In Being a Man, Paul Theroux argues that the modern world has made manliness an insult to a man. Paul, as a man, understands that he and all the other men are forced into a stereotype where once a boy turns into a man, he cannot go back to that lifetime. Theroux later compares this pain he has endured to same pain women have when they are to be the stereotypical feminine woman.
Theroux predominantly uses an emotional appeal of pathos to effectively convey his argument across his audience. Pathos is seen when he mentions feeling personally insulted by society’s view of masculinity when he uses powerful negative connotative diction. Some phrases he emphasizes about a boy are to be “stupid, unfeeling, obedient, soldierly and stop thinking.” But once they are grown up, they are to be the perfect
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All these terms make the audience understand his point of view on the topic of manliness and how it is destroying playfulness within the human mind. Theroux also uses logos when he brings women into the stereotypical world. He informs his audience that women too are classified to only become one thing and always in need of a man. Both women and men are on the same boat, he had said, as they both their minds think and listen to the world around them, making them conclude that they must be the “perfect” person for their minds to be at peace. Theroux not only uses appeals to disclose his criticism, but also uses a variety of rhetorical elements of figurative language, specifically hyperbole and allusion. A hyperbole is used when Theroux exaggerates upon describing the manly attitude toward sports, comparing it to bad marriages, social misfits,