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Analysis Of The Consumer A Republic Of Fat By Michael Pollan

Decent Essays

Imagine a country having the ability to produce so much of a crop that it must be turned into something different just to sell. According to Michael Pollan in his essay “The Consumer—A Republic of Fat”, this is exactly what is happening in the corn market. Taken from his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan’s essay compares the vast amount of corn whiskey consumed in the nineteenth century to the many ways of eating corn today. He uses historian W. J. Rorabaugh’s book title “The Alcoholic Republic” to name this whiskey era, and dubs the present as the “Republic of Fat”. In addition to comparing and contrasting, Pollan also argues that corn has become a major staple in our diet, and is causing unhealthy eating habits. His subject is on …show more content…

A few examples are: “obesity is the most pressing public health problem faced, costing the health care system an estimated $90 billion a year.” (283, paragraph six) and “Since 1977 an American’s average daily intake of calories has jumped by more than ten percent” (284, paragraph eight). Pollen argues about how much high fructose corn syrup has been introduced into people’s diets by saying that 530 million bushels of corn harvest is turned into 17.5 billion pounds of high fructose corn syrup each year (295, paragraph eleven). While this essay is persuasive and impersonal, there are still ways that Pollan appeals to the emotions of his readers. Namely to point out the negative effects of whiskey and high fructose corn syrup in one’s diet. He provokes a feeling of concern and negativity towards diets of the present with the use of words such as: “public health crisis” (283, paragraph one), “national drinking binge” (283, paragraph four), and “humanity’s expanding waistline”(284, paragraph seven). He also refers to certain events in the corn market as “red letter days” (286, paragraph thirteen). With this essay being part of a bigger book, Pollan does not introduce himself or begin with credentials in order for the readers to trust his words; but his language and syntax show that he has an intellectual grasp on his subject, and makes good use of facts as well as supports his own words with author’s thoughts. While Pollan builds

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