Blog Post #4

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In my paper I intend to explore some of the differences between children and adults.  I would like to look at some of the changes that take place and how roles change.  As for how I came to settle on this topic, honestly, I did a Google search for ideas because I was having a bit of a mind block.  I decided on these particular subjects because I thought it would be an interesting and relatively simple study, and one I have been thinking about a little anyway.

Blog Post #3

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“I Want a Wife”

To summarize Judy Brady’s essay: a wife’s purpose is to make her husband’s life easy at her own expense.   Brady shows through exaggeration how she believes wives are taken advantage of by their spouses.  In her opinion, men’s lives are made easy by the effort of the wives; the wife is virtually a fulltime maid, nanny, mistress, and whatever else the man may need or want.  Brady is raising awareness of what she views as a gross injustice; husband and wife’s positions in the family are not equal (360-362).

“Men--It’s in Their Nature”

In summary, manly traits are not bad, and boys and girls tend to naturally have different strengths and weaknesses that are common to their gender.  Also, equality does not mean that those differences disappear.  Sommers makes a case for the benefit of natural gender differences.  She does not consider a boy’s natural tendency for violence and competition to be a detriment but rather an opportunity for service in areas that women are not commonly drawn to, as long as the boy is trained and instilled with proper values and morals (365-368).

After looking at both of these essays, I have decided to choose "Men--It's in their nature."  I chose this particular one for my analysis essay because it more closely aligns with my own opinion on the matter.

Blog Post #2

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Gazing out towards the opposing shore, I soaked in the beauty of the water reflecting the sky above--the sunlight dancing among the occasional cloud.  Or I could have turned and stared over the side of the small, yet sturdy foot bridge into the bottomless pool below, losing myself in its depth.  Slowly I moved back toward the end of the bridge and attempted to find a semi-comfortable seat upon the rocks extending out slightly into the main body of water.  I positioned myself in a way to be able to observe both the trail passing directly beside me and the activity upon the expanse of water on my other side.

Here I could have sat with my thoughts for hours, my only company being the yells of the teenagers leaping off the bridge or the shouted encouragement to their friends above to jump from the rock wall rising from the pool of water into the frigid deep twenty feet below and the screams of those few who dared when their feet finally left the safety of solid ground.  This and the occasional salute of the passing hiker or a boater were my only company.  So was I really alone?  No.  Yet there was still an undeniable peacefulness in this place.

However, I ultimately forced myself to rise after only a quarter of an hour, or maybe twice that, and begin the thirty minute walk back to my car, and already I was planning for the next time I could return.