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Once you got the strong sense of identity you’ll have to start figuring out
what direction you should take in your life. Manhood for me isn’t related to the
amount of women you’ve slept with, it can’t be tape-measured by the size of
your biceps, and it surely isn’t defined by the number in your bank account. It’s
all about facing whatever responsibility they have, respecting women and
children and can depend on in times of need. I don’t believe real manhood is
defined by anything that can be found outside of you. It’s a combination of
character values (self-defined), clear direction in life (self-directed) and
autonomy (self-supported).
Society created a deluded image in our modern youth of what a real man
should be like a man should be strong at all times, never show the softness in
themselves or their emotion, be aggressive and gets in fights, drink alcohol and
do drugs, big and muscular. I think it’s the ideas of today’s generation about men
because they were persuaded by the social media or the things they saw on
television. Moreover, it is the stereotype ideas of manhood ever since and as
years pass by, these things are slowly putting aside.
2) After reading the Reading text titled, Being a Man, answer the following questions:
In the entire beginning of the essay, he goes on about how being a man is
such a downfall. Theroux states that being manly is to be stupid, be unfeeling,
obedient, soldierly, and stop thinking. Being manly in no way, you are expected
to ignore common etiquette and disrespect others, unless of course, you have a
very low grade idea of manliness. Most men are embarrassed to admit that they
do certain activities like going shopping or hanging out with their mom, because
that might inflict with them being a man. The last third of the essay is spent
addressing the struggles of being a male writer while writing (during the 1980’s)
wasn’t perceived as a manly profession unless you yourself are able to prove it
otherwise by performing outlandish tasks for the general public to approve of.
d) Go back to your annotation. What are the words that you found difficult to
understand?
The words I can’t recognize at first comprehend were:
Coquette
Grotesque
Treacherous
Prutanical
Philistine
e) Are there concepts and/or reference mentioned in the text that you are not
familiar with? What are those?
f) Based on the language and style of the writer, who do you think is the target
audience of this essay?
• I don’t think I have the same idea with him as to what is his definition of
manhood. For me, a man, whatever happens or whatever circumstance may
he faced, he should have character values (self-defined), clear direction in life
(self-directed) and autonomy (self-supported).
Theroux states many times during the text how he feels about being a
man and Theroux says that American culture doesn’t do much for a man, that
men are “both a measure of insecurity and willingness to please”. Later, the
reader can see an emotional response when Theroux states that he takes it as a
“personal insult”, because for many years he found it impossible to admit to him
that he wanted to be a writer. He says this was his “guilty secret because being a
writer was incompatible with being a man”. Another emotional response the
reader can see in Being a Man by Paul Theroux, is when he states that the
expression “Be a man”, strikes him as “insultive and abusive”.
Reaction
In this essay, he describes his intense dislike of being a man. He explains, in his opinion,
society's view of manliness and what it means to "be a man." Throughout the essay, Theroux
tries to lure his audience over to his side, to understanding his disgust for the modern world's
"insulting" idea of masculinity.
Theroux's main argument is that he believes our world's idea of manliness is an insult,
something to be ashamed of. He argues that men are conformed to this masculine mold at the
very beginnings of development and are forced to shut themselves into this disrespectful,
unintelligent, insensitive role. He relates this gender stereotype, which men feel obligated to
live by, to the same way women feel obligated to be the stereotypical feminine woman.
He uses the appeal of logos by using personal experience, explaining how embarrassing it
was that his dream to be a writer, not something considered manlier. He uses reason for his
argument, saying that most men hate being a man. He also uses the appeal of ethos by being a
credible writer, having written four books and travelled as part of the Peace Corps. Last but not
least, he utilizes the appeal of pathos by getting the reader emotionally involved. As I
mentioned earlier, Theroux brings women into the picture and, in a way, unites the sexes
against these pre-conceived masculine and feminine stereotypes. It's as if he is saying, "No, I
don't like being a man because of these shoes I feel obligated to fill, and you women are in the
same boat!" He also mentions feeling personally insulted by society's view of masculinity which
invokes sympathy towards him.
Of these three appeals, it seemed as if he relied on pathos the most. I can understand
why. It worked. To me, this appeal seemed the most effective and persuasive. Throughout the
essay, I found myself feeling sorry for him; feeling sorry that that he didn't fit in, that he was
uncomfortable with pursuing his dream as a writer, and feeling sorry that he was so frustrated
with society.
Based on the fact that this essay is straight from one of Theroux's books, I believe his
audience consists of both men and women. Perhaps the purpose of this essay is to say, "Hey,
men, it's okay to not fit the mold. You're not alone." On the other hand, his objective could be
to share some insight with, and relate to, the opposite sex about the frustration of stereotypical
gender roles.
While reading, I found one main weakness within this essay. In my opinion, Theroux
sounded as if he was ranting the entire time, complaining and feeling sorry for himself because
he was different than the stereotypical masculine male. Instead of personally embracing his
differences, he complains about how society won't. This isn't even a logical or proven point. He
is now a writer, obviously socially accepted. We are in fact, reading his works in college English
class. Towards the end of the essay, I found myself disinterested and not wanting to continue
reading. In my opinion, too much negativity and self-pity can turn off an audience.
However, I also found much strength. He uses personal experiences and opinions. He talks
to his audience as if they are chatting over a cup of coffee at a cafe. Theroux uses logos, pathos,
and ethos to win over his audience; to get them to empathize with him. He is straightforward
and brings women into the picture. He implies the appreciation for natural friendships with
women, which is very likely to win over a female audience. He also speaks for men of all ages,
talking about how even young boys are taught to be "stupid, be unfeeling, obedient, soldierly,
and stop thinking."
I think some countries still follow this beliefs wherein man is powerful, man is all the
woman need to live as if they depend their lives on their man but in contrast, Philippines had
abolished this ideas because as we see nowadays, more women are now inclined to the things
only men can do before. For example, there are now construction workers, drivers, engineers,
doctors, lawyers and many more professions who give equal opportunity and chances to all
genders without discrimination as long as you do good and work diligently.