How can you be a man to your family when you are poor and black? Killer of Sheep poses this question over and over again, and the tension between masculinity, blackness and poverty is central to the movie. The film seems to provide Stan with several choices, all of which are directly related to his masculinity. He can accept the advances of the white woman, which offers him both a way out of a miserable job at the slaughterhouse and a boost to his “manliness” in the form of a tryst with a woman of a higher status. This is immediately unpalatable to him, a fact that is emphasized by the uncomfortable close-on of her hand rubbing his wrist and followed by her sideways smirk. Although he promises to think about her “warm proposition,” the movie never again explores this possibility. Alternately, he can buy the engine, which serves both as an assertion of masculinity and—as his friend notes—as a signifier of class. While he opts to try this, the entire plan is ill-fated; the scene where he picks up the engine contains some of the most imbalanced sequences in the entire movie, and the extreme and off-putting diagonal of the street effectively communicates
His only ways out of his job slaughtering sheep are through unfaithfulness or by being an accessory to murder. Whether it’s the sheep, his wife or the white man, he doesn’t have the option to not hurt anyone. The scene takes place on the porch, such that both the walls and the two men close him in within the frame. Once again, the slight low angle and motion of the camera add a bit of a sinister air to the scene. But his wife’s entrance into the scene, lurking from behind the screen door, completely surrounded by blackness, feels heavy, and when she opens the door and hovers above him, placed even above the two other men, she reclaims him. His decision to not assist them with murder seems to be made final—or at least more clear—by her
Burnett set Killer of Sheep in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is historically important to African American history because of the 1965 Watts riots. On August 11th, 1965, the Watts riots broke out in a response to arrest of Marquette Fry by the LAPD (Civil Rights Digital Library). Poor living conditions, high unemployment and harsh racial treatment were occurring in outraged the community of Watts. Frye’s arrest was the catalyst to many days of violence. There was an enormous amount of media coverage of the riots, giving the American population a glimpse into horrifying scenes that took place (Massood). It took a week for peace to be restored to the area, but even after the riots the social and economic conditions did not improve. Watts remained suppressed, but Americans now had a bruised image of the area. Burnett created his film in Watts setting a distressed and fatigued tone for everything that takes place. The history of the area and the civil injustice that sparked the violence can be seen in every environment. The audience is given a glimpse...
Steinbeck shows Cals isolation from love, and its violent repercussions again when Cal reacts to his brothers lack of compassion for him with violence and destruction. In the scene when Cal is spying on his brother Aaron and his brothers girlfriend, he is outraged by the things his brother has to say and he decides to throw large blocks of his fathers ice out of the barn. This sole action shows how childlike Cal has remained due to his isolation from his families love. His unassuming father only says "that boy is out of control" not even acknowledging that there is a greater problem at hand, and even less does he understand the fact that it is partly his fault. Steinbecks theme of isolation form love is greatly illustrated because his father does not even take to scolding Cal, which shows no feelings what so ever.
Crooks, the black stable buck, is isolated from the community of migrant workers because of his racial status. When Lennie goes into the barn to see his puppy, he and Crooks have a conversation. “'Why ain't you wanted?' Lennie asked. 'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black'” (68). Lennie is too kind-hearted and intellectually slow to visualize the apparent racial boundary that sets Crooks aside from Lennie and the rest of the workers. Crooks is so isolated from the rest of the workers that he says he “can't” play cards, not that he isn't allowed to, which means that the racial boundary is like a wall Crooks cannot cross. Because he is black, Crooks believes that he cannot play cards with the white men. He can't get over the racial boundary, and believes he will be forever separated from the white men. In the beginning of chapter 4, Steinbeck describes Crooks' living space. “Crooks, the Negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the...
do not seem suitable to be human beings. He understands the things he does are
The great masterpiece Macbeth, which is written by William Shakespeare, deals with many different hidden themes. One of the best-hidden themes in Macbeth is manhood. Shakespeare's descriptions of his characters give real descripitions of living beings, not actors upon a stage. His manuscript is able to show the masculinity of men as well of women. Masculinity is not just for men; some women are just like men in their quest for ambition.
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth‚ the theme of masculinity is explored. As Macbeth matures‚ there are times when his masculinity is put to the test, mostly after the murder of Duncan. There are four main themes in which masculinity is presented in the play.
