If Men and Masculinity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #4

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, (31)

This line is all about possession, control, owning things. Those ideas are, traditionally, very masculine ones. While not super-explicit or anything, these lines definitely connect masculinity, colonialism (remember the poem was written in response to a British attempt to gain more control over parts of South Africa), and power.

Quote #5

And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son! (32)

It doesn't get any more, well, sexist than this. The whole poem is all "if you do this, and if you do that, you will… become a man." A man is what we're shooting for—not a woman, but a man with control over the earth and everything in it. In a nutshell, this is a poem about how to become a dominating male when you grow up.