Blog Assignment on “Being a Man” By Paul Theroux
It is my opinion, the claim that Paul Theroux tries to convey in his essay "Being a Man" is his disdain for how a man is perceived in America and how the idea of masculinity seems to be forced into the minds of every young male. He states in his essay "The whole idea of manhood in America is pitiful." "Even the expression "Be a man!" strikes me as insulting and abusive." He again solidifies his claim when he states, "It ought to be clear by now that I have something of an objection to the way we turn boys into men."
I think that his sub-argument is that he felt that being a writer and being a man were incompatible. He tells that even as a young man he knew that his wanting to be a writer was at odds with the perceived notion of being a man. When he says, "Everything in stereotyped manliness goes against the life of the mind." I think that he is talking of his struggles as a young man trying to persue a career in writing. You get the feeling that he spent alot of time being humiliated because he was viewed as an outcast due to his unwillingness to conforn to what he considered "oppressive roleplaying."
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Hey Robert,
ReplyDeleteI think you backed up your claim very well with the quotes used. Although our claim was a little different, we both agreed on how the claim had to do with how being a man is perceived in America. In addition, my claim included how Theroux mentions HIS dislikings on being a man. Through his essay he gives us his personal opinion and expresses his loathe toward "manliness", always giving it a negative apperance. Overall, you got the idea of the essay and what the claim could possibly be. You did a great job on your blog!
Hello Robert,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your claim in "Being A Man". My opionion of the claim was very similar to yours. Theroux definitely got his point across to all the readers that he was just disgusted with the stereotype of being a man. I believe he had one too many bad experiences as a kid involving his hobby of writing.