Food Inc

                After watching Food Inc, I am under the impression (more than ever) that we, as a nation, need to make changes.  We all need to be more aware of what we eat, and those of us who know already need to stop ignoring the fact that we may be eating unhealthy food. For things to change, we all have to make a change.  The sanitary conditions of the animals, we eat, stood out the most to me. Unsanitary conditions are always something I choose to believe vanished after Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” was written, as in I choose to believe it is a problem of the past. But, this film clearly showed me that it is still an issue of the present day and if anything it’s worse with all the new bacteria that have developed.  I liked that the film was such an “eye opener” and that it used such powerful testimonies, like the actual farmers that worked for these big companies.  In my opinion a lot of people have to watch this movie, it’ll change the way they view food.  

I believe in eating a good mix of small portions of food.  The food pyramid we were all shown as children is a good example of this; it included dairy, meat, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and fats.  I believe we all need a little bit of each every day. For example, we all need the calcium provided from the dairy group so every day we should all have a least a yogurt and if someone is lactose intolerant than he or she should take calcium tablets.  We should all have a small portion of meat every day; it’s a lot better if it is white meat (like fish) since red meat is known for taking too long to digest. It is a reason why I do not think it is such a good idea to be a vegetarian since the protein/nutrition provided from certain meats cannot ever be replaced by vegetables.  However, vegetables should be included in every meal. In my opinion they are the most important “food group.” I believe fruits are a great snack! So everyone should carry around at least an apple to munch on at sometime during the day. Fruits taste great and are so healthy, so why not enjoy them? Plus even though we are not used to the idea of “healthy fats” such substances do exist and it is our job to find it and consume it daily (hint: omega-3). I believe if someone can truly learn to balance all these foods and drink a lot of water, he or she will most likely be a very healthy person.  

What We Eat

                In his very powerful essay, What We Eat, Eric Schlosser explains how the fast food industry is impacting our nation both health-wise and financially speaking.  He argues that fast food is unhealthy for us and that the fast food industries are ending small businesses.  He uses numerous writing methods in this essay in an attempt to show and explain to people exactly what is happening in our nation without us even noticing.  

                At the start of his essay, Schlosser uses description to describe what someone experiences as they walk into a fast food place, “Pull open the glass door, feel the rush of cool air, walk in, get on line, study the backlit color photographs above the counter, place your order, hand over a few dollars...”(667).  He uses compare and contrast to show the eating habit-changes the world has gone through in the past centuries/years, “The early Roman Republic was fed by its citizen-farmers; the Roman Empire, by its slaves. On any given day in the United States about one-quarter of the adult population visits a fast food restaurant” (668). After this he explains the cause (and later on the effect) of the rise of the food industry, “the extraordinary growth of the fast food industry has been driven by fundamental changes in American society” (668).

                Eric Schlosser uses numerous examples throughout his essay to make his point and the one food industry he focuses mostly on is McDonald’s.  He introduces his McDonald’s argument with the sentence, “The McDonald’s Corporation has become a powerful symbol of America’s service economy, which is now responsible for 90 percent of the country’s new jobs” (668). He uses definition to explain what is meant by the phrase “McDonaldization,” which is referred to as the dominance of giant food industries over independent small businesses.  Plus, Eric Schlosser uses narrative when he explains his experience with fast food, “During the two years spent researching this book, I ate an enormous amount of fast food” (673). 

                I think using all these writing methods helped make Eric Schlosser’s essay very powerful. He made a good argument and backed it up with a lot of information. I like his writing style because it was well organized and clear so I was able to understand what his argument was.  I had heard the argument that fast food is unhealthy for us many times so that was no surprise. However, I found his argument of the impact of big food industries on our economy very interesting.  I never realized the damage big food industries were causing small businesses much less the impact of me always buying food there, instead of at independent businesses, was having on our economy.  I do not want all the money of our nation to belong to just a few men in the food industry; I want the wealth to be distributed among everyone, especially those small businesses that are usually full of hardworking people trying their best to survive in this nation. I really do hope a lot more people read What We Eat because I am sure many people out there are not aware of half the things mentioned in this essay. 

