In his essay “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko warns the consumer about the dangers of fast food, agreeing that it is bad for one’s body. Through his argument, he shows his reader that the consumer is not necessarily at fault—the food industry is the true culprit here. His use of questions throughout the text, along with personal narrative, imagery, and his tone, Zinczenko is able to effectively argue against the manipulation of the food industry.
Zinczenko asks questions throughout the piece to relay his arguments and guide the reader to what he believes to be actually true. He begins his argument by asking a question to get the reader thinking about the true fault of obesity: is it simply the consumer or is there another force affecting these children? He asks the question: is the case of children who sue McDonald’s for their obesity the same as the case of middle-aged men suing Porsche for their speeding tickets? (392). In other words, he points out the absurdity of the men suing someone else for something that was their own fault, but he also raises the …show more content…
This addition of detail from his own life makes his claim much more relatable for someone reading his essay: a true story from his own life allows the reader to relate to the facts through the personal aspect of the essay. His mom struggles to stay afloat financially, and can only afford fast-food restaurants. As a result of this, he became a “torpid teenage tallow” (392). Within his personal narrative, the imagery is illuminating; as a reader, I can picture him as a lazy, fatty substance of a teen. As his narrative continues, he writes that teens who live as he once did will cross “under the golden arches to a likely fate of lifetime obesity” (392). I especially like this imagery—I can also picture someone walking under the golden arches of McDonald’s, and walking out the other side obese because of the
Zinczenko asks questions throughout the piece to relay his arguments and guide the reader to what he believes to be actually true. He begins his argument by asking a question to get the reader thinking about the true fault of obesity: is it simply the consumer or is there another force affecting these children? He asks the question: is the case of children who sue McDonald’s for their obesity the same as the case of middle-aged men suing Porsche for their speeding tickets? (392). In other words, he points out the absurdity of the men suing someone else for something that was their own fault, but he also raises the …show more content…
This addition of detail from his own life makes his claim much more relatable for someone reading his essay: a true story from his own life allows the reader to relate to the facts through the personal aspect of the essay. His mom struggles to stay afloat financially, and can only afford fast-food restaurants. As a result of this, he became a “torpid teenage tallow” (392). Within his personal narrative, the imagery is illuminating; as a reader, I can picture him as a lazy, fatty substance of a teen. As his narrative continues, he writes that teens who live as he once did will cross “under the golden arches to a likely fate of lifetime obesity” (392). I especially like this imagery—I can also picture someone walking under the golden arches of McDonald’s, and walking out the other side obese because of the