“Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood” by David Osborne

After reading the excerpt, I have a better understanding of the "non-traditional" dad. One who stays home to take care of the children, as oppose to working long hours to support their family financially. In the excerpt, Osbourne is in a situation where he must take care of his son because his wife is the family's financial support more than he is. From his perspective, Osbourne seems as if he has no problem taking care his son Nick. Moreover, it's like he really enjoys it.

Osbourne is very descriptive when explaining his daily routine with Nick. It's very obvious that he loves his son dearly, because he can barely stand the sight of seeing him cry. He even gives him ice cream before dinner to comfort him. Therefore, I believe that Osbourne takes pride in raising his son and does not look at it as being a non traditional dad, but more so a great dad.

After reading this excerpt, one can conclude that Osbourne and his wife have switched roles that our society have placed on humans overall. The roles that consist of the mother being the person in the family that takes care of the home and children, while the father goes out and works to support the family financially. Many men reading this would believe that man staying home to take care of children would make them less of a man. Osbourne sees it more so as taking care of his responsibilities as a father.

"Conquering Themselves So Beautifully" by Louisa May Alcott

After reading "Conquering Themselves So Beautifully", I felt like Jo in particular was fighting a battle within herself. In terms of being a boy, I think that she just wanted to be different from her sisters because they are too much of the "tradition" types of females. One that cooks, cleans and takes care of the family. These were considered the expectations of a young female during this time and Jo refuses to let her sisters pull her into this stereotype of young females, and this forces her to be want to a boy.

The Sojournor Truth article connects directly to the Alcott reading in a sense that women are doing there best to stand up for what they believe in, even with opposing opinions. Truth agreed more so with the beliefs of white feminist because they believed in women's rights, as oppose to black abolitionist who believed in African-American rights above those of women in particular.

Both readings gave me a separate perspective on women's rights and the roles of young women in society.

"Im Thin Therefore I Am" by Nicci Gerrard

In society today, I believe that Gerrard's excerpt can relate to many issues that people face over weight. Between the peer pressure that claims the most attractive people are those who are slim and fit, and the media that idolizes slim beautiful models, weight can be an overwhelming issue for overweight individuals.   

In the excerpt, Gerrard seems to place food on a pedestal by continuously repeating, "food is symbolic" as if a meal empowers the person who makes it, especially women. On page 113, Gerrard states, "When a woman cooks a meal for her family, it can be as if she is offering a bit of herself-as if food actually comes from her body, like a sacrament (this of course makes it difficult to reject, and so food gets all tied up in guilt, as well)." According to Gerrard, food gives the woman the ability to sacrifice a bit of herself to her family.

After reading this excerpt, I noticed that Nicci Gerrard is a very descriptive writer. She began this section by describing the foods she eats during each mood she encounters throughout the day. Using such examples as eating roast peppers, rice pudding, and shortbread biscuits when tired, and eating a tomato or carrots when she was bored, paints a vivid picture for her reader. She also uses sensory imagery such as bakery smells to draw in the reader even further. 

"Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code" by Michael Kimmel

After reading this passage, I realized a lot of different things about myself as a male. I noticed how men set certain standards for themselves that they must live up to. I also noticed how seriously men take situations some times. I honesty believe that men have a harder life than women. Men have a certain amount of pride that they believe they must maintain throughout life. When a man hears their name mixed into a comment about "faggots" or "sissies" it makes them want to be tougher. I believe that this stems from a mixture of pride and emotion. Most guys claim that they never show emotion, but can't one conclude that pride itself tis an emotion? I believe that pride is a emotion that most men don't even realize they are showing. When it comes to fear or admitting to weakness, men are ready to step up and defend their pride. Wouldn't you say thats a emotion that they are afraid to put on harms way?

In terms of homophobia, I don't believe I am homophobic but I don't usually deal with homosexuals. I admit I have maybe one or two homosexual friends. Other than them I don't really know that many homosexuals. Nevertheless, when I do meet homosexuals, I give them the same respect as I would give any other person. I don't look at them any differently than I would anyone else. After all, everyone is human.

"Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code" was a good reading. It helped me to understand a lot more about homophobia. I always thought of it as just not liking homosexuals. I never looked at it the fear of other men-men who are not considered " as tough" as you are. Overall, it was informative in a sense that it helped me to realize a lot more about myself and men in general.

"A Boy's Life" by Hanna Rosin

 After reading "A Boy's Life", I better understand the meaning of transgender. Brandon is a prime example of a transgender individual because he is a boy who wants to be a girl. He dresses himself in female clothing and seems to place females on a higher pedestal than males. He takes no interest in most things that young boys around his age would be interested in such as sports, "tough guy toys", and above all else, dressing like a boy. Although Brandon's parents do not support how Brandon feels about gender, they do not make it seem as if it is wrong to believe he should b a girl. His mother Tina goes through a number of solutions to try and remedy this situation such as buying Brandon more boy toys and clothing but none of these tactics are effective.

When Tina realizes that Brandon is only becoming worse, she moves to more advanced measures and seeks the insight of a number of therapist, who give her a few different answers as to why her son wants to b a girl. One therapist tells her that Brandon may feel this way because he views Tina as a family protector because his father is not around, and because he views her this way, he wants to be exactly like her. He basically views her as a role model and the fact that she is a female means nothing to him.  Tina also learns that Brandon may have a condition called "gender-identity disorder" which I didn't even know was a condition. This is one new thing I learned from reading the article. 

Overall I believe that Tina handled her situation very well. She was able to figure out how to deal with her sons condition without hurting his feelings or harming his level of self-confidence. Many parents experience the same situation and are unable to handle dealing with it without hurting someone's feelings, especially if they don't agree with the beliefs of the person.