Gender Socialization essay Essays (1682 words) - Gender, Sex

Gender Socialization Before a newborn child takes his or her first breath of life outside the mother's womb, he or she is distinguishable and characterized by gender. A baby is born and the doctor looks at the proud parents or parent and says three simple words: It ' s a boy, or It ' s a girl The baby is brought home and dressed in clothes that help friends, family and even strangers identify the sex of the child. Baby boys are dressed in blue and baby girls are dressed in pink. The baby boy may be dressed in a blue jumpsuit with a football or a baseball glove on it. The baby girl may wear a bow in their hair and flowered pajamas. As the boy begins to grow, he is given a miniature basketball and a hoop to play with. The girl is given dolls and doll clothes to dress them up in. Even going further, eventually the boy may play with Legos and Lincoln Logs and the girl gets a Play s chool oven and a plastic tea set with which to play house. As I described in the not-so-fictional sc enario above, gender socialization begins very early in life. Society has accepted such stereotypical things as baby boy blue and baby girl pink to help identify the sex of a child. Hopefully, the little Joey looks like a boy and baby Sally looks like a girl. Mothers and fathers make it easy for everyone to distinguish their bundle of joy by utilizing the socially established gender stereotypes. But where and how did these stereotypes come from? Unfortunately, out of the research that I did, I don't think there is a definite answer to that question. We seem to accept that blue is for boys and pink is for girls. Boys generally play with balls, toy trucks and building blocks whereas girls spend their time with dolls, tea sets and stuffed animals. But these are the stereotypes that are influenced by the parents. A baby child isn't concerned with his or her gender identity. As the child gets older though, he or she will begin to develop an identity for his or herself and establish a per sonality that reflects their masculinity or femininity (Norton 1996). In Nancy Chodorow's essay "Family Structure and Feminine Personality" she examines the development of gender identity and personality. Except for the stereotypical examples I have given above which again are established by the parents, Chodorow states that the development of a child is basically the same for boys and girls until the age of three. During those first three years the mother is the dominant figure in the child's life. The father plays a limited role until the child reaches the Oedipal period (beyond age 3). It is at this stage that children begin to try to separate themselves from the clutches of their mother and establish their own identity. Chodorow examines how different this is for boys and girls (Chodorow 1997). Ebony Magazine recently reported that out of a survey of one hundred fourth grade boys and one hundred fourth grade girls, the boys receive an average weekly allowance that is a pproximately 50% higher than the girls receive. On the average, the boys receive $4.18 as compared to the $2.67 paid to the girls. To look even further, the survey reported that the boys only perform three household chores to earn their weekly allowance whereas the girls are performing much more (Miller, 1997). Why are the girls expected to do four times as much work around the house than the boys are? Chodorow writes that a young boy is usually unable to identify with his masculinity through his father. The father is not as readily available to the boy as the mother. Without the father to follow example, Chodorow concludes that a boy will identify masculine characteristics to be doing that which is not feminine. This could be an explanation for the big difference in the number of chores the girls do versus the boys. Though you might disagree with the morality of this statement, you have to admit that it is socially accepted that household chores are feminine duties. Youn g boys are

