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In author Katha Pollitt’s “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls” essay she argues that it is ultimately up to the parents to teach their children about feminism and gender roles. Society can’t do it for them. The author writes this story in first person and includes her own experiences. Her tone is quizzical, as she almost seems to make fun of parents not agreeing with her ideas. This piece is meant for young parents wondering what they can do and how they can teach their children to become accepting of others. The author uses many rhetorical strategies, including rhetorical questions when she says “…..that if their sons wanted to spend the weekend writing up their diaries, or reading, or baking, they’d find it disturbing? Too antisocial? Too Lonely? Too Gay?” These questions are intended to provoke emotion and deeper thinking. Another rhetoric strategy used is cause and effect. Throughout the passage the author constantly ponders the consequence of a parent encouraging their boys to play sports and girls to be princesses, which furthers traditional gender roles. Cause and effect is intended to display the consequences of actions and helps encourage understanding. Another rhetorical device employed is anecdotes . When she details her experiences at birthday parties where parents apologize for giving a daughter a Barbie, it helps create better understanding and makes the article personal. The author establishes pathos and ethos with these personal examples, and evokes ethos when she says how researchers have noticed that there are brain differences in females and males, although this slightly contradicts her opinion
Although I like this article, I think this author was a little too accusatory toward parents. When parents are raised with gender roles, it’s hard from them to change their ways. Also, it makes it seem like if a boy really does want to play sports or a girl really does want to cook it’s a bad thing. The author almost seems to be attacking those parents who don’t force the fact that gender roles should be abolished. I think she provided a lot of examples that definitely helped her argument, but did not lend enough credence to those on the other side of the argument. Feminism and gender inequality is an important and continuing issue, so this article was very fitting.
Pollitt, Katha. "Why Boy's Don't Play with Dolls." New York Times. Print.
Although I like this article, I think this author was a little too accusatory toward parents. When parents are raised with gender roles, it’s hard from them to change their ways. Also, it makes it seem like if a boy really does want to play sports or a girl really does want to cook it’s a bad thing. The author almost seems to be attacking those parents who don’t force the fact that gender roles should be abolished. I think she provided a lot of examples that definitely helped her argument, but did not lend enough credence to those on the other side of the argument. Feminism and gender inequality is an important and continuing issue, so this article was very fitting.
Pollitt, Katha. "Why Boy's Don't Play with Dolls." New York Times. Print.