Dave Barry's Essay 'Guys Vs. Men'

It would seem that the words “guys” and “men” would be defined in the same way, as they are thrown around in conversation in generally the same way. In fact, Google defines guy as “a man.” Writer, Dave Barry, puts a spin on these two words in his essay, Guys vs. Men. Guys vs. Men discusses the difference between a man--a masculine, aggressive male--versus a guy. Barry is essentially giving the term “men” all of the negative characteristics associated with males, while giving “guys” the cool and fun traits of males. Throughout his essay, Barry explains how a “guy” is different from a “man”. For example, for each subtitle he gives an anecdote about what guys like, do, or have, and how that is different from what men like, do, or have. Barry’s use of humor influences the tone of the piece by making it seem lighthearted and thus allows him to target women readers as his key audience while at the same time maintaining the interest of men readers.

Barry, an author who frequently uses humor in his writing, makes what seems like a lighthearted jab at the male gender

Barry uses this example to suggest that his comparison extends further than to just human males. And although the author is relating people to dogs, women readers will be able to relate and still feel superior since the male dog is constantly in trouble or doing something wrong. Barry mixes colloquial language with humor to make his essay easy to relate to and understand. By using common language, he becomes more understanding. It would not be humorous to use an extensive vocabulary along with jokes. He appeals to a wider audience by using simple, common knowledge words. He then uses italics to emphasize the jokes he is making. Often in writing, it is more difficult to make out what is meant to be sarcastic or verbal irony, but Barry overcomes this and is able to make his funny texts