About Men Analysis

In Gretel Ehrlich’s essay she writes to dismiss many of the stereotypes male ranchers often get, and tells of who they truly are. She describes the heart behind their work and the manner in which they carry themselves, and contrasts it to the version of them depicted in ads. The overall purpose of this writing is to paint who the cowboy truly is.

In the essay Ehrlich uses repetition to poke fun at the commonly held stereotypes of what makes a cowboy. The phrase “If he” is used in multiple sentences like, “If he ‘rides away into the sunset’ it’s because he’s been on horseback since four in the morning moving cattle and he’s trying, fifteen hours later, to get home to his family.” and “If he’s ‘a rugged individualist’ he’s also part of a team…” These quotes take the commonly known ideas of who a rancher is and explain the hard work and dedication behind it.

I agree with Elrich that cowboys are so much more than what is seen in the ads. In my life I have had a few opportunities to be on ranches and do a tiny fraction of the work, so with ranchers going around for hours on end doing laborious work, there is no doubt that they are more than a man on a horse at sunset. When I have been on ranches I have been able to pile some hay and shovel horse poop, and that felt like a days work to me, and to think rancher do that work times ten on their own they truly are tough hard working men. From herding cattle and shoeing horses to working until their hands bleed in the hot sun, ranchers are more than tough and do all this work without complaint always keeping a smile on their face.