Extra Credit :)

                A few days ago, when I got to choose between responding to “Two Ways to Belong to America” or “The Meaning of Life,” I chose to write about the second essay because I thought the author made an interesting point. However, I really did like Bharati Mukherjee’s essay so I am taking this opportunity to express my opinion on it. Bharati’s essay compares and contrasts her sister’s life in America to her own.  She clearly states that she’s accepted and embraced the American culture however; her sister still keeps her culture alive (she still follows the Indian customs).  For Bharati there is only two ways to belong to America, either you completely transform and follow the American culture (like she did) or you live as an outcast  in this foreign country (like her sister, Mira).  I don’t think this situation is so “black and white.” I believe that in America immigrants can be (and are) a mix of their old nation’s customs with the new customs embraced in America.  For example, my family is from Ecuador, and to this day their old customs/culture is still a part of them but they have embraced many aspects of this country (like the English language). I was born in this country but my family raised me through an Ecuadorian culture. I speak Spanish very well, I eat Spanish food more than anything else and I listen to Ecuadorian music. But I was raised in this country, so of course through the American education/environment I learned to speak English and learned its history (better than any other nation’s) and even adapted the fast food eating habits everyone in this country has. I could easily say I feel more American than Ecuadorian, since I have never stepped a foot in Ecuador but I do respect the fact that it’s my parent’s old home. Plus I do love the culture. The simple fact that I can say I am not just a plain American but an American with a twist, makes me special.

                Sheila Jasanoff responded to Bharati’s essay with the same point I used, the point that there is more than two ways to belong to America. She also shares her experience of not just being American but also being South Asian and how she embraces both cultures.  Bharati uses definition, compare and contrast and of course pathos in her essay, to make her point. Sheila Jasanoff does as well by defining what being American is for her, contrasting her idea to Bharati’s and sharing her own experiences.  Even though Sheila Jasanoff did not write as much as Bharati she still made her point clear enough for me to understand it and agree with it. Plus I can safely say that most people don’t think of this situation as so “black and white” like Bharati does. 

The Meaning of Life

 In general, we compare and contrast to discover similarities and differences between everything and anything around us. It is a good way to understand new information, most of the new information we acquire we automatically compare it to something we already know so that the new information can become familiar to us.  In the essay “The Meaning of Life,” Roger Cohen compares the emotional states two monkeys are in after having been part of an experiment for several years. The monkeys were part of a protracted experiment in aging. Canto, aged 27, was given a restricted diet with about 30 percent fewer calories than Owen, aged 29, who got to eat anything he wanted. The conclusion made due to this experiment was that “caloric restriction slows aging in a primate species.” Roger Cohen focuses on pointing out that Owen was a much happier monkey than Canto.

Throughout the essay there are more differences pointed out than similarities. In the middle of the essay, Roger Cohen says “Canto looks drawn, weary, ashen and miserable in his thinness” and “Well-fed Owen, by contrast, is a happy camper with a wry smile.” This leads into his argument that people are happier when they eat what they really want to eat.  He uses pathos by mentioning the death of his mother, to state that happiness is necessary in life since she died of depression. He makes his argument clear in the last lines which say “Laughter extends life. There’s little of it in the low-cal world and little doubt pudgy Owen will have the last laugh.”

I agree that happiness is necessary in life. I actually believe the point of life is to be happy. However, I don’t agree that living on a diet of low calories is or has to be considered a sad life. I truly believe we need to have healthy eating habits so we can avoid all the problems that come with not having them and I truly believe we can find a way to make eating healthy fun.  For example, the idea of eating healthy can be cemented already at a young age to children, instead of having pizza parties to celebrate achievements, fruit parties can be done.  Plus, our whole society has to promote fruits and vegetables as being delicious instead of showing French fries and cheeseburgers as mouth-watering foods in every TV commercial. If changes are made little by little we will all definitely be seeing "eating healthy" from a different perspective. 

