The Sound of Music

During the last few weeks, I've turned to the Sound of Music soundtrack for comfort in stressful studying times. After listening all the way through the album more than fifteen times, I looked up the lyrics of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen:"

I am sixteen going on seventeen
I know that I'm naive
Fellows I meet may tell me I'm sweet
And willingly I believe

I am sixteen going on seventeen, innocent as a rose
Bachelor dandies
Drinkers of brandies
What do I know of those

Totally unprepared am I
To face a world of men
Timid and shy and scared am I 
Of things beyond my ken

I need someone
Older and wiser
Telling me what to do
You are seventeen going on eighteen
I'll depend on you

Obviously, there are some issues here. For one, Liesel believes that there are "things beyond [her] ken," beyond her knowledge. At first, I understood the line as an admittance of youth and a lack of experience. However, in the context of the poem, she is actually speaking on behalf of Women, and their limitations of knowledge. Second, Liesel separates the world of men from her own domestic sphere, stating "Totally unprepared am I/ to face a world of men."

 In the perspective of the feminist theorists we read, especially second and third wave feminists, she is correct in observing the world as "a world of men." The patriarchy is particularly sinister here, as it imposes a dominant culture (one of brandy and bachelor dandies, whatever those are) that women have to function within. Cixous would advocate for Liesel to ditch Kurtz, use her own language, and liberate herself into a space where she is no longer controlled by men. Come on Liesel, you're only sixteen! Don't buy into the patriarchy!