Sunday, March 10, 2013

TOW #23 Confidence Woman

            Despite the fact that women now make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, executive positions at top-level companies remain largely dominated by men.  In her book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, argues that this is due in part to the limitations women place on themselves.  As part of a feature article in TIME Magazine, Belinda Luscombe attempts to better understand Sandberg’s controversial position by better understanding Sandberg herself.
            Throughout the text, Luscombe utilizes analogies as a way to describe Sandberg’s upbringing.  For example, Luscombe writes of Sandberg, “She’s like an escapee from a Star Trek episode in which Spock sired a child with an empathy.”  This analogy not only makes the text more accessible by maintaining an informal and humorous tone, but also helps to illuminate why Sandberg is so driven.  In addition, Luscombe utilizes short, declarative sentences as a way to add rhythm to the text and to ensure that the text is not bogged down in confusing jargon.  By using sentences like, “Take her role at Facebook,” and “She’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Luscombe captures the essence of Sandberg’s ruthlessly efficient tendencies.
            Overall, the text manages to stay unbiased and good-humored despite the controversial topic it covers.  This is largely due to Luscombe’s efforts to include make the text more relatable and friendly to readers through pop-culture references.  At the same time, she is able to effectively illuminate Sandberg’s motivations through a careful analysis of her past.   

No comments:

Post a Comment