Premium Essay

Boys Don't Cry

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By ilazcano
Words 428
Pages 2
Itzel Lazcano
General Psychology
Professor Anna- Marie Rudek Spinos
!7 November 2015
Discovering Self-Identity As we grow older and become more aware of the social world, we often find ourselves learning and changing different preferences. Often times, this includes small quirks such as different foods we might have enjoyed at some point but grew out of or deeper insights such as self-discovery and learning what we stand for in life and tough situations. The complexity of this experience may vary for different people and is often a harder concept to fully grasp for ourselves but leads to shaping who we are and what differentiates us as human beings. To demonstrate, sexual orientation and gender identification has been a complicated journey for some to overcome. In the movie, Boys Don’t Cry, Brandon Teena struggles with these notions since he is biologically a female but would rather identify as a male. Teena undergoes a self makeover and ultimately changes her name into Brandon Teena from Teena Brandon. Although there are a variety of factors that attribute to his decision, including living in a small town with virtually nothing to do and no room for growth as well as having a carefree attitude full of law breaking and making poor choices, he ultimately just identifies as a male and is interested in women. In the film Brandon meets a woman, Lana, he begins to feel attracted to and who he deceives until one day he is discovered after he has been arrested and is put into the women’s jail raising many questions. Eventually he is discovered and is then raped and killed with no remorse by two male characters that envied Teena for his relationship with Lana. In psychology the development of gender is often looked at as a controversial topic mainly because of its complexity. It is evident in Teenas case that the resources were not there to help her through

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Boys Don't Cry

...Boys Don’t Cry The movie Boys Don’t Cry is a great movie with a very emotional storyline. I believe this movie showed that being transgender is not as uncommon as many people think it to be. Also, it illustrates the fact that even though someone is transgender it doesn’t make them any less of a human being. After discussing the movie with some of my classmates, I realized we had different feelings towards the movie. There were some things that didn’t quite make sense to them, but made perfect sense to me. For example, one of my classmates could not understand why Brandon continued to lie and deceive everyone. She thought if Brandon would have been honest from the beginning then he might still be alive. However, I disagree because I feel that Brandon wasn’t being dishonest to trick people or hurt others; I feel that he really thought of himself as a boy, so to him it wasn’t lying. Brandon was just trying to start over fresh in a new place and didn’t want to bring his past with him. I believe Brandon waited so long to come out because he knew he would not be accepted by his family. The movie showed how unsupportive his cousin was about his decision to become a boy. I truly believe that Brandon moved to another town to have a fresh start at life; there he had a greater chance of being accepted the way he was. Even after Brandon’s death his family still showed how unsupportive of him they were by putting, “Teena Brandon, loving daughter and friend” on his headstone. As...

Words: 514 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Sexuality and Hate Crimes

...Betty Waltermire Crime and Criminology JUS-110 January 18, 2014 Sexuality and Hate Crimes A hate crime is an act of abusing an individual because they are convenient, vulnerable targets incapable of fighting back or will not fight back. People in this category may include homeless, gay men, lesbian women, transgender, transsexuals, and transvestites. These are specific crimes that drive a person by violence or a strong and selfish desire to severely injure or kill a person because of who they are or what they stand for. From coast to coast and throughout America’s heartland the murders of innocent people are occurring because they are different. They may or may not look any different than anyone else in your school, in college, at work or your neighbor. They are our sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, cousins, mothers, fathers that are gay, lesbian, transgender, transsexual that are being targeted, beaten severely, and killed. Anna Marie Lambert drove up the driveway to the rented farmhouse to visit her daughter and grandson. Inside the house she found the grisly, brutal, bloody scene and called the police. She took the grandson away from the bedroom and out to the kitchen away from the bodies. The male on the living room couch was identified as Phillip DeVine, 19. In the bedroom was the body of her daughter Lisa Lambert, 24, who was partly under the covers. The third...

Words: 905 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Everything Stuck to Him

...story he is going to tell. “ I could tell you about something that happened, They were kids themselves, but they were crazy in love, this eighteen-year-old boy and this seventeen-year-old girl when they married. Not all that long afterwards they had a daughter. The baby came along in late November during a cold spell that just happened to coincide with the peak of the waterfowl season. The boy loved to hunt, you see. That’s part of it. The boy and girl, husband and wife, father and mother, they lived in a little apartment under a dentist’s office. Each night they cleaned the dentist’s place upstairs in exchange for rent and utilities. In summer they were expected to maintain the lawn and the flowers. In winter the boy shoveled snow and spread rock salt on the walks. Are you still with me? Are you getting the picture? I am, she says. That’s good, he says. So one day the dentist finds out they were using his letterhead for their personal correspondence. But that’s another story. He gets up from his chair and looks out the window. He sees the tile rooftops and the snow that is falling steadily on them. Tell the story, she says. The two kids were very much in love. On top of this they had great ambitions. They were always talking about the things they were going to do and the places they were going to go. Now the boy and girl slept in the bedroom, and the baby slept in the living room. Let’s say the baby was about three months old and had only just begun to sleep through...

