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Life's Work Out

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Submitted By Houdini
Words 1014
Pages 5
John Lang
Professor Johnson
ENG 100
10/26/11
Life’s Work Out
Through the concept of vanity Mark Doty uses metaphors such as: salt- stain spot (1), weights lifted (9), the bench (4) and hoist nothing that need be lifted (5-6) to help convey the message of what kind of life do you live and what kind of impact you will leave behind. Why do you strive to become an object of desire? Why do you torment yourself for your own vanity? Why do you burden yourself with unnecessary tasks? Mark Doty uses something so ordinary, the gym, to capture the enigma of trying to live a unique life and leave behind a legacy while simultaneously wanting to be accepted or become part of a group.
This salt-stain spot marks the place where men lay down their heads (1-3). Mentioned by Mark Doty is this salt-stain spot (1) which can be viewed negatively or positively. To begin with, this salt-stain is written in negative connotation with its intent being that we as human beings have been leaving behind a disarray for society, and generations to come, to clean up. Also, human beings have not been responsible with their lives and cause more harm than good. Another way to look at this stain is in way almost positive, for you can see the “salt-stain spot” (1) from the hard work and dedication from previous generations. The author might intend to portray it as desirable, for one to achieve. This stain seems elusive but desired by most; most want the stain but won’t work to achieve even a sweat. This stain is akin to the quote “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe than you will be successful” (Eric Thomas). How are you going to be successful and leave behind this great legacy if you’re unwilling to do the hard work to get there? Mark Doty’s salt-stain spot gives might intend to give reference to what others have accomplished and left behind; their legacy. These people pushed hard and never quit leaving behind their stain for others to see and hopefully follow. What salt-stain spot will be left by you?
Though there’s something more tender, beneath our vanity, our will to become objects of desire: we sweat the mark of our presence onto the cloth (28-32). To become this object of desire you push yourself for the opinions of others and what they perceive as desirable. Why work so hard for the opinions of others? For some it is truly important to them in their life; this acceptance in society. You do your sets, look in the mirror and see your results day after day. How will this impact society? If everyone was judged on their desirability it will impact society tremendously. For example, if you lost competing in a job interview because the other person was more attractive or fit, but you had more qualifications, how will that person contribute to the company? How much would you have contributed? This will cause a downsizing of qualifications in those jobs and leave the qualified without a job. Human beings leave their presence whether good or bad on society and society feels the brunt of it. Mark Doty comments power over beauty, power over power! (26-27) thus indicates that you strive to achieve what your vanity would like for you to achieve. Your excessive pride in your appearance has taken control over you and let it cloud your judgments. Also, one can take from this that in reference to Neanderthal days; whoever is the strongest is always in control of all. These weights listed as Mark Doty includes it; and hoist nothing that need be lifted but some burden they’ve chosen this time: more reps, more weight (5-9). This encompasses doing unnecessary tasks or burdens that you put on yourself over and over again. For their own vanity people self-induce their personal pain which they perceive as their power. Maybe these people, from repetition, achieved great success from these burdens. Although, it might not have been the best way to achieve success and they might have negatively impacted the rest of society as well.
Here is some halo the living made together (33-34). In these lines you are presented with leaving behind stains to halos. It now seems that you lived a life worth living and will leave behind a legacy worth remembering. Whether it was that you successfully lived a life doing the things that needed to be done or you achieved success being accepted into society. Whatever your opinions on your personal success, you accomplished. As you find where we push something unyieldingly skyward (14-15) you can attain anything. This is interpreted as physically or metaphorically pushing something upward. It can be your weights in the gym, or it could be pushing yourself in society for something to gain; pushing for your salt-stain spot (1). Why is it that you try to live a unique life and leave behind a legacy while simultaneously wanting to be accepted or become part of a group? It is because of what Mark Doty is saying through this poem that what you do impacts other people’s lives and hopefully leaves behind your legacy positively on society. Life’s Work Out can be explained as what impact you as a human are leaving to society and what kind of life you lead. If you work hard, do the right things, and contribute to society you can accomplish your salt-stain spot (1) and leave behind something worth remembering.

References: 1.) Mark Doty “At The Gym” http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16371
From Source by Mark Doty, published by HarperCollins. Copyright © 2002 by Mark Doty. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins. All rights reserved. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16371#sthash.dvI7HF4t.dpuf

2.) Eric Thomas, The Secret To Success; http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/492543-when-you-want-to-succeed-as-bad-as-you-want

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