Petra Dvorak's "My sons love getting their toenails painted. Why should that wig me out?"
Soapstone Analysis: Speaker: Petula Dvorak is a mother of two boys. As a mother, she understands the challenges of raising two boys and teaching them important life lessons. She's not used to her sons teaching her important lessons, but that's exactly what they're doing. Occasion: At her sons' taekwondo class, their master criticized them for having painted toenails. It didn't phase the two boys, but motherly Dvorak was worried about her sons facing issues like that. Audience: This article is for parents and for others who face adversity for expressing themselves. Purpose: Dvorak informs her audience that raising kids who like to do things that aren't gender-norm is challenging but you have to get through it and support your children's decisions. Subject: Petula Dvorak's sons enjoy getting pedicures, which isn't a gender-norm thing to do, but Dvorak understands the importance of letting children express themselves. Tone: This article's proud tone shows Petula Dvorak's adoration for her boys proudly expressing themselves and standing up to adversity.
Analysis of Tone: Petula Dvorak's tone illustrates she is proud of her boys and their accomplishments. She wants to support them and any choice they make even that choice is not considered "normal". Dvorak states, "One of my kids broke a board, sparred like a champion
and earned his brown belt this summer, all with Optimus Prime Blue on his
toes." This aims to inform people that you can accomplish anything you put
your mind to. A boy who likes having painted toenails can be equally as awesome
and inspiring as one who doesn't. She challenges the "haters" to find
a better reason than "boys don't do that". This lighthearted article
is an excellent example of the ridiculousness of gender-norms. Petula is passionate about good parenting and should be
commended for unconditionally supporting her children.