Masculinity and Bravado

Where it surfaces

• Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp

  Many poems celebrate cowboy bravado and toughness, such as 'Boastful Bill' and the tales of bronco riding and gunfights, highlighting the masculine ideals of the West.

• The Legend of Boastful Bill

  Boastful Bill's relentless bragging and fearless attitude epitomize the cowboy ideal of masculine bravado, even in the face of death.

• The Texas Cowboy and the Mexican Greaser

  The stranger's fearless defiance and the mob's grudging respect exemplify cowboy bravado and masculine honor.

• Broncho Versus Bicycle

  The narrator's pride and competitive spirit are central, as he boasts of his bronco's speed and feels humiliated by defeat.

• The Glory Trail

  Bob's prideful decision to rope a lion and his refusal to quit despite exhaustion and danger exemplify the cowboy's bravado and masculine ideals of toughness and perseverance.

• High Chin Bob

  Bob's pride and refusal to yield, even when the lion cannot be subdued, epitomize the cowboy's bravado and stubborn sense of honor.

• The Drunken Desperado

  The speaker's exaggerated claims of violence and toughness embody the cowboy's performative masculinity.

• A Cowboy’s Worrying Love

  The narrator's initial disdain for 'sissy boys' and his use of cowboy metaphors (roping, branding) to frame courtship reflect traditional masculine bravado.

• A Cowboy’s Hopeless Love

  The cowboy's self-description as rough, reckless, and unrefined contrasts with his vulnerable emotional state.

• The Cowboy to His Friend in Need

  The poem personifies the revolver as a fierce, battle-ready companion, and the cowboy's mastery over it underscores a masculine identity tied to control, violence, and camaraderie with one's tools.

• Cowboy Versus Broncho

  The poem glorifies the cowboy's toughness and daring in facing a dangerous bronco, framing the ride as a test of manhood.

• When You're Throwed

  The poem explores the cowboy's pride in riding skill and the social pressure to 'stay with him' despite inevitable failure, highlighting the tension between bravado and reality.

• The Bronc That Wouldn’t Bust

  The narrator's pride in his bronco-busting skill and his humorous acceptance of defeat highlight cowboy bravado.

• The Cowboy’s Dance Song

  The cowboy's boastful tone and his 'cowboy whoop' during the cotillion exemplify a performance of rugged masculinity.

• At a Cowboy Dance

  The poem's commands and physicality ('grab an’ squeeze ’em,' 'shake yer spurs') highlight the rugged, assertive masculinity of the cowboy participants.

• The Cowboy

  The cowboy is depicted as fearless, skilled, and proud, embodying a rugged masculine ideal.

• A Cowboy Race

  The race is portrayed as a bold, almost mythical challenge, emphasizing daring and competitive spirit.

• The Insult

  The narrator's litany of dangerous feats and his outrage at a non-alcoholic drink underscore a culture of rugged masculinity and pride.

• The Outlaw

  The poem celebrates the cowboy's physical prowess and dominance over wild animals, but ultimately humbles that bravado by acknowledging the internal battle with one's own nature.

• Whiskey Bill—A Fragment

  Bill's drunken bravado and the sheriff's determined stance embody a rugged, confrontational masculinity.

• The Disappointed Tenderfoot

  The poem contrasts the imagined hyper-masculine cowboy world of gunfights and broncos with the mundane reality, critiquing the myth of Western bravado.