Which is harder- keeping a relationship going or getting out of a relationship? While “Tips for Women: How to Have a Relationship with a Guy” by Dave Barry gives advice to women about the key to a successful relationship, “It’s So Hard” by Wanda Sykes discusses the struggle of getting out of a relationship. Barry and Sykes both use exaggerated truths and metaphors to create a laughable atmosphere for their readers. However, “Tips for Women” is funnier because Barry uses a man’s ignorance to justify the hardships of a relationship; on the other hand, “It’s So Hard” portrays one’s significant other as insensitive and uses crude humor, which makes the passage less comical.
In the first section of “Tips for Women,” Barry discusses the communication
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In a matter of fact, he says, “[a] hamster is much more capable of making a lasting commitment to a woman, especially if she gives it those little food pellets” (Barry 332). The author makes the comparison between men and an animal to display the truth in a man’s fear of commitment.
In addition, Barry claims that men are born with a mental condition called, “The Fear That If You Get Attached to a Woman, Some Unattached Guy, Somewhere, Will Be Having More Fun Than You” (Barry 332). Barry informs married men that being single is not as glorious as it seems. He warns that being single consists of “watching an infomercial for Hair-in-a-Spray-Can while eating onion dip straight from the container” (Barry 332). The author uses this completely unreal condition and metaphor to make the truth comical.
Lastly, Barry informs women to never make a man feel threatened. To get his point across to the reader, he provides a chart of threatening and non-threatening responses for particular situations. In one specific instance, a man and woman are getting married, and the vows are recited. According to Barry, a threatening response would be “I do,” while “[w]ell, sure, but not literally” is a non-threatening response (Barry 334). This example also demonstrates that a man feels threatened when a woman wants to make a commitment. Ultimately, Barry uses this instance to show a man’s stupidity yet