"I never felt any great loss.... only great rushes of power."

"I never felt any great loss of innocence, only great rushes of the kind of power that comes with self-knowledge and shared intimacy."

This is an interesting way of looking at losing one's virginity. Usually it is associated with a "loss of innocence." By looking at it this way, the loss of one's virginity becomes empowering instead of something bad.


"And judgments like "right" and "wrong" only build barriers between people and encourage shame within individuals"

I think that this quote is important. I mean, it's very true. Who is to say what we do is right or wrong? If something deviates away from the norm, then it is considered "wrong." However, if enough people deviate away from the social norm, then it becomes accepted. People should be able to express themselves and live their lives without the fear of being put into a box labeled "wrong".


"Sex can look like love if you don't know what love looks like. It gives you someone to hold on to when you can't feel yourself. It is heat on your body when the coldness is inside of you."

I can't say that I personally identify with this, but I know that it does ring true with others. Many times people mistake "sex" for love, more so "lust" for love. For an example, try to remember high school. People would be dating for only days and they'd already have written across their notebooks "Hannah loves Josh" or whatever. Sex provides a closeness that can be sometimes lagging in ones life.


"I also began to play with different kinds of strength. While I learned about my parent's bodies, I learned that I had the power to make them need me. While I learned how much of myself to reveal, I learned how to draw them out. While I learned that they were no "right" for me, I learned that I was more than what they saw."

This struck me because it's dealing with the subject of a women objectifying herself in a sense, but at the same time learning about herself. By doing this, she was able to gain a sort of power. She could lure people in and realize that there was more to her than what they were seeing.


I think that the essay speaks a lot about Fledgling. Right off the bat it's very easy to relate Shori to the text. I mean, I know Shori is really around 53 years old, her body is one of an 10 year old. The sexuality of the essay also an be easily related back to the relationship between Shori and Wright. I think the quotes I picked really amplify other themes throughout the book. The story is very much about the empowerment for women. Shori, who looks like a child, is the leader of her race. She is in control. People follower her, i.e. Wright, and Theodora. She is able to draw people into her. She's very sexual, and sometimes I believe, associates love with sex. An example can be found on page 127, chapter 12. Celia tells Shori that she had loved Hugh Tang, which leaves Shori confused. Shori says, "Loved? I listened to her with growing confusion." It's obvious that Shori is close to Wright. She needs him more for just blood and sex, but for comfort. For example, at the end of chapter 8, Shori reaches for his hand. However, he let her hold his hand, but he didn't hold hers. The idea of "love" leaves Shori confused. I believe that Shori associates sex with Wright as love for Wright, or at least sometimes.

Here's a preview for a movie that I think relates to Rebbecca's article.