Words: 1785 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Take a Look Back to Your Life Since Your Childhood, and Write Out Your Experiences About How Hard It Is for Your Parents to Bring You Up.

...A 5 years old boy finds himself sheltered by his father when his father carries him on his back in the 2 kilometers road back home in the night and tells him softly "I am ok", despite he fell off because of a pot-hole in the road An 8 years old son couldn’t feel the brave expectation from his father when he tells him " Lost in a fight, still crying? Next time don't cry after a fight, remember?" An 8 years old can remember forever a simple spelling lesson he was given by his father after reading his essay "People don't use "and" after a comma, you know?" A 12 years old son takes many years later to fully understand the lesson his father gave him when he play balls and lost. His father doesn’t mind giving him money to continue playing until he wins in a match. But he lost finally. His father waits until the evening and tells him "You should know when to stop. Don't just play when you feel you can" A 13 years old boy takes long time to know how psycho his father was when he want his son to have a close girl friend. When he finds out, the chance has lost. A 14 years old son knows that men can cry when he sees his father crying, but why his father cry is the thing he keeps in his mind secretly. A every ages boy can know he is everything to his father when he see his father proud of him everywhere, every time, despite with his immaturity thinking, he knows he is just a normal boy like other boys The biggest lesson about heartless...

Words: 608 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

The House on Mango Street

...friends on Mango Street. They are loud and sassy, just the opposite of Esperanza, but this is what she likes about them. Esperanza talks about her younger sister, Nenny, to whom she feels close in a strange way, even though sometimes they annoy each other. For example, when they visit a used furniture store and the owner plays a music box with music so beautiful Esperanza begins to cry, Nenny naively tries to buy the box. The man says it is not for sale, and Esperanza is embarrassed by her sister. Esperanza describes other people from the neighborhood. Meme Ortiz has a dog that is big and clumsy, just like him. Louie’s cousin got arrested for stealing a car. Marin is waiting for some rich man to find her and take her away from Mango Street. Esperanza understands that people feel scared when they come to Mango Street because the area is poor and they don’t know everyone there is harmless. But she also knows that her own community is scared when they go to other neighborhoods, too. She continues with her descriptions: the Vargas children are so numerous, and so out of control, that people don’t even try to prevent them...

Words: 1753 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Don T Give Up The Fight Courage Quotes

...In Making Sarah Cry and Don’t Give Up the Fight, they both have the common theme of courage. In Making Sarah Cry, Sarah uses courage to stand up for the bully that would call her names and make fun of her. In Don’t Give Up the Fight, Ava used courage by finally telling the principal about Jacob and Mr.McCoy. While both of these stories share a common theme, they use courage in different ways. In Making Sarah Cry, Sarah never stands up for herself when the bullies are mean to her. But in Don’t Give Up the Fight, Ava finally tells the principal about what’s been going on. In Making Sarah Cry, Sarah uses courage for herself and others. Sarah uses courage for herself because she never told the boys that bully her. She also uses courage by crying every time, but she would keep coming up to them. Sarah doesn’t only stick up for herself but she also had the courage to stick up for one of her bullies (the narrator). In Making Sarah Cry, Sarah sticks up for one of her bullies that be mean to her. She has courage because when the bullies were picking on (the narrator) she came up to the bullies and said, “Leave him alone you bullies, because he’s a friend of mine. Even though the narrator would pick on her when he was getting bullied...

Words: 418 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Gender Identity

...stereotypes that associate with each gender that help shape characters and who we are as well as who we will become. These stereotypes will be addressed as well as their importance. Biological factors play a huge role in shaping children's physical development. For instance, boys and girls are born with distinctive sexual organs, and become further differentiated when secondary sexual characteristics emerge upon puberty. Naturally occurring chemical messenger compounds in the body known as hormones are responsible for coordinating the appearance of these physical differences. Some research suggests that the same sex hormones that enable sexual organ differentiation in utero and which later trigger puberty also plays an important role in shaping gender identity. Boys tend to have more androgens (male sex hormones) than girls. However, some boys and girls are born with a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which causes them to have significantly higher levels of androgens than their non-affected peers (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathys, 2011). Scientists have studied children with CAH in order to understand how their extra androgen levels affect behavior. Boys with excess androgens play and behave much like normal male peers....

