“Being a man is more than being male”

I mentioned in my previous post that one of the things that I like about Tupac’s ‘Dear Mama’ is that the son’s admiration for his mother reveals a softer, more perceptive side of masculinity than is usually showcased in pop culture.

In my ‘Poetic representations of gender’ unit I want to follow ‘Dear Mama’ with Amir  Sulaiman’s spoken word poem ‘She said‘ (see also here).  In this poem, the male speaker shows great empathy for the female experience, admiration for his mother’s sacrifices when raising him, and insight into the role of men in our society.  As flagged by the title of the this post, I am particularly taken by the line in which the poet proclaims “I know being a man is more than being male, and I’m focused on doing it right.”  The idea that men have important roles to play in relationships, families and society is a message that students should hear and internalize.