Short Happy Life Essay

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Matthew Lowrey Mrs. Lynch English 3 CP 1A 6 September 2013 “The Short Happy Life” Essay Masculinity is a very diverse topic and so many people can describe it the way they please. It seems like every author has their different definition of what makes a man a man. In the two stories “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” and “Honor Code” each author has their very own perception of what in fact makes a man a man and it is up to us to agree or veto what they say. Masculinity can be described in so many ways, and to every person its definition wavers. To some it might be determined by an act of courage or the determination to never stop trying. Some think if you do not have the traits they consider “manly” then to them it is simple, you are not a man. Is it that simple? What if the one you consider “unmanly” thinks different traits manly and you don’t have them, does that make you less a man? Can we really decide? In the “Honor Code” the author talked about how school did not fully endorse the attention of their male students. In it he says, “By junior high, he’d lose interest in trying and his grades would plummet” (Brooks 26). In the “The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber” it discusses that the basic principal that makes a man is courage. Saying “and had just shown himself, very publicly, to be a coward” (Hemingway 2) like it is a bad thing. Or “You’ve gotten awfully brave, awfully suddenly” “You know I have, I really have” (Hemingway 21). Which was him saying that he is happy and proud he has gotten brave or courageous. What makes a man a man is when he can look any situation in the eye without faltering. That he can handle any situation and not freak out or show weakness. A man can except responsibility for his actions and take the punishment no matter what he is. A man would work 3 jobs to support his family without any complaint. A man is

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