(Funny but impressive essay)
"Yesterday scientists revealed that beer contains small traces of female hormones. To prove their theory, the scientists fed 100 men 12 pints of beer and observed that 100% of them gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became emotional, and couldn't drive. No further testing is planned." —Female Hormones in Beer, A Forwarded Internet Joke Three years ago, as I received this funny joke and decided to forward it to everyone in my mailing list, it was beyond my expectation that I would jeopardize a ten-year friendship just because of that impertinent one-click on SEND. Her reply was an angry one, not only denouncing me as a chauvinist pig but also suggesting I take some gender courses to learn how to respect women. What was the problem? After long rumination, I surprisingly discovered I had been unwittingly wearing a pair of patriarchal glasses to look at everything around me, and it was this pair of colored glasses that made me take gender stereotypes for granted. This unpleasant experience, of which I am still extremely sorry, triggered my interest in gender as a topic in literary studies. Intriguingly, stereotypes categorize and simplify gender; however, among a lot of these seemingly strict stereotypical gender frameworks, many identities are actually indefinable. It is this gray zone in gender that inspired the idea of my research project: "Gay Theatres and Cultural Practice: A Comparative Study of Angels in America and Love Homosexual in Chinese," which not only won me a 1999-2000 National Science Council Research Grant but also concreted my conviction of studying gender in literature. Enlightened by Eve Sedgwick’s Epistemology of the Closet, this project illustrates that queer survival, in both American and Taiwanese drama, actually blends with degrees of concealment and openness—this political strategy transforms various stigmas to queers’ own benefits. Besides, with the different historical/cultural contexts, Angels reveals the impact of AIDS and the disease’s relation to the closet, while Love challenges the homophobic Confucianism whose culture of silence constitutes the invisibility of homosexuality in modern Taiwan. This precious research experience, with a hearty and consistent support from Professor Cecilia Liu, confirmed for me my feeling that doing research to explore the unknown is fulfilling and enjoyable. In addition to the pragmatic experience of research methodology, the project also whetted my sensitivity to and knowledge of the issues in gay criticism and queer theory, some of which I first applied to the revision of my final paper for the course of Modern/Postmodern British Literature, which is presented as my writing sample, "‘Baby! Sissy! Girly!’: A Queer Reading on Edward’s Effeminacy in Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine." Unlike some gay liberation movements, which only advocate identity politics, queer politics also disrupt any fixed dichotomy; as a result, queer identities refuse to be fixed or assimilated but tend to transgress and oscillate among various frameworks. Queering is political because it appears with unconventional or abhorrent images to challenge or even shock the world which is full of hostility against them. How do queers, then, metamorphose others’ resistance to their own assistance? What is the interaction between queers and ethics? These are questions of great interest to me. To answer them while I work toward my MA degree, not only do I have to broaden my comprehension of queer theory, I also need to deepen my knowledge of gender relations in modern literature, other types of cultural texts as well as their cultural contexts. I am convinced that my studies at Fu Jen have fully prepared me for my graduate studies in your program. In my undergraduate education, the topic of gender was often the main focus in many of my papers. In sophomore year, I attempted to compare and contrast the female infanticidal characters: Ying-Ying in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Medea in Greek mythology. In junior year, I applied some ideas in sociolinguistics and feminism to discuss the power of language in male-female conversations in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Further, in senior year, from Bharati Mukherjee’s "The Lady from Lucknow," I learned that a female body, with the diaspora background, can construct a complex power operation of race and gender, and uplift one’s social status. My academic experience makes me realize that gender issues, which are diverse and interdisciplinary, are indeed worth further research. In addition to my focus on literary studies, I was an actor in several English stage performances and an editor-in-chief for the first English edition of the department magazine: Elite. Both kinds of extracurricular activities in the English department fostered my ability to manage my time well and to work efficiently and with a congenial spirit in a group. As a persuasive actor, I had to associate my past experience to the role I took, and this re-examination of my life offered me an opportunity to understand myself and have a more pellucid perspective on human nature. As a scrupulous editor, I learned not only how to choose the effective rhetoric to convey complex concepts but also how to make the writing more logical, creative and felicitous. All these experiences help me profoundly to express my perception and interpretation of works of literature. From the homepage of English Department at Michigan State University, I realize your graduate program, which is strong in gender studies and literary theory, is exactly what I require to bring out my potential and add to my expertise. I especially look forward to working with Professor Judith Roof, whose specialties are queer theory and American literature. In addition, Professor Arthur Athanason’s expertise in comparative modern drama, and Professor Katherine Fishburn and Professor Ellen Pollak’s mastership in feminist theory would all be very helpful in blazing my future academic path. With more than 84.2% of college students here in Taiwan wearing glasses because of myopia, it is indeed detrimental for them to wear one more pair of patriarchal/homophobic glasses. Upon receiving my Ph.D., I intend to help them take off the biased glasses to see a more objective view of gender by means of literature. To achieve this goal, MSU is my best choice. I wish to become a member of your graduate program to share my thoughts in works of literature and to contribute what I learn to my future academic career. Thank you for your consideration.
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