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How society influences gender roles
How society influences gender roles
How society influences gender roles
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Danielle Torres
English 111
Carol Kaiser
26 February 2017
“Guys vs Men” Textual Analysis
Dave Barry’s essay “Guys vs. Men” presents that the term “Man” grants more negative qualities in males, unlike the term “Guy”, which, allows guys to be free to indulge in stereotypical characteristics. Barry arouses readers by using amusing comparisons, similarities, and engaging punch lines to support his view on the distinct differences between guys and men. Barry argues the idea that man is a term that comes with responsibility, and has unwritten expectations for guys. Additionally, in correspondence he suggests the possibility that there are other ways to view males as just a “guy,” rather than being characterized as masculine. Therefore, Barry uses gender-based generalizations to capture the purpose of the passage
Barry purposely detaches the two forms of males in order to personally describe the guy’s characteristics in his own terms. Throughout Guys vs. Men, Barry utilizes negative
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Barry explains that guys uphold a different manner when dealing with certain situations. . Later, he briefly mentions the difference in guys and women, such as women being portrayed as constant thinkers. Barry utters, "She'll be sound asleep in bed, and suddenly at 2 a.m., and she'll be awakened by an urgent thought: The blue-green sofa needs to go perpendicular to the wall instead of parallel, and it needs to go there RIGHT NOW” (942). While attempting to distinguish guys and women, Barry clarifies that although women are constantly thinking, guys do not think similarly. . Barry tells the readers that guys do things together, for instance—watching and discussing sports games in their groups,, using high tech devices for minimal work and later upgrading to follow the existing patterns. For instance, a guy will buy a computer with the highest level of technology, despite the possibility of him not using
Overall instead of a true definition of a man, kids and even adults interpret it as athletic ability, sexual conquest, and economic success. The second topic Joe speaks about is the relationships that make a real man. In the book it states “the number one complaint I hear from most wives is ‘My husband has no relationships with other men.’ In other words, most
Klumas, Amy L., and Thomas Marchant. “Images of Men in Popular Sitcoms”. Journal of Men’s Studies 2.3 (1994): 269. ProQuest. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.
In Gail Bederman’s Manliness and Civilization, she aims to describe the concepts of manliness and masculinity at the turn of the century. Bederman explains that the concept of what it means to be a man is ever changing as a result of the ideology of the time as well as the material actions of the men. During the Progressive Era, many forces were at work that put pressure on the supremacy of white, middle class men. Some of these forces included the growing move toward empowered women, the unionization of the working class, and the move from self-employment to big, corporate business. She delves into the way that both racism and sexism were used to build up the concept of masculinity and the turn of the century discourse on civilization.
In Kimmel’s essay “’Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” he argues that the influence of society on masculinity is equal to or greater than biological influences on masculinity. In the essay, Kimmel uses various surveys and interviews to validate his argument. He points to peers, coaches, and family members as the people most likely to influence the development of a man’s masculinity. When a man has his manliness questioned, he immediately makes the decision never to say or do whatever caused him to be called a wimp, or unmanly. Kimmel’s argument is somewhat effective because the readers get firsthand accounts from the interviewees but the author does not provide any statistics to support his argument.
Both Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler and Population: 485 by Michael Perry explore ideas of masculinity and manhood, but I think Butler shares a more diverse representation of masculinity through his different characters. What it means to be a man The concept of masculinity is considered as the qualities and characteristics of a man, typical of what is appropriate to a man. In this article, A Community Psychology of Men and Masculinity: Historical and Conceptual Review, the authors Eric S. Mankowski and Kenneth I. Maton, analyze four main themes: "Men as gendered beings, the privilege and damage of being a masculine man, men as a privileged group, and men’s power and subjective powerlessness. " The second and fourth themes are described as paradoxes that have created difficulty in efforts to analyze and understand men’s gender and masculinity." However, the point of view of masculinity that Perry raises in population 485 has a different aspect.
Barry, an author who frequently uses humor in his writing, makes what seems like a lighthearted jab at the male gender
Barry covers a very touchy subject with a sort of humoristic animosity, that proves an argument in a very discreet manner. He does so by targeting sexism in a different way than what we are use to. As a male writing about “Guys vs. Men”, he must be very intricate in the way he expresses himself. Barry must make his views fast and clear and follow them up with examples that will bring Males and Females under the same belief. By men and society “attaching great significance to manhood”, they often fall victim to their own stereotypes; thus becoming the “loons and goobers” they set out to stray away from.
Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity claimed a different meaning. But in all of its wandering definitions, it consistently contains opposition to a set of “others,” meaning racial and sexual minorities. (pp.45) One of the first definitions was the Marketplace Man, where capitalism revolved around his success in power, wealth, and status. A man devoted himself to his work and family came second. Although this is one of the first standing definitions, it still finds its spot in today’s definition, where masculinity consists of having a high paying job, an attractive young wife, and
We’re all familiar with the stereotypes and myths about what it means to “be a man.” The victorious leader gets what he wants using aggression and does not accept failure; he is smooth with the ladies, and he is often good with a gun. He is usually rich and in control, especially in control of women, like a father who loves his daughter dearly but will be damned if she’s going to go out dressed like that. The list could go on and on with the stereotypes. But the Coen Brothers’ cult-classic film, The Big Lebowsk (1998), with its hero “The Dude,” contradicts these notions of masculinity. The Coen brothers offer several familiar stereotypes of masculinity (the Vietnam vet, the successful capitalist, an oversexed bowler, some aggressive German nihilists), yet it is these characters that throughout the film are shown to be absurd, insecure, and even impotent. It is these stereotype men that the Coen brothers criticize. “Sometimes there’s a man,” says the narrator over and over again, pointing out the Dude’s non-stereotypical masculinity as the true representation of what it means to be a man. The brothers then illustrate that the men who give no thought to their identity, who ignore the pressure to conform to cultural expectations, are to be regarded as “real men.”
... E Glenn, and Nancy B Sherrod. The psychology of men and masculinity:Research status and future directions. New York: John Wiley and sons, 2001.
Consequently, they must then take on parties, dates, auctions, beach days, and fashion shows, all while concealing their true male identities. While doing this, the movie portrays extreme stereotypes of gender roles and expectations. Although the portrayal of female expectations and characteristics is exaggerated for comedic effect, the underlying points and issues still remain. The way the brothers dress, speak, act, and understand their new social life as females, all contributes to the obvious contrast in gender specific qualities. The consistent sexualization of women and over pompous attitudes of men throughout the film provides exceptional evidence that society has established acceptable norms for both genders. These established roles of femininity and masculinity conflict within the undercover agents as they struggle to act poise, arrogant, non-confrontational, and sexy like their fellow female friends are, yet this is completely out of the norm for them as they are truly males. However, when they slip-up and allow their defensive masculine traits to show through it allows for not only a comedic break, but an exceptional
“Guys” and “Men” the two vague words that describe the male species. With that, there comes the idea of what it actually takes to achieve the label of man vs. guy. Is there a sort of moral code or set of rules guys look at before walking through the pearly gates they call “Manhood”? In his clever but humorous essay, “Guys vs Men”, Dave Barry talks about what certain degrees that it takes to be a “man” or what it takes to be a “guy”. Barry explains the importance of what manhood or what being manly means to the male gender. After I read the article I gathered that most “men” tend to be more serious and show more self control to where as a “guy” may have less responsibilities and is more insensitive in comparison. Being a male you typically
Identity is a subject commonly discussed within literature. In William Farrell’s essay entitled “Men as Success Objects” this subject is the object of much scrutiny. Farrell analyzes the role of gender in today’s society and states that male identity is in a condition where male insecurities about success, their appearance, and females have left most men in today’s society in dire straights. Compounded by prevailing ultra-feminist ideals, society has become saturated by the “men are jerks” mentality. This condition can be seen in various aspects of society such as commercials, television programs, even greeting cards (Farrell, 186). While some may not agree with his opinions on the state of male identity, Farrell uses a number of rhetorical strategies and literary devices such as an objective point of view, an intellectual tone, and appeals to both logos and ethos in order to effectively convey belief that men are treated as “success objects” in today’s society.
In the article Barry points out that men have a greater attraction for technology than women. This argument could be taken in multiple directions, but in terms of Barry's article he chooses men. Barry states “ For example as a guy I feel I need a new computer every time a new model comes out”(316). Compared to his wife who is still content with her computer that he claims she had since the “Civil War”. This explicates barry's perspective that women have a less desire for technological advancements; however,
The differences between women and men are not solely biological. Our society’s culture has established a set of unwritten cultural laws of how each gender should act, or in other words society has ascribed a stereotype. Men’s gender identity has been one of masculinity, and masculinity is defined as referring to a man or things described as manly. What does manly mean though? Is a male manly if he is “Mr. Fix-it”, or the jock, or if he sits on the couch on Sunday watching football? This latter statement is a stereotype of men, that has been around for decades, and is current as well, but starting with the 1960’s a man’s role started to change, despite the stereotype not changing to accommodate it. For the past 40 years one can see how men have taken on roles stereotypically ascribed to women, such roles including being the “stay-at-home mom”, which we can find an excellent example of in the 1980’s film “Mr.