We All Tell Lies

                I believe the way Stephanie Ericsson categorizes lies (in her essay) was very well done. She categorizes lies in 10 different categorizes and gives an accurate title to each category along with explanations and examples. I believe the 10 kinds of lies she mentions are the only ones there are so she did not miss any. I believe she wrote this essay to explain to people a reality; it’s a reality most people don’t choose to face but she tells it to us straight out; it’s the reality that we are all liars in some way.  Her essay got published because who ever read her essay realized she was absolutely right and realized the whole world needed to see this reality. The purpose of the essay is to tell people that lies are a part of our lives and instead of denying that we tell them we should all learn to recognize them.

                I like how well organized Stephanie Ericsson wrote her essay. She wrote it in an easy way to understand since she categorized it in a simple way. Plus I like the whole topic of the essay. I never realized how easily we all tell lies without even noticing. I like the examples she used since they backed up all her points strongly, her examples gave her essay an emotional appeal since most of them were situations in which people were hurt in either an emotional or physical way. The category that explained omission affected me because of the example she uses about the priest who got away with molesting countless boys. That example made me completely realize how terrible omission can really be. I thought every quote at the beginning of each category gave the essay a special touch since most essays are not ever written that way. Some of the quotes were even humorous like the one that quoted The Wizard of Oz, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! I am the Great Oz!" I really did enjoy reading Stephanie Ericsson’s essay and hopefully I can recommend it to many more people. 

Skunk

A couple of years ago, Robert Connors wrote an essay called “How in the World Do You Get a Skunk Out of a Bottle?” I believe Robert Connors chose to have a question as his title so that it could grab people’s attention.  It is a question hardly anyone ever has to answer, so this causes curiosity instantly. People begin to wonder immediately what the essay could possibly be about so they end up reading it just to put an end to this curiosity. I would know since I read the essay a long time ago just to feed my curiosity. Plus the question clearly states the conflict of the entire essay and it is the question he constantly asks himself throughout the whole essay so it is an appropriate title. As a reader continues to read this essay, he or she also realizes this essay has an interesting purpose.

In his essay Robert Connors literally wrote a process analysis on how he took a skunk out of a bottle.  This unusual process was used just to get the readers interested and keep them entertained.  However, the point of the essay is to show the problems pollution is causing the environment. The purpose is to convey the message that people must keep the environment clean. The skunk stuck in the bottle symbolizes animals who could be suffering all around the world due to pollution. In most parts of the world it probably isn’t a skunk suffering but maybe fish suffering as a result of getting hurt by plastic bags in the water or birds dying from eating crap on the floor.  Robert Connors’ love for nature allowed him to write such a detailed essay in such an interesting manner to raise awareness in people so that animals could have a better tomorrow. 

Advertisements

In today’s society it is so easy to convey a message that we now have to be careful of what it is we choose to hear and believe. Advertisements convey plenty of messages and they are messages transmitted with the purpose of having one buy something. Advertisements are usually well done since the money invested in creating the advertisement has to be recovered. However, most of these advertisements are terribly misleading. The company making the advertisement is willing to do anything it must to make the viewer purchase a product. For example, I found this advertisement online, of a product called QuickTrim, which is supposed to help you lose weight fast.  I believe this product is cleverly advertised.  The person that made the advertisement was clever to put facts and data on the outside of the product, so that the product can seem legit and safe. It also has in bold the short amount of time it supposedly takes someone to lose weight using this product.  Plus a celebrity was used to advertise the product to make it seem even more reliable. Kim Kardashian takes up most of the space in the advertisement; she’s wearing a bikini which shows off a slim body. Whoever made this advertisement is pretty much trying to say that by using the product you will look like this well known celebrity. Since the product is so well advertised it is easy to understand why so many people would buy it.

I have heard many stories of people who buy products to lose weight and these products turn out harming them instead of helping them. Misleading and false advertisements are to blame for all that harm. False advertisements should not be allowed at all on T.V. Plus people need to be more careful of what they buy. If people were more careful they would not waste money on things that don’t even work. People need to use advertisements to their advantage only. Plus they need to stop believing everything they see on T.V and become better informed of such things as what is a healthy way for them to lose weight.  I warn people not to buy QuickTrim unless they know someone else who managed to lose weight with it, it’s the only way someone can know if  the product really works. 

