Summary: The Man Who Cried I Am By John A. Williams

In the essay “Fighting Back,” author Stanton L. Wormley Jr. explains that developing the instinct to fight back diminishes the ability to forgive. He supports this explanation by first establishing credibility with his personal experiences, then captivates the audience by presenting a powerful question, “Was I less of a man for not having beaten my attacker to a bloody pulp?” (Wormley 1). Wormley’s purpose is to illustrate the unnecessity of violence in order to also make a political statement to our country’s government. He builds a formal tone for an audience of minorities and majorities. This work is significant in bringing American society’s true image of manhood into light.

Freak the Mighty is about a boy named Max, and he is getting bullied. He is getting bullied because he’s “dumb, slow, and stupid”. Until Freak came along. They became best friends, and freak was weird too. Freak was bullied because he was “short, and small,” but very mighty indeed. They share a lot in common, so they are perfect for each other. Max is the main narrator of the book, and he tells a lot about his feelings and when he’s excited or something.

A gun is not always needed in order to be in control. In The Golden Ass, the act of sex gives women power over men in the form of coercion and domination. In the book, women are commonly the one initiating the act. A majority of the time they are even made to be the one taking multiple lovers while their husband remains in the dark. These actions are a way for the women to gain some control in their patriarchal society. Apuleius offers many examples of this, specifically between Fotis and Lucius and in the story of the Smith and his wife (Apuleius). One of the benefits is it offers a form of control over those who are persistently controlling them.

Sex and gender have always been an intricate topic. Both appear within society on a spectrum, not binary opposites. In Colonial times, such a belief would be nonexistent in a culture that places a tremendous weight on an individual’s sex and gender. Despite such beliefs individuals still identified outside the binary; for example, the case of Thomasine/Thomas Hall. When historians attempt to study cases like the one, it can be difficult to reconcile the court's decision with how the individual identified themselves. In Mary Beth Norton’s “Searchers Again Assembled” she interprets the importance of Hall’s gender roles compared to their sexual identity.

In the novel Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, the protagonist David’s obsession with maintaining a traditionally masculine façade is what leads to the demise of all of his relationships. David’s masculine presentation and insecurity over his own homosexuality are frowned upon by Western society in the 1950s, the novel’s setting. This general societal consensus leads to David’s internalization of homophobia, eventually leading to the ruin of his relationships with family, friends, lovers, and himself. Western society’s view of homosexuality and masculinity at that time is the primary reason for the expiry of David’s relationships.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window has several themes. One major theme is relationships. The lead character, Jeff Jeffries, a photographer and committed bachelor, is involved in a relationship with Lisa Fremont, a model, although the relationship has some tension due to Jeff’s lack of commitment. When Jeff is confined to his apartment recovering from a broken leg, he begins spying through his rear window on his neighbors in a nearby apartment. Through her frequent visits, Lisa is drawn into this spying as well. In each of the apartments, lives are lived and relationships are being played out, and the dynamics of those relationships reflect back to aspects of Jeff’s and Lisa’s relationship and their anxieties and desires.

Max Vandenburg appeared at 33 Himmel street looking for refuge from the German authorities, in the home of his late father 's friend, Hans Hubermann. Rosa and Hans took Max into their home, fed him, and nursed him back to health after he fell ill due to the severe cold in the dark hubermann basement. Although Rosa and Hans provided necessities, Liesel provided Max with well needed company and friendship. “At least once a day, hans Hubermann would descend the basement steps and share a conversation. Rosa would occasionally bring a spare crust of bread. It was when Liesel came down, however, that Max found himself interested in life again.” (Page 250). From the day Max left the Hubermann household in fear of being found, Liesel made sure to look

Max lived in a duplex accross the street from Max. so they became forever friends. In both the movie and the book Freak dies because his heart grew too big for his little body. Both the book and the movie are amusing. Both Freak and Max were bullied. Both in the book and the movie Max had a disorder with his body that prevented him from playing sports.

“Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”(“Words Quotes - BrainyQuote”). In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, words are expressed to change the minds of Hitler’s followers to believe his every word. Words are also used against German citizens if they do not conform to the societal expectations. On the other hand, Liesel has a lust for words and she wishes to use them to positively impact others. Unlike Liesel, Hitler is focused on using his words to corrupt. There are many instances in the novel that words are used to mend and also harm. For example, Liesel reads to her neighbours during the air raids to

The power of words in “The Book Thief” and the endless strength they carry is a prime topic throughout the book. “The Book Thief”, a novel narrated by Death about Liesel, a young German girl who is given up for adoption to live with the Hubermann’s shortly before World War II. Liesel discovers the power that words, written or spoken, have to transform people, relationships, and lives. In the novel, Mark Zusak uses the relationship between characters to signify the power of words. Within “The Book Thief” the author suggests that words hold much power and have a major role in crafting the relationships between the characters.

The woman had only recently made the decision to stay with that gender completely. As the friend shared pictures of herself with Wilchins, Wilchins noticed how keenly her friend was analyzing her reactions with each different picture. This seemed to shock Wilchins as she herself is quoted saying “Which is to say that I do not, at first blush, inspire confidence as the best possible judge of such matters. I could not care less how either of us is read by nontranssexuals” (Wilchins). I believe this to be a powerful statement as she states although she does not care about how she is read, the effects of social inspection are often great. With the inclusion of a multitude of perspectives, experiences, and emotions outside her own, her expertise heightens allowing her to be more respected as an influential writer on the subject at

The theme of this book is learning to love and care for the people around. How I came to this conclusion is by how Liesel acts towards Max, her foster parents, Rudy, and her neighbors. Liesel cares for people even if they weren't like her and she doesn't understand why there is hatred in this world. She wanted the world to be a happy place for everyone including Jews to be friends with one another. On page 426 in ‘The Book Thief’, when Rudy’s father went to war Liesel could relate to Rudy because “her mother. Her brother. Max Vandenburg. Hans Hubermann. All of them gone. And she’d never even had a real father.” Also, when Mama was depressed about Papa going to war, Mama would sleep with Papa’s accordion Liesel acknowledged “that there was great beauty in what she was currently witnessing, and she chose not to disturb it” (Zusak, 429). Finally, when Liesel’s papa gave a Jew bread during the parade and what Liesel did during the parade, she gave Jews bread by placing them in the street.

In “Gender Socialization and Identity Theory” by Michael J. Carter, he asserts gender identity originates with the family. The writer maintains that families are the agents of identity socialization. Carter argues that beginning with infancy children are taught how they are expected to socialize primarily by their families, simply due to the continuous contact with one another, boys are dressed in blue while girls are dressed in pink. The author plainly elucidates children gain knowledge of homophily through playmates by self-segregation into homogeneous groups. Through his psychoanalytic theory the writer respectfully expounds males identify with masculinity by not behaving as their female caretakers act. Mr. Carter based

1. “For nearly an hour, she remained...till Papa came home and played the accordion. Only then did she sit up and start to recover.” - Liesel finds comfort and safety in her foster father. She trusts him and is happy when around him; two important aspects of any relationship, especially a family relationship.

People with lack of acceptance have differences in personalities, experiences, and behaviors. There are many major similarities and differences concerning the characters in “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keys and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.