that males slowly began to loose the vision of what a man was and what were his responsibilities. The woman’s right movement of the sixties forever changed man, being the most significant event in the female gender’s quest for equality. The woman’s typical role of being the standard housewife/caregiver was changed to whatever they set their sites on. The woman’s right movement also brought upon men to start contemplating feminine issues, which is commonly referred to as getting in touch with your feminine side. Changing times also brought the war in Vietnam, which also shaped the young male way of thinking. If being a man meant going to war to sacrifice your life for God and country, who would want to be a part of it (Bly 339). These events strengthen Bly’s perspective on the changing American man by showing the cause and explaining the effect. Bly’s perspective of the ideal man is represented perfectly by the use of a metaphor involving Odysseus from the book “The Odyssey” by Homer. “He is to lift or show his sword,” (Bly 340) metaphorically the sword represents masculinity. Bly is putting into perspective that the ideal man should be able to raise his sword, show his masculinity, and yet know the difference between raising the sword and thrusting the sword. Bly concludes that the ideal modern man should balance being receptive, keeping in touch with his softness or feminine side and yet preserve the strength to raise the sword, and that the journey that lies ahead will shape man into perfection (Bly 341).Men’s suffrage? Many would disagree with this notion. That is why Bly’s writings must create a synergy with the reader so that his argument is both credible and persuasive. His argument is a good one, it gets his point across very well. Yet, to strengthen issue he shouldn’t clarify that he is by and large only speaking to heterosexuals, yet it can also app...
