About Men- Essay Analysis

1. Gretel Ehrlich’s “About Men” essay was written in order to identify and expose the incorrect stereotypes of cowboys. Her main purpose is to put an end to the stereotype that cowboys are rough and rowdy. Her goal is to show that the men she knows are kind, have a good work ethic, love their wives as much as their animals, and above all, have a soft personality.
2.  Ehrlich uses is a simile as a rhetorical strategy in order to accomplish her goal. She uses a quote that an old timer gave her which accurately portrays her purpose. She says, “cowboys are just like a pile of rocks- everything happens to them. They get climbed on, kicked, rained and snowed on, scuffed up by wind. Their job is just to take it”. This helps her achieve her overall purpose because it reveals the true nature of cowboys. They may get beat up, they may be rough around the edges, but at the end of the day, they take it like a man and get back up again. They have a type of resilience that keeps them going. The quote exposes the stereotypes that are mentioned at the beginning of the story. This is important to keep in mind as Ehrlich continues to write because she goes further in depth about how cowboys have amazing character. The quote speaks to their character.
3. I agree with Ehrlich because I do think that men can easily be stereotyped. She writes in order to put this stereotype to an end. Our society today is quick to put stereotypes on many people. An example of stereotyping can be seen everywhere outside of Linfield. Many times, when I tell people what school I go to, they make assumptions about what kind of person I am. People my age may think that because I’m a Christian, I’m less fun to be around. I think it’s important for those people to understand that Christianity has changed over time and can actually be very different to what they think they might know.