Everything’s an argument? After contemplating the title of our tiny blue book I immediately felt compelled to challenge the statement it portrayed. How can everything really be an argument? All my previous years of schooling stamped the idea into my head that an argument is some form of persuasion or defense; usually cynical towards an opposing point of view. However, after taking the time to read Everything’s an Argument I discovered that the word argument is not always a persuasion tactic, in fact, an argument can be used as to lead audiences to discover a truth, to explore, make decisions, and even mediate or pray.
Before classes began I was a bit confused as to how we were going to connect eating or the “rhetoric of eating” to a book about a nonfood-related topic; argument. On the first day of class we watched a short clip of a comedian expressing his distaste for Hot Pockets. This clip was an ideal example of how arguments can be made through humor and be food related at the same time. The comedian displayed a use of emotional and ethical appeals to connect with his audience and successfully present his argument. Chapters one through three covered the topics of arguments based on pathos, ethos, and logos. These three types of appeals are presented to us on a daily basis, whether we turn on the TV and view a commercial or even open up our refrigerator to chose a snack. Arguments bombard our life. As the book suggested, even a simple sign such as the hurricane shelter sign in chapter one, poses an argument. In the case of the sign, the argument was to inform an audience of a truth and was appealing through an ethical source because it was posted by a credible source, Florida’s Department of Transportation. In class we also brought in food items to show how packaging can be used as an argument. My groups’ Smart Ones lasagna showed the use of emotional appeal in its use of imagery and word choice in describing the food, along with appeals to the audience’s ethical side by citing a credible affiliated source like Weight Watchers.
In order to fully understand an argument in its various connotations, I agree with the book that it is essential to examine arguments using rhetorical analysis to get a complete breakdown. Thinking critically and beyond the surface of the arguments presented to us will allow us to better grasp the concept and will be beneficial when the time comes for us to write one ourselves.
