Politics of Food Day 4

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They analyze the organizational patterns, arguments, and positions advanced. The selections in Recommended Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. In addition, by grade twelve, students read two million words annually on their own, including a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online information. 2.3 Write reflective compositions: a. Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, description, exposition, persuasion). b. Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer's important beliefs or generalizations about life. c. Maintain a balance in describing individual incidents and relate those incidents to more general and abstract ideas. Students will be able to… – Discuss and elaborate upon their opinions, ideas, and questions about a text. – Develop questions to facilitate discussion of a text. – Read texts “against the grain” in order to question credibility, effectiveness, and rhetorical appeals. – Identify the different elements and parts of a text. – Analyze stylistic and structural elements of a text – Summarize and respond to a text

2 nd Reading Discussion How did we label the main components of these essays? What were our reactions? – Did you have more “for” or “against” reactions and comments? On a sheet of paper respond to the following: – Overall, what is your opinion of Berry’s essay? Pollan’s essay?

Analyzing Stylistic Choices Discuss: What are the denotative and connotative meanings of the key words noted to the right? – Respond: Do you think the connotation or denotation you have for the word is the same as that intended in the text? Refer back to the text to see if your use and the text’s are in agreement. If not, in what way are they dissimilar? Berry’s “The Pleasure of Eating” is about participating in the “agricultural act” – essentially being present for one’s food and understanding and appreciating the process from it’s beginning to our eating it. For the most part, Berry has a relaxed style, a personal voice. Although he does use sophisticated language at times, he speaks directly to the reader. Look at the following words and phrases and discuss why Berry chose them to explain his concerns about our lack of knowledge concerning agricultural processes: How are you affected by this language? mere consumers -passive, uncritical, and dependent victim one reason to eat responsibly is to live free remarkable obliviousness dependent on toxic chemicals ignorance and helplessness bechemicaled factory-fields factory production line… looks more like a concentration camp – Paragraph Numbers: – mere consumers- passive, uncritical, and dependent (5) – victim (6) – one reason to eat responsibly is to live free (7) – remarkable obliviousness (8) – dependent on toxic chemicals (10) – ignorance and helplessness (12) – bechemicaled factory-fields (21) – factory production line… looks more like a concentration camp (21)

2. “When a Crop Becomes King” is about a very specific crop- corn. The language is both sophisticated and informal. Notice the soothing language of the first paragraph- its romantic treatment of corn as fanciful and idealistic. Highlight the words that stick out to you. Now examine the words Pollan uses in the rest of his essay. They are the opposite of fanciful and idealistic. Highlight the words that stick out to you. Look at the words and phrases noted and discuss why Pollan chose them to highlight the huge social and environmental issues that he sees surrounding the overproduction of corn in the U.S. and our romantic sense of the crop. How are you affected by this language? – plants stretch toward the sun (1) – ears of sweet corn (1) – ceremonies of an American summer (1) – second great lawn (1) – dominion (4) – welfare for the plant (5) – cornification (6) – corn we consume is invisible (6) – corn diet wreaks havoc (6) – illness and infection (6) – pushed sugar aside (7) – expanding race of corn eaters (7) – epidemic of obesity (9) – serious and lasting damage (11) – greediest of plants (11) – killed off marine life (11) – huge, inefficient, polluting machine (12) – guzzles fossil fuel (12) – douse it with chemicals (13) – poison our water (13) – cracked system (13)

FINISH ANALYZING STYLISTIC CHOICES (IF NOT FINISHED IN CLASS)