Compare the attitudes towards food in text 9 and 11.
I will be comparing the attitudes of writers who are vegetarians and a chef who eats red meat.
Firstly, both texts are very enthusiastic about their topics of food. Text 11 which is about turning vegetarian or being vegetarian it eases the readers in to the passage as it’s not in an imperative or bossy tone. It relaxes readers as the author begins with “take your time” which immediately removes all pressure away which is a tactic to persuade and influence them to read more. That one phrase “take your time” may impact and influence the reader to change their ways or start to change their ways, it’s also guiding and advising them on how to approach vegetarianism. Secondly, the author of this passage tries to make being vegetarian cool as it uses informal language such as “veggie” to make it more interesting and on trend. The term “veggie” will appeal to the younger readers as well and will make it seem as a trend which should be followed. Secretly the author tries to promote vegetarianism by saying to the readers “impress your friends “which shows that they are trying to be it a trend and fashionable. The phrase “impress your friends” also appeals to people liking challenges because it’s not something that they are used to and your friends may see you in a different light just because you are turning vegetarian and by impressing your friends they might want to try it out to impress their friends which will be a continuous pattern. Also the author uses another quote “try something new” which appeals to people who like new trends and like to challenge themselves.
Whereas in text 9, John Torode (the chef) has a more aggressive and strong tone in terms of how he addresses his topic about red meat. He firstly explains his undeniable passion about meat which relates to people who share the same passion and wants people to share his passion as well. He tries to influence the readers by saying it’s healthy for our bodies and provides evidence by stating the exact vitamins such as B12 and B6 also minerals such as niacin, phosphorus and zinc which does wonders to out body. He even mentions that the vitamin B12 cannot be found in any other food source than animal protein. By informing the readers, it shows us that he is educated and as a result the readers will believe and trust his words. John Torode also educates the readers that red meat should be included in our food diet it doesn’t cause any health problems, its only cause we “eat too much of it” so he is explaining that it is not the animals fault we are the culprits for our own health issues it’s not the meat. He gives an example of what he does to mix up his meals and only have “a balance, not too much of anything”. The difference with this text is that it is a bit more passive and tries to educate as well as persuade readers by showing the benefits that meat does inside the body. He also tries to pass his passion to the readers with the hope that it will inspire people to cook more creatively and healthily with meat; Just as the show the Great British Bake off did which influenced and inspired British people to bake.
Another difference between both articles is the way they way use emotional argument to persuade the reader. For instance the article from the vegetarian society uses a quote from Sir Paul McCartney “better for the planet and for the creatures that live with is upon it?” the use of an rhetorical question is effective as it makes the readers question their life style and how they manage to indulged other living things without making it a major issue. It also makes you reflect on how we share the planet with these animals and we don’t respect their ways as we kill to eat them; it induces guilt as it makes you feel bad and think about the potentially severe environmental implications of what you are doing because they are innocent beings that we take advantage of. This quotation reveals an emotional side to the reader and formulates a sympathetic emotion if you are a meat eater. After, another quote was used “great tasting food which is good for your health”. Generally people want to live a healthy lifestyle regardless of what categories of food they eat and this statement silences the people that say only eating vegetables is boring and bland. By Sir Paul McCartney saying these encouraging statements; it may influence people especially his fans as they aspire to be like him. So he is a form of propaganda for vegetarianism. The author makes out that being vegetarian is on a moral high ground because you are not being selfish and by not eating them you’re saving their lives and the environment. The article makes vegetarians look like saint’s and it will make you feel like a better person. In this article the emotion by the reader is being manipulated to convince them that they are helping themselves and the environment and is giving vegetarians a holistic approach.
On the other hand, John Torode (in text 9) uses emotions via nostalgic memories of growing up eating meat and shares the memories with his family to the readers. When he moved to London he was actually disappointed the restaurants did not take pride in their own meat which was pretty much devastating for him. He mentions that the restaurants ordered meat from neighbouring countries and “no one wanted to touch British beef” he states as a patriotic man this was inadequate. He believes that people should take pride in their meat and also he mentions the beneficial aspects of meat which is good for your body such as zinc heals wounds and b12 prevents dementia and brain shrinkage. He is informing readers that red meat is an important and vital for your diet and keeps you healthy and states the “2 out of 5 Britons deficient in b12” is a big concern as it could lead to problems internally. It’s almost like he is trying to scare the readers while giving them a reality check that it’s vital for you health. He made sure he continuously told the readers that it is healthy source of food for those who are scared for health reasons; the repetition assures readers that it is healthy. He says you should be cautious in the amount you take and he gives tips on how to get the write meat and he says “when you go to the butcher make sure the meat is a dark red” and shows readers how to incorporate vegetables with the meat , advising them to slow cook it with vegetables. This enables the readers to learn and change their views and their ways of eating meat in a healthy and more controlled way. To highlight the fact that he has eaten large quantities of meat like many people from his generation without any apparent health scares therefore implicitly implying that the meat isn’t a problem it is the over consumption of meat which is the problem. Conversely, the article of vegetarianism to make a bigger point because by not eating meat you are protecting yourself and animals.
Lastly, the writer’s in text 9 and 11 use images to engage the readers and is also visual evidence shown to the readers. Text 9 uses an image of a healthy looking person eating steak which signifies that you can be healthy and eat meat; the image is a large image to point out everything he is trying to say when it comes to the health aspect, this shows that he is confident in his analogies. Whereas the image on the vegetarian society website are smaller but are more dominant than text 9 images as a celebrity is used. This is a form of bribery and propaganda, because celebrities have this undeniable force which can make people do things just because they have done it. A picture of him can make people change their ways because they are his idol/icon.
Overall, both text uses a series of strategies from emotions to pictures to influence the readers and hopefully change their mind sets on vegetarianism as it is an holistic thing to do and remove the bad reputation that meat has.