If Men Could Menstruate and The Great Lawsuit

Both essays were appealing to me with the different views each sex had on the other. Men tend to believe that they are superior to women as women tend to believe that they are just as good as the men but stayed home and did what the men said anyway. I think that Margaret Fuller's The Great Lawsuit took a much more traditional view as it was written in the 1800s. Gloria Steinem's If Men Could Menstruate was much more humorous and I believe it took a more modern view of our society's sexist issues.

I felt like I wasn't able to relate as well to Fuller's essay, but I agreed with one statement: "All men are privately influenced by women." If it wasn't for women, men would act differently and I believe they would have different characteristics. There wouldn't be the "man power" that men are known for and the so called manliness that is boasted. Fuller also mentioned women being shut out from the marketplace which was true when her essay was written; however, this traditional unfairness is no longer true. Women hold powerful jobs in today's economy and some even make important decisions for our country.

Transitioning to Steinem's essay, Steinem illustrates in her writing that women should have equality among men. Her idea of MENstruating isn't as quite far-fetched as it may seem. If men were to menstruate, they would consider it manly and would brag about it no doubt. A male's nature to boast anything that might give them an upper edge declaring superiority over someone else is inevitable. Steinem's way of present this well-known characteristic was funny and entertaining. The whole point was to give an example of how men would try to show women that they are better no matter the situation.

I think that today's society is very forgiving of sexes and as a whole we have developed a more equal playing field for women. In fact, men are even taking the traditional roles of women like being a stay at home dad, or nursing for example. Both essays explained the importance of equality and how it affects our daily lives.