Middlesex+journal+entry+9

1. Ramanujan (285): famous Indian mathematician, He had no formal training in mathematics and yet contributed greatly to "mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions" (wikipedia, of course). Wikipedia refers to him as an "autodidact" which means he taught himself. de jure segregation (281): this term referred to when specific laws enforced racial segregation. These laws were outlawed by the mid-1960s and now this term no longer exists. ( http://www.adversity.net/Terms_Definitions/TERMS/Segregation.htm)

- In my diversity education, I have learned that "hermaphrodite" is an offensive colloquial way of terming "intersex." An intersex is someone who was born of both male and female genitalia, so I assume when people use "hermaphrodite," they mean the same. Transsexual, however, is when an individual chooses to undergo the surgery in becoming the opposite sex as their biological sex. In other words, when a born male feels that he is a female and would like to become one by going through a surgery, receiving mock female genitalia.

4. "...the last thing the hockey ball symbolized was Time itself, the unstoppability of it, the way we're chained to our bodies, which are chained to Time" (294). This quotation of Cal's definitely brought some different insight. I also thought it was interesting that he capitalizes "Time" (would this be personifying it? is he capitalizing it out of respect for Time? or fear?).

6. Cal says, "My mother avoided bodily matters, too. She never spoke openly about sex. She never undressed in front of me...and so I was left, in those years, to figure things out for myself" (284). Although I understand this discomfort of Tessie's - Clearly everyone has different comfort levels and has the right to decide what he/she would like to discuss with his/her kid; however, I feel like not educating your kid (whether you decide to do it yourself, or ask someone else to/like a doctor) at any point while he/she is developing is kind of detrimental to the kid's insight/understanding of his/her own body. This ignorance could be harmful to the kid in his/her future if someone does not speak with him/her.