Walt Whitmans Evolution Essays - Brooklyn Eagle, Mystics

Walt Whitman's Evolution Essays - Brooklyn Eagle, Mystics Walt Whitman's Evolution The nursery was a sea of red, newborn faces! I expected to pinpoint you because you are my flesh and blood. I also named you after an exotic flower, so I assumed And my fathers voice would trail sheepishly. To his disappointment, it was a pink name-tag, not a psychic link that enabled him to know which red, newborn face was mine. Like all babies, I was stamped with a name, the first streak of chalk on my spotless slate of identity. Initially, a name is a set of syllables with the sole purpose of marking one face from an another. But later, this practicality (which distinguished me amongst a sea of infants) loses significance because the name begins to hold deeper meanings as one matures. It may even mark individual identities to the point where a mere mention can lead to surmises, fair and unfair. As a result, one can say Benedict Arnold and Traitor easily in the same breath. A name is not a mere utterance by the tongue; because it is categorized (most often by gender and culture), it can forcefully project its own characteristics onto its owners identity. Often, my fifth grade teacher crabbily speculated that her mother was probably drunk when her mother was pregnant. My teachers name was Billy, and her brothers name was Sue, not vice versa. Recognizable connotations in names are important tools for authors to convey literary meanings. For instance, Joe Christmas in William Faulkners Light in August is conspicuous because of his mixed heritage, which is projected by his parchmentcolored skin and his name, which a normal white man does not have. His striking name makes him unique, marking him as a foreigner. However, he chooses not to replace it with his white foster fathers name because the name Christmas identifies him and his mixed heritage. Like Christmas, some people choose names that are significant to their identities. But in my case, my elementary schoolmates took the initiative to choose my nicknames: Infinity Eyeballs and Moron. Needless to say, the former was a reference to my glasses, and the latter was a corruption of Mi Ran. I was stung because they were relevant to my identity; I did wear glasses, and my ethnic name can be mispronounced easily by non-Korean tongues. Thus, I became ashamed of my glasses and nationality. Adults seemed even less adept at pronouncing my name, so I began to dread substitute teachers, especially when they took attendance. Some were brave and tried to pronounce my name, but many just sighed, Sorry, I cant read this name. It is also ironic that my fifth grade teacher thought my name was Mia Ron. My given name became a burden, a source of torment. I was bothered that only Koreans could pronounce my name correctly. After one difficult day at school, I screamed at my father, Why didnt you name me Ann? I love that name because it isnt Korean! With hurt in his eyes, he responded that he named me after the orchid because he admired its wild, singular beauty. But, he softened, When you were a baby, your red, newborn face did not epitomize the orchid. Later, however, he did decide that my name was apt because I require as much love and care as an orchid. For a while, I considered compromising by Westernizing Mi Ran to Marion, but that would be no compromise. It symbolizes shedding some of my Korean culture, a part of my identity. Then, I learned to accept my unique name as a gift. As American culture blended into my identity, I learned to accept how non-Koreans try to pronounce my name. In fact, I began to like being called a variety of names that do belong to me, such as Mirm, Mirin, Mir-Ahn, and not just Mi Ran everyday. When I chose to keep my given name, I retained an aspect of my Korean culture and gained an American one. But most importantly, the mispronunciations actually give me a sense of individuality.

The Significance of the Lotus Flower in Buddhism Research Paper

The Significance of the Lotus Flower in Buddhism - Research Paper Example Buddhism is widespread in the Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka (Theravada), and East Asia (Mahayana) (Suguro and Montgomery 3). Accordingly, it is influential to millions of adherents, of not only Buddhism, but also Hinduism and Egyptology. Importantly to the Buddhists is the symbolic representation of the lotus flower as the seat of Buddha. To be noted is that various Asian deities are often depicted while seated on the lotus flower. This thereby further portrays the purity of essence represented through its many flower petals; diverse but brightly lit flowers. It is from this that the second major meaning of the flower is derived from purification of the human spirit, which is created into the murkiness of the world. Inadvertently, the third crucial representation is that of faithfulness, founded upon the fact that those who seek to be adherents, ‘rising above the muddy waters’, need to be followers who are grounded in their faith (Penney 48). The Lotus Flower is a major s ymbol in Buddhism, in addition to the Dharma wheel and the Stupa. It holds significant importance to adherents of Buddhism due to existing legend, which portrays the greatness of Gautama Buddha who was born with the capability to walk as a child. Furthermore is that wherever he went, upon which ground he strode, different lotus. The Lotus Flower is a major symbol in Buddhism, in addition to the Dharma wheel and the Stupa. It holds significant importance to adherents of Buddhism due to existing legend, which portrays the greatness.