Discuss David’s and Sarty’s Definition of Manhood
David and Sarty believe that how people have come to define a man is inaccurate. Most men live for many years without knowing who exactly they are. Being a man means that one should understand themselves since childhood and how they lead their lives in every aspect. They realize that their masculinity has been suffocated and their state of manhood restrained by some “invisible force”. Being a man enables one to “feel like a man” (Kennedy & Gioia, 1004).
Being a man means that one should be able to speak, walk and relate in a way that enables them to feel their ego is well taken care of. A man should always be conscious of his behavior and how others will react to it. One can define who a man is depending on their behavior. One tries to get rid of the boyish behavior which takes hold of insecure men who forcibly try to find a place and a position in the midst of other men. Thus, men have been forced to stop looking for help from fellow men. As much they don’t seem to trust women, women have proved to be their best friends by giving them advice. As much as they have been considered to be less compared to men, the men are now getting their advice from women (Kennedy & Gioia, 1004).
Being a man means that they accord themselves a position in which they are able to help women in every kind of difficulty. If one finds out that they cannot get a woman out of a particular situation, he feels less of a man (Kennedy & Gioia, 1005). Ironically, not every woman knows this is true. Though they believe a lot in men, they know they are able to do much themselves. According to David and Sarty, if a plane crashes in a desert for instance, a hundred and fifty people naturally follow the lead of a single man regardless of whether they know them or not. Though deep inside they know he may not do much, they still believe in him and find themselves following him.
In modern days, one is associated with being a man depending on what activities they take up. They believe that a man would perform activities such as fighting, sporting, watch hero movies and play video games. One feels he is a ‘real’ man, when he indulges in such activities. David thinks however that this is a great state of confusion. One should not indulge in such “safe” avenues for them to feel they are men (Kennedy & Gioia, 1005). When one cooks for instance, they think they are not men enough (Adams, 214).
Each young man therefore thinks they should grow up with their man-like behavior from childhood. They get violent; try to put on nice clothes, trying to subordinate others so they can identify their masculinity early enough. Ironically, a feminist movement that was invented in earlier days gave birth to a men’s movement. As much as men try to signify their identity they find themselves getting in touch with the feminist sides. Though they believe and seek to prove that they can never be equal to women, they know that women can play the roles they do equally or much better. Men therefore try hard, either in work places, at home or in school to ensure they top women. This nourishes their ego and one feels like “a real man” (Kennedy & Gioia, 1005).
Work Cited
Kennedy, X & Gioia, Dana. An introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing Interactive 11th Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009, 1538 pgs.
Adams, Maurianne. Readings for diversity and social justice. New York: Routledge, 2000.