Depression in College Students

                 Around 2007-2008, Alissa Steiner wrote an article called “Depression in College Students.” Her thesis states that students need to be more informed about depression so that they can seek help if they need to and so that suicide can be prevented. She supports her thesis very well with actual events that happened (the deaths of Nima and Elizabeth) and with real facts. This author clearly defines depression and states all the symptoms of depression, this makes her article very informative and persuasive since she supports all her claims so well.  I believe her response to the issue of depression in college students is very well organized. The fact that it is so well organized makes it easier to understand and follow. Anyone who has no prior knowledge of depression can read her essay and learn something new (since so much information is given). Plus anyone who is looking for help can read her essay and know what to do since, she clearly tells students to go look for help in counselors.

                If I were to write an essay on this problem I would write it similar to the way Alissa Steiner wrote this essay.  I really like the fact that it is well organized since that made it so much easier to understand her, and of course I would want anyone who reads my essay to understand me as well. Plus I like how she defined the problem since I am sure everyone had their own definition of depression before reading this essay (I learned a more detailed definition of depression by reading this essay). Likewise, I would definitely make sure I explain the issue with detail to my readers before stating a solution.  I like the fact that her opinion is the final punch line to her essay so I will definitely leave my opinion for the end as well. I would not do anything differently to what Alissa Steiner did, if I wrote an essay on this subject. 

                                                                                                        

Gerald Graff

Gerald Graff makes an excellent argument in his essay Hidden Intellectualism. His thesis clearly states, “I believe that street smarts beat out book smarts in our culture not because street smarts are nonintellectual, as we generally suppose, but because they satisfy an intellectual thirst more thoroughly than school culture, which seems pale and unreal.”  This writer believes there is so much more to learn than just math and English. He believes schools do not tap into the intelligence of many children, they just assume the child is not smart if the child is not automatically a fast learner in the main subjects. Plus throughout his essay he says that to live life one needs to know a lot more than just those regular school subjects, and it is usually the kids that have this knowledge the ones to be considered “street smart” as if it were something bad. Though in reality its knowledge we all need, according to Gerald Graff.

I believe Gerald Graff makes a good argument by using his own personal experiences to prove his point. I am sure many people were able to relate to his story. Gerald Graff tells us that his love for sports made him a good reader and writer. By using this example he is pretty much telling us that any topic we love can help us along the way to be better at school.

I agree with Gerald Graff when he says that there is so much more to learn than just math and English. I also agree with the part in which he says school needs to be interesting so that the student can have something to look forward to. School should be about learning to survive in life. It should teach students to live by what is morally correct. I have loved school in the past years only because I have had awesome teachers. Once my teachers became boring, I lost my interest for school; I had nothing to look forward to in class but sleeping for a whole period. If school was a place full of entertainment it would be a place everyone would love instead of hate.

The Media

In these past years, the argument, whether mass media is beneficial to us, has been very popular. Steven Pinker, the author of Mind over Mass Media, believes these new forms of technology are keeping us smart, instead of harming us. He points out that technology has helped make great advances in science and that even people who criticize technology use it (since it so convenient). Plus he states that people should have self-control over their use of technology so it won’t intervene with their intimate/personal relationships with others.  Peggy Orenstein, the author of I Tweet, Therefore I am, claims that mass media/technology has been shaping us, making us into people we want others to think we are causing us to lose our true selves. She states that people are more concerned of what their next Tweet will be instead of living in the moment. She says we must, “sort out the line between person and persona, the public and private self.”

Steven Pinker and Peggy Orenstein use several techniques that help make their arguments stronger. Steven Pinker uses ethos when describing the positive results things such as comic books and power points have had on people.  He clearly claims that technology has made even scientific research easier. Steven Pinker also uses logos when telling people that it’s self-will that will keep them either away or attached to the social media/technology. Peggy Orenstein uses her personal experiences and tweeting urges to make her point. She uses pathos in her flashback of the time she was outside with her daughter. Her reference to sociologist Erving Goffman’s argument is her way of using ethos. Plus, logos is used when she makes the statement that we are shaping ourselves based on the media. 

