Hananeel T.

Rapanan Assessment 3
2022106937 MEDIA109 | Gender and Society

1. Which one of the poems put women in a disadvantage? Why?

 Nancy’s poem in 1973 clearly disregards the hardships women go

through in their everyday lives, comparing it to men who, in my own

words, seemingly have a harder time and struggles with more weight

than that of the women population. Understandable that it was written

in the 1970’s, there is that outdated perspective for the women that

they should be controlled and need supervision, being marked with the

concept that they are vulnerable and fragile. This poem stereotypes

and categorizes men and women into their own lanes, that the world is

just a place of blue and pink, there is no in-between. In this sense, it

truly lessens the value of what women goes through everyday and just

opens up that the men have it harder, which is obviously not true,

especially considering at this day and age that there are no other tasks

that have more weight than the other, rather we do not look at it

anymore as if the individual boasts it as a badge of honor.

2. Which of the poems put men in a disadvantage? Why?

 Compared to the previous poem, this now mocks the hardship men

goes through compared to that of the women. The author seemingly

did not change any of the struggles of women, rather they added two

more lines about them and something that strikes me is the fact that it

does not sound like a poem anymore, but a propaganda. A forced

perspective and mockery of men’s struggles, though validating that

Hananeel T. Rapanan Assessment 3
2022106937 MEDIA109 | Gender and Society
they benefit off of the women’s struggles and what they do in order for

men not to be put off the pedestal. In this way, we get to see the niche

of life for men, which is caused by the efforts of their counterparts, and

puts them to waste by enjoying it without any sort of consolation for the

women, treating them as low-class workers. That is why, contrast to

the previous sentences, it’s mockery of the enjoyed life of luxury of

men is put to shame and perfect for allowing the men to realize how

much all of their benefits and rewards are given because of women.

3. What does Bonino et al would like to emphasize on?

 Bonito, along with their fellow authors, Leal, Lozoya, and Szil, wants to

emphasize that men tends to overexaggerate their roles that they

seem to place themselves on a higher level in which women cannot

and would not be able to reach, just because they’ve been stigmatized

and categorized to stay in their lane, of being the caretaker of the

house and simply a display of status in order for men to retain his

image or privilege. In this poem, they emphasized how men are so

pathetic if the women were not working for their own sake, and they

are only a byproduct. Unfortunately, it is a symbiotic relationship

wherein the male is the only one that benefits and does not exchange

their own skills, leaving only the women to work and be interpreted as

if what they are doing are for the sake of men.

4. Which of the poems is better challenging gender roles?

Hananeel T. Rapanan Assessment 3
2022106937 MEDIA109 | Gender and Society
 Obviously, it is Bonino et al’s work. Because of their mockery and

humorous attack on the men’s comfort zone placed upon by women, it

gives them awareness that they too should have the mandatory and

the sense to give back what they receive for the women, and let them

relax for a change, and in that sense we reverse the gender roles into

“For Every Man, There Is A Woman…” In my opinion, it sounds a lot

better because even men can be the one that supports the women by

doing all their work for them, allowing the women to express

themselves and obtain their place among the men as well, not under

them, but as an equal. This would allow us, men specifically, how we

can still be challenged and it only took pretentiousness and

comfortability through the work of the women for us to change and

become a better representation of the society of males. Although, we

cannot invalidate Nancy Smith’s poem, it merely needs to be updated

because we’ve come to a point where it took us 50 plus years that

women too can also do what other men do, and sometimes even

better, and that is okay. While some men may be threatened, I think it

is considerably safe to say that even men who are in the workplace

community are proud to be able to work alongside a woman and thus

gives them equal footing, knowing that gender does not define the

status and the privilege of a person, but merely the show of their skills

and the dedication to rise above the challenge provided to them,

regardless of gender.
Hananeel T. Rapanan Assessment 3
2022106937 MEDIA109 | Gender and Society
5. How can we make the poem of Nancy Smith better? Explain thoroughly your

point or points.

 Nancy Smith’s poem merely needs to keep up with the times, that it is

not only men we acknowledge that goes through the day and finishes

the day famished, fatigued, and needing a rest. Many of the women

today are even the majority of a working body, making up most of the

working force and is now considered to be an integral part of a system

that fully depends on the efficiency of the productivity of the people.

Something that I would like to change that is different from the take of

Bonino’s team is how the mockery of the men can be toned down,

instead of the attack on the masculine gender, it should expressed in

such a way that does not discourage them, but rather allow them to

see for themselves the struggles of the woman and how we, the

obligation of man, can be of help to them by offering ourselves as

support and a helping hand, if they need one. The important thing we

can emphasize on that is that they now have a choice, and that choice

is up for them, and up for the men, on what they want to do moving

forward. Either to stick to the past and refuse change, or start it

ourselves by stepping down and letting women feel the spotlight, and

for us not to feel what they had to feel, not to pity, not to look down on

them, but to encourage and strengthen them, helping them realize they

were always more than who they were before.