Brent Stereotypes And Turkeys In The Kitchen

Narratives can teach readers how to connect different stories by discovering the themes of each one. Each author has a different argument and message their trying to tell but however the similar themes can connect. In Brent Staples “Just a walk on by: Black men in public space” and Dave Barry “Turkeys in the kitchen” each author tries to prove their argument of why certain stereotypes affect them and how they feel about it. Brent staples discusses the stereotype of black men being profiled as criminals. Within his narrative, Staples talks about accounts where he would be walking down the street just like a normal person and a white woman ahead of him would run away and cross the street to escape from him. Not because Staples did something to

Dave Barry “Turkeys in the kitchen” is one of the many narratives that men talk about how they have been prejudiced against. A quote from Barry’s narrative would be “Well you can cut the turnips… it was the absolute simplest thing she can think of.” The meaning of this quote is the stereotype that men do not belong in the kitchen like women do. They must be instructed to do the harder tasks so they are given “simple things” to do. Barry refers cutting the turnips as a simple task because it doesn’t need much instruction to do so the men were told to do so. In fact this relates to a very common stereotype within today’s society. An article from Health Guidance states that from birth we are automatically stereotyped into a category being born male or female. One of the most common stereotypes about women is that they are expected to cook and do housework. As young girls they were brought up playing with dolls and that they women stay and take care of the babies and the men go out to work. It is very surprising to see how we have been raised up into a stereotype and it has defined who we will become. One of the most common stereotypes about men is basically vice versa. Men are taught as young to be tough and like to play with trucks and dinosaurs. They are not expected to do house work and take care of the children. It has always been presumed that men are okay with that and it is just not true. Each person is unique in their own way. Regardless of stereotypes and how we were raised, each individual decides who they want to become. Dave Barry touches on the fact that he was unhappy on how he was treated in the kitchen that day. Not only did he want to help out in the kitchen but also being welcomed in as equal in knowledge meant a lot. Being demeaned as less knowledgeable because your a man in the kitchen and being a women expected to stay in the kitchen because she doesn’t belong outside is