Will Think for Food

I'll post now with respect to the questions for the "no class week" and again later for the unit of YA Boy books (I'm not quite finished with my book, though it's coming along smoothly) Regarding the issue of the portrayal of female aggressiveness in YA novels, I definitely don't think authors shy away from the topic. In every book I have read so far ( as well as what I can recall from past literary journeys), it seems there is always a character who fills the stereotype of the "bitch" or "drama queen." However, the depictions of these characters remains consistently disparate from the portrayal of aggressive boys, at least from what I've seen. If a by were to get into a fight, the extent to which the youth is written as violent or morally flawed is fairly limited. Boys fight. And in now way is the occasional skirmish between two feisty lads a testament to their complete moral and behavioral center. With girls it seems as though fights, gossip, and all around bitchiness reflect a more fundamental problem encompassing the whole of the female character. If a girl gossips, it's because she's at the core, a bitch thus implying she is no one with whom a good, upstanding girl should associate. If the good girl gossips, the implication is that she somehow has been consumed by the dark side and often no longer posses the ability to perform in a manner reflective of her former, socially acceptable self. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while aggressiveness in boys is usually explained by (or dismissed due to) some external factor over which the boys have no control, girls aggressiveness derives from something much more internal and consequently much more permanent. A bitch can only stop being a bitch is her entire character changes where as boys can fight one minute and actively participate in church activities the next.
I would like to comment on Jim's comment a few weeks ago in class when, after watching the movie, he mentioned that when boys fight, the first inclination is to intervene while with girls, it behooves us to stay clear. Fighting for girls, is a last resort. I would like to extend this and note that it is indeed a last resort only if the girl (or perhaps character) has not previously been written as the type of person susceptible to corruptions of social norms appropriated to girls, i.e no fighting, gossiping, and spitting on animals (i just wanted to throw that in there)...This may not make any sense, but that's partially because I'm hungry and because the keyboard I'm using right now is about eight seconds behind the speed I'm typing. So if there are any words left out, please don't get mad me....hehe...I'll post again before class, but I just wanted to get something out there. Have a great weekend everyone!