Freewrite Leading to an Idea for an Essay

This student read two articles on date rape and thought about the differences between the two as she wrote. By the last paragraph, she had formulated her own perspective, largely in agreement with one of the authors.

    It is clear that feminist author of Date Rape's Other Victim, Katherine Roiphe believes that women apply the word "rape" to many pressured gender situations they are under, such as job discrimination. She believes that there are many mixed messages about the pressures of having sex and the pressures that we should not, because of rape or Aids. She encourages women to identify themselves to have authority. Roiphe claims that men and women communicate with mixed signals. Therefore verbal chaos occurs, thus leading to sexual intercourse. However, Katherine Greider, author of Victor Feminism, disagrees with this "crisis in sexual identity," contributing to date rape. In fact, Greider thinks women fight back, instead of crying rape over every situation.

"A woman's consenting to unwanted sexual activity because of a man's verbal arguments not including verbal threats of force," is known as verbal coercion. Roiphe suggests that "men are not just physically but also intellectually and emotionally more powerful than women." She claims that women have trouble communicating what they want and they give in to the male, letting them have authority. Greider disagrees and says that women "fought back against this kind of intimidation." Also, Greider states that Roiphe is wrong when she says that "women are obsessed with date rape, sexual harassment, and pornography, because the long to regulate social behavior and to gain power by exaggerating their own victimization. " Instead Greider believes the women fought for where they are today, and that they are just ridding themselves of acquaintance rape and sexual harassment.

    I understand both arguments of rape. However, I have not taken any sides yet. I think women can be intimidated by men before sexual intercourse, but I also think that they have can control over their decision. Maybe Roiphe is trying to tell us that men are the victims. Although, I think both women and men are victims of each other. Here is the point that the student writer really figures out a new idea. You can practically "see" her thinking as she writes here. Because a woman may go back to a man's house, it does not mean she wants to spend the night with him. The man takes this as a good sign, and because the woman feels intimidated, she has sex with him. The next day she claims she was raped. Neither the man or the woman wanted this to happen.

    Looking at Greider's views, I agree that the last thing women want is to be the victims. I don't believe that women cry rape just because they want to gain power and authority over men. Women want to be the victors and they can compete for political power in other ways.