Socialization And Sexualization Of Margaret Mead's Ethnography Of The Samoan People?

Secondly she found that less value is placed on the children showing obedience to an older person, as Raymond Firth found that in the western pacific, doing as they were told by an adult, was regarded as a concession granted by the child, not a right of the adults. Finally she found that children's sexual behaviour was viewed differently, as Bronislaw Malinowski discovered that in the south Pacific, the attitudes of the adults was simply “tolerance and amused interest” toward the children's sexual explorations.

Most common cultures have rituals, celebrations, or traditional ceremonies to acknowledge the coming of age of boys and/or girls. The Hispanic culture have a traditional “Quinceañera” for young teenage girls turning age 15 to recognize her coming of age as a woman. Jews have “Bar Mitzvah” for men or “Bat Mitzvah” for women to celebrate coming of age. Although in some cultures, celebrating coming age is nothing less than actually celebrating; but in other cultures, such as Aborigine culture, rather than having a huge celebration, young teenage boys, age thirteen, are enduring an essential evaluation. In this stage of their life, their elders test them to see if they are “man” enough to survive by themselves.

In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, we have a mother conveying important life advice to her daughter in order for her to adapt to cultural customs and most important to learn the rules of social behavior. Her mother's advice is not only intentionally told in order for her to become the proper antiguan woman she believes in raising, but is also told to criticize her actions and everyday doings. Her mother makes it very clear, in order to live a proper antiguan life, there are many rules that one must follow. With deeper interpretation of Kincaid’s work we come to the realization that her overall message suggests the idea that women as a whole should be domestic and should behave a certain way in our society in order to avoid being viewed as a promiscuous woman.

In my culture, rigid gender roles are enforced from the moment a child can communicate. Sex and gender in the Haitian community are used interchangeably. Men are expected to fulfil their duties as the “strong breadwinner” while women were expected to be submissive to their husbands and tend to the home and children (Benokraitis, 2015). Girls are taught to cook, clean, and care for the home, while boys are taught to be independent, vocal and financially stable. A husband does not feel the need to help in the domestic realm, as he is socialized into believing that it is not his responsibility. Religious affiliation plays an extensive role on many of the beliefs held by my family and culture. Many of the views I’ve previously held regarding gender roles have changed over the years.

In Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl,” the narration of a mother lecturing her daughter with sharp, commanding diction and unusual syntax, both affect the evolution of a scornful tone, that her daughter’s behavior will eventually lead her to a life of promiscuity that will affect the way people perceive her and respect her within her social circle. As well as the fact that it emphasizes expectations for young women to conform to a certain feminine ideal of domesticity as a social norm during this time and the danger of female sexuality.

| Not all children share the same experiences: there are gender differences between children (Hillman, 1993), boys are more likely to be allowed out on their own or later at night, whereas Bonke (1999) found that girls did up to five times more housework than boys. Ethnic differences also show that Asian parents were more likely than other parents to be strict towards their daughters aged 15-16 (Brannen, 1994). Bhatti (1999) also found that ideas of family honour could be a restriction, especially on girls.

In society, women are often recognized as being the weakest and dependent gender while men are the most powerful. In Ihara Saikaku’s novel From Life of a Sensuous Women, he challenged the views on women by society and represented women as strong and powerful individuals. The novel was made of short stories where women used their sexuality to their advantage and to gain power over men. The women also did not follow the responsibility that society believes they should adhere to, such as marrying a man, having kids, and being the housewife who cooks, cleans and takes care of her family while her husband goes about his job. Instead, they lived with a loosed sexuality and had several lovers, which was not considered as to what the traditional women do. In addition to not being a housewife, the women had the ability to play sports and be good at them. These characteristics that were given to women challenged society and what they believe the ordinary women should be like. In From Life of a sensuous Woman, Saikaku showed how women might use the power of sexuality to overpower men, managed to question the traditional view of women as the compliant housewife, and challenged the assumptions of females as the weaker gender.