I agree with Steven Pinker. Technology has been very helpful these past years. The advances that have been made in science are amazing (especially in the medical field). These advances have helped humanity in countless ways (for example new medicine has been created for diseases and even new treatments have been created to prevent diseases).  I believe instead of criticizing the mass media; we should all use it to our advantage. No one can deny that social media websites, such as Facebook, have made communication so much easier. The fact that people all around the world can communicate instantly is absolutely amazing and should be used to spread good news and ideas. I have heard the argument that mass media/social media makes relationships less personal/special. However, I agree with Steven Pinker that anyone who wants to have a more personal relationship has to just put down the phone, get off the internet and just talk in person.

Obesity

David Zincenko is staring at the new Pizza Hut opened in Downtown Manhattan, when Radley Balko passes by and recognizes him.

Radley Balko: “Mr. David Zincenko! Hi, I am Radley Balko and I recently wrote an article called What You Eat Is Your Business. However, before I wrote it, I did read several articles based on nutrition and obesity, which is what my article is based on as well, and I came across your article! Your perspective on the subject is quiet interesting.”

David Zincenko: “Don't you believe the government should do something about all this obesity? There are always more and more sick people! The government is just watching the whole nation get fat!”

Radley Balko: “I believe the government has bigger things to worry about. It needs to stop spending so much money on such things as obesity.”

David Zincenko: “Are you saying it’s a waste of money to help obese people?”

Radley Balko: “I say that instead of helping them the government is making them rely on the money given, as in they are making obese people comfortable in the situation they are in. They’ll always stay obese since they know they can count on free money to help them out.”

David Zincenko: “Well just to point out, I proposed adding calorie labels to all food in my article, to make people more aware of what they are eating. It was done on most but, it has not really helped much. What do you think should be done?”

Radley Balko: “Well first of all, the government needs to stop giving money out to obese people, that’ll give them a reason not to get obese, since they’ll know they’ll have to spend a lot of money from their own pockets, on medicine and other necessary things. But most importantly, people need to be more responsible of what they eat; the government should not have to intervene. Every person should learn to eat healthy on their own. If anything the government should reward the healthy and penalize the unhealthy!”

David Zincenko: “Do you really believe Americans can be that responsible some day?”

Radley Balko: “Yes! Eventually they’ll realize what is best for them because the sicknesses will just get worse and then Americans will snap into reality.”

            I agree with Radley Balko.  I say every American needs to be responsible of what we eat. There is no need for the government or anyone to tell us what to eat; we should know what makes us feel energized and healthy. I agree that too much money is being spent on this subject, it's money that could be used more wisely (like on education or creating more jobs). I do truly believe one day all Americans will eat healthy because we will finally understand what is truly good for us. 

Random Dialogue

Carmen walks into her room and sees a huge mess, she immediately calls her daughter.

Carmen: “Sophie!”

Sophie: “Yes?”

Carmen: “Did you make that mess?”

Sophie: “No”

Carmen: “Who did it then?”

Silence

Carmen: “Are you sure you did not do that mess?”

Silence

Carmen: “I am talking to you, Sophie!”

Sophie: “Well...”

Carmen: “Yes?”

Sophie:  “It was an accident. I was looking for my shoes and forgot to clean the mess I made. I am sorry.”

Carmen: “Well that is all you had to say, now clean this mess and get ready to go to sleep.”

