In Lois Gould's "X: A Fabulous Child's Tale," and Bernice Kanner's "Big Boys Don't Cry: Returning the Macho Message," each author's uses a legion of literary devices to identify the reader with the moral message he or she has dedicated their work's ambition to. Each author tells a different story, but the authors agree on a common theme: "that too much emphasis is placed on the roles of the sexes in today's society." As well as the fact that, there are certain expectations, and common physical and psychological stereotypes placed on each gender that misconstrue and distort the way that we as humans look at each other.

In each essay, the authors separate their styles using varying literary inclinations such as structure, tone and perspective. In Lois Gould's

article the author uses the structure of a fictitious story to create the proper mood and tone. In Gould's story she tells a tale of a young X that faces many trials and tribulations as it passes through adolescence due to the fact that it lacks a defining gender. X enjoys playing sports, but at the same time, X enjoys playing house too. By using the narrative story structure, Gould is able to mold what she wants the reader to feel about her piece and the theme using words to, in a sense, take the reader on a guided tour of the problems with gender in society, while at the same time by maintaining an emphatic tone the reader stays amused and interested in the story.

The use of these literary techniques helps to give a solid foundation to the theme. By using different tones and perspectives, the theme of gender roles in today's society takes a new shape and argument in each piece. Upon reading "X: A Fabulous Child's Tale," Gould supports the theme with a simple story line structure, a condescending tone, and a narrative perspective. In this piece the author tells the story of a prototypical child, not raised in the fundamental nurturing ways that you or I were raised; but instead, X is raised to live the lifestyle of both a boy and a girl. As the story develops we the reader uncover much controversy is being raised by neighboring children's parents because their little boy is now playing with dolls like X, or the little girls are now wearing checkered overalls like X. The children's parents decide they want X's true gender unmasked to see whether or not X is confused by living the type of lifestyle that it seems to be so happy li!

ving. The story concludes in the office of a team of therapists analyzing X. When all the tests are complete the doctors conclude that X is not insane or abnormal, but rather the contrary, ""Young X," said the other Xpert, frowning, "is just about the least mixed up child we've ever examined!"" (Pg. 152). Why would Gould end his piece in such a manner? Why, after spending the entire story trying to co

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