Rhetorical Analysis Of Women's Brains By Stephen Jay Gould

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AP English Lang. & Comp. 2 November 2011 Rhetorical Précis Stephen Jay Gould in the essay, “Women’s Brains” (1989), asserts the false conclusion that females are inferior to men due to their lack of physical and intellectual abilities. Gould supports his assertion by demonstrating biased appeals in statistics and credible scientists that favor males. The author’s purpose is to reveal the prejudice one uses as a drive to become dominant and instigate conflict between genders. The author writes in a contemptuous tone for men as well as women to realize that they are not drastically different and that women have the potential to become as smart, and even surpass the intellect of men. Virginia Woolf in the essay, “Professions for Women” (1942), explains the difficulty of being a successful woman while still having to face the obstacles of prejudice and being subordinate to men. Woolf supports her explanation by using anecdote to reflect on the restrictions, conflicts battled within her inner state, and the lack of potential women face to confess the truth about their passions when she is writing. The author’s purpose is to influence other women, who are in various professions, to confront and acknowledge their struggles in order to gain a better…show more content…
Ehrlich supports her suggestion by explaining that cowboys are courageously known for performing masculine tasks outside of the home such as rescuing animals, riding on horseback for lengthy hours, and weathering their skin, but they also have a fragile side that unlike women, do their best to hide it. The author’s purpose is to inform her readers of the weight men carry to remain a unique individual while living up to the duties that define what it is to be a “man”. The author writes in an informal tone in order to relate to men such as cowboys who have had little
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