Fat Is Feminist Issue Vs Having It His Way Essay Examples

An argumentative essay must persuade the reader to join the writer in taking a particular stand. This can be done using different tools of argumentative writing. The tools espouse special skills in writing that must be put to use by the writer right from the introduction of the essay, down to the body and finally the conclusion. Argumentative writing is all about persuasion. Here, the writer must appeal to the reader’s logic and rationality by approaching their subject matter in an informed and fair manner that the reader will find reasonable and easy to accept. Such writings must also invoke the emotions of the audience for which they are meant. The readers must be able to develop positive feelings that will enable them to adopt your point of view. A good argumentative writing will also build their topic in a manner that is compatible with their audiences’ values and beliefs. This will make it easier for the audience to identify with them. Susie Orbach in her article Fat is Feminist Issue puts these skills to perfect use. In comparison, she offers a better argument than Carrie Packwood and Debra Merskin on their article Having it His Way: The construction of Masculinity in Fast-Food TV Advertising.
One of the reasons Susie Orbach’s essay easily comes out as the better of the two is her choice of topic. She writes on a topic that she is very passionate about. Given her professional background, she has a lot of knowledge in matters feminism. Reading through her work, one notice how she goes out of her way to push the feminist agenda by sending a strong message to sexist ideologues. Carrie and Debra, on the other hand, appear to discuss a more generalized topic that is not narrow enough for a good argumentative essay. They do not approach their topic with the same energy and zeal as Susie and tend to draw more from scientific research, by referring to secondary sources and past research statistics, than their own personal experiences. This detaches them from the subject matter in the estimation of the audience. Susie uses ethos as a means of persuasion to win over her audience. This is a very critical skill in persuasive writing. She builds credibility around herself in the eyes of the readers by displaying her deep knowledge in the subject matter of her article Fats and Feminism. She is an authority in the subject of feminism having worked with women for several years, helping them to solve problems of sexist discrimination in the society for several years.
Susie also succeeds in appealing to her reader’s emotions. This is an important tool in persuasive writing. If an author is able to win the audience’s sympathy, admiration or love, then they have succeeded in bringing them on board. She does this through a calculated choice of words that creates the desired mood in the readers. She, for instance writes, “The message is clear-the woman’s body is not her own”. She adopts a feminist approach to the problem of fatness and overeating in women in a manner that triggers sympathy for the women struggling with this problem. She begins by outlining how these women have been misunderstood over time and blamed for being fat when, in fact, not only are they not to be blame for being fat but there is also nothing wrong with being fat (Susie 449). She presents fatness, one of the most serious problem among women in the American society as part of the society’s larger scheme to undermine the role of women and depict them as objects rather than subjects.
Susie’s depiction of the manner in which the society expects women to behave, dress and appear is so skillfully crafted that the reader cannot help shedding tears when going through the piece. Her position that women are viewed as sex objects who must do everything to look good in the eyes of men resonates well with the increasing demand for more rights for women in the society and stirs emotions of rebellion in the reader who immediately becomes appalled at the women’s’ haplessness in the face of a society that idolizes men. This makes her a hero in the eyes of the reader who cannot help but agree with her. She traces the history of this collective chauvinism by the society to several years back to paint the picture of women as a lot that has suffered for too long in the hands of men as a result of the society’s unfair expectations of them as regards how they should look and dress.
Susie also explores reasoning as a tool of persuasive writing. She introduces her topic well, instantly capturing the attention of the readers. This is lacking in Carrie and Debra’s article where one has to dig deep into the article to appreciate the subject matter (Carrie and Debra 278). Susie also draws several examples to support her assertions in a bid to win the audience. At the same time, she shows an amazing willingness to engage the audience and accommodate their point of such. Such are what a good persuasive essay is made of.

Work Cited

Carrie, Parkwood and Depra, Merskin. Having it His Way: The Construction of Masculinity in Fast-Food TV Advertising
Susie, Orbach. Fat is A feminist Issue, Pbs Pub Corp. 1997.