Summary Of Men And Women In Search Of Common Ground By Wendell Berry

The biological sex of a person, in most cases, today can still be considered one of the main identifying characteristics of an individual. In the past the sex of a person was more than an identifying characteristic, it was who they were. They were either men or women, there was no in between or changing it. Society today has come a long way in terms of gender identity and gender roles, but the concept of patriarchy still has the upper hand when it all boils down. Allan G. Johnson’s, The Gender Knot, provides for a more diverse outlook on the women’s expected roles in life, how they are expected to handle difficult situations in marriage, and how they demonstrate courage, in Mona Lisa Smile.

Gender derives its formative meaning from culture and societal values, it is not a universal entity as there are various cultures, societal values, beliefs, and preferred ways of organizing collective life across the globe and even within a single culture the meaning of gender varies over time. Chapters three and four of Gendered Lives by Julia T. Wood helps to insightfully look at those views, and rhetorical movements (women and men’s movements) that have overtime influenced, defined and given various meanings to gender (masculinity and femininity).

Through my experiences with people of many backgrounds, as well as my education, I have learned to separate the idea of sex and gender. I still maintain certain traditional views regarding gender, however I’ve come to the realization that the social constructs of men and women are not, and should not, be as rigid. In my opinion, I have acknowledged that there are differences between ‘men’ and ‘women’, however these differences should be used to uplift one another, rather than to tear the other gender apart. For example, a family unit in which the man decides to take on the responsibilities of the

A short essay “ Guys vs. “Men” written by Dave Barry, presents Dave’s perception on the difference between “Guys” and “Men”. Dave presents his essay in a comical way that generalizes the “men” vs. “guys” and also gender biased generalization. Dave argues that men hold too much of responsibilities and many expectations in which guys do not and they live happier life. One of the methods he uses to support his argument is a comparison. Other method he uses is the description of how he views “men” vs. “guys” and gives his perspective. And the last method he uses to further his argument is the use of hyperbole, exaggeration through out the essay.

In civilization today, men and women both perform noticeably contrasting roles based on their biological gender rather than their ability. Although these roles do not hold true for each individual, the superiority of them live their lives in compliance with these inescapable roles. In the short story Groom Service by Michael Dorris, it is illustrated through the use of satire and character how men and women are raised in a way to fill predetermined positions for which society compels them to be in. As a result of this, their power, potential, and importance is limited. Despite them gaining some independence from the chains that society imposes, its perspective regarding the identity and role of both genders is still rather dogmatic. Until these chains are broken, it prohibits humankind from developing further into an impartial and diverse collection, where both men and women are not confined by societal archetypes and power structures.

Diane Ackerman’s purpose for writing her essay “Love’s Vocabulary” is to inform the reader not to underestimate love since love is the great intangible and cannot be defined, but can be felt. The neutral and positive connotation of words such as “monotone” and “delirium” suggest Ackerman’s passionate tone about how love cannot be the same constant emotion that is felt everyday, but a powerful feeling that has many meanings since love is an emotion that is older than humanity itself. Ackerman’s use of figurative language, particularly metaphor and personification, reveal that Ackerman is trying to inform the reader that love is to intangible to be defined in a single word that is often used, which can also connect to her irritating attitude

460). Not to discard men as nothing but women should get the same praise as men do. Men are strong, and will always want to save the girl, but sometimes the girl needs to save herself. The idea that man was made before the woman, must make them more special, yet others says we are to be equals. With the struggle between man and woman, who’s to say what is right and wrong. Both men and women are alike in many ways both can get scared when something goes bump in the night.

To begin with, we have to distinguish the important values and attitude of different two communities. One stereotype is that power and status are important in the male-community, but cooperation and networks are significant in the female-community. For instance, in childhood, boys often fight with their peers and try to win in order to show stronger power and higher status than others. Otherwise, girls rarely quarrel with friends; rather they make a community and cooperate with one another for certain purposes. Also, men are living in hierarchical life and continuously struggle to defend their status in society, whereas women like to show intimacy and similarity. Moreover, men value independence and create distance, while women tend to make close relationships

In the poem “Stalker,” Vahni Capildeo describes a reflection on marriage commitment by a presentation of the past, present, and future of a relationship. Incorporating syntactic devices and comparison, the speaker describes the nature of their changing relationship in different stages. Starting as strangers, the man and the speaker grows closer as the poem progresses described by image patterns; however, the speaker ends in fear of the future of their relationship through tone and alliteration. The progress of the relationship has a sense of uncertainty, explaining that the future is unpredictable, so there is always a sense of fear and anxiety.

The feminist movement has made great strides in fighting for equality and therefore femininity or female behavior has evolved. Risman reaches a conclusion that the term “doing gender” is widely misused and as time progresses; people are “undoing gender.” The “doing gender” theory lead sociologists to believe that genders benefited the individual, especially the woman. In the case of marriage, in “undoing gender,” husbands and wives were happier in their marriage. Therefore the typical actions men and women do are not based on “doing gender.”

Men and women were seen as two different kinds of human beings, differentiated by their

As men were considered the foundation of the family, according to everyone as long as the men were strong, life would prevail. Similar to the point of view of society even though females began to be of greater importance than in previous generations due to women’s participation in World War I and right to vote. This represents how

Throughout the progression of time men and women have been compared and contrast. Men have also had the advantage over women. A society dominated by the male perspective. We’ve heard that this is a man’s world, but is it truly a man’s world? Woman’s world by BJ the Chicago Kid reflect a different perspective of whose world it truly is.

Women. Men. What are they without the each other? Can a man stand alone by himself? Likewise, with a woman? If so, will they be perceived the same? The beauty of them conjoined is the significance of a small bundle of joy that we, as humans, have an instant and unconditional love for —babies. The rugged monotone of a man

A successful individual is judged largely on whether they have fulfilled the expectations of their gender. A man who was dominated by his wife or an unmarried woman, for example would not command respect from society. The marital home in A Doll's House is greatly affected by outside influences and what people will think of what is happening inside. Likewise a marriage or an individual performs how it believes is appropriate in reaction to the gender constructions and expectations of society.