Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32871
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32871
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

If you want to refer to an object with a male or female pronoun because using "it" doesn't feel right, then there is nothing wrong with it - it's your decision as the author and only you can know what feels _right_.

But: you should think carefully about the reason _why_ you want to use a male or female pronoun. Try to ask yourself what it is that makes _it_ feel more like a _he_ or a _she_. This is an interesting and important part of your essay, especially because it focuses on the bird/phone.

Is the reason that the metaphor you are using is a bird and you feel that birds are delicate creatures so you subconciously always use _she_ when referring to a bird? Or are you thinking of a predatory bird and associating masculinity with the way this bird hunts?

Or are the reasons found in the real meaning - the phone? Is it the fact that you can talk to Siri, which makes it feel like the phone is female? Or do you associate that one male friend with your phone who never texts and always calls?

Exploring _why_ you are using a different pronoun may prove to be a valuable lesson that might give you more ideas for your essay and show the readers your thoughts. The fact that you realized that you don't feel like using "it" is a good first step.

Original score: 2