Food Habits Conversation: David Zinczenko vs. Radley Balko

Radley Balko and David Zinczenko accidentally bump into each other in front of a McDonalds when walking around a shopping center.

Radley: “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

David: “No, it’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

Radley: “Hey, aren’t you David Zinczenko; the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and the author of Eat This, Not That?”

David: “Yes, that’s me.  I recognize you too. You’re Radley Balko; the senior editor of Reason. “

Radley: “I’d love to talk to you about food habits. Do you have a few minutes?”

David:” Sure, where do you want to talk?”

Radley: “Well, ironically, we’re in front of a McDonald’s. I think that’s the perfect place to discuss food habits.”

David: “Ok, let’s go in there, but I am just getting water.”

Radley: “Same here.”

Radley and David get water and sit down at a table inside McDonalds.

David: “Would you look at all these poor children and their parents. Most of them are overweight and they continue to eat these high-calorie foods without even knowing how many calories they’re in taking. This is why the government should intervene when it comes to having health care for people who do have medical problems caused by obesity.”

Radley: “What do you mean?”

David: “What I’m saying is that it is difficult for people to live a healthy life style. They’re thousands of McDonald’s around, but where can they go to find a grapefruit? These fast-food companies don’t even show the costumers how many calories are in the food they are consuming. In the past eight years, medical problems caused by obesity, like Type 2 diabetes, has more than tripled in the percentage of children who have it. ”

Radley: “So you’re saying that these children are being pulled into going to these fast-food restaurants when there is not time to make meals because they are so available and that the government has to pay for the people who have medical problems due to obesity?”

David: “Exactly! The fast-food companies are luring children into their fast-food restaurants by giving them toys in their happy meals that don’t have warning labels even though these products do have proven health hazards. The government must pay for their illnesses because they’re not many alternatives to buying fast-food and there is not much information about what they are eating provided to them”

Radley: “I disagree with you David. I believe that since these adults are giving their children and themselves unhealthy food on a daily basis that they should face the consequences by paying for their own medical protection.”

David: “Why do you believe this?”

Radley: “More and more over the years, America’s health care system is helping with more socialist issues. The way people take care of themselves has become a problem to the public health system.”

David: “How is this possible?”

Radley: “Democratic candidates keep pushing health care coverage for all citizens. Now, when people get heart disease and need anti-cholesterol medication, the government is paying for it.

David: “So you believe that nothing is stopping people from making bad choices because the government will just pay for them.”

Radley: “Exactly! People will continue to make bad choices if they don’t have to pay for it. If people actually had to pay for health care, they would stop making bad choices and eat healthier.”

David: “Even though I do not agree with your argument, I still believe it is valid. I really enjoyed talking to you Radley, but I have to get going now.”

Radley: “I feel the same way towards your argument. I enjoyed talking to you too!”

Radley and David leave McDonald’s.

Thesis Statement: All people should get free health care when having illnesses for any and all reasons. People don't become obese because they know they won't have to pay for their health care but because they enjoy eating and have an addiction to food. They're not thinking about the consequence of having to pay for their illness if they get one.

Extra Credit Dialogue

On the express bus to the city this morning during the United Nations General Assembly

Time: 7:50A.M.

Older Woman: “Oh Lord, I’m going to be late! This is ridiculous!”

Bus Driver: “I’m trying as best as I can ma’am.”

Older Woman: “But I am going to be late! Is this going to be the same way the whole week?”

Bus Driver: “Unfortunately, this will not end until Monday.”

Older Woman: “This is absurd! You know, what they really should be doing is holding this assembly in Siberia, where this whole mess started!”

Bus Driver: (Confused) “Okay ma’am I will get you to your stop shortly!”

Analysis: The conversation here is a perfect example of how some people truly don’t understand what is going on in the world around us. You would think the older woman would know what was going on because people of her age are generally wiser due to having much more experience in the world. This woman had no idea that the United Nations General Assembly is an annual meeting to discuss major issues in the world. She thought this was all taking place because of what happened in Syria, not Siberia. This woman didn’t know the proper name of the country that went through this horrible attack. I can understand, maybe this woman was outraged that she needed to be at work on time, but I believe that we should all be able to give up a little bit of our time so that political leaders can discuss major issues. We are being given freedom in America. Yes, being in lots of traffic might be inconvenient, but that is the least we can do to help contribute to world peace.  I’ve learned from this experience that people should not start a rant about information that they‘re not 100% sure is accurate. The woman made herself look like a fool. If I were her, I would feel like George Orwell when the Burman tripped him and everyone laughed because that is basically what everyone on the bus was doing when they heard her unintellectual rant. Writing this dialogue taught me that punctuation and your choice of words are key to getting your point across. By using explanation points in the dialogue, it lets the readers know that the woman was screaming when she was ranting about being late. I also learned that dialogue brings life to the characters' and lets the readers know their personalities.

Shooting an Elephant

Orwell’s essay is very insightful regarding his hatred of imperialism. It leaves readers with an adrenaline rush due to the intensity of the situation. I was extraordinarily absorbed into the story and immediately wanted to know what was going to happen next. I kept asking myself, “Is he really going to kill the elephant?” Orwell was able to get his main point across that, in an imperialistic society, the foreigner of a country always seems to feel pressured by the people born there.

