Gender Roles: Conforming or Rebelling? - Essay Sample

Introduction

The discussion about gender roles gets concerned with how the society has its expectations towards a particular gender. For example, it could be viewed by how a particular gender is expected to dress, to act, to speak, and to conduct itself. In most events, the society expects men to portray boldness, aggression, and strength unlike women who are expected to be nurturing, polite, and accommodating. The paper is, therefore, premised on how men either conform or rebel against the role of "what a man is?"

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The understanding of, "what a man is," comes explicitly from the chapter from the view of women and the language of men by Jane Tompkins. The chapter begins by imaging a protagonist who is concerned about his identity, and it is from the fear of losing the identity that he is driven to the West, a direction that is characterised by harsh conditions that force his manhood into being. Further understanding of what a man is gets noted in page 102 of the chapter through the genre that goes against the Victorian culture. The culture opines that the ability of manipulation of language confers power, a scenario where the Western equates power with, "not language," which is further equated with being male. The advancement of the discussion is noted by Peter Schwenger in his imagery of the language of men. The language is infused with choppy rhythms, colloquialism, and some sense of slang. The diction of the language equally marks the writer as tough and is objective at masculine reservation. As such, the imagery on the language of men compares with the societal expectations where man is required to speak from the tough and objective ground and his masculinity must not be put to trial.

A further argument can be noted in the definition of Octavio Paz pertaining to the hermetic being that is closed up in oneself. A man is expected to restore the male integrity by restraining emotions, as long as the emotions have been held back regardless of their nature, one is deemed fit to be male. The aspect of maintenance of emotional integrity is what can also be used to explain the inferiority of women considering their submission to opening themselves. Men are, therefore, able to take control by not speaking, something that shows that they also have control over the physical boundaries. When they remain hermetic, they ensure the maintenance of the boundary that brings a division between them and the world.

The chapter uses the western values in depicting the interdiction imposed by masculinity on speech. It is not enough for one who is mysterious, silent, monolithic, and impenetrable as a desert butte to be considered a man; the person must take the position of the desert butte. The moment a man is equated with a solid object, he is not only relieved from the burden of responsiveness and relatedness to others but also those of consciousness of the self. A man who also speaks about his inner feelings submits to parity with another person engaged in the conversation and ends up jeopardizing his status of being a potent being. The aspect of talking dissipates presence and removes the mystery which is defined by an ineffable self to preserve silence. Silence is beneficial from different dimensions; it aids in the establishment of dominance and also the protection of the person who is silent from possible criticisms.

Based on how the issues of, "what a man is," has been imaged in the chapter, different reactions exist with the primary one revolving the male expectations noted herein as a tactic that is used by the West in making a case of non-verbal communication. The argument has, however, been criticized with the imagery of women that are depicted in contrast of men. I agree with the depiction of the chapter on what a man is, gender roles are real and has brought a significant distinction between men and women. The chapter may appear somewhat bias on the side of women considering that they submit to emotions and speak unlike the men, it must be noted that speaking, or lack of speaking should not be used as a measure of inferiority but rather seen as how the society has conformed both identities (male and female).

Conclusion

In summary, the chapter confirms that gender roles are real and men conform to the gender roles of "what a man is?" How they conform is noted in their behavior unlike women. For example, the chapter informs about their lack of submission to emotions and retaining a state of silence. They are compared to a solid object; hence their masculinity should not be put to question. Most importantly, men also have their language, one which is infused with choppy rhythms, colloquialism, and some sense of slang. The language must showcase their tough nature and also contributes to the reservation of their masculinity.