English IO

1(a) The Global Issue: Men - problem then Women - problem

My global issue is the impact of social constructs of gender. This is a significant area for investigation because these constructs create rigid, often harmful expectations that dictate how individuals should behave, feel, and appear in society. By examining these standards, we can better understand how they lead to internalized oppression for women and the suppression of vulnerability in men.

1(b) Introduction of Works: TTTC + LZ Car

To explore this, I will examine two works. First, the literary work The Things They Carried (TTTC) by Tim O’Brien, which highlights the negative effects of societal standards for men, particularly in the context of war. Second, a body of work consisting of cartoons by Liza Donnelly, which depicts the female struggle against these constructs and the resulting internalized oppression.

1(c) Contextualizing the First Work: Setting - pych - masc

The Things They Carried is a collection of related stories about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. Writing for a broad audience, O'Brien uses the setting of war to explore the psychological burdens of masculinity.

2(a) Extract Point 1: Expression of Fear - Alliteration - diverse roles pysch weight

In the extract, the impact of gender constructs is conveyed through the soldiers' inability to express fear. O’Brien describes them as carrying "the common secret of cowardice". The alliteration here emphasizes that despite their diverse roles and the different physical items they carry, their shared burden is this psychological weight. This highlights that they feel they cannot show hesitation because of the rigid social construct of the "brave soldier".

2(b) Extract Point 2: Implication of Judgment - freedom - unhealthy - irony

The global issue creates a sense of being trapped. O’Brien writes that the men "dreamed of freedom birds," symbolizing the jumbo jets that would take them away from Vietnam. The word "freedom" implies they are prisoners of their situation, forced into war by the fear of social judgment. Furthermore, the phrase "quick, sweet, pain"—referring to self-inflicted wounds to escape service—shows the unhealthy consequences of these constructs. The irony of describing self-harm as "sweet" illustrates how desperate the men are to escape a role they never wanted.

2(c) Extract Point 3: Forced Acceptance - Slavery - Reputaitions - metaphor - laborers

Finally, the construct of gender creates a form of "slavery" where men must accept their fate without complaint. O'Brien notes that their reputations "could never be put down," requiring "perfect balance and perfect posture". This metaphor suggests that societal expectations of men as "laborers" or "protectors" are an exhausting, constant performance that leaves no room for their actual humanity.

3(a) & 3(b) Link to Whole Work: Public Eye - TP - failiure of masculinity

Across the rest of the novel, we see how this judgment is omnipresent in the public eye. For instance, the character O'Brien fears being called a "treasonous pussy" or a "sissy" by people in his hometown if he flees to Canada. This shows that gender constructs aren't just relevant on the battlefield; they are enforced by everyday society, where caring about one’s own life is viewed as a failure of masculinity.

4(a) & 4(b) Introduction & Context: Gender constructs - satire - PP

Turning to the non-literary body of work, Liza Donnelly’s cartoons explore how gender constructs impact women globally. Her work uses satire to challenge the polarized perceptions of how women should dress and behave across different cultures.

8(a) Extract Point 1: Villainization of Clothing In the chosen cartoon - PV - Burqa - reveal - arrestable Protection

, Donnelly highlights the "polarized villainization" of women based on their clothing. By positioning a woman in a bikini next to a woman in a burqa, she creates a contrast that exposes the irony of both being "arrestable" in different countries. Whether for wearing too much or too little, the end result is the same: the state maintains social order by regulating the female body under the guise of "protection"

8(b) Extract Point 2: Male vs. State Gaze Art MG Value reduced via appearance

Donnelly uses artistic detail to represent the "male gaze." Some figures are drawn with more color and detail to signify they are being viewed as objects of attraction, while others are drawn with less detail, representing a lack of interest if they don't satisfy that gaze. This stylistic choice emphasizes that under these gender constructs, a woman’s value is often reduced to her appearance.

8(c) Extract Point 3: Regulatory Constructs WCI - minimizes - A or H - not exp but reg

The title "Women’s clothing issues" is a deliberate understatement. By using the word "issues," Donnelly mocks how society minimizes the gravity of women being arrested or harassed for their clothes. It suggests that these are not merely "expressive" choices but regulatory constructs used to control women.

9(a) Link to Whole Work: othering - bubbles - oppressed - own culture - LL - same

Throughout her cartoons, Donnelly shows how these constructs create "othering" among women. Through thought bubbles, we see their internal monologue: each woman views the other as "oppressed" while believing her own culture's standards are the "true" version. This parallelism shows that while the external clothes change, the internal impact of gender constructs—judgment and lack of communication—remains the same.

10(a) Summary of Findings: Silence and strength - Pych and physi performing

Exploring these works reveals that while the specific demands of gender constructs vary—demanding silence and strength from men in O'Brien’s work, and specific physical presentation from women in Donnelly’s—the impact is universally restrictive. Both authors treat the global issue by exposing the psychological and physical toll of performing these roles.

10(b) Evaluation and Impact TB - weight LZ - Humour

O’Brien’s prose forces the audience to feel the heavy "weight" of these expectations, while Donnelly’s cartoons use humor to make the audience realize the absurdity of gender-based laws. Together, they demonstrate that social constructs of gender serve to maintain a status quo that often ignores the individual's well-being.