Comparative Critique
September 27, 2011
Comparative Critique Draft of “My Problem with Her Anger” and “The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was” In the articles “My Problem with Her Anger” and The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was,” authors Eric Bartels, feature writer for the Portland Tribune in Portland, Oregon, and Hope Edelman, nonfictional writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Seventeen magazine, discuss the roles they play within their family and what the other partner is lacking. They express their discontent regarding their wives and the activities they perform domestically. Wives have an image of what they want their family to be like, but according to the traditional American families, the gender roles of “nurturer’ and “provider” are ingrained within everyone. This is not the case in today’s struggle for individualism. Despite countless efforts by American females to be liberated from their male counterparts and the perceived natural domestic image, in some cases, such as Edelman and Bartels, it is inevitable that they end up with gender roles such as those in the idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950’s. According to examples seen in the idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950’s, wives handle domestic life whereas husbands retain financial support. Edelman shows how fixed gendered work is in our society. Even though many women feel liberated and inspired to be independent from their husbands, more often than not, these women still end up doing most of the domestic work and end up as stay at home moms (323). Edelman discusses the challenges that married couples face when trying to find a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. Edelman uses her own marriage as her example in her article, in which her husband works ninety-two hours a week and she is forced to put aside her dreams temporarily to support her children at home (321). Like Bartels, she feels neglected by her spouse.
Comparative Critique Draft of “My Problem with Her Anger” and “The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was” In the articles “My Problem with Her Anger” and The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was,” authors Eric Bartels, feature writer for the Portland Tribune in Portland, Oregon, and Hope Edelman, nonfictional writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Seventeen magazine, discuss the roles they play within their family and what the other partner is lacking. They express their discontent regarding their wives and the activities they perform domestically. Wives have an image of what they want their family to be like, but according to the traditional American families, the gender roles of “nurturer’ and “provider” are ingrained within everyone. This is not the case in today’s struggle for individualism. Despite countless efforts by American females to be liberated from their male counterparts and the perceived natural domestic image, in some cases, such as Edelman and Bartels, it is inevitable that they end up with gender roles such as those in the idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950’s. According to examples seen in the idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950’s, wives handle domestic life whereas husbands retain financial support. Edelman shows how fixed gendered work is in our society. Even though many women feel liberated and inspired to be independent from their husbands, more often than not, these women still end up doing most of the domestic work and end up as stay at home moms (323). Edelman discusses the challenges that married couples face when trying to find a balance between responsibilities at work and at home. Edelman uses her own marriage as her example in her article, in which her husband works ninety-two hours a week and she is forced to put aside her dreams temporarily to support her children at home (321). Like Bartels, she feels neglected by her spouse.
Cited: Bartels, Eric. “My Problem with Her Anger.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 10th ed. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard Rosen. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 328-333. Print. Edelman, Hope. “The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 10th ed. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard Rosen. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 320-327. Print.