"I'll Eat Your Babies"

By Matt Bowman

This photograph taken during one of Mike Tyson’s last heavyweight fights displays the tremendous anger, toughness, hard work, and emotion that is expected of true men. Tyson is one of the greatest boxers who ever lived, and is the epitome of masculinity. He is an intimidating fighter and is known to knocking out his opponents. The picture shows him getting hit with a big punch. To be a “true man” one must be like Tyson. By defeating opposition, he uses great physical strength, is compulsively aggressive, and always be more than welcoming for a fight. Tyson shows his courage quickly and effectively in the photo.

The photo reveals that to be a man is to struggle against opposition and be tough enough to defeat it. Tyson is definitely hurt and affected by these punches being thrown, but it is against everything he knows to give up. A man doesn’t give up. He still has his eyes on his foe even while his face gets smacked. He won’t cower in fear, yet he has a left hand getting cocked back to shoot. I think that being tough is a necessity to survive in this competitive world as a respected man. If a man is not tough, he may quit; a sure way not to succeed. Even if a guy doesn’t have much to bring to a fight, he can take a hit and not take defeat to find a glimpse of true masculinity.

According to these boxers, real men are really strong. The powerful physiques of the two men in this photograph are amazing. They are both two heavyweight champion caliber boxers, gladiators or warriors of the modern day. Not all men look like these men do, but many men see their physique as a way to attract women. Many men can spend a lot of time and effort on their appearance. A great example is the guys from MTV’s Jersey Shore television show. The men on the show partially dedicate their lives to a motto, “GTL”. This stands for gym, tan, and laundry. These are all ways they think improve their chances of attracting females. Women may be attracted to strong men because they are seen as protectors and defenders of women.

Tyson is a true man because he is compulsively, aggressively focused on one thing: doing his job well. He is certainly intense and focused on taking down his opponent. His eyes are the center focal point of the picture. Without his big beaming eyes glaring straight back at the fighter, the message of the picture would be completely different. If you were not to change a thing except for close his two eyes, you would think, “Tyson doesn’t have a chance, he’s done.” A pushover won’t ever get the job done. A man cannot stop pursuing his goal because he is turned down. In every career path you choose, you need to have perseverance, aggression, and drive to get what you want. Men are well known for being much more aggressive than women. This courage determines the character of a man.

Tyson isn’t the kind of guy who doesn’t mind violence and gladly accepts fights, he is the kind of guy who will go out hunting for a violent problem and take out anybody that he feels like. Tysons viscous attitude and personality is something that sets him apart from any other man that he has faced in the ring. For example, in his infamous Evander Holyfield fight, he became so angry and frustrated that he clinched in close to Holyfield and savagely bit into his ear, ripping off a large chunk and spitting it onto the ring floor. Even his posture in fights sets him apart from others, he is not afraid by the way he leans into punches to throw one right back, and his hands are rarely found protecting his face and more likely to be landing haymakers on his opponent.

Tyson is an extremely violent athlete. He had a controversial and frustrating fight with Evander Holyfield where he bit Holyfield’s ear off. Violence and aggression are some of the markers of a strong man. Tyson is truly violent, as well as determined. In Mike’s career he had much success, and was the youngest ever undefeated heavyweight champion that launched him to the status of legend. This success is something that men greatly yearn for. Men are providers and have pressures to succeed to be protectors of their family. Tyson is definitely a hard worker. You can tell his masculine toughness and his desire to reach his goals. These goals show courage and determination, and are the male pursuit of happiness.