MUSIC, LITERATURE, POPULAR CULTURE
So. Upon my first google search, I found a lot of material. As I had imagined, this question has been around for a while, and people have tried to answer it in many ways. I found a couple of songs about what a man looks like, two of which I have decided to mention here.
First, I found "whatta man" by Salt n Pepa. In this song, the singer describes what makes her man a man. A lot of it is very on-the-surface and does cover what a lot of people think a man should be...
...My man is smooth like Barry, and his voice got bass
A body like Arnold with a Denzel face...
A body like Arnold with a Denzel face...
...My man gives real loving that's why I call him Killer
He's not a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, he's a thriller
He takes his time and does everything right
Knocks me out with one shot for the rest of the night
He's a real smooth brother, never in a rush
And he gives me goose pimples with every single touch
Spends quality time with his kids when he can
Secure in his manhood cuz he's a real man
A lover and a fighter and he'll knock a knucker out
Don't take him for a sucker cuz that's not what he's about
Every time I need him, he always got my back
Never disrespectful cuz his mama taught him that...
http://www.lyricsdepot.com/salt-n-pepa/whatta-man.html
There's also some attention towards being strong without being violent, and there's a tinge of what feels like faithfulness and respect in this man, but most of this song is about... something.
I find it interesting that he only spends time with his kids "when he can," but he seems to have plenty of time to pleasure the singer enough so that more babies might come into the picture.
Moving on... I found another song by a group called "The Four Tops"
A man can walk proudly down in the street
A man’s not ashamed of what he believes
He knows how to laugh, he knows when to cry
He knows how to live, he’s not afraid to die
What is a man? What is a man? What is a man? What is a man?
A man searches for the key to success
He’d rather be sure than make a wild guess
He knows how to love, he knows how to hate
He knows when to move and he knows just when to wait
What is a man? What is a man? What is a man? What is a man?
A man can be angry and still hold his tongue
A man don’t give up till the battle is won
He knows how to win, he’s not ashamed to lose
He knows his destiny, he doesn’t take long to choose
What is a man? What is a man? What is a man? What is a man?
What is a man? Just what is a man? What is a man?
http://www.metrolyrics.com/what-is-a-man-lyrics-four-tops.html
I liked this song a lot better. It explored the characteristics of a man more extensively than the previous one did. And I'll leave it at that.
Let's move on to Literature. In my preliminary search on Google, I found a part of Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which Hamlet questions what a man is. He says:
Hamlet:
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in cation how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals--and yet,
to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me--
nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so
Rosencrantz:
My lord, there was no such stuff in my thoughts.
Hamlet explores that man is the best thing God created, with angel-like actions and god-like understanding. Yet, man is not enough to impress Hamlet (this last part has more to do with Hamlet's issues in the play, and not the definition of man. So, in short, what can be learned from this is that man is amazing.)
Then, a friend and reader of mine sent me a very helpful lead. He sent me "If" by Rudyard Kipling. This poem is great.
Then, a friend and reader of mine sent me a very helpful lead. He sent me "If" by Rudyard Kipling. This poem is great.
IF
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/if/
According to Kipling, becoming a man involves a great deal of maturity and control. This was possibly the most useful source so far. Thank you Bradley!
Finally, I found a meme dealing with the definition of man.
is said by Dracula in a Castlevania video game. It became popular because of the over-the-top voice acting. I found no help in this for my project, except the knowledge that
a) the definition of man is still a part of modern thought today, and
b) not all definitions are positive and/or optimistic
So. It's about time I end this post. this is what I've got so far. I have some recommendations and an idea of where to look next. However, if you would like to help along the way, remember that the comment box and my email inbox are always open for you! Thanks for sticking with me so far. Stay tuned for Exposition II.
"What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!"
is said by Dracula in a Castlevania video game. It became popular because of the over-the-top voice acting. I found no help in this for my project, except the knowledge that
a) the definition of man is still a part of modern thought today, and
b) not all definitions are positive and/or optimistic
So. It's about time I end this post. this is what I've got so far. I have some recommendations and an idea of where to look next. However, if you would like to help along the way, remember that the comment box and my email inbox are always open for you! Thanks for sticking with me so far. Stay tuned for Exposition II.
yay.
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