Summary
In Peter Martins "Destroyed"
the author discusses the mental, physical, and moral implications of
performance enhancing drugs. Peter Martin debates whether performance enhancing
drugs such as steroids should be considered cheating and compares them to other
acts of cheating such as corking a bat. In his argument over cheating he also
discusses the effects that cheating has on the fans of sports and the unrest it
causes. He also examines the physical effects on the athletes and explains that
they have long reaching effects that can lead to a shortened lifespan.
In the end, the author concludes
that “Competition is to be played fairly and naturally...” (Martin 581) and
that while the drugs can be damaging to sports, they are detrimental to athletes
health.
Paragraph #10
In the 10th paragraph of this story the
author explains the most pressing issue with performance enhancing drugs, the
physical ones. He talks about anti-steroid messages that depict limps falling
off of bodies and how that really isn’t that far from the truth. He explains
that the effect of steroids are bitter sweet because they give the user a great
amount of strength but they damage the body in the process. He gives the
example of Ken Caminiti who look steroids regularly during his baseball career
and died at the young age of 41 due to a heart attack. He concludes when it
comes to steroids we need to be looking out for the players more than the game.
My Favorite Part
My favorite quote from this article has
to be "The fields, once clean, are soaked in juice" (Martin
581). This sentence brings a lot of
intense imagery to my mind and really helps the reader understand to what
extent performance enhancing drugs have effected sports.
Sources
Martin, Peter.
"Destroyed." The Bedford Reader. 11th Ed. Boston,
MA 02116: Bedford/ST. Martin's, 2012. 580-582. Print.
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteWhen it came to choosing a quote from the reading I found it very difficult, but "the fields, once clean, are soaked in juice" was certainly in my top three. I believe you interpreted the reading similar to I did.
Do you think "juice" was a good word choice for the author to use? Seeing as the word juice is obviously a slang term for anabolic steroids, do you think this could have been confusing for a reader who wasn't familiar with such terms?
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteIf the article was not written for a sports audience then I would definitely agree with you . However, since this was written as a sports column I think it is fair for the author to assume that his audience would understand the mean of the word "juice". I appreciate the question, you definitely made be double check who the author was catering his writing to.
Hi Jordan:
ReplyDeleteFew things---the summary should be completely your own thoughts and words. It should not have any direct quotes from the original text. So keep that in mind as we progress this term and for future assignments. You conveyed the idea presented by the writer and the main ideas well, though.
Your paraphrase, however, was more of a summary. Remember that paraphrasing reflects or mirrors the text directly, although in your own words. Therefore, be sure to still keep the same tone, and ideas as conveyed by your author. Since it is still the author's main ideas, it is important to still cite the source. Review this link to examine the example OWL provides a little more in depth, though.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
In regards to the quote you chose, I liked Paul's follow up question and your response to him.
Hello All,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, Melinda is exact on her content evaluation. However, I have to confess, the statistics for universities lacking in school spirit in the athletic arena is probably minuscule or non-existent. Chosen dialect, tone, by including "juice" is imperative to the delivery of the message being conveyed. The audience is stunned while the image seeps into their minds.
The prelude to this article states "Satirizing the fans and news anchors who demonize-steroid-using athletes as "sinners" ...". The term satire expressly means to use sharp humor as a way to point out foolish mistakes of others.
I also wanted to point out, in paragraph three, "... make sure you cover the spread..." is referenced at the bottom of the page for those in need.
My home is full of sports, so its very likely that I am oblivious to such references as I hear them all the time. I enjoy hearing the other side of that equation though. Thank you for input!
Hey Jordan
ReplyDeleteI really like your quote you picked, when I read that part it had me think that a lot of players are injecting steroids and if soccer players are doing them as much as other sports.
I also think that part of the message the author was trying to implement the health of the athlete is also important and should be taken into consideration.