Men and Women, Perspectives on Communication Essay -- Gender Difference

Men and Women, Perspectives on Communication Throughout time it has been documented that men and women see things in the world from different perspectives. A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants but a woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't want. Men and women’s minds are truly wired up differently, and I’m not just talking about sex. Making love, for most women is the greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve. To most men, you can call it whatever you want just as long as they end up in bed. (Actually, I hope that is my last sexual reference.) A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears, and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house. These are just a few crude stereotypical examples of how men and women see the world differently. Heartfelt, meaningful and truthful communication or the lack there of, is a primary culprit in accentuating the differences between men and wom en. Women long desperately for it and men don’t know how to or are unwilling to provide it. These differences, although sometimes very subtle, are also apparent in many of today’s literary classics. In the short story by John Steinbeck, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, the husband and wife do not communicate effectively and both see their particular status in life differently. Stanley Kauffmann’s â€Å"The More the Merrier† is a funny look at four people’s perspective on what marriage would mean for them and how the secrets they kept will come ‘round to bite them. But, perhaps, not all men and women are as ineffectual at communicating as those I have highlighted in the first two examples. Judith Viorst’s â€Å"True Love† is an expression of how she knows what she shares with her husband is true love. Most men would probably agree with her. There is obviously great two way communication in her relationship with her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heartfelt, meaningful and truthful communication or the lack thereof, plays a large part in John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and Judith Viorst’s â€Å"True Love† and to a smaller extent in Stanley Kauffmann’s â€Å"The More the Merrier†. The stereotypical model tells us that the man is usually the one that can not or will not communicate. In chrysanthemums, there is a bit of a twist, Elisa is the one that has a hard time com... ...unspoken message. â€Å"It is true love because†¦ When I said that playing the stock market was juvenile and irresponsible and then when the stock I wouldn’t let him buy went up twenty-six points, I understood why he hated me.† (19, 23-24) Strangely, I think that most men would agree with Ms. Viorst’s expression of their true love. Genuine, heartfelt, meaningful and truthful communication between men and women is the key that can solve any problem. Men may be from Mars and women from Venus, but every once in a while, a couple to manage to split the difference and meet her on earth. Work Cited Poem Viorst, Judith. â€Å"True Love.† Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 2nd Compact ed. Eds. Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. 471. Short Story John Steinbeck, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums.† Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 2nd Compact ed. Eds. Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. 359-66. Play Kauffmann, Stanley, â€Å"The More the Merrier.† Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 2nd Compact ed. Eds. Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. 821-30.