Fast Food Schlosser Analysis

482 Words2 Pages
From Kenny, the tragic slaughterhouse worker, to Hank, the downtrodden rancher, Schlosser provides plenty of emotional stories with which to tug on the reader’s heart strings. In doing so, he is using pathos to sustain any one of the many arguments he is making throughout the book, whether it be the treatment of workers in the fast food industry or the battle of corporations vs. free enterprise. As it pertains to the food itself, and the general welfare of those that eat it, the prime example of emotion would be the story of six year old Alex and his contracting E. coli O157: H7 in July of 1993 after eating a tainted hamburger. The description alone is enough to churn the stomach as well as soften the hardest of hearts. “His illness began…show more content…
This story is designed to make the reader sad and angry at the same time. Sad because of the trauma the young boy—and by extension his family—endured, but also angry at the fact that something this horrific is allowed to happen in this country. At this point in the book the reader is already conditioned to the lack of governmental oversight that is pervasive throughout the entire fast food industry and the health of the food that is eaten no different. Schlosser brings out the standard villains and shows how they actively prevent oversight and reform. It is the beef industry, not the government, that determines when to institute a recall of tainted beef, how much to recall, who/ what should be told about it (213). G overnment is seen as a willing pawn in this entire deadly game where profits trump health and well being. It is here that the anger—at the government, at the industry—over the plight of Alex comes into play. Although ultimately informed of the dangers, the reader is left feeling helpless and scared about the quality and safety of the food they
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