The Men We Carry in Our Minds

Sanders wrote the essay ‘The Men We Carry in Our Minds’ as a comparison of social class and gender equality during his youth and as a young adult. He explains that the men worked harder and had strenuous lives; and that there where two types, the labors such as farmers and factory workers and the bosses in shirts. His perception of men during his childhood was that they where physically damaged both visibly and invisibly from getting ulcers working in factories to hands tattooed with scars. His father however, was able to move up the social ladder from working on farms to factories and eventually working in the front office. On the other hand, he emphasizes that women had blessed lives; they stayed at home, shopped in town, went to church, and ran errands. He realized later in life that was not the case. Sanders understood the abuse they may have encountered at home, or the hardships they endured as single mothers or as widowers.

Although, Sanders had preconceived ideas as a child, regarding gender equality and social class. For instance, he seemed to think that men’s roles where that of ‘warriors and toilers,’ although he learned from watching television that these where not the only destinies. There where doctors, teachers and bankers, but could never imagine having the opportunity to get a college education. His opinion of women from the college seemed to be that they where all from wealthy fathers and that they grew up having their fathers powers as successful men. Sanders seemed to put women he met at the college in one category, that they had privileged lives, he believed the women perceived him to be the enemy. His own feelings where, that that was not the case, he saw himself an ally. He understood that they wanted the same things, and that was to have a say in their lives. They yearned to have control in their future, and the right to live in peace.