The lede of “What We Are Not Teaching Boys About Being Human” by Ruth Wippman is the following quote: “Boys! Even glancing in this direction will threaten your masculinity! “The thesis of her piece is in the quote: “We have barely even registered this lack of an emotional and relational education as a worrying loss for boys.” The author wants to demonstrate that contemporary stories don’t contain emotional content and deep thoughts. She is afraid that social interaction leads to a lack of a spiritual world and pure emotions. To support her idea, the author uses reliable sources that include articles “ A Comparative Analysis of Empathy in Childhood and Adolescence”, “Perspective taking and empathic concern in adolescence: Gender Differences in Developmental Changes”, “Kindergarten Readiness: Social and Emotional Development”, “APA GUIDELINES for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men”, and “Gender Differences in Suicidal Behavior in Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies”. For instance, in the opinion of the American Psychological Association, the lack of support and masculinity leads to hard mental problems. Additionally, boys are more likely to be suicidal than girls. I believe that one place where the author uses ethos is the fact that she is the mother of three boys and her thought are based on her own experience. The place where she uses pathos is that lack of support and masculinity cause serious mental health problems. The place where the author uses logos is reliable sources that she provides throughout her essay that support her main idea and thoughts.

After reading the essay “What We Are Not Teaching Boys About Being Human” by Ruth Whippman, I didn’t find a counterargument. I strongly agree with the author’s idea and that she brought up an important topic to think about. We should find a solution how to prevent toxic masculinity in order to help boys improve their well-being.