Turkeys in the Kitchen

There are many jokes about men saying women do not belong in the kitchen, which is in fact strange because most men are unable to even fix themselves a sandwich. Men assume that whatever a woman can do a man can do it better. Which maybe true but now days it is not because women are now working harder than men. In the passage Turkeys in the Kitchen, Dave Barry writes this passage to inform and entertain us on a very delicate subject of gender roles and gender inequality. Barry uses a tone throughout this article is facetious, stereotypical, and a simile to touch on theses subjects. Barry opens up his article by going the humorous route and saying “Men are still basically scum when it come to helping out in the kitchen.” Already downgrading men by calling them “scum”.

He then goes on says that on Thanksgiving Day is when most men become clueless to whatever instruction their wives give for the day. From asking them to help watch the children to cutting up turnips men do not know what they are doing. Barry’s tone of simile is used when he states “most men make themselves useful around the kitchen as ill-trained Labrador retrievers.” These dogs some may say are cue and helpful around the house, but if this dog is not trained it can cause a very huge mess. Barry uses this simile to say that men are not trained in the kitchen and do not belong. Barry’s stereotypical views on men are that they are lazy.

The narrator in the beginning says that the “stereotypical behavior observed therein. Where Barry is realizing that him and his boys behave in such manner and realize that it is awful. They do not do anything but sit around. His views are also shown when he brings up “Ozzie and Harriet”. Where the men just sit around and women do all the cleaning and the cooking around the house, leaving men very useless. The last tone shown in this article is facetious. Barry uses this tone to soften his article. To show that he is serious about this matter of men and their roles, but gives it a twist so that it can be taken in lightly. The narrator says in the beginning “Barry candidly admits of his behavior and turns self-knowledge into self-mocking humor.” Where he takes in the things he has done and makes it into humor so that people will not take it into offense. He lets people know where he is coming from because he ahs done these things that he is describing in the passage.