                I live with my older sister, Carmen, and her daughter, Sophie. I was in my room when I heard this dialogue take place. I found it interesting because dialogues between a mom and a daughter are always different from dialogues between friends. It is especially interesting when the child is about to get in trouble. It is an interesting dialogue because not much is said but with the few words spoken a clear message is delivered (that Sophie is guilty of making the mess). I believe dialogues are important in stories because they add more detail to the story. Dialogues help the reader understand the characters. For example, in this dialogue we sense that Sophie knows she did something wrong, that is why she is afraid to confess her action. Although the reader can infer, by Carmen's tone, that Carmen knows already that Sophie is guilty. I do believe if the dialogue had been more extensive and more detailed, I would have been able to have a clearer picture of exactly what Sophie did while she was looking for her shoes. This made me realize that when I use dialogues in my stories I have to put a lot of detail into them so that the reader does not stay wondering what really happened. It also made me understand that sometimes silence can say more than a thousand words. So in my writing I will keep in mind to use silence when necessary (and if it is applicable). Plus the punctuation marks at the end of each dialogue made an important contribution to the reader’s understanding of the emotions felt by the characters. I will make sure to use punctuation marks appropriately in my writing. Overall, I believe this was a good activity to fulfill, it helped remind me of the importance of dialogue.

Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant is an interesting story since it is told from a point of view that we, the readers, never usually hear from.  I have heard of imperialism many times and even read books about it, but they are usually told from the point of view of those who were overpowered. This story is told from the opposite point of view, George Orwell (who is a police officer for England at Burma) tells this story. That impressed me as a reader and kept me interested. I really wanted to see imperialism from a different perspective and I did, since George Orwell describes the way he feels and the way the people feel about him in a very detailed way.  That affected me as a reader since I got to have a glimpse of how uncomfortable life was for George Orwell during that time, he clearly states “I was hated by large numbers of people” in the very first lines of the story. Plus I understood that he had to often make difficult decisions and that he explains to the readers using this story about an elephant he had to shoot.

Shooting an Elephant is a well organized story and that makes it easier to understand. George Orwell uses figurative language often to describe the setting and convey his message about imperialism.  He even uses a simile to describe a dead person; he states “the great beast’s foot had stripped the skin from his back as neatly as one skins a rabbit.” The elephant in this story symbolizes the ruled people of Burma, who were doing nothing wrong but ended up being overpowered by a greater force. George Orwell continuously states throughout the story that he did not want to shoot the elephant since the elephant was an innocent animal who eventually is just calmly standing in one place. However, he ends up being watched by a large crowd of people (who already hated him) but were excited to watch the elephant get shot. Not having killed the elephant would have just given them another reason to laugh at him. The last sentence in this story sums this up, “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking like a fool.”   

Imperialism is when one nation overpowers a weaker nation. George Orwell gives us an interesting glimpse of his idea about imperialism through this story.  George Orwell believes imperialism puts limits not only on the people being overpowered but also to those who have to maintain it that way.  He believes to be a “dummy” in between these two countries, England and Burma, though he is obviously the “dummy” of England. He says that “he (the white man) shall spend the rest of his life trying to impress the “natives”.” He now has a certain standard he has to live by and this standard will always limit his freedom to do what he wants. This opinion and George Orwell’s honesty is what makes this story so great.

Syria

I am usually never aware of the problems concerning foreign countries. Of course I heard about problems at Syria for many days. But I honestly did not even bother to ask what was wrong. Perhaps that is the problem of many Americans; we couldn’t care less about anything outside of our own country. The problem with Syria is its corrupt government, which finally encountered people willing to go against it. The current problem in Syria started with protests by the citizens, asking for a different government. Obviously the government was unhappy with this and reacted in terrible ways. This however, led to a civil war in Syria, a war that the government refuses to lose. The government is so determined to win that it even began to use chemical weapons. This action is what made the United States get involved. I don’t believe anyone could possibly know the correct way to react to this situation, not even President Obama. However, I do believe we should respect President Obama for at least trying to do something to help Syria. In my opinion, the U.S should not get involved. Starting problems with a foreign country can’t possibly lead to any good. The United States needs to worry about fixing its own problems first, before it tries to help anyone else. The United States needs to worry about its people first; it needs to show what good “ruling” is really like. Once President Obama can show what a good nation really looks like then he could lead by example. He could show the rest of the world there is no need for wars or violence in general. But until then he should completely focus on doing his job here at home and leave the rest of the world alone. I do realize there are people dying out there, and what we could do is pray that the problems in Syria will soon come to an end. I do hope everything in Syria works out fine.