Words: 1084 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Acad Paper

...Pearl Sold to the Devils for Gold CHARACTERS * JOHN, right eye-blind boy, Paul’s almost little brother * PAUL, left leg-amputated boy, John’s almost big brother * BOSS, syndicate’s leader * SYNDICATE 1/ DOMINIQUE * SYNDICATE 2 * WAITRESS * BOY THIEF * POLICEMAN SCENE ONE Mid-morning, at the street SYNDICATE 1: I think were lucky today! SYNDICATE 2: Why? What’s the reason? SYNDICATE 1: See that kid….Standing near the store. SYNDICATE 2: Yeah! Yeah! I got you. [Syndicate 1 approaches the kid] SYNDICATE 1: Hey there kid! What’s your name? JOHN: I’m John. SYNDICATE 1: How old are you? JOHN: I’m six years old. SYNDICATE 1: Why are you alone? Where are your parents? JOHN: I lost them two years ago. SYNDICATE 1: What happened? JOHN: I can’t remember anything. SYNDICATE: Don’t you have any relatives or friends here? JOHN: I don’t have friends. SYNDICATE 1: Why? You know what, friends give each other gifts. JOHN: Like what? SYNDICATE 1: Like chocolates. Do you want some? JOHN: Uhuh… SYNDICATE 1: Does it taste good? I have more chocolates do you want some more? JOHN: You have more? Do you have lots of it in your pocket? SYNDICATE 1: Yes! But a friend of mine has lots of it in his house. JOHN: Really? She must be rich! How lucky, I wish I was like her…rich… eating all those chocolates. SYNDICATE 1: I’ll introduce you to her. Don’t be afraid, she’s friendly especially to kids who are lonely like you. JOHN: You think so...

Words: 2829 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Honesty

...Gender Differences in Perception of Masculinity in Men’s Crying I. INTRODUCTION Masculinity means being inexpressive and unemotional. Men are not expected to cry, to be sad or to be vulnerable (Forisha, 1978). According to the traditional stereotype being masculine means being assertive, being interested in things, rather than people, being analytical and manipulative, and being able to “get things done” (Forisha, 1978) Femininity and masculinity or one's gender identity refers to the degree to which persons see themselves as masculine given what it means to be a man or woman in society. (Burke, Stets and Pirog-Good 1988; Spence 1985) A person with a more masculine identity should act more masculine, that is, engage in behaviors whose meanings are more masculine such as behaving in a more dominant, competitive, and autonomous manner (Ashmore, Del Boca, and Wohlers 1986). Men are more likely than women to feel ashamed of crying. There are variations in degree, but this indicates that social norms restricting male crying may be pretty much universal. Male crying being generally discouraged from an early age, while female crying is accepted or even rewarded (Fox, 2004). Men cry less frequently and intensely than women, and this sex difference is especially marked for crying in response to anger. (Santiago-Menez & Campbelle, February, 2013) The history of men crying, men have always cried. Yet the acceptability of male crying has varied across...

Words: 3268 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Warriors Don't Cry

...Warriors Don’t Cry Warriors Don’t Cry is a true first-hand account of what Melba Pattillo Beals experienced in her junior year at Little Rock Central High School. Her story takes place in 1957, being one of the Little Rock nine to be integrated into the public school system. Initially there were seventeen students that were going to integrate but due to violence and threats the number was decreased to nine. Throughout the book, Melba tells us what life is like being one of the nine. She had to bear telephone threats, physical abuse, and huge violent mobs, among many other things. Her high school experience was unlike anything anyone could imagine. Melba Beals overcame many obstacles both mental and physical, but is truly a warrior and a hero. At a time of weakness, Melba is reminded by her Grandmother that she is one of God’s warriors. She was upset that she wasn’t going to be able to go to the Community Center that her crush was going to be at. Her Grandmother India knew the risk of her going to the Community Center and only wanted what was best for her safety. She ran to her room and began to weep because what she was going through wasn’t fair to her. She was missing out on all the things a young high school girl loves doing. Her Grandmother told her, “God’s warriors don’t cry, ‘cause they trust that he’s always by their side” (Beals, 57). Melba being told as a young girl that she wasn’t allowed to cry because it displayed her weakness demonstrations the amount of thick...

Words: 914 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Eced

...her parents. She wanted to look for her mother. She didn’t want to do anything as other children did. She just wanted to look for her mom. She put her self in a tower. As she was up there she started to talk to the birds as they came up to her. Then she started to see things in the air that reminded her of her mother. Then came a bird with stars and she went up there, they say she went with her mother. These animals helped her. I believe this book could be for 3rd graders. This book believe to be a hero book because the animals kept reminding her about her mom. It is believe they had reunited together as one. They also just gave her to believe her mom was with her at all times. Shah, Idries. The Clever Boy and Terrible Dangerous Animal (2008) This story is about a little boy that is going to visit a village. As he was walking to the village he ran into some people that were really scared. He had asked why they were scared they just pointed and said that animal right...

