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  • Essay / Comparison of Gary Soto and Deborah Tannen's views on stereotypes and being personal

    “Everyone is unique and every experience is different,” as quoted by Gloria Steinem, journalist. A person's mindset changes frequently as they grow, whether it's cultural traditions or social environment, everyone can express themselves differently. Writer Gary Soto writes about his uncertain future in "Like the Mexicans" and compares his culture to his wife's Japanese origins. In “Gender in the Classroom,” Deborah Tannen discusses the differences between men and women in the classroom. Soto and Tannen's two perspectives on experience provide a common stereotypical view of how sexual predispositions, conversational style, and cultural context can lead to a false assumption about a person's being. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Men are not likely to give comforting advice to his friends. In "Like the Mexicans", Gary's father and brother had almost no say in his quest for marriage. Although Gary never had a strong relationship with these two, his attitude began to change when he was able to meet his best friend Scott and they talked about "school and albums". Scott gives Gary's marriage advice: "She's too good for you, so you'd better not do it." This behavior was similar when he spoke to his mother and grandmother about his marriage. “Well, of course, if you want to marry him, you're trapped in the poor boy's mind, distracting him from math and cultural geography problems” from Gary's mother and a somewhat similar response from the grandmother. Gary's mother "Bad advice and good advice." Overall, a women's conversation is more relevant and comfortable for women who want to share stories and perspectives. Depending on gender, behaviors can change based on their principles and beliefs. From the beginning of “Like the Mexicans,” Soto was unsure if he would marry the right girl with the same ethnicity and economic status as him. It was only after experiencing his wife's lifestyle that Gary finally took it upon himself to protect his love life from the demanding responses and demands of his family/friend. In comparison, “Gender in the Classroom” Tannen experiments with male and female voices in the classroom. Unlike “like Mexicans,” men can also be measured against a female student. Tannen believes that men are leaders and not afraid to speak up during class discussions, but when it comes to personal topics, women prefer to speak more than men. This event is similar to "Like the Mexicans" in which Gary's mother and grandmother discussed more personal topics with Gary than with his father or brother. People who have knowledge from personal experience can interact more with others. In "Like Mexicans", Gary's grandmother advised Gary to marry someone with the same background as him. Her grandmother's conversational style is defined throughout "Like the Mexicans." The author also expresses his view of marriage with traditional family views. Gary's grandmother constantly remembers the wedding. In contrast, in “Gender in the Classroom,” the author separates the conversation styles of men and women. Tannen thinks men are likely to speak up during discussions. However, in "Like Mexican", Gary didn't have many male friends to express his thoughts to aside from his best friend Scott..