RAB Source Entry #2 – Joshua A.

Part 1: MLA Citation 

Vance, Erik. “Channel All That Rage into Your Workout.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/well/move/workout-stress-fear.html.

Part 2: Summary

Author Erik Vance writes The New York Times article “Channel All That Rage Into Your Workout” to state his views about how sports and exercise can help release your emotions. Vance explains that although he wasn’t an athletic kid growing up, he was determined to find a sport that was right for him and how stress can be a motivator during sports and a workout. Vance writes, “Adrenaline sports have also long been popular with veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. One creative group of German scientists even experimented with rock climbing as a form of therapy for depression. The results were moderately good, but just the fact the scientists chose rock climbing suggests some emotional benefit for fear. Strange as it may sound, fear can be deeply therapeutic.” He points out that aggressive sports can be a way to confront trauma and release tension. He ends this article by discussing how his passion for rock climbing is him aiming towards protecting his mental health from stress and that despite how drained he feels afterward, these activities prepare him for the week ahead of him. 

Part 3: Reflection

This article makes me understand that negative emotions can be used in a good way when it comes to releasing those emotions out. Vance states those emotions are the whole reason to exercise in the first place. I agree because I personally know people who have started to workout because of how they were treated. For example, the kid was constantly being talked about because of how fat he was, all that anger built up inside him made him want to go to the gym and lose it. I would ask Vance why the anger must only be exercised through boxing or contact sports. I say this because I think the author wants the anger to be exercised through something the person can enjoy giving someone else pain. In boxing the way you win is by injuring the  person til they can’t fight no more, a lot of people play boxing just to release anger through beating someone up.

Part 4: Rhetorical/Genre Analysis: 

Vance’s primary audience is the general public which includes athletes. In his title he uses the words “your” and “workout”. This is to insinuate that everyone can benefit from using emotions during anything you consider a workout. His writing style is informative because he refers to multiple researchers and scientists with their data and shows how their studies connect with his opinion. Vance’s genre of choice of the article is a successful way to state his perspective. He uses ethos by providing the audience with credible cites and personal experiences. He states that “…I still wanted to find a sport that was right for me, so I got into rock climbing. I wasn’t good at that either, but I loved the feeling it gave me… Psychologists once saw the human psyche as a pipe or hose that occasionally gets backed up with emotion, and that people needed to release pressure to stay healthy.” Vance also uses pathos to connect with his audience about his emotional state while participating in his chosen activity. He writes, “Certainly, when I’m frightened on a rock somewhere, I’m not having much fun in the moment, but rather just trying to desperately scrabble to safety. It’s only afterward, tired and a little beaten up, looking over the mountains at the setting sun, that I really enjoy rock climbing.” Publishing this article in The New York Times also gives credibility because it is a national newspaper. In 2020, The New York Times’ digital subscribers were 5.09 million people. It has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes and the article is current information because it was published in August 2021. 

Part 5: Notable Quotables

 “For some of us, those seemingly negative emotions during exercise are the whole reason to work out.” ( Vance, 1)

“I’ve recently discovered the pleasure of working out on a boxing dummy (with an especially punchable face), which gives me a similar release to climbing, but can be done closer to home.” 

( Vance , 3)
“Many studies over the years have found that young people, often men, who participate in aggressive sports tend to approve of violence, and even resort to it more often than people in other sports or non-athletes.” ( Vance , 2)