The quote, “Expectation is the root of all heartache” written by Shakespeare epitomize the stories of “Brother Dear” and “Boys and Girls”. The expectations set by others transform the characters views on their daily lives and future choices; however, they develop through their given limitations by maturing, and making realizations on their own. Yet, the new found freedom of choice creates conflict within families and society. The short stories of “Brother Dear” written by Bernice Friesen and “Boys and Girls” written by Alice Munro, both showcase the theme of limiting expectations set by others through characterization, the stage of adolescence, and conflict.
In The Lord of the Flies, Golding questions the innocence of man. When a few boys get stranded on an island Golding shows the effects that truly push man to the edge; however the contentious question of the root of their madness. The boys go through plenty from arriving on the island to finally escaping the darkness that the island has made them become. Many critics argue the source of the madness of the boys, whether it remained there forever or developed with an environment. Some argue that the boys were always mad but always restricted by an authoritative figure. They believe man has complete control on how he acts and reacts. However, after research and analysis, it becomes evident that the boys conformed to their environment
In the essay What Does “Boys Will Be Boys” Really Mean, the author Deborah Roffman explains how people perceive and classify boys to be extremely messy in their actions and continuously receive passes for their unacceptable behavior. In the essay How Boys Become Men, the statement “Boys Will Be Boys” expresses how the rules boys set for themselves in their childhood unintentionally effects the decisions they make in their adulthood. The two essays focus on different situations but they come together with the same opinion about men and boys; of whom they focus on the most. One essay focuses mainly on how boys behave and the reason why people classify them the way they do, whereas, the other essay focuses on the effects of how boys learn to behave a certain way and grows into adolescents with the same behavior. While some similarities between What Does “Boys Will Be Boys” Really Mean? and How Boys Become Men are evident in their attention to stress how society sets standards and forces a stereotype upon the men and boys, they have different interpretations.
“Between the Sexes, a Great Divide” written by Anna Quindlen, is an essay that talks about the differences between men and women, and how they see the world. She tells about her belief that boys and girls are just different and see the world in different ways, and have always been different. She gives us an image of a middle school dance where the differences can be seen the easiest because of the ‘great divide’ that occurs at all of these events throughout time. She thinks that the divide happens “not because of big differences among us, but because of the small ones” (165). Eventually, both boys and girls will have to come together as a pair and cooperate to live in this world normally. As they come together, some couples start a family. The kids are now being raised in a world where mothers are doing more thing fathers once did and vise versa.
In this short story “How to Date a Black Girl, White Girl or Halfie,” by Junot Diaz we learn how to date through the different types of cultural diversity’s we have in this world. The narrator is talking to “you” as the reader in this story. And is giving “you” advice on how to date a girl. The main theme in this short story is the different stereotypes between men and women. The Author also shows us different types of tone and also irony throughout this short story.
As a girl today, I am well aware of the adversities for women in the world. Inequalities in our society are undeniable, but we focus on our own lives rather than women’s lives in the horrific world of human trafficking. The novel Sold by Patricia McCormick explores this terrible world and its implications. McCormick has experience with this world through extensive research and time spent among third world country red light districts. Reading this text, I began to think about gender and its large role on society. More specifically, gender’s role on women and their positions in the world. Being a young woman, I fall into the intended audience of the book. The rhetoric in the book appeals to the young girls around the same age of the main character
Gender equality has been a worldwide issue for many years now. Different figures, such as Emma Watson, have been educating society on this ever-so-present issue. Emma Watson has been using her platform to help teach and make known this topic to people, specifically by putting her time and into her feminism campaign, ‘HeForShe’, and giving speeches on the topic. Emma Watson uses the techniques of ethos and pathos to convey her purpose.
“Children must be taught how to think,not what to think.” (margaret mead) In to Kill a Mockingbird Scout is taught what to think and not allowed to think want she wants to think. In to Kill a mockingbird is a book shown through a girl 's eyes. This story is about a man who defended a colored man. A girl who is being forced to be a certain way to fit into society. The reader must understand what gender roles are. They should also understand that certain behavior and expectations were required to be accepted into society. In to Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches her readers that society has a restricted perspective in how girls and boys have to be.