Words: 1626 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Standing Up In Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry

...Standing Up Even When People Are Against You In the 1930s segregation was a big problem and some people were too afraid to speak up for what's right. Especially black families who weren't getting things equal as the whites did. In the book Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, a black family is fighting for equal rights with everything they do. In Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry standing up for what's right is a huge theme that emerges. One Example is when Papa and Mr. Morrison are willing to stand up for something that's not right. Papa and Mr. Morrison hear about tj and want to help him. Papa even says "if I don't bring my gun, they'll hang tj, and he just happened to be the fool to trigger their madness, fool or not I can't watch...

Words: 434 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

My Life

...Best Day of My Life | Jimmy Johnson 7/20/2013 | We awoke that morning like we have ever other day . We got out of bed wiped the sleep from our eyes and slowly made our way to the kitchen. I asked my wife if she wanted to go get some breakfast, knowing she didn’t want to cook and neither did I. “Sure”, my wife Catherine said. “Alright, let’s get dress and Ill load up the car and we will go.” I told her. We decided on just going to Big Boy’s because it was on the way. We ordered our food and made small talk while we waited for it to be brought to the table. “Do you think when our baby boy is born you will cry?” Catherine asked. I looked at her with a smile on my face and told her, “You know I don’t cry. Not that there is nothing wrong with that. I just don’t get emotional like that.” “I figure you would say that. Well I am probably going to cry just so you know”, she said back to me and then smiled. “I know you will, it’s going to be a great day.” Our food arrived and we sat there and ate. We were making more small talk both knowing that later that day she would be in labor, and it wasn’t going to be fun for her. Walking into the hospital knowing that in roughly 24 hours I would be responsible for another human beings life really hadn’t sunk in yet. My wife and I decided a week earlier after carefully consideration from her doctor that she would undergo a procedure to induce labor. As we walked through the hospital doors, we saw a little...

Words: 1015 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Love Letter

...you wish that I don’t know you. I want you to know that I will try to figure out who you are, I’ve always liked to know who I am writing to and I’m sorry for that. I promise that if I find you, I will not approach you, I will simply leave the replies to your letters for you, I may see you but you won’t see me. Promise me not to be mad, please? I will always reply to your letters, I believe that’s what you should do with letters, don’t you? As you tell me about your life, I will tell you about mine. I can already tell that we may be more similar than you may think and have experienced events in our short lives that may also be similar. I’m sorry to hear about your friend Michael, I can only imagine how his suicide has affected you. I have never experienced the loss of someone to suicide, although I have lost family members who were very close to me. I’ve seen school counsellors who tell me that “time heels grief and the pain”, but some days I wonder if the grief and pain will ever go away. I hope you never think of killing or hurting yourself Charlie, you appear to be an intellectual person, who many people would miss if you were gone. I think it’s good to cry, not all the time and for no reason, but sometimes things hurt so badly that we can’t help but cry. I know after I’ve had a cry, I often feel better. Like you I also have siblings, both are girls, although my dad remarried and had an extra nine children. I don’t often see my dad as I don’t like how I get...

Words: 1051 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Boys vs. Girls

...besides the obvious, differentiates the genders. Lance: Are behavior deviations a product of societal expectations or something more deeply hard-wired from birth via hormones and DNA? There’s still a lot we don’t understand about the relationship between gender and behavior, and even more regarding gender and education. Angela: Today, we invite some guests that will share their point of views, opinions and reactions regarding both genders. Lance: We have students from University of the Philippines. And let’s see who will stand among them. Lance: From girls, we have Nicole Bernal, Angeli De Leon, and Jozelle Gonida. Angela: From boys, we also have Steven Evangelio, Ricky Park, and Mel Lloren. Angela: Ok, to start the face off. Let me know who do you think among you is smarter? This has been a worldwide controversy notion since the beginning of creation. Let’s start with the girls.. Juicy: For me, we girls are way smarter because we are deep thinkers and imaginative. We are much better than boys mentally speaking. We think before we act and we remain calm in crisis. Angeli: Yes yes and Boys on the other hand tend to reason things out and find practical solutions to problems. They don’t waste time and they like to hit the subject right away. That’s why boys don’t like to chat for hours on the phone without a goal. Mel: Yeah.. That’s because we are goal-oriented, this means that we tend to reason. Our nature forced us to be reasoning creatures. A conversation should...

Words: 1450 - Pages: 6