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.