The Menace of Walking
In the essay “Aerobic Sisyphus and the Suburbanized Psyche” Rebecca Solnit enlightens about ‘golden age’ walking (18th century). She differentiates walking in eighteenth century with the twentieth century of walking. She argues that in the eighteenth-century people walked for pleasure and to enjoy the natural surroundings; whereas, in twentieth century, people are concerned about their safety and perception of walking has changed. The new development of sub-urbanization, lunch of new technology, transportation, traffic and new exercising tools play infinite part in concept of walking. In the twentieth century, walking still covered the short distance between cars and buildings; whereas, in the ancient times, walking was a deep connection between body and imagination. Rebecca Solnit explains that Americans in twentieth-century did not walk because, “Sub-urbanization has radically changed the scale and texture of everyday life, usually in ways inimical to getting about on foot” (434). An improvement in cities and an invention of sidewalks created safe streets to walk, yet people were discouraged by the improvement and they felt unsafe: such as threat of acquainted people, industrial pollution,
In the modern times, home gyms and new exercising tools are the substitute of outdoor exercise. Home exercise machines allow Americans to exercise after dark when it is not safe to go out, and at the same time, they can watch their kids. The author asserts that the body has become a recreational rather than utilitarian entity, “The weight machine makes simpler the act of resisting gravity in various directions for the sake of health, beauty, and relaxation” (447). In the other words, the belief of exercising has changed as well as their bodies from inside and out. People feel more sanative to go out-of-doors and their view of walking is more materialize: such clothing, shoes, and sunscreen lotion. In twentieth-century, cars made it possible for workers to commute in farther distance than before: such as work, stores, public transit, schools, and social events. “‘Offices are kept separate from retailing. The housing is frequently divided into mutually excusive tracts…with further subdivision by economic status’” (437). In twentieth-century, business are territorial and further division takes place as the financial status increased. Therefore, cars took the place of walking in working class people. In result, instead of walking to the store, people tend to take a drive, even for two blocks. In twentieth-century, workout has utterly new meaning, besides modern exercise is all about losing weight and burning calories. “That
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Approximate Word count = 976
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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