Analyzing Men-It's In Their Nature By Christina Hoff Sommers
Mihriban Keskin
David Brenner, Ph.D.
English 1301
03 March 2014
Unmasking Masculinity
The author, Christina Hoff Sommers, 2003 article entitle “Men-It’s in Their Nature” vividly discusses cultural rearing and social assumptions regarding semi-outdated preconceived notions of stereotypical male masculinity and its impact on an ever evolving modern society. She uses several types of rhetorical elements which are hyperbole, comparison/contrast, and paradox in this article.
At the beginning of the article, Sommers narrates an anecdote about her son and uses hyperbolic language for that short and simple story. She mentions some differences between boy and girl students’ behaviors. The male students showed more masculine and primitive behaviors than the female students by using the candles and matches to start a little bonfire when they were left alone in the desert. After that, the sensitivity trainers were terrified of that because the boys should not have that kind of dangerous activity. The writer defines that as “the worst fears of the sensitivity trainers”. There were just simple and natural differences between …show more content…
Positive masculinity produces brave uninhibited heroic responses, such as those displayed at Ground Zero during 911 by the firefighters and policemen who unselfishly risk their own lives for the sake of others. This is a complete paradox and contradiction because the author describes male masculinity as quote “aggressive, unstable, and combustible”, but later she declares its necessity in American history regarding stabilizing our infrastructure. She uses a metaphorical phrase referring to construction as poetry which is a clear attribute of masculinity. How can something that’s perceived to be so volatile have such a positive impact on our everyday
David Brenner, Ph.D.
English 1301
03 March 2014
Unmasking Masculinity
The author, Christina Hoff Sommers, 2003 article entitle “Men-It’s in Their Nature” vividly discusses cultural rearing and social assumptions regarding semi-outdated preconceived notions of stereotypical male masculinity and its impact on an ever evolving modern society. She uses several types of rhetorical elements which are hyperbole, comparison/contrast, and paradox in this article.
At the beginning of the article, Sommers narrates an anecdote about her son and uses hyperbolic language for that short and simple story. She mentions some differences between boy and girl students’ behaviors. The male students showed more masculine and primitive behaviors than the female students by using the candles and matches to start a little bonfire when they were left alone in the desert. After that, the sensitivity trainers were terrified of that because the boys should not have that kind of dangerous activity. The writer defines that as “the worst fears of the sensitivity trainers”. There were just simple and natural differences between …show more content…
Positive masculinity produces brave uninhibited heroic responses, such as those displayed at Ground Zero during 911 by the firefighters and policemen who unselfishly risk their own lives for the sake of others. This is a complete paradox and contradiction because the author describes male masculinity as quote “aggressive, unstable, and combustible”, but later she declares its necessity in American history regarding stabilizing our infrastructure. She uses a metaphorical phrase referring to construction as poetry which is a clear attribute of masculinity. How can something that’s perceived to be so volatile have such a positive impact on our everyday