Rhetorical Analysis Of What's Wrong With What We Eat By Mark Bitman

In Michael Pollan’s essay “Escape from the Western Diet,” he directly to Americans about the western diet and why he believes they need to escape from it. The reason Americans should escape the western diet is to avoid the harmful effects associated with it such as “western diseases” (Pollan, 420). To support his view on the issue, Pollan describes factors of the western diet that dictate what Americans believe they should eat. These factors include scientists with their theories of nutritionist, the food industry supporting the theories by making products, and the health industry making medication to support those same theories. Overall, Pollan feels that in order to escape this diet, people need to get the idea of it out of their heads.

Is eating meat a detrimental threat to the environment? This debate over meat’s involvement in the global warming crisis was what inspired Nicolette Hahn Niman to write, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma.” Niman hoped writing, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma,” would cause her audience to understand that eating meat, raised on traditional farms, was a superior alternative to vegetarianism. Niman supported her claim by explaining how industrialized farms and vegetarians produce more of the three greenhouse gases that caused global warming, than that produced by traditional farms. Niman’s article fell short of being effective due to flaws in her supporting evidence and conclusion.

In the first article “Resisting the Moralization of Eating”, by Mary Maxfeild she ¬argues many things against the other author Michael Pollan about how we need to change how the American people eat, and how the government needs to handle obesity better in the United States. This portrays to the other article “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan in many ways, as well as many challenges. “The challenge we face today is figuring out how to escape the worst elements of the Western diet and lifestyle without going back to the bush” (Pollan 437). In this paper I will go over many subtopics including: Obesity, health, and food.

A Rhetorical Analysis of “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko Sara, a single mother of two kids, is driving home from a grueling day of work. She’s worked overtime all week and has some tightness in her back. Upon looking at the clock on the dashboard of her 1996 Volkswagen, she realizes that it is way too late to go home and cook a nice dinner for her two children. She turns into the nearest McDonalds, orders some chicken nuggets, and brings dinner home. Can you blame a mother who just wanted her kids to eat?

He has discovered that we cannot separate our health from the health of the soil to the health of the plants and animals we eat (Pollan 425). He believes we should go back to a more traditional diet in some aspects-mainly investing more time, energy, and resources into our meals. Most Americans spend very little on food; less than 10% of their income, spend less than 30 minutes a day preparing their food, and only an hour eating (Pollan 425). He believes the preparation and enjoyment of food has been sidelined in our busy lives, but we need to go back to a time when it was closer to the center of a good life (Pollan 426). By doing so, we will begin to eat less fast/processed food and will be on the path to begin escaping the Western

Good nutrition is a significant part of a healthy lifestyle and is a principle being taught every day around the world. The dilemma of hunger is faced by many countries; according to the World Food Programme, “795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active lifestyle” (“Hunger”). In Johnathan Safran Foer’s article, “Let Them Eat Dog,” published in the Wall Street Journal, he argues the ridiculous nature of the American cultural taboo of restricting society from the consumption of dogs for food. Foer begins the article first by talking about the reluctances of the consumption of dogs regardless of it being legal in the majority of states within the United States (Foer 689). He then discusses the positive effects of the removal of the taboo of the consumption of dogs such as the solution for hunger in the world and the depletion of natural resources.

James E. McWilliams takes the opportunity to plead his case against the popular belief that buying food locally can help save the planet in “The Locavore Myth: Why Buying Form Nearby Farmers Won’t Save the Planet” (McWilliams 89). McWilliams finds it necessary to point out that the popular slogan “Buy local, shrink the distance food travels, save the planet” covers the problems with industrialized foods in regards to transportation in his beginning statements. He then follows up by making the bold statement that “a lot of them are making a big mistake” (89). They fail to see that there are other “energy-hogging factors” (89).

According to Pollan, the focus of society on the nutrients in food has not helped the obesity epidemic in the Western world. According to Pollan, “The industrial food supply was promptly reformulated

In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” by David H. Freedman, he claims that processed foods can help fix the obesity crisis in a more realistic manner, rather than whole-some foods. The popular opinion emphasizes whole-some foods because they aren’t informed about the similitude between processed and unprocessed foods. The essence of the essay is that people believe processed foods are bad and unhealthy for us, therefore whole-some foods are highly recommended for the health of an individual. Freedman mentions many prominent authors who wrote books on food processing, but the most influential voice in the food culture Freedman makes a point of is, American journalist, Michael Pollan. The media and Michael Pollan indicate that everything should be replaced with real, fresh, and unprocessed foods, instead of engineering in as much sugar, salt, and fat as possible into industrialized foods.

It is time to make a change and take control of our health and the health of our planet. An article on the WHO website states, "A healthy diet is the foundation for health, well-being, optimal growth, and development" (World Health Organization: WHO, “Healthy Diet”). Instead of planting nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are needed for a balanced diet, we use over one-third of the world's croplands so we can feed the many cows needed for the meat industry. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions will rise and eventually destroy the environment. For this reason, we should start educating ourselves and those around us on the importance of healthy eating and exercise and push for policies that make it easier for everyone to access healthy food

Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.

Rhetorical Analysis Paper In her article “The Pleasures of Eating” (2009), Wendell Berry suggests how citizens can help the decline of american farming and rural life. Wendell utilizes questions, purpose, and her passionate attitude to aid her explanation. Wendell informs the reader about how eating healthier, knowing about fast food, and what we’re can do to improve our farming, and rural life. Her audience consists of concerned Americans, and those who care to improve America.

Rhetorical analysis is an investigation into how someone uses his/her critical reading skills to analyze text. The objective of the rhetorical analysis is the study of how the author writes, instead of what the author wrote. At that point, we need to examine the method that the author uses to attain his goal. According to Jonah G. Willihnganz “A rhetorical analysis is an examination of how a text persuades us of its point of view. It focuses on identifying and investigating the way a text communicates, what strategies it employs to connect to an audience, frame an issue, establish its stakes, make a particular claim, support it, and persuade the audience to accept the claim”.

She uses authority, stylistic punctuation, and word choice to try and convince her audience that changing the way food is produced is an important and urgent matter. Although Wilson is an acclaimed food writer she does not have the authority to convince people that our system of food production needs to be changed based solely on her arguments because of this Wilson uses quotes to add authority to her paper and convince her audience that her argument has depth. Within the first page of her paper, Wilson quotes seven other saying in their own way that they are worried about the current method of food production. Some of the Authors Wilson Quotes include Thomas Malthus, a professor in history and economics, Thomas F. Pawlick an investigative journalist and Eric Schlosser an acclaimed journalist; After quoting these authors Wilson is able to say “All these authors agree that entire

“I asked myself a question: "Knowing what I know, why am I not a vegetarian?"’ Graham Hill, an inspiring speaker, introduced a new way to eat. During his speech on TED Talk, he explains to his audience how eating meat has affected the world. In a calm and humorous tone, Hill proposes his purpose. He explains to his audience by becoming a “weekday veg” you will live a better live, it’s great compromise that will help people, animals, and the environment.