Thanks to the COM352 students for contributing a bunch of new pages! I'll be moving these pages into the main area of the wiki soon.

From UMassWiki

The writer of the piece Hunger as Ideology, Susan Bordo, can be characterized in one of several ways. She is a mother and a wife, as illustrated by many of the quotes within her writing, and at the same time, she is also a teacher very concerned with her students and a feminist concerned with the current issues for and against women, specifically within contemporary media. Great claims.Her identity as a mother is confirmed by the quote “ Those periods in my life when I have found myself too busy writing, teaching, and traveling to find the time and energy to prepare special meals for people that I love have been periods when a deep aspect of my self has felt deprived, depressed.” This quote employs the rhetorical principle of ethos, in that it plays towards the emotions and sympathies of the audience of the piece. The quote also ably illustrates her role as both a mother and a wife, and an unhappy one at that, for she cannot always provide and take care of the ones she loves with such a busy life. Her role as a woman, and one who understands the predicaments of her sex, is illustrated b (by) the quote, “ Unlike the women in the Andes candy commercials, few women who have spent the day submerging their desires, either for the sake of their families or to project the appropriately attractive lack of appetite to a cafeteria full pf (of) adolescent boys, really feel rewarded by a bite-size piece of candy, no matter how much chocolate ‘wallop’ it packs. In private, shamefully and furtively, we binge.” This quote, yet again utilizing the rhetorical strategy of ethos, establishes Bordo as a woman in the larger group of women as a whole, and also shows that she understands the feelings of suppressed urges. Elaborate The subject of this piece is rather straight forward. This article discusses, in depth, the role of eating and food itself in contemporary media, and relates these things to how they consequently establish the roles of men and women in media. Not only does Bordo use the media’s situations to discuss how they create the image of men and women overall, but goes so far as to relate how these media portrayals can cause eating disorders and even establish implicit sexual roles. She illustrates her belief that media is pervading real life in terms of sex roles in this quote. “ Today, young women and men no longer experience much of a distinction between the commercially fabricated, artfully arranged images that surround them and the aspirations they hold for themselves.” Using logic, this quote thus applies to the rhetorical element of logos. Assuming that Bordo’s extensive knowledge is valid, this statement thus shows us her opinion on the subject. In addition, she uses logos in the quote “ Women with eating disorders bring photos of ultra-thin model Kate Moss to their therapists as an example of the look they strive for, and the latest craze in cosmetic surgery is the ‘waif procedure,’ which vacuums out cheek-fat in order to achieve a hollowed-out look.” Here, she uses hard fact and true situation to illustrate her outlook on the argument of the correctness of the roles established by today’s media. The last element of the piece is the target audience, and, here, the most vaguely defined of the three variables. I believe the target audience is in fact anyone concerned enough to read the article and take an interest in the subject. Although centered primarily on the role women receive due to the mindset of modern media, male roles are also addressed, and the issue of family and the home brought up, in addition to certain stances about sexuality and the effect of these images in the workplace. Such a wide range of subject matter can lead to relevance towards any citizen the piece might reach. One quote illustrates Bordo’s attempt to reach contemporary women of all ages. “ Nor am I counterposing to the argument of these ads the construction that women are simply oppressed by such roles. This would be untrue to the personal experiences of many women including myself.” She addresses the personal experiences of many women, not just herself, and thus employs the rhetorical strategy of pathos, appealing to the beliefs and emotions of a target audience. Thus, we can clearly see her attempts at reaching women as part of an even broader overall audience. Another quote has a similar effect. “ But in fact the same metaphorical universe, as well as the same practical prohibitions against female indulgence (for, of course, these ads are not only selling products, but teaching appropriate behavior) were characteristic of Victorian gender ideology.” Using logos by tying in facts of a historical time period, Bordo effectively spreads the range of the audience beyond men and women. She uses this quote to grab the attention of historically minded individuals, such as history professors or students, and make the article relevant to their interests and thus, incorporate them into the larger audience as a whole. Possibly write additional conclusion sentences to make the essay seem like an essay, instead of answers to some questions. Theandrewreynoldsshow 12:14, 24 October 2006 (EDT)

I enjoyed reading this essay and found it interesting. He demonstrated understanding of logos, pathos, and ethos. He also had good claims about the author, audience and subject. The quotes were good too, however I think that he could've elaborated more on them. Also when you read this, it feels more like some answers to questions, instead of an essay...additional sentences and/or paragraphs can be used to fix this. Overall, this is a strong essay and just needs a little fine tuning.