The Politics of Food

DAY ONE

What to we mean by “the politics of food”?

Michael Pollen / Bill Moyers Interview

You-Tube Interview

DAY TWO

Activity #1: Quick write

Think about how much sugar, fried foods, fresh vegetables and fruit, etc. that you eat daily.

1. To what extent do advertisers influence your choices?

2. Evaluate your own dietary habits, and discuss what ways you should change your diet.

3. Think about how much you know about the food you eat, where it comes from, its quality, etc. How much do you know about your food?

4. Think about the amount of time and the quality of that time that you spend eating. Do you drive & eat? Do you stand & eat? Discuss how often you sit & enjoy the food you eat? Do you eat w/ your family?

Activity #2:Surveying the Text

Homework

Investigate who the authors of these essays

are and bring that information to class.

~When and where were these originally

published? Should you trust these publishers?

~Why or why not?

Activity #3:Making Predictions and Asking Questions

1. What do you think each of these essays is going to be about?

2. What do you think is the purpose of these essays?

3. Who do you think is the intended audience for them?

4. How do you know that?

5. What do you think the writers want us to do or believe?

6. Based on the titles and other features of the selections, what information/ideas might these essays present?

7. Will the articles be negative or positive in relation to their individual topics? How did you come to these conclusions?

8. What are the arguments that each writer presents? What makes you think that?

9. Read the first two paragraphs of Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating.” Jot down your predictions, based on his title and these early paragraphs, as to what he might discuss.

10. Read the first paragraph of Pollan’s, “When a Crop Becomes King.” Jot down your predictions, based on his title and this first paragraph, as to what he might discuss or argue.

11.Will these writers make arguments? For what?

12. Read the first four paragraphs of Berry’s essay. Adjust your predictions. Turn his title into some questions that you might keep in mind as you read the essay.

13. Read the first four paragraphs of Pollan’s essay and adjust your predictions. Turn his title into some questions that you might keep in mind as you read the essay.

DAY THREE

Activity #4: Introducing Key Vocab.“The Pleasures of Eating,” by Berry• urban shoppers (para. 4)

• obstacles (para. 4)

• specialization (para. 5)

• industrial food consumer (para. 5)

• cultural amnesia (para. 6)

• a pig in a poke (para. 6)

• food esthetics (para. 8)

• perfunctory (para. 8)

• obliviousness (para. 9)

• relentlessly (para. 11)

• estranged (para. 20)

• comely arts (para. 20)

• concentration camp (para. 21)

“When a Crop Becomes King,” by Pollan• dubious (para. 1)• domestication (para. 2)• insinuated (para. 3)• subsidize (para. 4)• wreaks havoc (para. 6)• metabolized (para. 10)• predators (para. 13)

Activity #5: First Reading1. Reading Berry~Read Berry’s essay silently, and note in the margins where your

predictions turn out to be true. Also, note what surprises you:

What didn’t you know? Does he persuade you to accept his point

of view? What, specifically? To what extent?

2. Say, Mean, Matter~As you read each paragraph, ask yourself the following

questions & neatly annotate the article answering these

questions in the margins: What does the paragraph say?

What does the paragraph mean? Why does it matter?

1. Reading PollanRead Pollan’s essay silently, and note in the margin where your

predictions turn out to be true. Also, note what surprises you: what

you didn’t know. Does he persuade you to accept his point of

view? What, specifically? To what extent?

2. Say, Mean, MatterAs you read each paragraph, ask yourself the following questions

& neatly annotate the article answering these questions in the

margins:

What does the paragraph say?

What does the paragraph mean?

What does it matter?

Activity #5: First Reading

DAY FOUR

Rereading the Text

Activity #6

~Reread The Pleasures of Eating & label:

left hand margin

-the introduction

-the issue or problem the author is writing about

-the author’s main arguments

-examples the author gives

right hand margin-your reactions to what the author is saying

~Reread When Crop Becomes a King & label:

left hand margin

-the introduction

-the issue or problem the author is writing about

-the author’s main arguments

-examples the author gives

right hand margin

-your reactions to what the author is saying

Mapping the Text

Activity #7

~In your groups, you are to “map the texts”

draw a circle in the center of a blank page & label it with the texts main idea

record the text’s supporting ideas on branches that connect to the central idea

**see RR p.54

Checking for “Loaded Words”

~ “What is the effect on the reader of the writer’s choice of specific words?”

--eg. The Pleasures of Eating

par. 5 “mere consumers-passive,

uncritical and dependent”

--eg. When a Crop Becomes a King

par.5 “welfare for the plant”

par. 6 “corn wreaks havoc”

Activity #8:Descriptive Outlining

~Read & take notes

RR p.55-58

~Working with your group, create a descriptive outline of When Crop Becomes a King

**keep ethos, logos & pathos in mind as you are doing your outline

DAY FIVE

Activity #9: Summarizing & Responding

~Use your maps to construct your summaries

--you are to write a 4-5 sentences summary of each text

Peer Editing the Summaries

DAY SIX

Writing a Rhetorical Analysis paper

RR p.91-93

Activity #10: Worksheet

DAY SEVEN

Summary Feedback~EXCELLENT!

-great use of attributive tags

~Don’t Forgets:-Author AND Source

-avoid you (use instead “the reader”)

-never refer to author by first name

-avoid your opinion

Activity #11: Writing a Rhetorical Precis

1. Select the article you will use to write your paper .

write a rhetorical precis (RR p.62)

2. Select an exploratory activity (RR p.88) to complete for that article.

Rhetorical Analysis Paper

~Write an essay of 750 words in which you examine a key rhetorical strategy (or several related ones) used by Pollan (or Berry) to engage readers to his point of view regarding food and the politics that surround food. Your purpose is to offer your readers a new perspective on how a text works rhetorically, a perspective gleaned from your analysis.