Gender (Articles & Essays)
Preview of the Readings
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail
Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny.
Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson
etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of
history, we were here.
Henry David Thoreau, Where I Lived, and What I Lived For
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential
facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to
die, discover that I had not lived.
Richard Rodriguez, Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood
Memory teaches me what I know of these matters; the boy reminds the adult. I was a
bilingual child, a certain kind — socially disadvantaged — the son of working-class
parents, both Mexican immigrants.
Ellen Goodman, The Family That Stretches (Together)
So, our families often extend along lines that are determined by decrees, rather than
genes. If the nucleus is broken, there are still links forged in different directions.
Lori Arviso Alvord, Walking the Path between Worlds
The outside, non-Indian world is tribeless, full of wandering singular souls, seeking
connection through societies, clubs, and other groups. White people know what it is to
be a family, but to be a tribe is something of an altogether different sort.
Robert D. Putnam, Health and Happiness
Countless studies document the link between society and psyche: people who have
close friends and confidants, friendly neighbors, and supportive co-workers are less
likely to experience sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, and problems with eating and
sleeping . . . for in study after study people themselves report that good relationships
with family members, friends, or romantic partners — far more than money or
fame — are prerequisites for their happiness.
Dinaw Mengestu, Home at Last
I’ve known only a few people, however, that have grown up with the oddly
permanent feeling of having lost and abandoned a home that you never, in fact,
really knew, a feeling that has nothing to do with apartments, houses, or miles, but
rather the sense that no matter how far you travel, or how long you stay still, there is
no place that you can always return to, no place where you fully belong.
Scott Brown, Facebook Friendonomics
We scrawl “Friends Forever” in yearbooks, but we quietly realize, with relief, that
some bonds are meant to be shed, like snakeskin or a Showtime subscription. It’s
nature’s way of allowing you to change, adapt, evolve, or devolve as you wish —
and freeing you from the exhaustion of multifront friend maintenance.
Malcolm Gladwell, Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted
There is strength in weak ties. . . . Our acquaintances — not our friends — are our
greatest source of new ideas and information. The Internet lets us exploit the power
of these kinds of distant connections with marvelous efficiency. . . . But weak ties
seldom lead to high-risk activism.