RHE 309K: The Rhetoric of Eating

PAPER TWO: ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTING MESSAGES ABOUT EATING AND THE BODY

Due dates: Peer reviews Friday, March 28. First draft due Wednesday, April 2 at the beginning of class.
Revision due Monday, April 14 at the beginning of class, with first submission attached.

Assignment:
As we have seen, there are many conflicting arguments about what it means to be perfect or ideal as eaters. Are we all on the fast track to obesity as a result of our rapacious appetites for Big Macs and french fries dipped in thick chocolate milkshakes? Or is the "obesity epidemic" merely a rhetorical construction sprung from the minds of the weight-loss and medical industries? What constitutes the perfect meal? What constitutes the perfect body? Who has the power to define "perfection" and who is receiving and living according to those messages? Who makes a better case and why?

Your task for this paper is to find two arguments representing opposing opinions regarding the same issue among those we have covered in class (obesity, fast food, weight loss, anorexia/bulimia, etc.). These arguments may present conclusions that are in direct conflict with each other (fast food makes you obese/fast food is harmless) or they may look at the same issues in different ways (you need to lose weight in order to be healthy/you need to lose weight in order to be thin).

For the assignment, you must choose at least one print media source (an article or editorial in a popular newspaper or magazine) and compare it with another article, or a song, a movie, advertisement, television show, etc. Only one of your texts can come from the material discussed in class; in other words, you have to do a little research for this paper.

You will do two things in this paper:
1) Perform a rhetorical analysis of the ways both texts make their arguments. Do they use similar devices to make different arguments (i.e., humor, repetition, etc)? Or do they make their arguments in completely different ways? Explain.
2) Evaluate what text makes the stronger argument and why.

The successful (C or higher) paper will present a clear, interesting and thoughtful thesis statement, engage in insightful analysis supported with solid evidence, and fulfill the formatting and ethos requirements detailed below.

Format:
4-6 pages, double-spaced.
Times New Roman, 12pt font
1-inch margins
MLA format (consult Chapter 20 of Everything's An Argument for the particulars)

Grading Criteria:
Thesis/Argument
I do not mean the first sentence of your introduction. I do mean your general argument. I look for an argument that is insightful (not just a summary of the material), appropriate to the assignment, reasonable, and analytical. I do not grade on whether I agree with the thesis.

Developing Your Argument
Become intimately familiar with the text you choose to analyze. Read through it -- or the parts of it you see as important -- several times. Read with different goals each time. Try to identify major sections of the argument where the purpose or topic clearly changes. Try to summarize the purpose of each section in a sentence or two of your own words. Look for key words to identify the main claim of that section. Then look for appeals that support that claim.

Remember that the author may have had readers in mind who are not quite like you. You may want to consider the reactions that the author was expecting as well as reactions that unexpected readers might have.

Evidence and Analysis
You need to provide evidence from the text to support your assertions. You will generally need to provide some analysis so that it is clearly related to the conclusions you want to draw.

Organization
Your paper should have an appropriate order of ideas so that a reader can follow your argument, and they should be well proportioned so that you spend the most time on the most important material.

Introduction and Conclusion
Your introduction should set up the problem that your paper will discuss. Your introduction should have either a clear statement of your thesis (what you intend to argue and why it's important) or a clear statement of the question your paper is exploring. Your conclusion should effectively summarize what you've argued (without simply restating your thesis) and consider the implications of that question/argument. (In other words: "Summarize and forecast.")

Ethos
I use this term as a catch-all for the various things that affect your credibility as an author: clarity, reliability of sources, format, grammar and usage, tone, style, etc. PROOFREAD YOUR PAPER. Get one of your peers to do it for you, your mom, brother, RA, whatever. MISTAKES WILL AFFECT YOUR GRADE.

You MUST have a Works Cited page. Any documentation you provide should follow MLA style.

REMEMBER:
1. Asking for help early is a good thing and I can help guide you on an effective path. Also, be sure to utilize the Undergraduate Writing Center to get help in any stage of the writing process. You've paid for it as part of your fees -- don't let it go to waste!

2. If you don't find your topic interesting, who will? Make this assignment work for you!! If you're interested in your topic, it will show in your writing and make it a pleasurable paper to write as well as read.