Upon arriving in class Monday immediately approach my desk to receive the second essay and some lined paper on which you will compose the exam.
You will have the entire class period to read, outline your paper, and write it. I would suggest, in the interest of time, that you only compare and/or contrast one or two main points (items) between authors. This can be accomplished in the 75 min. window; should you endeavor to write a "full" essay you may find yourself without time to finish.
The Practice Exam is not graded. However, I will look over each exam and provide any necessary comments and/or criticisms as I see fit, returning these on Wednesday 12/9.
While on the topic... next Wed. 12/9 I will not be able to attend the entire class period and will have to leave approx. at 2:50p to, lo and behold, take an exam of my own! Yikes! The end of the semester gets us all, no? Still, you must attend class for it will be devoted to three important things:
- Collection Revisions #4 and #5
- Returning of Practice Exams
- Peer Group Discussions of Exit Exam Article #1 (Schlosser, "Why McDonald's Fries Taste So Good")
So, use this opportunity next Wednesday wisely. You are in a university setting now which means that the responsibilities (and perks) of true adulthood are upon you. Our class, and further your Learning Community, is a viable resource of peers who have a great amount of academic insight to impart. Learn from each other. Work towards the common goal of passing this Exit Exam by preparing.
Given that we only discussed the Knapp article for half an hour today in class, I wanted to offer a space for you all to continue the discussion in preparation for the Practice Exit Exam this upcoming Monday.
As an incentive... for every post/reply you make to this thread I will discount one day's absence. You must provide at least one "new" citation in your comment to gain credit. By "new" I mean that you must offer a different quotation and/or a different explanation/reading/interpretation to gain credit. Remember, if you're replying specifically to one author include "Re:NAME" in your comment.
Topics for suggested discussion:
-- anxiety and its connection, according the Knapp, to anorexia
-- cultural stereotypes and the feminine ideal
-- prevalent rhetorical devices used in Knapp's essay
-- agreement/disagreement with Knapp's views, claims, generalization, etc.
-- any personal reactions or responses to this piece
-- any connection of this piece to other themes discussed thus far in the course
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ReplyDeleteOn page 8 in her article Knapp discusses the extent to which our society loathes fat. Daily we are bombarded with images of rail thin models who clearly are not representations of the actual average woman; according to Knapp these images of super-thin beauties inspire us to hate our fat and ourselves for being fat. That may be true but do we really love the models? Are they genuinely viewed as beautiful? Yes many are absolutely gorgeous but what about the ones that are just super thin? Do we really think that models, with bodies so thin their heads seem oversized and have ribcages that resemble a xylophone (images of Calista Flockhart come to mind), are the actual standard of beauty? So do we hate our own fat because we really believe that those rail thin models who could pass for extras in Schindler's List are beautiful or is there something else at play? Maybe the super thin models we see daily are a reaction to the fact that over the last half decade obesity is on the rise?
ReplyDeleteRe: Adam Chubak
ReplyDeleteAdam brings up an interesting point concerning society’s view of fat women as compared to super-thin models. To him, fat and super thin are equally unattractive. Adam somewhat opposes Knapp’s statement about “images of super-thin beauties inspire us to hate our fat and ourselves for being fat” (Chubak). He disputes her view by raising questions like; “That may be true but do we really love the models?” and “Are they genuinely viewed as beautiful?” As much as my classmate seems to challenge Knapp’s position, I think that Knapp too has considered this rhetoric.
On the second page of her article, Knapp describes the “cultural images of the female body” as “waiflike, angular – that both capitulates to the ideal and also mocks it”. From this line, one might easily interpret that the author recognizes that being very thin does not necessarily constitute beauty. By stating that a “waiflike” female body “mocks” the ideal images society has constructed for women, means that Knapp perhaps shares Adam’s view that not all super-thin models are perceived as beautiful. Knapp even refers to these models as “garish caricatures” and “a cruel cartoon of flesh and bone”. Thus, Adam’s point was duly noted by Knapp and possibly she too wondered if our obsession with slender forms is “a reaction to the fact that over the last half decade obesity is on the rise” (Chubak), but decided that the reason for our discomfort with fat is society’s ideals – defined by men – which have brain washed us into believing that these “rail thin models” are more acceptable.