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Fast Food Nation Analysis
The book “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser” is an investigative text that explores the reality of the fast food industry. Written by an investigative journalist, the book digs deep into the evolution, the growth and the expansion of the fast food industry along with the its implication on America and the world. This discussion seeks to evaluate the book from the perspective of the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject and the tone.
The speaker in the novel takes a journalistic voice that seeks to explore and reveal information about the fast food industry. The voice that tells the story takes the journalistic approach in order to engage the reader in the investigative progress that reveals the information being delivered. However, the speaker takes the third person voice to give the right approach to reporting the information found. For instance, when describing the cost of starting the fast food stores, Schlosser (2001) states, “The start–up costs of a fast food restaurant were low, the profit margins promised to be high, and a wide assortment of ambitious people were soon buying grills and putting up signs” (p 22). As a result, the reader joins the speaker in the novel to do the investigation and to reveal the concerns of the fast food industry together.
The occasion for the book is described by the time and the place for the content in the book, which form the context of the writing (McNamara, 2007). The time covered by the book is the post war period America and the developments in the American industries after the Second World War. The book examines the rise of fast food industry since the time when American middle class was growing, highly and the industries were developing fast. The place covered by the book is the United States, but the Schlosser focuses more on the states that marked the start of the fast food industry. Therefore, Schlosser takes a keen look at California, from where the main pioneers of the fast food industry in America ail from. For instance, when describing the competition in the industry, Schlosser (2001) states, “The fast food wars in southern California — the birthplace of Jack in the Box, as well as McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Carl’s Jr.,” (p 24).
The audience of the novel by Schlosser is the American population and all the people in the world who are conscious of their health. The book does not seem to focus on only one group of people or any specific audience. However, through the use of the American context, the book seeks to reveal its investigative information about fast food to the American population. At the same time, the book seeks to use the American context to educate the world to change their perspective on the health implications of the fast food industry (Goldstein, 2001). To describe the book, Schlosser (2001) states, “The book is about the fast food, the values it embodies and the world, it has made” (p. 3) This shows that the book does not only seek to address the Americans, but uses the American context to expose what the impact of the fast food industry in the world. Therefore, the audiences are the Americans and the world population at large.
The purpose of the text is to discuss the evolution, the growth and the impact of the fast food industry in America and the world. The book seeks to find out the influence that America has had on the fast food industry, both locally and internationally. The speaker is purposed to explore the factors that led to the development of the industry and the results of the development of the industry. This is the main intention when Schlosser divides the book into two parts; “the American way” and “Meat and Potatoes.” Schlosser addresses the catchy and enticing marketing methods used by the fast food chains in the world. Schlosser (2001) states, “although the fast food chains annually spend about $3billion on television advertising, their marketing efforts directed at children extend far…”(p 47). This shows that the purpose of the author in the book is to create a need for the concern by the audience about the speedy growth of the fast food industry and the health implication.
The subject of the text is the fast food industry in the United States and the impact it has in the world. The book focuses the subject of the discussion on the origin of the industry and the path of evolution of the fast foods. By exploring the opinion of the pioneers of the industry, the author directs the topic of the book into the development of the fast foods and the reasons behind the rise. The book also focuses on the health implications of the fast foods in the country and in the world. Schlosser (2001) states, “heart diseases, diabetes, colon cancer and breast cancer, the principal diseases of affluence” have been linked to diets low in fiber and high animal fats” (p 243). This focus is directed in order to create a concern over the rise of the industry and the consciousness of what people eat.
The tone of the book is both an insightful and a cautionary attitude that seeks to reveal information for the reader to be cautioned. The insightful tone is felt in the insight that the book gives about the fast food industry. The book involves an investigation of the rise of the industry and the health implications of the industry. The insightful attitude provides the educational aspect of the book to the audience. This is directed to lead the cautionary tone of the book which seeks to caution the people over the fast foods. To caution and give insight on the implications of fast foods, Schlosser (2001) states, “The annual health care costs in the united states stemming from obesity now approach $240 billion” (p 242). The cautionary attitude is meant to raise concerns over the increase of the fast foods and their results to the nation. For instance, creates caution over the marketing strategies used by the fast food chains and the health status of the fast foods.
In conclusion, the book focuses its purpose on the rise of the fast food industry in the United States and the world. Schlosser explores the impact of fast food chains on the United States population and in the world. Through a well organized literary report, Schlosser exposes the health concerns associated with the fast food industry in America and the world at large. Moreover, Schlosser creates an insight as to why people should be worried about what they eat, and the fast food industry.
References
Goldstein, B. (2001). Audio Interview: Eric Schlosser, An interview by Bill Goldstein. Retrieved From, <http://partners.nytimes.com/books/01/01/21/specials/schlosser.html?scp=2&sq=Eric%20Schlosser&st=cse> June 7, 2015
McNamara, D.S. (2007). Reading Comprehension Strategies: Theories, Interventions, and Technologies. New York: Psychology Press
Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt