological one; when you say 'masculine', you usually mean
'active', and when you say 'feminine', you usually mean 'passive'. Now it is true that a
relation of the kind exists. The male sex-cell is actively mobile and searches out the
female one, and the latter, the ovum, is immobile and waits passively. In quite high
species we find that the sexes share the task of caring for the young between them or
himself to it.
Even in the sphere of human sexual life you soon see how inadequate it is to make
At this avenue Freud proceeds once more to create a space of intellectual uncertainty, this
time regarding the characteristics of Femininity and Masculinity in relation and
His statements here are to my observation, contrived to support his overall theory of
passive, with the pre-conceived intent of using animal examples in order to shatter that
logic such that his argument may align itself with what he had previously mentioned
regarding male and female “bisexuality”. The above statement marks Freud’s wish to
round up his over arching theme of ambiguity, by offering his reasoning on the physical
and psychological comparisons/similarities between the male and female sexes, all in the
name of attempting to delineate the nature of femininity. His argument is very limited in
any real advantage from this when you reflect that in some classes
of animals the females are the stronger and more aggressive and
The above is another example of Freud reasserting himself rhetorically for his own ends,
to an objectionable reader that his interests are not rooted in femininity but somewhere in
“If you now tell me that these facts go to prove precisely that both
men and women are bisexual in the psychological sense, I shall
Freud leaves very little space for opinion to a listener or reader for an opinion outside of
his own. Throughout the length of his discourse he goes to a great effort to stay away
from conclusions, but at a point which is convenient to him personally, he suggests that
he may himself offer conclusion regarding an opinion outside his own. Furthermore, in
the above, he wishes to speak of facts without having provided evidence scientifically for
any of his previous claims, however in light of previous claims it is objectionably clear
that, his intent in this regard is to once more to reassert himself on a purely rhetorical
basis.
impoliteness. We had only to say(in regard to female obejection): 'This doesn't apply to
you. You're the exception; on this point you're more masculine than
feminine.
“Freud makes the above statement in reference to any potential objections from Female
counterparts. The quote above re-establishes the notion that Freud has a great interest in
sexes, to dismiss any queries, framing the questioner as being either masculine or
feminine in the given context depending on what best suites his own opinion. The mere
In conclusion, as a result of reading the text, it is clearer to myself as a reader that Freud
will go to great lengths to attempt to validate his own arguments, which in and of itself is
not a reprehensible quality, however, for him to do so within the context of attempting to
justify the nature of his own uncertainty, while leaving little to no room for others to
question it, is dubious on his part. Secondly is the question of Femininity, which I
mention second because in spite of it being the proposed subject of his discourse, Freud
physical Bisexuality amongst males and females, only adding to the over arching theme
in what becomes a broad relation to males and females, and even more obscure relation to
females. As my use of quotations has shown, the text is increasingly directed towards
Freud’s own aims, Freud’s conclusions in the mist of his own uncertainty. Clear
examples of sexism are not offered in my own examination of the text, however the
simple way in which Freud consistently attempts to justify and assert his own opinions,
and of themselves and their experience, highlights a disregard for the female sex and
femininity on their own ground, purely on the basis that the text is insensitive to any
consideration other than those it approves of. What defines Femininity and what it
consists of for Freud can never be certain because according to him, foundationally male