Chapter three of Ancestral Lines begins with Barker being taught how to paint a Tapa (a personally designed cloth) by two elder women, as the process is explained Barker compares the Tapa cloth to society “composed of basic elements that fit together to produce a whole.” (Barker 2017:75) Barker also breaks down the “three key facets of contemporary social organization: The socialization of children into gendered adults, the formation of kin- based groups and categories, and the formation of alliance between groups through marriage exchanges and life crisis ceremonies.” (Barker 2017:75-76) Things to note about children in general and as socialized gendered adults: when a child is born, they are not considered ‘socially human’ and are believed to be vulnerable to attacks from spirits because their souls are not yet attached to their bodies. Mothers are the main source of care. Girls are often put to work first, assisting their mothers with cooking, cleaning, and caring for infants. Boys contrastingly help their fathers with hunting, building, and protecting. While inequality is prevalent, women are not without power and enjoy high levels of security and influence. They also believe that men

The story of Inside the World of Boys by William Pollack brings the attention to us that the boys often suffer from low-self esteem, in large part due to “the boy code”, the unspoken rules that compel them to feel they need to hide their emotions and keep them from exposure. In effect, “the boy code” causes the problem of gender gap between boys and girls in academic performances. I choose this essay because I am concerned with how “the boy code” raises the gender gap between boys and girls in their academic performances and how our societies often underestimate all emotional needs of boys. This story is not only a story but also is a research paper of Pollack which is supported by his research

In Jamaica Kincaid’s story, Girl, a mother is talking to her daughter about all the proper things she must do to be considered a good girl to her family and to the public, and when she grows up, a proper lady. She must follow the rules that are given to her by her own mother and by society. The mother also teaches the daughter how to act when things don’t go her way. She is told that along with being a proper lady, she must also be able to get what she wants and be independent. This story was written in the late 1970’s and gender roles, for women, back then were not being “followed” because women wanted equal opportunities (Women In the Workforce). “Gender stereotypes are beliefs regarding the traits and behavioral characteristics given to individuals on the basis of their gender” (Deuhr). This essay will discuss the gender roles that were given to women in the story, during the late 70’s, and in today’s society.

Butler presents another challenge to ordinary thinking about gender when she presents the Ina as a matriarchal society. The venom of female Ina is significantly more potent than male venom. In addition, male Ina become dependent on Female Ina for procreation. “Once they’re addicted, they aren’t fertile with other females, and from time to time, they need their females.” (Butler 89) The characterization of the Ina society as a matriarchy as well as the fact that Ina men are dependent on Ina women is evidence that the “monsters” in Fledgling obscure gender roles that are prevalent in traditional American society.

Throughout the history, in all cultures the roles of males and females are different. Relating to the piece of literature “Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid for the time, when women’s roles were to work in the home. By examining

The history in 1960s proves to the readers of how people live in the villages do not have enough information about sexuality or sex life. Parents do not have time to watch over and guard their kids’ safety or educate them more about sexuality. Connie is an example of how a teenager does not have any knowledge or tips from her family to act less sexuality or associate with anything related to sex such as hang out with strangers or listen to music, which makes her mind occupied with naughty daydreaming with the

Adolescents experience a multitude of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social, and mental changes during a short span of years in their developmental journey to adulthood, and this transition period is full of many developmental changes and milestones. Some typical changes and milestones in an adolescent’s life include puberty, learning to drive, dating, developing new social relationships and social roles, cognitive changes, becoming sexually active, obtaining employment, and graduating high school. In addition to all of these changes in this tumultuous time of life, adolescents are identifying, developing, and coming to terms with their own sense of self, and learning about their identity becomes a priority. Teens and young adults must also address certain challenges that may arise in their lives such as bullying, drug and alcohol use, violence, sexual abuse, eating disorders, depression or other mood/mental health issues, and issues concerning sexuality, and gender identity. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an engaging story that deals with many of the challenges that all adolescents face, and this novel also addresses challenges that are unique to those teens who may be grappling with issues that face minority cultures and communities as well.

The novel Where We Once Belonged and the film The Orator both present a subjective view of Samoan society. Although these pieces were composed during different time periods, they both present us with information about the cultural institution of gender roles within Samoan culture. Throughout both pieces we can see how one’s gender contributes to the role one has within the family unit. Both pieces use characters that are different from the norm to paint a picture of what the ideal Samoan woman or man is like. An analysis of Where We Once Belonged and The Orator reveals the importance of gender roles and the strict adherence to gender roles within Samoan culture.