After listening to the Roxanne
Edwards interviews and viewing the photos of her, I had a weird reaction to the
things I was listening to and seeing. This woman is the most built, put
together individual that I have ever seen. The reason I say this is because
there are men in the the word that are beyond cut, but they get to that point
in the wrong ways. Some of them take steroids and all these type of substances
that allow them to gain lean muscle. The reason I say that Edwards in the most
put-together individual I ever seen is because women do not have the same
amount of testosterone as men do, the level is extremely lower. For her to be
that huge and have the body of a male body builder is amazing and her hard
working a dedication really catches my eye.
While listening the interview, a
couple of factors had caught my eye. Roxanne Edwards explained that "I am
paper thin; you can almost see the fibers in my skin." This actually
scared me. The thought that this woman has been working out so rigorously that
you can see cells and fibers moving around in her skin really took my breathe
away. To get where she is today, she had to change up her entire lifestyle. She
didn't start lifting weights until the age of thirty. Roxanne changed her
eating habits and added a couple of vitamins and meds to her daily routine.
This part of the interview reminded me of the clip of "American
Pyscho" that we watched in class. The man in the movie has a plan, he has
a set workout that he does, a daily routine of using different set moisturizes,
and all the way down to how his apartment has to look. Even though they are
similar with their strict routines, their goals as human beings are totally
different. The man in the movie was working towards a goal that he really unachievable,
perfection. He could 1000 sit ups, but still not satisfied. His face, without a
blemish on it, was smooth like a newborn child’s but he still wants more.
Roxanne Edwards had a goal of just being comfortable with her body while her
clothing is off. Now that she achieved this, she still has insecurities but she
is content with her life. Her minor insecurities are what makes up her identity
and she knows it. She knows she isn’t perfect, but still manages to smile all
the time and to makes sure that she is comfortable when looking at the mirror.
In the essay by Kathy acker, she talks
about the body in its entire complexity. When it comes to working out, I take
it very seriously. I make it my job to go to the gym at least 4 days a week because
I want to be stronger and look bigger. What I’ve notice from all three pieces
of information, the movie clip, the interview and the essay, is that
bodybuilding is not just about lifting heavy weights. As stated in the essay,
failure contributes to the production of the human body. In the movie American
Pyscho, when his body still wasn’t the way he wanted it to be, he got very
irritated and began to look empty. What I realized about my self is that when I
did get bigger after regularly attending the gym, people barely noticed.
However, when I skipped the gym for a couple days, people tended to scorn me
about it. I realized that living to make other people happy about your
appearance isn’t the right way to go if you’re not happy with the uniqueness of
yourself.
ReplyDelete1) Locate what you believe to be the author’s thesis statement. Rewrite it in your own words.- that even though the work out plans of H.Cassils, Roxanne Edwards and the hard bodies essay show how seemingly detrimental work out plans help each of the people maintain a healthy lifestyle
2) Why does this thesis either fail to or succeed at making a debatable assertion? Why is it interesting? What could the author do to improve?- this thesis makes a very good debatable assertion, and it's interesting because it mentions how each person makes their workout work for them and help them specifically stay healthy. Maybe give a description of what Roxanne looks like to show why she is unique.
3) How does the paper talk about the topic brought up in the thesis? How does the argument develop throughout the paper? What does each paragraph add to the argument? What could the author do to improve?- The paper talks about it in how each person works hard and puts themselves in uncomfortable workouts to achieve a body that they are comfortable with. Each paragraph adds more examples from Edwards and cassils and how it is essential for them to work out so that they achieve a body that they are comfy and at peace with. Comparisons are made to American psycho to further the argument. Add more quotes to back up your evidence, paraphrasing is good but direct quotes make a stronger essay.
4) Think back to the author’s thesis statement as you read the paper’s conclusion—in what ways do you think the author has refined/stated their thesis throughout the paper? Are you convinced? Provide ONE potential (constructive) point of criticism—what would you want to see more of, or add?- The thesis is now flows very smoothly and is very focused in the conclusion that each person's definition of true good health is different. I am convinced as the evidence is used very well. The only thing I would add again would be that more direct quotes would make a much stronger paper.