When I first read Susan Stryker’s “My Words to Victor Frankenstein,” I honestly wasn’t really sure what to expect. I thought it was going to be mostly about Frankenstein and being seen as a “monster,” but it ended up being more about how people are treated when they don’t fit into what society sees as normal. I thought it was interesting how Stryker took the idea of being a monster and basically made it into something empowering instead of something negative. That part actually made me think about my own experiences with learning. I have had to find different ways to learn and get things done because of my learning disabilities, and technology has helped me a lot with that. Sometimes I used to feel like needing a different way of doing something meant I wasn’t as capable as other people, but I’ve realized that everyone just learns and does things differently.

Another thing I liked about the reading was how Stryker didn’t seem interested in changing herself just to make other people more comfortable. She took the things that made her different and made them part of who she was. I think that is something a lot of people can relate to, even if their experiences are completely different. In college, I’ve definitely realized that there isn’t really one “right” way to learn, think, or be successful. Everyone has their own stuff going on that you might not see just by looking at them. I didn’t understand every part of the reading right away, but I liked that it made me think about how quickly people judge things they don’t understand. It also made me think that being different doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong with you. Sometimes it just means you have to find your own way of doing things.