[Policy Claim]
Though feminism has brought great and beneficial changes to society, men in our society today should hearken back to the values, meaning, and principles that men in our grandparent's generation shared.
[Definition claim]
Although feminism has brought many benefits to women today, there have been unintended side effects on men today and the values and masculinity from men of our grandparent's generation are the examples we as modern men should strive towards.
[Comparison Claim]
Although our generation has better views on gender equality, men in our generation aren't as masculine and responsible as the men found in our grandparent's generation.
[Evaluation Claim]
While feminism and social change have brought many great benefits to our society, some of the core values and principles found in the men of our grandpa's generation prove to be better models for masculinity than found in our society today.
[Cause and Effect Claim]
Because of feminism and social changes women have a more equal and important role in society, but the have been unintended side effects on modern men today such as laziness, incompetency, and loss of identity which can only be remedied by going back to the type of masculinity and values found in our grandparent's generation.
I like how you posed your thesis using different claims. Helps me understand that better. It will be interesting to see how you tie it all to literature.
ReplyDeleteHey! I really like the issue that you are looking at here. I feel like it would be good if you included within the thesis how specifically passages from the Bond novels support this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback I'll be looking into how I can change my thesis around to include Bond more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback I'll be looking into how I can change my thesis around to include Bond more.
ReplyDeleteI think that the last two of these claims have most potential. However, from these statements I have no idea at all that you are actually going to be discussing any literature. You need to make your literary work central to your claim, or at least the prominent example for your claim.
ReplyDeleteWith feminism and James Bond, you will have to address the legitimate claims of sexism leveled against that character and even the whole genre. That is both a problem and an opportunity. For example, you could claim something like "Although James Bond is a character justly accused of sexism, he nevertheless represents a kind of masculinity that has been lost today."
I'm actually slightly disturbed by the idea that the men who were young in the '60s--the James Bonds and Don Drapers--should be the models we look to. I feel they were irresponsible in their sexual promiscuity, their heavy drinking, and their callous attitude to authority and social norms. Nothing wrong with a provocative thesis, but I definitely would need solid evidence to be convinced.
ReplyDeleteKatie Roiphe, one of the essayists assigned last week, basically made this argument in several of her essays, with the angle that the '60s were more fun, more adult, and more in her words "messy."
I like Dr. Burton's caveat, and I think it makes the argument stronger and more believable. Otherwise, they seem to recall the Honor Code posters that put James Bond as a model. If shaken martinis and easy women are the new black (masculine? maybe. responsible? ummmm), then, okay, sell me ...
I really liked the revised thesis you posted Dr. Burton. I had some similar ideas I was bouncing around that I could use, but that one clearly states what I was going for in my paper. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAs seemingly the only self-designated feminist in the class (and here we thought humanities departments were liberal :P ), I am excited to read this paper-in-progress. You have really delved into this genre. Awesome.
DeleteThere is a great article if you are interested--http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2011-09-why-sacrificing-power-helps-husbands-gain-masculinit. The author Eric Sentell talks about the benefits of evolving masculinity. It is a positive article about gaining masculinity, not losing it. I really like your ideas. Good luck!
ReplyDelete