The essay “Being a Man” by Paul Theroux, is a piece written in 1985 about the disapproval of stereotypical gender expectations that is thrust upon Americans, including the author himself. He then contrasts and compares those sets of ‘rules’ and tries to shed light on the fact that men are just as oppressed as women. In addition, Theroux uses key examples from athletics and the writing profession to support his objections and personal experiences. As a person who doesn’t believe in the concept of gender roles, I agree there is a certain pressure men receive. However, I disagree that it’s the same oppression women have endured throughout history and currently face today.
During this essay, Theroux provides a correlative and valid point for the …show more content…
It’s ironic, he disagrees with the way boys are taught, but doesn’t see that he’s using his teachings at the end of his essay. Of course, it takes a long time to unravel a lifetime of privileged logic, even today, the expression ‘boys will be boys’ is used to explain the way young men act out. I was a tomboy growing up in a neighborhood overrun by boys with the exception of only two girls, including myself. One day we were playing outside on my narrow street and one of the boys said something mean to me. I ran home into my mother’s arms with hot salty tears in my eyes and gave her my sob story. She walked over to the little boy’s house and talked to his mother. After a short conversation they shrugged it off. The woman said she was sorry instead of teaching the boy to apologize. This dismissive ideology blames the gender and not the behavior of the child, which Theroux simplifies as, “little girls are traditionally urged to please adults with a kind of coquettishness, while boys are enjoined to behave like monkeys towards each other” (3). Therefore, he’s telling readers that young men are taught to believe it’s normal to lash out, do as they please, and think only of themselves instead of controlling their aggression, learning to own up to their poor judgement, and not be …show more content…
History is written by men, for men with a hint of a woman’s signature. Theroux clarifies, “We have come to see literariness and manliness as mingled qualities” (9). I feel the whole world is conditioned to ensure men are circulated into any subject. The author can try to provide a good example of the disadvantages of being a man, alas it isn’t as degrading as being a woman. Another example of that humiliation, is when he writes, “The paradox in American letters is that it has always been easier for a woman to write and for a man to be published” (9). Technically, with that way of thinking, a woman could easily write something and use a male pseudonym to publish it with no problem, but she loses her dignity and respect in the process. So a woman can write? It means nothing if she, herself cannot disclose
During this essay, Theroux provides a correlative and valid point for the …show more content…
It’s ironic, he disagrees with the way boys are taught, but doesn’t see that he’s using his teachings at the end of his essay. Of course, it takes a long time to unravel a lifetime of privileged logic, even today, the expression ‘boys will be boys’ is used to explain the way young men act out. I was a tomboy growing up in a neighborhood overrun by boys with the exception of only two girls, including myself. One day we were playing outside on my narrow street and one of the boys said something mean to me. I ran home into my mother’s arms with hot salty tears in my eyes and gave her my sob story. She walked over to the little boy’s house and talked to his mother. After a short conversation they shrugged it off. The woman said she was sorry instead of teaching the boy to apologize. This dismissive ideology blames the gender and not the behavior of the child, which Theroux simplifies as, “little girls are traditionally urged to please adults with a kind of coquettishness, while boys are enjoined to behave like monkeys towards each other” (3). Therefore, he’s telling readers that young men are taught to believe it’s normal to lash out, do as they please, and think only of themselves instead of controlling their aggression, learning to own up to their poor judgement, and not be …show more content…
History is written by men, for men with a hint of a woman’s signature. Theroux clarifies, “We have come to see literariness and manliness as mingled qualities” (9). I feel the whole world is conditioned to ensure men are circulated into any subject. The author can try to provide a good example of the disadvantages of being a man, alas it isn’t as degrading as being a woman. Another example of that humiliation, is when he writes, “The paradox in American letters is that it has always been easier for a woman to write and for a man to be published” (9). Technically, with that way of thinking, a woman could easily write something and use a male pseudonym to publish it with no problem, but she loses her dignity and respect in the process. So a woman can write? It means nothing if she, herself cannot disclose