Now that you have watched Robert Kenner’s documentary, Food, Inc., write a clear, well-developed, and well-argued essay in which you first summarize the film and then offer a critical analysis of its effectiveness as a documentary. Your essay should be organized around an original thesis statement that focuses on whether or not you find the documentary effective in the way it presents and supports its central argument. In this essay, you will analyze how Kenner’s documentary supports its arguments about the food industry and whether or not you found it effective. Do not write about whether you liked or disliked the movie.
Your essay should support your thesis statement by analyzing 3 different scenes or sequences from the movie. Each part of the body should focus on a different sequence, with one part focusing on an element of logos (logical appeal), one part on an element of pathos (emotional appeal), and another part focusing on an element of ethos (appeals to the author’s credibility or trustworthiness). The body of your essay should analyze how Kenner uses these appeals and whether or not you find them effective (See St. Martin’s Guide, p. 539-43). You may also analyze any logical fallacies you see in the film (See St. Martin’s Guide, p. 620-1). In addition to the film’s script, your analysis should also focus on the visual elements Kenner uses to support his ideas, i.e. video footage, images, charts and graphs, the body language of those being interviewed, etc.
For guidance with this essay, we will rely on Ch. 8 in the St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, as well as the pages from Writer’s Reference cited in this handout. It is recommended that you start reading through the chapter as soon as possible.
Requirements: Your essay should be 4-6 pages in length, meeting these requirements:
1. Introduction (1/2 Page): Your introduction should identify the title, genre, and director of your primary text (i.e.