'A Man Who Was Almost A Man'

Dave Barry starts out by giving a new perspective on “Men” to show that most are just “guys”: a simple minded species that easily pleased through simple and pointless means. Barry humorously takes the stance that “guys” are not aggressive and violent like traits found in “Men”, but rather defines/describes characteristics that deem immaturity.

On the eve of my twelfth birthday, my father sat me down to have a talk- He says, “Mary Amelia;” his using my full name and not what everyone usually calls me had me paying attention right away. “You’re my only daughter and you’re about to become a young woman. I don’t know much about what I, as a father, should tell you; however, with your momma gone, I feel it is my responsibility to say something in the way of trying to prepare you for womanhood…

When defining the term ‘manhood’, many people may use terms such as courage, strength, or bravery. Throughout history there have been many pressures on men to be as stereotypically manly as possible. If men don’t conform to those stereotypes, they may be looked down upon by society as a whole. Richard Van Camp’s short story ‘The Night Charles Bukowski Died’ is a prime example of the dangers of nonconformity to stereotypically manly traits. The story is an intense first person stream of consciousness from the point of view of an unnamed narrator that follows the narrator and three of his peers: Mikey, Jason, and Scott. The use of metaphor, point of view, and setting in “The Night Charles Bukowski Died” exposes how stereotypical expectations of manhood can lead to dangerous situations not only physically, but also socially and emotionally.

Dave Berry defines guys by three distinguishing “guy characteristics”; these three characteristics are guys like neat stuff, guys like a really pointless challenge, and guys do not have a rigid and well-defined moral code. This is a short entertaining essay about what Dave believes make men, guys. Berry uses humor to poke fun at both men and women, and the stupid things we all do. Dave says guys like stuff that are “mechanical and unnecessarily complex”. This basically states that guys might only need a hammer to do the job, but will buy the nail gun with laser sites instead. Then Dave goes on that guys always want to one up the other guy, even if it is detrimental to someone’s health. Even when someone gets hurt, the winner will always

The story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” was written by Richard Wright. Wright was born near Natchez, Mississippi. When Wright was five, his father abandoned the family so wright was raised by a series of relatives in Mississippi. Wrights education never went further than junior high school. Wright then moved to Chicago, where he joined the WPA Writes Project. Wright wrote many story’s in his time and was well known for them. “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is about a kid who thinks is a man, so he goes out and buys a gun, then practice’s shooting it while working and ends up killing a mule then runs away. The theme of “The Man who was Almost a Man” symbolizes the coming of age, racism and self-deception of the kid.

When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they must comply in order to be part of the pack, to fit in.

In Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Dave finds himself throughout the course of the story. Throughout the story, Dave is constantly seeking the pleasure of obtaining and then eventually shooting a gun in order to be a man and find himself. However, Dave does not expect the consequences that are to follow the pursuit of pleasure. The moral of the story pertains to the role pleasure and its consequences have in development and finding oneself. The story narrates a common, but little talked about problem, that runs rampant in today’s society. In the story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Richard Wright illustrates Dave’s development, or lack thereof, through the symbols of the gun, the train, and the mule.

In life, there are many decisions that everyone must make. And with decision-making comes consequences, some that we are ready for , and some that we may not be ready for. The author of ' The Man Who Was Almost a Man,' Richard Wright, portrays a young man who wants to be a man, but shows that he is clearly unprepared for manhood and the consequences that come with that responsibility. Through decision making based on self interest, wanting to gain respect from his family, and wanting to prove his dignity, Richard Wright brings forth the main character, Dave, a seventeen year old boy, whose actions show that he is only 'almost a man.'

