Greek Expectations Of Men In Modern America

Kimmel discusses about the assumed principles of masculinity that American culture establishes on younger men. These principles are said to be the norm to what any man would believe, such as the phrases “Boys Don’t cry”, “Don’t Get Mad – Get Even”, and “never show your

Moreover, the misogynistic Greek culture exemplified significant inferiority complexes towards the ties between women and nature. Women within Greek culture were significantly looked down upon. Their purpose was to serve as child bearers and even then that power is taken away from them in certain points of Greek mythology. For instance, when Zeus is trying to protect his son from Hera, he sows him into his leg and then essentially gives birth to him in four years’ time. In many cases it is shown how threatened the Greek men are by females; to the point that they either blame them for their misfortunes by portraying them as the mistake or fail to deliberate on the female goddesses, as it is in the case of Pandora and Athena. Then the

These temptresses who hinder Odysseus are contrasted with the women who help Odysseus in his journey homeward. One example is Nausicaa, the Phaeacian princess. The shipwrecked Odysseus washes up on the Phaeacian shore. He comes across Nausicaa and her maids washing clothes. He beseeches her for help. Nausicaa kindly helps Odysseus by providing him with a bath, clothing, and food. She then advises Odysseus to enter the palace and ask for help from her mother, Queen Arete. Arete also wields much influence. Nausicaa tells Odysseus that if the queen “take[s] [him] to her heart”, then there is “hope” that he will return home (278). Nausicaa and Arete are instrumental in bringing about Odysseus’ homecoming.

When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they must comply in order to be part of the pack, to fit in.

“That vision! Just as I stood there gazing, rap, for hours… no shaft like that had ever risen up from the earth- so now I marvel at you, my lady: rapt, enthralled,” In this he is comparing her to the most wonderful thing he ever saw which he stared at it for hours. It is a very extravagant way of calling her beautiful. Besides just complimenting Nausicaa, Odysseus talks about his life to convince Nausicaa to help him. Even though Odysseus is very strong and smart, he uses verbs that show how weak and powerless he is in this quote, “Till then the waves and the rushing gales had swept me on from the island of Ogygia. Now some power had tossed me here, doubtless to suffer still more torments on your shore.” Odysseus describes himself as having suffered a lot, and he feels out of control in his life. He is giving all the control in the situation to Nausicaa, which would make her feel powerful. Finally, Odysseus ends his speech to Nausicaa by asking for very little to show he is modest and a gentleman. He asks this of Nausicaa, “Show me the way to town, give me a rag for cover, just some cloth, some wrapped you carried with you

This angered Odysseus, so he decided to participate and show off his masculinity. “Now you have stirred up anger, deep within the breast within me by this disorderly speaking, and I am not such a new hand at games as you say, but always, as I think, I have been among the best when I still had trust in youth, and hands’ strength…”(126) This illustrates the ancient Greek male expectation that is that men are expected to not be weak, but brave, powerful, and strong. The ancient Greeks also had the thought that men had no feelings, meaning men weren’t allowed to show emotion such as crying in public because that was looked as feminine. This ancient Greek male expectation can be seen in “The Odyssey of Homer” by Richmond Lattimore, when Odysseus weeps while listening to a song of the Trojan war. As he is weeping, he is compared to a woman weeping, because weeping publicly is apparently feminine to the ancient Greeks. “So the famous singer sang his tale, but Odysseus melted, and from under his eyes the tears ran down, drenching his cheeks. As a woman weeps, lying over the body of her dear husband, who fell fighting for her city and people…”(134) Odysseus weeps publicly, and because of that he is seen as feminine.

