Daphne Beckham's Essay 'Perspective On Men'

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Teacher Name
Academic writing II
XXXX 2014
The Struggle
Over the years, I’ve often wondered what is it about men and women that caused us to be so different, and to think so differently. I’ve tried to understand men, rationalize their thought processes and to be honest it seems unfathomable. Is it the hormones that flow so freely through our bodies or maybe the pheromones in the air? Or perhaps it’s an emotional thing? No one can say for sure, but these were the questions that coursed through my veins as read Daphne Beckham’s essay called, “Perspective on Men.” It’s clear to me that I don’t understand men and they simply don’t understand me. Our uniqueness, our differences only draw us closer with no reason or rhyme, it just simply
Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S Eliot, Daphne presented a much more fragile man, an insecure unworthy fool of sorts. Now my Dad is no punk but certain life experiences can break a man down to make him feel meek, humble, and small. I experienced this with him only once. I was on vacation with my future husband in Jamaica living life to it’s fullest. Somehow the sun there seemed brighter, the breeze seemed swifter, and the air was so sweet when received a disturbing phone call. My mom seemed rather frazzled and she asked me if I was sitting down. She had never asked me this type of question before; so I took a deep breathe to absorb some of the sweetness in the air as I braced myself. She exclaimed my dad was in intensive care with five blockages in his heart and I needed to rush home. I managed to arrive later that day right before they were going to operate. I held his hand, then I looked into his eyes and for the first time I saw the insecurity, the weakness, and doubt draped across a slight wrinkle in his forehead. He was vulnerable, I had to ensure that when he looked back into my eyes he saw the strength he had instilled, the hint of confidence in my touch, and the reverence of God in the foundation he rooted me in. I assured him it was going to be ok. I was determined to be as strong for him as he was for me since birth; all in one concentrated dose, “pressed down, shaken, and running over,” as grand as the many blessings that we’ve
She ties the two poems together by giving her childhood account of wanting a dog. One day a stray approached her and she wanted to keep him so she pleaded with her father. Of course, he said no she couldn’t keep it. Yet somehow the dog ended up living with their family for several years after that. Her examples shed light on her Dad’s sensitive side as well as her Dad’s masculinity and his ability to go back and forth between these characteristics with ease. Surprisingly, I had been so focused on all the differences between men and women that I had missed the boat completely on all the similarities. When you breakdown what this essay is really about the answer is stereotypes. The ones we associate ourselves with and the ones that other people lump categorize us into. Since when did having emotions and expressing emotions become a gender thing or a race thing? Expressing emotions is simply part of being