Baruch Spinoza once said “Experience teaches us no less clearly than reason, that men believe themselves free, simply because they are conscious of their actions and unconscious of the causes whereby those actions are determined.” He compared free-will with destiny and ended up that what we live and what we think are all results of our destiny; and the concept of the free-will as humanity know is just the awareness of the situation. Similarly, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five explores this struggle between free-will and destiny, and illustrates the idea of time in order to demonstrate that there is no free-will in war; it is just destiny. Vonnegut conveys this through irony, symbolism and satire.
A prominent theme in William Shakespeare’s novel Macbeth is the idea of universal masculinity. Throughout the play, Shakespeare utilizes male gender stereotypes to present conflicting views on the definition of manhood. Macbeth tells the reader about a man who allows both societal pressures inflicted upon him by his wife and his intense ambition to drag Macbeth into a spiral of committing obscene acts of violence. Characters often associate being a man with courage, cruelty and power. This pervading caricature of a “man” is evident to the reader throughout the play. Lady Macbeth, for instance, goads Macbeth about his masculinity to the point of murder. Additionally, Malcolm and Macduff’s rigid discussion on revenge reveals a defined notion of “true” masculinity. Perhaps the culmination of rigid gender stereotypes is evident in Macbeth's pondering of the legitimacy of the hired murderers' manhood. Clearly, Shakespeare upholds male gender stereotypes throughout Macbeth.
Masculinity in itself is very diverse and varies according to each culture and each person. In China, masculinity has traditionally been very different than Western masculinity. Where Western masculinity is known for being very macho and tough, Chinese masculinity has consistently been much more feminine when compared to the Western’s. Chinese masculinity traditionally has always had a very soft aspect to it, however as China continues to change as a nation, it is slowly beginning to alter their normal definition of what it means to ‘be a man’.
Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl, instantly grabs a reader’s attention with its grotesque title, ensuing someone’s downfall or failure. The saying “lamb to the slaughter,” usually refers to an innocent person who is ignorantly led to his or her failure. This particular short story describes a betrayal in which how a woman brutally kills her husband after he tells her that he wants a divorce. She then persuades the policemen who rush to the scene to consume the evidence. This action and Patrick’s actions show the theme of betrayal throughout the story which Roald Dahl portrays through the use of point of view, symbolism and black humor.
Discrimination was one of the issues that caused conflict in the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. One example of discrimination in the novel comes in the form of racial discrimination against Crooks, as he is an African American. Another example of discrimination is gender discrimination against Curley’s wife. Finally, there is discrimination against mentally disabled people, which is evident in Lennie’s character. The ranch hands' actions and conversations demonstrated the racial discrimination against Crooks for his skin colour, gender discrimination against Curley’s wife for her gender, and prejudice against Lennie, who was a mentally disabled individual.
J.D. Salinger’s most famous novel The Catcher in the Rye features a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden who is being kicked out of yet another prep school. Throughout the novel, Holden expresses his masculinity in several different ways. One of the most striking and what I believe makes the book so popular is his perpetuation of toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity in a nutshell definition is types of masculinity that are harmful to both men and women. Toxic masculinity is a direct result of the social constructs upheld by a patriarchal society. Holden’s expression of toxic masculinity happens consistently throughout the novel but I am only going to focus on two specific instances of his behavior. The first is before he is supposed to meet with the prostitute, and the second is when he meets with Phoebe and reflects about his friend committing suicide being his favorite thing. The aforementioned instances exemplify Holden’s obsession and perpetuation of toxic masculinity.
Viewpoints on the concept of masculinity vary on a person to person basis. Some may believe that masculinity is developed through attaining power or demonstrating dominance over others. While it may also be perceived as confidence or the ability of an individual to act independently. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, through cruel and violent actions it is suggested that one’s masculinity is established. The characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Malcolm reveal Shakespeare’s brutal and dauntless ideas of masculinity through their words and actions within the play.
Gender, sex, gender roles, masculine, and feminine; these are all things that can be shaped by society. Your gender roles can change, but not your sex; that is given at birth. If gender is shaped a certain way, then that changes us to fit those societal norms of gender roles, masculinity and femininity, patriarchy, and how to maintain this gender order.
Choices are defined by decisions made between multiple possibilities. There are many factors that come into play during the process of making decisions which may affect the choice made. William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth demonstrates how emasculating comments and actions affect choices made by Macbeth and other men in the play. The motif of manhood in The Tragedy of Macbeth exhibits the idea of threats to a man’s masculinity can drastically affect their choices, as indicated as Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood before killing Duncan, Macbeth’s threats to the manhood of the two murderers of Banquo, and Lady Macbeth questioning whether Macbeth is even a man while he hallucinates Banquo’s ghost.