Blog #1

For this first blog, I would like to discuss an issue that is always on my mind as I read the book. Even though the Karhiders do not have a specific gender, the author still refers to the people as "males". Why do you think this is so? For example, the KINGdom of Karhide has a KING, a MALE ruler. BROTHERS go into kemmer. Le Guin uses male pronouns to refer to the people of Karhide. Personally, I don't think it is simply out of convenience. The author made up countless other words, why not make up another word to refer to the gender neutral citizens of Karhide? Why not use the word "monarch" or "ruler" rather than "king", or simply create another word to serve this purpose? Perhaps she is trying to tell us something? Let me know what you think.