American Masculinity Defined By War Essay - 1828 Words

War has been a mainstay of human civilization since its inception thousands of years ago, and throughout this long and colorful history, warriors have almost exclusively been male. By repeatedly taking on the fundamentally aggressive and violent role of soldier, Man has slowly come to define Himself through these violent experiences. Although modern American society regulates the experiences associated with engaging in warfare to a select group of individuals, leaving the majority of the American public emotionally and personally distant from war, mainstream American masculinity still draws heavily upon the characteristically male experience of going to war. In modern American society, masculinity is still defined and expressed through†¦show more content†¦This is revealed most lucidly when these defenses are brought crumbling down. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross berates himself for daydreaming about enjoying a happier, more peaceful existence with his imagined love Martha after the death of Ted Lavender. Cross burns every picture he has of Martha in order to prevent himself from daydreaming about her any more, believing that by wiping her from his mind he will be able to better protect his men. Numerous vows to follow protocol more strictly, as well as to be on constant alert against danger, are made. At first these seem like valiant efforts on the part of the lieutenant, but further consideration reveals that his efforts to become a perfect leader are in vain. No amount of care or discipline will allow him to guarantee that his men survive the war. Mistaking his sentimentality as a sign of his weakness rather than of his humanity, he tries to hide his weakness in order to become a â€Å"good† soldier: emotionless, stoic, focused, and strong. He cannot escape his humanity, however, as the images and dreams of a better life persist even without tangible reminders that such a world exists beyond the confines of Vietnam. Jimmy Cross wasn’t the only soldier struggling to maintain a facade of strength and solidarity in the face of death and destruction. Curt Lemon made a point of always conducting himself in the most masculine manner possible in an attempt to hide his humanity from his fellow soldiers. AShow MoreRelatedPhilippines Annexation and US Masculinity1258 Words   |  5 Pagesthe United States of America was in the midst of a complete remolding of the nations reputation. Just having recently ended the Civil War among the states in the United States and once again forging war with the Spanish-American War, the United States was after a more masculine image and reputation. Due to the nature of the country at that moment in time, the American government wanted to prove their superiority among other emerging nations and in doing so chose to colonize and annex nations such asRead MoreMen’s Angst with Society ´s Perception of Masculinity 839 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"†¦men are unhappy and dont really know why.† Masculinity in the modern age is changing, so much so that many men feel inadequate. A large amount of men are unable to understand what type of masculinity they fit into and what they want to fit into. In Gurmeet S. Kanwal’s article from â€Å"Psychology Today: The masculinity crisis, male malaise, and the challenge of becoming a good man† he says that, â€Å"the perception and image of heterosexual men in this country has never been as negative, de-idealizedRead MoreMasculinity And Style In Hemingway And Carver1604 Words   |  7 PagesMasculinity and Style in Hemingway and Carver. The following will present the themes of masculinity in relation to style in Raymond Carver and Ernest Hemingway. Both are major figures of 20th century US fiction, and both write about characters that struggle with male or masculine identity and social expectations. These struggles often mean that other characters in their stories are the victims. In other words, the problems that the characters experience, are both internalized but also externalizedRead MoreGender Inequality For Women And Womens Development1121 Words   |  5 Pagesduring the war †¦. (and) Men facing dislocation and unemployment† (2011:13) (2004:17). These reasons for increased gender-based violence in the post-conflict space are all connected to one central tenant, the existence of militarized masculinities beyond the conflict space. Considering masculinity and femininity as terms not linked to the sex/gender male/female binary, but as socially and culturally learned attitudes and behaviors, mili tarized masculinity refers to a specific type of masculinity learnedRead MoreIdentity Formation Of Women During The Chicano Movement1271 Words   |  6 PagesBetween the years 1900-2014, Chicanas/Latinas have defined themselves as strong, independent females in mainstream American society. For many years, Mexican women have fought against stereotypes, oppression among other obstacles in life. Chicanas are expected to portray a certain norm of the ideal Mexican women, mother, daughter, wife. They have resisted and fought back against oppressors and patriarchs that have implemented and molded females to become a â€Å"virgin†. This repression has altered identityRead MoreAnalysis Of The Film Jarhead 1645 Words   |  7 PagesGulf War. Undoubtedly, many aspects of the film link back to Gender, however for the purpose of this critical review, I will be focusing on the way in masculinity in Jarhead serves to highlight key ideas about hierarchy and freedom. Although broadly defi ned, I have interpreted ‘masculinity’ as men being expected to behave with particular characteristics, such as being strong, heroic, protective, and rational. This review will argue that through the focus on Gender, particularly masculinity, JarheadRead MoreGender Norm Media And Culture1035 Words   |  5 Pagesslowly changed our social norms toward gun and violent. Over 900 mass shootings, defined as having four or more fatalities in one incident by CNN, has happened in less than three years since 2013. When in fact, as TV news and newspapers intended to inform titles like â€Å"a student opened fire† or â€Å"people are shot dead in a historic black church†, almost none marked out the issue on gender or men in the titles. African-Americans, psychotics, Mexicans, and immigrants are more often to be written in contentsRead MoreIn Our Time by Ernest Hemingway775 Words   |  3 Pagesshort stories that were published in 1925 and defined Hemingways writing style from there on. As a symbolic image of Hemingway himself, Nick Adams is faced with troubling relationships that ultimately define who he is. Life experiences from young to old define show how Nick lives his love before, during, and after World War One. These experiences strengthen his relationships, maturity, and masculinity. One of the most important themes, masculinity, is portrayed directly at the start of HemingwaysRead MoreGender And Gender Roles1099 Words   |  5 Pagesis a subject that has been discussed and argued upon for several years, regarding the depiction and expectations of what it means to be a man and, conversely, what it means to be a woman. Along with the topic comes what and how society defines masculinity and femininity. Society has given men the title of being masculine due to the reflection of   dominance, strength, aggressiveness, independence , and the use of interpersonal skills. Whereas society has given females the title of being feminine forRead MoreBlack Sexual Politics By Patricia Hill Collins Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pagesliterally. With numerous gender ideologies, not only is there division between the Black (African Americans) and the White (fair skinned Europeans), but between men and women as well. Generally, white men and white men only hold most of the pow er in the world that there is to possess and it has consciously been set up for them to do so. The technical name for this global concept is hegemonic masculinity. This highly sexist and blatantly racist model has been implemented by bigoted western agendas to