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Now that you have watched Robert Kenner’s documentary, Food, Inc. , write a clear, well-developed, and well-argued essay in which you first summarize the film and then offer a critical analysis of its effectiveness as a documentary. Your essay should be organized around an original thesis statement that focuses on whether or not you find the documentary effective in the way it presents and supports its central argument. In this essay, you will analyze how Kenners documentary supports its arguments about the food industry and whether or not you found it effective.
Do not write about whether you liked or disliked the movie. Your essay should support your thesis statement by analyzing 3 different scenes or sequences from the movie. Each part of the body should focus on a different sequence, with one part focusing on an element of logos (logical appeal), one part on an element of pathos (emotional appeal), and another part focusing on an element of ethos (appeals to the author’s credibility or trustworthiness). The body of your essay should analyze how Kenner uses these appeals and whether or not you find them effective (See St. Martin’s
Guide, p. 539-43). You may also analyze any logical fallacies you see in the film (See St. Martin’s Guide, p. 620-1). In addition to the film’s script, your analysis should also focus on the visual elements Kenner uses to support his ideas, i. e. video footage, images, charts and graphs, the body language of those being interviewed, etc. For guidance with this essay, we will rely on Ch. 8 in the St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, as well as the pages from Writer’s Reference cited in this handout. It is recommended that you start reading through the chapter as soon as possible.
Requirements: Your essay should be 4-6 pages in length, meeting these requirements: 1. Introduction (1/2 Page): Your introduction should identify the title, genre, and director of your primary text (i. e. the film). You should also summarize the film’s main argument. The summary should be written completely in your own words, and it should give your readers an overview of the film’s main points without going into supporting details. There should be no analysis in your summary. Here, you are just informing your readers Of what the film is about so that they will understand your argument about it.
The summary should be written entirely in your own words with no quotes from the film. (See Writer’s Ref. , p. 72-73). Your summary should build to an original thesis statement in which you state whether or not you think the film’s argument is convincing and explain why you believe that. Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of your introduction. a. Thesis Statement: Your thesis will be your central idea, or major premise, and it will be supported by your analysis of the film in the body paragraphs. In other words, your essay will be organized around your thesis statement.
It must be your original idea, written in your own words, and narrowly focused to fit this assignment. It should state the topic of your essay, i. e. your view of the film’s main argument, and your commentary on that topic, i. e. how the film supports that argument, what scenes will you focus on, etc. Your thesis is the most important part of your essay, so it should be written and revised with special care. You should plan to spend at least 2 hours writing the thesis. (see, writers Ref. , p. 16-18 and p. 80-82. ) 2. Body (3-5 pages): The body should discuss 3 main points, or the minor remises, that support your thesis statement.
One premise should focus on an emotional element (pathos) of the film; another should focus on a logical element (logos), and the last minor premise should focus on an element of ethos, or how the Kenner establishes credibility or trustworthiness with the audience. Consider these questions, as you develop the body paragraphs: a. Appeals to Ethos : How does the film use appeals to ethos to establish its credibility as a source on the food industry and to gain the audience’s trust? Are these appeals effective? Why or why not? Discuss 1 sequence from the ilm that that has a strong ethos element.
Describe the scene in complete detail, focusing on how the scene’s dialogue and images work together to make this appeal. Finally, discuss how the scene affected you on an ethical level. b. Appeals to Pathos: How does the film appeal to the audience’s emotions? What kind of emotional response is the film trying to evoke? Are these appeals effective? Why or why not? Are they fair, or are they deceptive? Discuss 1 sequence from the film that has a strong pathos element. Describe the scene in complete detail, focusing on how the scene’s dialogue and mages work together to make this appeal.