“In the Combat Zone,” written by Leslie Marmon, talks about how women's roles have been taught for generations. Women are smaller and weaker and we are sitting ducks waiting to be victims of our prey. Women are taught to be easy targets by their mothers, aunts and grandmothers. They were told that women should not kill or use weapons. In this essay Leslie Marmon explains that we can put an end to crimes committed against women by strangers. Females must learn how to take aggressive actions individually. In the 20th century, women no longer have to fit into the box they have been placed in. We can defend ourselves and protect ourselves. I was inspired by this essay about the combat zone in the way he behaves when he thinks his life is in danger. She wasn't sure whether she should go to the police station or continue with her day. But personally I think he made the right choice moving forward. Some might think that because she was ready to defend herself that she was ready to start the fight, but honestly she was ready to finish it. With the gun in his lap he sat there and waited for the stranger in the truck to make his move. For some people this courageous stance could have been perceived as an emotional and paranoid overreaction. But from a woman who knows how dangerous it is. This was thinking outside the box. Women should be ready to defend themselves. This is something that should be taught in schools to young adolescents, really to all women. It is important to understand that we can and must defend ourselves physically. I could go on and on about the essay itself, but I wanted to do some research for myself. How a woman can protect herself better and be more aware of what is happening around her. I know a... middle of paper... don't let it control my life. I still go for walks. I still go for late night jogs around the neighborhood. The difference is that I am ready and prepared for the unexpected stranger. People can use my story and how I got lucky or they can use Leslie Marmon's story, in the combat zone. Whatever the story, this is a wonderful example that the world we live in is becoming unsafe and that we need to educate boys and girls on how to prepare for and handle situations that could be life or death. Sometimes we have to create our own luck by gaining knowledge and being smart enough to think about our opponent so that we can be ready for any domestic or unexpected attackers. By doing this we feel more control over our lives and free ourselves from the fear of the night. Men and women can finally break out of the mold of expected gender roles that have been imposed on us since birth.