The first Greek organization to assemble was in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. Fraternities were built to provide friendship and recreation. It has been 239 years since the first fraternity was established and now in 2015, there are 123 fraternities and sororities. There are nine million college

Aisling Hill Tiffany Solod Advanced Inquiry and Research 20 December 2016 “Greek Life” and its Impacts on Women Between family legacies, traditions, and an abundance of college themed movies, books, and television shows, it would be difficult to find a prospective college student who is not familiar with the idea of “Greek life.” For the purpose of this essay, “Greek life” refers to the system employed by many colleges and universities to establish and maintain fraternities and sororities (primarily dominated by caucasian and economically advantages students). It is important to note the existence of fraternities and organizations outside of this stereotypical “Greek” realm, such as coeducational honor and service based fraternities, though even these are not fully exempt from detrimental practices. Fraternities and sororities are often looked down upon with a negative light for a number of reasons, some of which include dangerous hazing habits and unsavory social scenes. While there certainly are undeniable benefits and negatives within these systems, the biggest effect they have is on gender. “Greek life” in college is unhealthy due to its impact on post-college gender expectations by promoting party culture, encouraging misogyny through ingrained tradition, and indoctrinating women into subservience at an impressionable age.

In ancient Greece, it was crucial that men proved their masculinity in order to uphold their worth and earn them a place in social establishments. An important aspect of human life is a man’s masculine identity and how it plays a role in society. However with this idea of masculinity came limitations that were not to be crossed. Ancient Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, both function to provide their own view on masculinity in society through the reverse sex similes. In the Iliad the crucial role of Achilles as a warrior and his association with maternal protection, as represented through it’s reverse sex maternal similes, ultimately proves problematic. This intrinsic part of man to fight on the battlefield to win timê and kleos is ultimately

Virtue of Hospitality Homer is believed to have lived around 8th century B.C. Ironically, Homer’s life coincides with the earliest known manuscript of the Holy Bible, the Codex Amiatinus. Although Homer possibly lived during the rise of very significant biblical prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Zachariah, Isaiah and Jonah,

The article by Carly Stern entitled “The Outdated Double Standard Plaguing Greek Life” has a clear theme, her title states just that. The double standard that exists in Greek Life, chapter recognized organizations, is the limitations Sorority houses have. She starts out stating that “the majority of the 26 recognized sororities are forbidden from hosting parties deserving alcohol in chapter houses… even if residents are 21”. While Fraternities are given permission to host parties by paying extra in insurance to cover the cost of damages, Sororities are not allowed to do so, many of these Sororities are not even allowed to have male guests in their home as guests. With this being the 21st century women are more proactive and independent and they are breaking barriers in academia and I the professional world, but yet under national chapters Sorority sisters are being restricted.

In our culture men have been tasked with being protectors, laborers, and leaders. Men are expected to care and love for their families, yet they are supposed to also have a tough, hard exterior and not show too much emotion. A man is considered inadequate if they display any type of pain or affliction. With that being said not much has changed over the years about what is expected out of a man. In 12th century B.C. men were expected to go off to war to protect their homes, go to work to provide for their families, and to lead. This is showed by Odysseus in Homer’s, The Odyssey, with his, cleverness, patience, and loyalty.

In the excerpt from the 2008 book, Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men, by Michael Kimmel titled, “‘Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code,” Kimmel describes the standards men are expected to conform in today’s American society using his four rules of being a man. The first rule, “No

In the Odyssey, book six (The Princess at the Sea), it begins with Odysseus asleep under some bushes by the river. The goddess Athena talks to the princess, Nausikaa, and tells her to get her to go to clean her clothes. She cleans her clothes and plays with her maids in the water. When Odysseus awakes all the women scatter except Nausikaa. He then talks to her in an attempt to go back to her town so he could go home to Ithaca. He tries to persuade Nausikaa by commenting on her beauty, making her envision his stories of grief, and by phrasing his words in an order that depicts him as a kind man in need of help.

The movie surveyed a wide array of the troubles faced by boys and men as they try to navigate the realm of masculinity. A common theme was the command “be a man” and the cultural baggage that comes with living up to that ideal. To “be a man” means to not cry, to not be sensitive, to not let people mess with you, to respond with violence, to be angry, to drink, to womanize.