Syverson 1

Lauren Syverson
Dr. Kendra Parker
English 113
23 April 2015
Critical Summary: Essay 4 Peer Reviewed Source
For Essay 4, written on sexual assault prevalence in The Little Mermaid, my
research was done in The Sexual Face of Violence, written by Lloyd Vogelman. This
book was written to uncover the many myths regarding rape and sexual assault.
Vogelman is a psychologist at the University of Witwatersrand. Vogelman focuses on his
experience in South Africa and the prevalence of rape culture in urban and economically
deprived areas. Using his psychological background, he focuses on why and how sexual
assault occurs. Vogelman focuses on not only the victims psychological trauma after
assault, but also what happens in a rapists mind to decide to rape. Vogelman concludes
that any man can rape, with or without history of violence. Aggression and other factors
can be major influences on why men rape, but it is not the only factor. The decision to
rape can come from many different factors: socioeconomic status, social and political
spheres, and inherent animalistic behaviors humans posses. In the chapter, Rape and the
social control of women, it talks about how women are affected by rape, because they
are more likely to be the victim. Vogelman explains how it strips away power and takes
away opportunity for women and puts control over them. Furthermore, it explains the
element of rape in marriage and how women use men for money and security, while men
use women for sex and children. The book describes it as legally raping your wife.
(Vogelman) An interesting think I also learned what that men sometimes rape the women
that are putting control over their lives or seem to defy the rules. Men, in this case, like to
assert dominance to be the alpha male. I also found it interesting that, many times, men
do not feel remorse after the assault. I found it interesting that there are many different
circumstances and reasons why assault happens and there is no one answer to describe
and solve the problem.
To begin, I enjoyed reading sections of this book and gaining information on
sexual assault. I found it very interesting that there are many different perspectives and
reasons why men rape and did not know that there was so many different components to
study when looking at sexual assault. There are so many determining factors to why men
rape and it is very interesting to learn about these reasons. Knowing all of this
information, I feel more empowered and equipped with knowledge to help prevent
myself and other people from being assaulted. I feel that the more people are educated on
this topic, the more we can prevent assault from happening. I think about all of the
victims that have been assaulted already and it horrifies me that something that is so
easily preventable still exists in our society today. I feel that with this knowledge, going
forward, I better understand rape and sexual assault and can confront victims and rapists
and explain the truth about assault. I also found it interesting that Vogelman barely talks
on women being rapists, and almost strictly focuses on men being rapists. Although it is
more prevalent, I feel that women should also be held responsible and should also be
given the same punishment and scrutiny as male rapists are.

Syverson 2
Work Cited
Vogelman, Lloyd. Rape and the Social Control of Women. The Sexual Face of Violence:
Rapists on Rape. Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1990.