How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #4
I'm talking about society, the so-called man's world of institutionalized competition, aggression, violence, authority, and power. (44)
Le Guin was known for her "brand" of feminism, which argued that women were inherently the more peaceful of the two genders. She often argued that if women had the run of the world, there would be far less aggression and violence. What do you think? Are these aspects of society a male problem, or a universal one?
Quote #5
Machoman is afraid of our terms, which are not all rational, positive, competitive, etc. And so he has taught us to despise and deny them. (54-55)
This is still a common complaint, that men can't handle emotional responses. Think of every sitcom or movie you've seen where a woman crying was enough to make her male counterpart panic. Some people argue that it's a result of societal pressures; that men are raised to ignore their emotions and are thus incapable of understanding or expressing them. Here, Le Guin is saying that the reason emotions are seen as a largely negative response is because men are afraid of them.