Rhetorical Analysis

Ethan Stella-Mackie

October 4th, 2021

Professor Jason Labbe

English 1007

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Rhetorical Analysis: The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Forks

Climate change is one of the most prominent issues in the world, as it affects nearly everyone on the planet. When most consider the causes of climate change, they think of the implications caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Most people assume that this is the biggest issue, given the massive representation of these ideas in mainstream media. Climate activist Anna Lappé takes the initiative to express to readers that this is in fact untrue. Lappé’s essay aims to highlight the real problems that aren’t necessarily obvious to the common person. She does so by providing readers with outstanding statistical evidence to support nearly every aspect of her argument. Not only does she present the issue and stress the problem, but she provides practical solutions in the final paragraphs. This makes the essay come full circle, and shows that it isn’t too late to make a change. She breaks the rest of her essay into four main sections, the land use connection, the agriculture connection, the waste and transportation connection, and the organic solution. Each section of the essay provides unique examples of the issue at hand, paired with useful statistical evidence to support her point. In her essay, “The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork,” environmental activist Anna Lappé does an excellent job of presenting an overlooked issue, expressing her gripes with the food industry, and proposing an attainable solution with statistical evidence in each section while utilizing superb rhetorical strategies to form her arguments.   

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Before Lappé dives into the first section, she has a few pages detailing the underrepresented issues she is about to discuss. She starts with the anecdote about a meeting led by NASA scientist Cynthia Rosenzeig, an expert studying climate change. Rosenzeig met with a group of farmers to educate them on the environmental implications caused by farming, to which they were shocked. Lappé uses this story to lead into her own analysis regarding the lack of representation these issues have, which she highlights throughout her writing. She seamlessly flows into a paragraph where she proves that mainstream media isn’t properly representing the true threats to climate change. “Researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed climate change coverage in sixteen leading U.S. newspapers from September 2005 to January 2008. Of the 4,582 articles published on climate change during that period, only 2.4 percent acressed the role of the food production system…just half of one percent of all climate change articles had a “substantial focus” on food and agriculture” (Lappé 704).  In other words, Lappé expresses the exigence of her essay by providing reliable statistics proving that these issues aren’t given enough coverage in mainstream media. This plays perfectly into the point she makes about common misconceptions about climate change and its contributors, as seen in the anecdote she shared a few paragraphs earlier.   

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Lappé strives to reach the popular audience in her writing, whether it be the driving forces of the food industry or the common person. She does so by providing practical solutions for both groups in the organic solution section. This makes readers feel involved, and therefore more interested in her ideas. Lappé states, “Encouraging sustainable agriculture will not only help us reduce emissions and adapt to the future climate chaos, it will have other beneficial ripples: addressing hunger and poverty, improving public health and preserving biodiversity” (Lappé 711). This forms an excellent connection between Lappé and her audience because it makes the essay apply to every possible reader, and sternly urges them to take action. Without this connection, readers would have the feeling that no matter what they take from the essay, they still can’t make a difference. The way she makes this connection with her audience also eliminates a possible constraint she faces. People want to feel like the piece they are reading applies to them in some way, it’s almost human nature to forget about something that doesn’t affect you. By reaching out to the common person in this quote, it’s making people feel as if they have a say in the future of climate change. By doing so, she makes readers care about her ideas in terms of a solution. 

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Lappé has a strong thesis statement that takes the shape of a short paragraph. Lappé asks, “Why does our food system play such a significant role in the global warming effect? There are many reasons, including the emissions created by industrial farming processes, such as fertilizer production, and the carbon emissions produced by trucks, ships, and planes as they transport foods across the nations around the world. Among the main sources of the food system’s impact on climate are land use changes, especially the expansion of palm oil production, and the effects caused by contemporary agricultural practices, including the emissions produced by livestock” (Lappé 704). Lappé mostly utilizes claims of fact to support her arguments made in her thesis. She makes multiple claims throughout her essay that can be seen as implausible, but she consistently finds a way to tie the claim to statistics that prove her truthful. The way she uses credible statistics is truly her greatest ally in getting readers to have faith in her arguments. One example of these strategies is shown on page 707, in her section on agricultural practices. In this section, Lappé makes a claim of fact that, “Agriculture is responsible for most human-made methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere...” (Lappé 707). To the casual reader, this may seem like an overstatement due to the lack of understanding they have for the issue at hand. Lappé realizes this and immediately supports her claim with statistical evidence regarding emissions of livestock. Lappé States, “Though livestock only contribute 9 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, the sector is responsible for 37 percent of methane and 65 percent of nitrous oxide” (Lappé 707). Lappé utilizes these statistics as proof that isn’t arguable, and cites credible sources each time she does so. She also provides explanations to her statistics, which give them a sense of meaning to the reader. She goes on to explain how these livestock produce such great amounts of emissions, which helps readers understand that the process isn’t all that they may think.

Lappé makes a lot of important connections to the principles of ethos, pathos, and logos throughout her essay. Lappé first appeals to ethos by branding herself as an activist who has the right intentions for writing this piece. The intention of an author is one of the easiest ways to determine their credibility. The way that Lappé delivers her arguments show that she is a passionate writer who is writing solely to inform and inspire others to think in a similar way as her. The delivery of her arguments are also impartial in a sense, for example she states, “Asked what we can do as a nation, most of us would probably mention promoting renewable energy and ending our addiction to fossil fuels. Few among us would mention changing the way we produce our food or the dietary choices we make” (Lappé 703). Lappé isn’t discounting other contributors to climate change, she is simply bringing an underrepresented issue to light. This makes the essay less argumentative, and makes her appear more credible and professional.

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Lappé appeals to pathos and logos together in multiple situations in her piece. She does this best in the organic solution section of the essay. First she presents a statistic that connects to logos, stating, “Finally, we know that shifting toward sustainable production need not mean sacrificing production. In one of the largest studies of sustainable agriculture, covering 286 projects in fifty-seven countries and including 12.6 million farmers, researchers from the University of Essex found a yield increase of 79 percent when farmers shifted from sustainable farming across a wide variety of systems and crop types” (Lappé 711). Lappé provides the solution in the section and expresses the improvement it would be using statistics. By comparing a shift to sustainable farming from current industrial methods, it makes it easier for readers to agree. Lappé then appeals to logos, stating, “Here’s the other great plus: we all need to eat, so we can each do our part to encourage the shift to organic, sustainable farming every time we make a choice about our food, from our local market, to our local restaurants, to our local food policies” (Lappé 711). Directly after stating the solution and evidence why readers should follow, she aims to inspire with this quote. She stresses that everyone has the opportunity to make a difference without changing much in terms of daily life.

  Lappé does an excellent job utilizing a multitude of rhetorical strategies to catch the reader's attention and instill a feeling of inspiration and urgency within them. She not only strives to prove that her issues are important and accurate, but also to connect with her audience. The way she reaches out to her audience is by making readers feel as if they have an impact on what happens, and what will happen if they do or don’t change. Lappé delivers her entire essay in a professional and impartial manner, which gives her the appearance of having a credible ethos. She maintains her credibility by pairing almost every claim with a statistic or study to back her up. Her ability to appeal to her audience in the organic solution section is what makes her essay truly come full circle, and makes readers really want to take her suggestions. Lappé’s piece is a perfect example of a complete essay.     

Works Cited

Lappe, Anna. “The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork.” From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader, by Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky, Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan Learning, Boston, MA, 2021, pp. 702–711.