Cameron Trujillo October 20, 2013

Rhetorical Analysis Essay In the article, Five myths about hunger in America, Robert Egger attempts to persuade readers that hunger is a pandemic that still is still plaguing the great county of America. Mr. Egger uses several forms of rhetoric and supporting ideas to do this. Throughout the text of this paper, the reader will gain a greater understanding of the ways in which the author Robert Egger is able to effectively use logos, pathos, and ethos rhetorical strategies to persuade his audience of the negative effects of hunger within America. I will do this by explaining rhetoric and use of such to persuade the readers of the article to believe in his idea of hunger in America as being more than just about the pains of an empty stomach. Robert Egger is the founder and president of the D.C. Central Kitchen in our nations capital. This companys mission is to provide jobs for the unemployed while also preparing meals for low income and at risk neighborhoods in Washington D.C. He is also the founder and acting president of the Campus Kitchens Project which has a similar mission, helping the needy to provide hunger relief. Both of these endeavors are extremely successful and very profitable. In November 21, 2010 an article he wrote titled Five myths about hunger in America first appeared in the Washington Post News Paper. The time period when the article was published was during The Great Recession within the United States. The country was in economic turmoil and its citizens, the audience for the article, were scared about their futures uncertainty. Thus the points of the article are about much more than just what the title suggests.

The article has five main ideas or points about hunger in America. The first one Mr. Egger opens with the idea that, although Americans may have an abundance of food, the majority of food consumed is unhealthy and is leading to widespread malnourishment and obesity. The article then continues with its next idea by adding that the resulting obesity is a major threat to our economic and national security, citing statistics about graduation rates of those in poverty as well as his idea that our armed forces may have fewer able bodied young people to serve in a time of crisis. The third point made in the article is that the individuals who most suffer from hunger is not children, but that it is most commonly the single mothers and seniors who may have to choose between putting food on the table or meeting current family needs. Robert Eggers fourth idea, or myth, if you will, is that the food is wasted unnecessarily by false expiration dates and carelessness by those with excess. He then concludes with his last argument that the war on hunger is less about food and more about jobs and wages, or lack thereof, really. The article uses many forms of rhetoric to support the claims made by the author. Throughout the text it is easy to see that Robert Egger prefers the use of the logos rhetoric. He provides a lot of numerical statistics and studies to support his claims as to the real problems created by hunger in America. Three main sources are cited for this use of rhetoric. The first is The United States Department of Agriculture. The author uses collected data from this source when talking about the number of homes suffering from food insecurity, and also the measures it provides to help those who are in need. The second is The Centers for Disease Control. When talking about obesity related ills the author pulls information from this source as well as finds and presents data on the Meals on Wheels program and the amount of subscribers to its services.

The last is the D.C. Central Kitchen and The Campus Kitchens Project. Mr. Egger also includes information from his own company as well as those he is involved with to show the need for food services to combat hunger. He also cites other authors who have written on the subjects and provided numerical support for claims made in his the article. The use of logos rhetoric is to use logic through facts, percentages and trusted sources to give validity to the claims being made, a good support used by Robert Egger to convince his readers that his ideas are factual. Egger was very strategic in his placement of another form or rhetoric, pathos. Pathos is anything that tugs at the readers heart strings to persuade them of thinking in the way the author desires. It plays with ones emotions to make the point. The subject of the article, hunger, is a very sensitive to many Americans. Everyone, at some point in their life, knows what it is like to be hungry. They know the pains, the inconvenience, and even the sickness that can all accompany it. The article taps into these emotions by describing in detail those that suffer from hunger. Children who have nowhere to turn except to survival mode They turn to whatever means necessary to obtain food at the cost of education and morals. Other heart tugging pictures painted by Egger in his article are single impoverished mothers having to choose between having enough food for herself, or buying her kids a new pair of shoes and school supplies. Or an elderly person having to choose between eating for the week and paying for needed medications. The last noticeable use of rhetoric is ethos. In the closing statements made in the article Egger introduces his companies and what their common mission - to help the hungry. By introducing this, he paints himself as an expert on the subject, as well as adds to the logos approach which was previously discussed. Ethos is a strategy in writing where the author takes the approach as an expert and therefore his ideas and claims can be trusted simply because of

who they are. The authors businesses give him credibility concerning the topic of the article and can be trusted in his claims he makes. As the reader it is easy to see how well the entire article is organized. Statements are made and then supported by facts. Next, Pathos, or emotion, is brought into the picture to provide even more support. Throughout the article we see Robert Egger uses strong language or voice when making his claims which are further intensified by his vocation in the field and assumed expertise. The use of rhetoric and organization are good supports for the claims he makes within the article which main purpose is to convince the reader of the myths of hunger in America. As the reader I especially found his use of Pathos to be most effective. If I could have a face to face conversation with author I would inquire as to the motive for the writing of this article. Is it for personal gain? Having stake in the food industry as he does. Or is it, like his businesses are, for the aid of others? Both conclusions could be drawn from the article. My primary audience in writing this piece would be those who are concerned with the issues of hunger in America, or anywhere for that matter. When learning about any topic it is important to take into consideration all views and ideas and then come to your own conclusion on said subject. If talking to others about Robert Eggers article I would tell them exactly what I have already written. To look for those uses of rhetoric and to question with boldness not just Mr. Eggers claims but all claims made by that which they read or hear. On the flip side, if I was the author I would feel my writing met its goal of being a strong, convincing piece and hopefully, moving the reader to action in helping the fight against hunger in America. The rhetoric was used very well and supports the claims and ideas made. Mr.

Egger was able to use ethos, pathos, and logos rhetoric to not only inform the readers but to change their hearts and opinions. He is able to convey the tragedies of hunger as well as the negative effects on the American society. In conclusion we have seen the not only how well Mr. Eggers use of rhetoric was, but also how he did it and how powerful the use or rhetoric is in writing and all its forms.