Language AnalysisEssay Preview: Language AnalysisReport this essayPersuasion through media texts, newspapers, films, TV news and the radio can be very effective, but is it the effect that was intended? The article, State can ban fatty choices, but teens will just vote with their feed, the editorial, Junking the fatty foods, as well as the cartoon, Expelled, all reflect the society in which we live in that is concerned about the health of its children. With one in four children either obese or overweight, now is surely the time to act in order to stop this
Epidemic from escalating any further than it already has.In the article State can ban fatty choices, but teens will just vote with their feed, the tone seems to be quite cynical yet matter-of-factly as if the information is of common-sense and the people reading should already know the result of the implementation of such a ban. “Weve got McDonalds 20 metres down the road. Where do you think the kids are going to go?” Also alluding to this is the idea that you only eat healthy if you want to lose weight. “Id love it if they brought in the bans,” he said. His reasons for packing his own healthy alternative? “Im trying to lose weight.” The effect of McKenzies writing really pulls you in and convinces you of its contention – the use of actual figures such as one in four children are overweight or obese really adds to the persuasive effect of this article.
The editorial from the Herald Sun, Junking the fatty foods, displays a much rougher tone than the previous article, already having used some hard-hitting strong language by the third word. It almost ridicules the children who could be in such a situation. “…expanding waistlines…” “…weighty concern…” and “Ballooning obesity…” really give the reader an image of the effect of unhealthy eating in our society. The use of illnesses that can be a result of being overweight or obese also adds to the effect of the article, a kind of intimidation, warning you to stay away from unhealthy foods. Although, this editorial exaggerates its statistics by saying that almost one third of children are overweight, when that number is actually closer to one in four. This is used as a ploy to make this issue seem even more serious than it already is, in an attempt
to get more readers to read your message to your parents.
This is an important point for the parents of children overweight or obese to understand. Many of those that I’m talking about are overweight or obese at this time. Their parents can say that they are, but in fact, they can’t, because they cannot afford to bring it up. There are many reasons why this happens, all involving the obesity epidemic, the lack of educational opportunities, and the lack of health care. In general, you, the reader, have come to understand the nature of our society and our lack of health care issues. I want to be clear that the medical community and the public are looking for ways to change the current behavior of a society to allow people to live safely and enjoy themselves. We can do so by making healthy eating a public health issue, which does not require our parents to take their kids to a hospital or to see a pediatrician. We can do this by allowing them to opt-out from unhealthy eating and to eat on their own, without health care. The children can be healthier then, but I believe they will need many years of education to be able to find healthy ways to live a good life.
[Ed:]
As always I appreciate your comments at your comments section. We were recently asked about the obesity epidemic, but I couldn’t agree with your analysis because of the lack of public health awareness on both sides of the debate, especially in an era of mass protests. And because health care often makes people appear bad at doing things they normally don’t do they also provide a very confusing message. Your argument was that as the problem of obesity continues to grow, the public should start asking questions about these issues (as opposed to simply having the public ask about obesity in school and in other settings), and you are making this a problem without making any of the other issues disappear. Why? Because that is what is important to this message we are sending to the public. We don’t need to have politicians and celebrities telling us to stop talking about this problem at all. If you want to help the population think about the health problem it is better to stop talking about it, and to talk openly about it. Instead, it is too important for politicians and celebrities to convince us that we need healthy eating and that we need to take our kids to a private school to eat healthy food. And if they did, we might need to get more parents that understand the problems associated with this issue to make sense before we let them become part of that message that we are so focused on. I am sure you are worried about the health of the children and teenagers you talk to. I would welcome you to comment, and I will certainly be happy to share our solutions. I am trying to find a way at every point with respect to the health issues that I believe to be the biggest issues facing this country. Please don’t read my letter. I am happy to share my ideas with you. I thank you for your patience.
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