As a girl today, I am well aware of the adversities for women in the world. Inequalities in our society are undeniable, but we focus on our own lives rather than women’s lives in the horrific world of human trafficking. The novel Sold by Patricia McCormick explores this terrible world and its implications. McCormick has experience with this world through extensive research and time spent among third world country red light districts. Reading this text, I began to think about gender and its large role on society. More specifically, gender’s role on women and their positions in the world. Being a young woman, I fall into the intended audience of the book. The rhetoric in the book appeals to the young girls around the same age of the main character
Women have found themselves at the bottom of society’s hierarchal pyramid for eons. Even though females make contributions that prove vital to the world’s function, they are still regarded as the weaker link. The female plight of constantly facing debasement is a pawn used to ensure compliance. It is a common notion that if one is demeaned enough, he or she will conform to the suggested persona. Society tests this notion through its treatment of women. It treats women poorly to cause them to comply with gender expectations. Not only do women have to face pressures of conformity in real life, but they also face intimidation in fairytales. Grimm’s Snow White and Cinderella perpetuate society’s notion that a woman is the inferior being whose value lies not only in her beauty but also in her abilities to perform domestic work and satisfy men.
In Angela Carter’s “The Company of Wolves” the wolves are perceived as dangerous and aggressive creatures posing threat to humans. In small villages, the children are given weapons just to protect themselves from the evil wolves. However, in Angela Carter’s story, a male can turn into a wolf. This undermines the binary oppositions for Carter’s story. Aaron Devor states in “Gender Roles Behaviors and Attitudes”, how the females are dependent and how the males are independent and much more aggressive. Devor even shows us how the gender stereotypes are divided among today’s society. There are many examples of gender stereotypes in Carter’s story that go hand in hand with Devor’s statements. In Carter’s texts, there are examples of how the males act in a feminine way and how the females act in a masculine way.
Many critics agree on one fact about Canadian author Alice Munro: one of her most notable qualities in regards to her work is the distinct use of realism in her writing. Her writing provides a strong sense of familiarity to the reader, while also containing stronger metaphorical meanings that one can note when they begin to closely look at her work. Her short story “Boys and Girls” portrays the socialization of a young girl, once very close to her father and unaware of any sort of gender bias within her society, into a young woman with a pessimistic view of femininity and her expected position in society. This story shows the socialization process in a way that makes it easy to recognize, illustrating circumstances that the reader can notice the blatant sexism and misogyny; however, its portrayal is extremely realistic, allowing the reader to recall how oblivious they may have been in the past during times that they have been impacted by social biases in our world. Critics of Munro typically agree on her overall theme of femininity and coming of age in her writings; “Boys and Girls” emphasizes the ways in which young girls are socialized into a seemingly natural understanding of the sexist expectations and gender roles.
It is important to know the difference between the two terms Sex and Gender first. According to sexologists John Money and Anke Ehrhardt, sex and gender are separate categories. “Sex, they argued, refers to physical attributes and is anatomically and physiologically determined. Gender they saw as a psychological transformation - the internal conviction that one is either male or female (gender identity) and the behavioral expressions of that conviction” (Sterling 4). Although there are biological differences between the two sexes, but gender roles are socially constructed. They determine how males and females should think, speak, dress, behave and interact with society.
In our recent history, feminism has become more prevalent in almost every aspect of our lives. One important thing to remember is that each sex has uniquely valuable traits to contribute to society (Maguire, 2014). However, overgeneralizations of these traits have driven a wedge between the different sexes and as a result, discrimination, injustice, and unfair stereotypes plague our society.
Gender socialisation is explained as the process in which society influences its members to internalise attitudes and expectations based on gender, which refers to being either masculine or feminine. Even before the birth of a baby names for girls and boys are looked up. They are given titles, are called things like ‘pretty girl’ or ‘strong boy’ in order to give off the stereotypical way in which society has conditioned us to think (Lamanna, 2015).