George 1 Joshua George Professor. Bogan English 1301 4/8/17 The way American society has viewed gender over the centuries is ever changing. The authors that I have chosen prove to agree or disagree on whether gender is an inherent human condition or not. The ideas of the authors either support or refute each other which leads me to believe that gender is a topic that many Americans disagree and agree over. Overall I am here today to relay my analyzation of what these five authors believe in regards to if gender is a social construct or if it's human nature and how they agree and disagree with each other’s positions on the topic. The mannerisms that were expected and taught to American men in the 1980s is the topic of discussion for author Paul Theroux. In his story “Being a Man,” Theroux explains the gripes of masculinity and how it was forced on American men. By stating that “in a sense, little girls are traditionally urged to please adults with a kind of coquettishness, while boys are enjoined to behave like monkeys toward each other,” (Theroux 167) Theroux’s beliefs come forward about how the ideology of being ‘manly’ is forced upon the men of America. Women were not exempt from being forced into gender roles as they were also pressed into being what was deemed feminine in the 1980s which complemented the masculinity of the 1980s. Due to masculinity being forced upon men, occupations that were considered feminine were forbidden to men. Theroux explains that, “it is normal in America for a man to be dismissive or even somewhat apologetic about being a writer,” (Theroux 168) which piggybacks the previous quote of how George 2 men were taught to display their masculinity while also shunning feminine traits. It should be noted that Theroux is stating that this toxic masculinity is not natural but is being taught towards youth and will be pushed upon men throughout their entire life. Similar to Theroux, author Sojourner Truth speaks on gender but on the other side of spectrum. Being a woman rights activist, Truth believes in equality between men and women. Similar to Theroux, Truth states, “I am a woman’s rights [sic]. I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man,” (Truth 170) which displays Truth’s attitude on the topic of gender. Truth definitely believes that women can complete anything a man can with the same amount of success and more. Also Truth shares another similarity with Theroux by stating that, “You need not be afraid to give us our rights for fear we will take too much,—for we can’t take more than our pint’ll hold,” (Truth 170) which can be related to how Theroux speaks on how men and women are held back socially, not biologically. The similarities between Truth and Theroux helped me understand Truth’s stance on gender as their similarities essentially reveal their opinions. Like the previous authors mentioned, Amy Cunningham also believes that gender is a social construct. Cunningham speaks on the issue of American women being inclined to smile regardless of the situation. In a similar fashion to the other authors, Cunningham states “If a woman’s smile were truly her own, to be smiled or not, according to how the woman felt, rather than according to what someone else needed, she would smile more spontaneously, without ulterior, hidden motives” (Cunningham 176) which can be interpreted as Cunningham stating that the smiles worn by women are facades worn to please others. The act of women smiling no matter the circumstance was not always present in society as smiling was once deemed abnormal. Considering that Cunningham recognizes that African Americans, male or female George 3 used to smile even if they were feeling negative shows her belief that gender is not a biological factor. In contrast to the three previous authors, Anna Quindlen disagrees on the concept that gender is a social construct and that it actually proves to be a biological factor. Being a mother and wife, she constantly questions the actions of the men in her household as the gender barrier complicates some experiences. Quindlen shares a personal experience that entails her son and his best friend that is a girl are both playing; even though they are both raised in an egalitarian household, they are displaying gender roles that haven’t been taught to them formally (166). This a testament how gender roles are natural and are unavoidable even if an effort is made to prevent them. Comparable to Quindlen but contrasting to the other three authors, David Brooks takes a strong stance on gender as he believes it is inherently human nature. Brooks conducted his own research on the topic of gender roles and discovered that the schooling for females is counterproductive for males due to the biological differences. According to Brooks “Over the past two decades, there has been a steady accumulation of evidence that male and female brains work differently” which exemplifies Brooks argument and proves that gender is a biological factor that cannot be changed. This proves to complement Quindlen’s position while also disagreeing with the other three authors. The former quote compares to Quindlen’s personal experience as it would explain as to why the two children were displaying gender roles. To conclude, the differences in whether gender is a social construct or not depends on the person’s perspective. Each author has formed their own opinion on gender and. When comparing and contrasting their ideas the decision of whether gender is a social construct George 4 George 5 References Quindlen, Anna. “Between the Sexes, a Great Divide.” 1988. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. Ed. Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 164– 66. Print. Cunningham, Amy. “Why Women Smile.” 1993. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. Ed. Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 172–76. Print. Brooks, David. “The Gender Gap at School.” 2006. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. Ed. Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 390–92. Print. Theroux, Paul. “Being a Man.” 1985. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. Ed. Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 166–69. Print. Truth, Sojourner. “Ain’t I a Woman?” 1863. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. Ed. Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 171. Print.
