Rhetorical Analysis (Paper 2) In the article, “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,” the author, Aaron Devor, is trying to convince his audience that gender shapes how we behave and relate to one another. He does this by using an educational approach, describing gender stereotypes, and making cultural references. These rhetorical devices serve his larger goal of getting readers to reflect on how their childhoods formed their genders. “Maleness and femaleness seem “natural,” not the product of socialization.” (Devor 527) Throughout his article, he makes us wonder whether or not gender is recognized through socializing. To begin the piece, Devor takes an educational approach by giving us some background on
How weird would that be? Although there was a specific social category for these type of people, they were still revered, ignored, and sometimes scorned. Devor’s use of comparisons got me thinking about whether or not a social category like this would ever happen in the United States. My conclusion was a big fat no. As we all know, when we grow up, our physical characteristics change. Puberty as we call it, is the period during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction. Devor incorporates details on how as young kids, we learn the difference between boy and girl socially. “Very young children learn their culture’s social definitions of gender and gender identity at the same time that they learn what gender behaviors are appropriate for them.” (Devor 529) Many connections between young children and adults were made by Devor. Our parents teach us words, associate us with certain people, and dress us like a specific gender. Our brain processes this information and begins to develop our character. Devor gets us thinking about how our attitudes and the way we act have developed by giving us readers assuring, detailed statements. He states that, “Popular conceptions of femininity and masculinity instead revolve around hierarchical appraisals of the “natural” roles of males and females.” (Devor 531) After reading that sentence, the first thing that came to my