The Men We Carry in Our Minds (Eng. 102)

In the essay written by Scott Russell Sanders, "The Men We Carry in Our Minds", triggered many different thoughts about the duties of men and women in society. Sanders made a number of references toward life of men around the mid century. He noted that men were basically work horses that slaved away all day long without any leisure time to spare. Women, on the other hand, seemed to have it easy off while they stayed at home with the children and took care of the household. Furthermore, when it came to the end of the day, it was the men who were responsible for making sure the bills were paid on time, food was on the table, the family was safe, and there was no room for mistakes.
Although, Sanders did mention that he grew up in a very rural area and as a young boy, he based his future life off of what he saw. Later though, once he moved away to a University, he was able to blend his views with those of the opposite sex that also came from wealthier backgrounds. Everything he believed was shattered from a one way of looking at life. He realized that not only men, but even women struggled to thrive and find contemptment in daily living. Sanders was also exposed to another spectum of life for men that lead to wealth and power. He was finally able to see a difference in destiny.
I must say that I see how Sanders assumed what he did growing up. Culture is learned by interaction of society and adapting to its way of living. He based his future by what he knew and was surrounded by. Yet, when he was able to take a step outside the world in which he knew, he quickly readjusted his thinking process and tried to understand from a different perspective which must have been a huge barrier. It was refreshing to see how well Sanders dealt with the situation when two cultures were brought to attention. Especially since its coming from a man's perspective. That's just my bias though :)