Rhetorical Analysis of the Excerpt Eat Food: Food Defined

At the beginning of this rhetorical analysis, it is relevant to give a brief summary of the excerpt. The main focus of the excerpt is the claim that not all food is considered to be the food. The author centers in the idea that food should be defined properly and suggests to divide it into food and food products. Pollan also wonders why Americans become so unhealthy and how this fact is connected with their nutrition. The main purpose of the article is to state the idea why food should be defined and give advice how to improve the eating habits. So, Michael Pollan appeals to all Americans and calls upon to pay attention to what they eat and to read carefully the list of ingredients that the product labels contain. By doing this, he assures that they will be able to distinguish real food from food products. The author also gives some examples to support his idea that there are many foolish products on the shelves of various supermarkets. The aim of this paper is to confirm that Pollan uses effective methods to persuade the reader to change eating habits and to choose healthy products that will affect their well-being.

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Michael Pollan is a journalism professor and a contributing writer. His most famous book is In Defense of Food that received many awards. The topic that relates to food stands out nearly in all his books. So, the author tries to look at it as an ordinary consumer. The pieces of advice that Pollan gives are extremely comprehensible because his aim is to inform and to let people know about the hazards that can wait for them in the supermarket. By using suitable examples, the author makes people receive evidence that not everything that individuals consume is food. His tactics are really persuasive. He adduces forcible arguments that are able to attract the readers attention.

Firstly, while reading this excerpt, the public may have a sense that this topic is trite and may refuse reading it but the author has an ability to attract his reader with vivid examples. The sarcastic tone that one can feel throughout the excerpt gives to understand the authors attitude to such products as Go-Gurt Portable Yoghurt and Whole Grain White Bread that are claimed to be food. The usage of rather simple words also gives the reader an opportunity to understand clearly the authors opinion. Of course, some Pollans claims may provoke skepticism but most of the evidence gives rise to confidence that the facts mentioned in the excerpt are true-to-life (Pollan).

According to the facts that Pollan suggests, they definitely occur in our everyday life. He claims that people should consume ordinary food. The author also explains how to distinguish ordinary food from fake one. To argue his claim, Pollan compares contemporary people with their ancestors and informs that previous generations were healthier because their type of nutrition differed from that one that people have today. Michael Pollan cites the British nutritionist and says: "Just don't eat anything your Neolithic ancestors wouldn't have recognized and you'll be ok." It is one of the key ideas of his book. The next statement is that food and food products are different things. The author states that there is a wide range of products that cannot be recognized as food. Due to the high amount of various ingredients these products do not rot. It is the most significant reason why people should avoid them. Pollan also cites Joan Gussow who points out that products that have an artificial smell and look lie to humans body. They affect greatly humans preferences to consume sweet, salty and fat food. That is why they are so attractive but in the same time so harmful. In conclusion, the author informs about significant markers that may assist people to choose true products. He compares the recipe of original bread that our ancestors ate with the ingredients that Whole Grain White Bread contains, thus, supporting his idea that labels should be read carefully. In addition to this, Pollan gives evidence that such organizations as FDA and American Heart Association trying to violate ethical laws, claim that negative effects of some products do not have scientific evidence (Pollan).

All these facts and authors tactics reaffirm that people should be aware of the consequences that may arise if people continue consuming fake products that are not defined as food.

To sum up, analyzing the authors speech, tone and rhetorical methods that he used, it is possible to state that Pollans tactics were rather effective. With the help of vivid examples and suitable comparisons, the author not only expresses his thoughts but also skillfully proves them. The statement about the consumption of ordinary food is supported with the ideas of British nutritionist and the claim that people should follow the example of their ancestors. Another important fact is that true products should contain no more than five essential ingredients. This idea was supported with a suitable example that compares a loaf of bread that was made by previous generations and that is sold now. All these data and facts stimulate people to think about the food they consume, to revise their eating habits and to realize the consequences of consuming fake products.

Work Cited

Pollan, Michael. In Defense Of Food. New York: Penguin Press, 2008. Print.

Pollan, Michael. Eat Food: Food Defined. In Defense Of Food. New York: Penguin Press, 2008. Print.