A Rhetorical Analysis Of Chocolate By Kay Frydenborg

Most people across the globe are familiar with the savory, and occasionally bitter, treat that has made its way into households’ pantries over the ages. Kay Frydenborg recognizes that most people take for granted the items that they consume and utilize on a day to day basis, and the majority also do not understand the journey these goods take to make it into stores. She presses for her audience to take an interest in the goods they consume and use to avoid taking these privileges for granted. Frydenborg takes her audience on a journey throughout the different stages chocolate has gone through over time, from the discovery of the cocoa beans, to the creation of the first milk chocolate bar. Kay Frydenborg starts out Chocolate exploring the origins
She uses many direct facts throughout Chocolate that she gives credit to in the bibliography found at the end of the book. Frydenborg provides this bibliography to prove to her readers that her information is reliable and are used from many varying sources, which manipulates her audience into thinking that her information is not biased. She will reference names of organizations and individuals that she either quotes or speaks heavily about, “Mark Guiltinan, a professor of plant molecular biology at Penn State and a key member of Hershey team, said” (Frydenborg, 176). Mark Guiltinan believes that cacao will improve economic, environmental, and social statuses as well as lift many out of poverty (176). Frydenborg believes that not only will this help areas in poverty, but it will provide means to fully stopping the deforestation of the rainforests. Frydenborg gives information from sources that her audience would believe to be reliable, because they are from members of companies that are involved in the chocolate industry. Through the use of this method, Frydenborg convinces her audience that she provides both sides of an argument and allows them to choose the side they most agree with. The information Frydenborg provides influence’s her audience’s decision to choose her side of the argument. Frydenborg presents sources that she agrees with to further discuss her side of
Frydenborg uses statistics to engage readers as well as convince them that the point she makes is reasonable and has valid support. Frydenborg explains that the rainforest is shrinking due to society’s actions and it is important that we put a stop to it “it covered 14 percent of the earth’s land surface, but now it makes up a mere 6 percent” (217). Society’s implacable actions in cutting down the rainforest provides a precedent for the decreasing supply of cocoa beans needed to produce chocolate. Kay Frydenborg convinces her readers that the shrinking of the rainforests is a serious issue through the use of statistics and data. The use of statistics make understanding the information easier, because the audience is able to envision more of the issue she is posing. Frydenborg explains that due to the increasing population, the rainforest is being cut down to supply wood for building new establishments, which has a baneful effect on the environment. Most people do not understand the importance that the rainforests serve, which Kay Frydenborg recognizes and expresses throughout her novel “about 45 million people worldwide depend on cacao for their livelihood” (174). Cacao, amongst other goods needed for medicine, is commonly found throughout the rainforests. Frydenborg understands that by showing statistical evidence of the harm brought upon the rainforests, it is more likely that her