After a hard day at work, seventeen year old Dave heads across the fields for home, still thinking about some of the problems he had been facing with some other field help that day. He wants to prove to the others that he is not a child, anymore. “Mebbe Ma will lemme buy one when she gits mah pay from ol man Hawkins. Ahma beg her t gimme some money. Ahm ol ernough to hava gun. Ahm seventeen. Almost a man” (par. 1). Dave heads to the store to shop for a gun. He manages to talk Joe (storekeeper) to let him borrow the catalog for the night. Joe is surprised that

He would not be a man in their eyes or his own. Most of the story focuses on Dave trying to buy a gun so he can become a man. The gun symbolizes the power Dave is trying to obtain. He will stop at nothing to obtain his manhood. He talks his mother out of money, which was going to be used to buy

” I interpret this as The Dude trying to explain who he is as a man by standing up for his name which is who he is. When The Dude was in the home of The Big Lebowski, he looks into the time magazine mirror, I see a hidden meaning behind that which is what makes a man. Can a man really be a man without his manhood? Throughout the movie many things tie into the theme of masculinity or what makes a man. Castration is seen throughout the movie from the three thugs that break into The Dude’s house threaten to castrate him to The Big Lebowski being disabled to a wheel chair.

The Man Who Was Almost a Man, tells the story of a young seventeen year old teenager, named Dave Saunders, who finds himself struggling with the need to be taken seriously as an adult, while still being seen by his community, as merely a boy. Published in 1961 and written by Richard Wright, this short story focuses on the common struggle of young African American men in the South trying to find their identity outside of the box that the United States society put them in at the time. Dave felt that in order to prove that he was a man; in order to receive the respect he thought he deserved from Black and White Americans alike, he needed to purchase a gun. This, of course, proved to be of more harm than good, as Dave found himself incapable of using the gun correctly, and what resulted was the death of his employer’s mule. Dave then, after creating a nonsensical lie that does not convince anyone, decides to skip town in order to avoid the responsibility of taking up for his actions. When taking into consideration the story line and its relativity to the South during the 1920s, when the story is set, it’s clear to see that Dave Saunders’ story is more than what it seems to be on the surface. Dave Saunders’ story is a reflection of common coming-of-age struggles, and even more than that, the common African American struggle of trying to find power when everything surrounding you, and society as a whole, is telling you that you’re powerless; a struggle that is still very

What does it mean to be a man? How does one qualify for the title? Is the term "man" simply referring to male human beings, or does it hold a greater measure of meaning in society. In order to get more insight into this subject matter, I consulted, " The Tormont Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary". As I anticipated, the first definition for man stated as following: "An adult human being as distinguished from a female". This definition, did not surprise me, but what did ,was what followed it , it stated: A male human being endowed with such qualities as courage, strength, and fortitude, considered characteristic of manhood". To be a man in our society one must posses such qualities, along with honor, reliability and endurance. This

In the story “ The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright, besides the fact that Dave is a consistent character, Dave’s actions and words are sprung from motivation. Dave decides to buy a gun because he wants to be treated as a man, not as a little kid. Everyone around him is a man who possesses some kind of power and he wants that. Dave wants to have the power that he sees other men have so that people don’t make fun of him anymore but instead take him seriously. When Dave finally gets his hands on the gun he wanted, he finally feels like a man. He thinks that now that he has the gun no one will be able to laugh at him because by having the gun he thinks he has some type of power. “He held it loosely, feeling a sense of power” ( Wright 183). The day after having bought the gun Dave goes to work and goes far from where he could be heard and decides

Strong, Independent, Intimidating, Powerful, Strong, Independent, In control, Rugged, Scares people, Powerful, Respected, Hard, A stud, Athletic, Muscular, A real man is tough, Tough, Tough” These are the responses of young men when they were asked what they believed what being a man was in the movie Tough Guise. This is a movie by Jackson Katz who is an anti-violence educator. The media that is taken in by the young men in our society is a very violent one. The men in most movies are portrayed as violent, tough, powerful, and criminals. The roles played by these men create an image for these young men making it seem ideal to be like them. The media influences the men and makes them have the negative portrayal of what a man is supposed to be. Masculinity reaches many people by influence through others.