            This narrative/descriptive essay is intended towards a more adult audience. Before he starts the essay, Orwell states that this story took place during his years of serving as an Imperial policeman in India. This information serves the purpose of explaining his role in the story as to why he had to take action when the elephant was causing violence throughout the town. The narrative grabs the attention of the readers from beginning to end and is very well organized. The story does not have much dialogue, and does not call for it, because the story did not include dry material and is lively enough without it.

The description of this essay was more vivid than any essay I have ever read. Not only could I picture that story, but I felt as though I were the characters in the story. The description of this essay was so well written that I can actually feel the pain of the poor Indian man being stomped to death by the elephant. I also felt the pressure of the crowd of Burmans following and watching Orwell’s every step and the pain it gave Orwell to watch the elephant suffer. Orwell uses a first person point of view to  tell this story so that the readers can get inside his head and know his thought process when deciding whether to kill the elephant or not. There are examples of similes and metaphors in Orwell’s essay. “But in falling he seemed for a moment to rise, for as his hind legs collapsed beneath him he seemed to tower upward like a huge rock toppling, his trunk reaching skywards like a tree.” The first simile in this sentence compares the elephant falling to the ground to a huge rock collapsing. The second simile in this sentence compares the trunk of the elephant that is now facing upwards, to a tree. “The crowd grew very still, and a deep, low, happy sigh, as of people who see the theater curtain go up at last, breathed from innumerable throats.” The metaphor in this sentence compares the two thousand Burmans following him as he is preparing to shoot the elephant to people in a theater who become excited as they see that the show is about to start.

Orwell shoots the elephant because he is pressured by the Burmans around him to do so. If he did not shoot the elephant, Orwell would be ridiculed even more than he was already and would have looked like a fool. When being followed by the two thousand Burmans, he felt as though he had no choice but to shoot the elephant because that’s what they expected him to do. Imperialism is the power and control of a country and that countries people, over other countries and those countries people. Orwell has strong feelings towards his hatred of imperialism. He feels as though imperialism should be taken out of all countries. We should not mock or have stereotypes against one another just because of where we are from. The anecdote illustrates these feelings because his decision to shoot the elephant was not based upon what he thought was morally right but based upon what the Burmans would have thought of him if he did not shoot the elephant. He felt as though he needed to impress the “natives” by showing that he is capable of killing the animal and able to protect the Burmans from the violence caused by it.

Description of Favorite Place

The morning sunlight glistens upon the crystal blue waters. The intensity of the tropical sun is so powerful that everyone is on the sandy beaches sitting peacefully as they relax and enjoy the view of the stunning coastline. Along the sandy beaches are thick beautiful palm trees as tall as giants that provide shade from the heat. The sound of the ocean waves are music to my ears. Golden sand stuck between my toes as I heard the tranquil sounds of waves crashing. I felt as though I did not have a care in the world as I took in the picturesque scenery around me.

The aroma of the delicious food lingers throughout the resort restaurants. Everyone feels delight as they are given mouth-watering meals at any time of the day. Refreshing pinna coladas and iced tea are served by friendly waiters and waitresses whether you are on the beach or even in one of the many extravagant pools. The view from the luxurious resort hotel is breath-taking. You can see the ocean sparkle as the sunsets. The stars twinkle like diamonds in the night sky. Everyone cheers as they dance the night away and see spectacular performances while they are on vacation in Turks and Caicos.  

 

Reading Response to Narratives and "The Sanctuary of School"

A good narration is a recollection of an event that happened in that person’s, or someone else’s, life. A narrative can be very short and simple but it can also be very long and complex. The reasons for writing a narrative are usually to make a point or support an argument.  The key to writing a good narrative is to add strong details. To create new ideas for a narrative the questions who, what, where, when, how, and why should also be answered so that the reader will understand the point of the story. After producing these ideas, the next step is to organize them and write a draft. A narration should be thought out and expressed in a way that will grab hold of the reader’s attention.  The narrative needs to be put in chronological order to do so. Then it is time to state the point of the narrative. In order to do that, the writer must write a thesis statement to explain to readers what he is telling them. It is also very important to use verb tenses properly and to check for grammatical errors in the dialogue, if used, when writing a narrative. The use of verb tenses will help the reader to connect events in time. Errors in dialogue can only lead to miscommunication of what the author is trying to tell the readers in the story. Correct grammatical use in a narrative will help the story flow swiftly.

The narrative “The Sanctuary of School” is a compelling story that explains why art should not be cut from the public school system. As a reader, this story touched my heart and I felt sympathy for Lynda Barry. Being ignored by the ones you love the most can be a very tough and emotional struggle that children have to face. The fact that she was able to slip out of her own house without her parents knowing immediately that she was missing is a sure sign of neglect. I love that she was able to find art and have that be something in her life that she cares so deeply about. Art was able to let out all her emotions and let her be heard when no one in her family heard her. Personally, as a reader, I cannot relate to her story. I was never interested in visual arts growing up, such as drawing or painting, mostly because I am a terrible visual artist. I also was not neglected growing up, but I do know people who were, and it is not an easy thing to go through. Having that one thing in life that can lift up your spirits is a great necessity. Due to this neglect, art in the public school system should not be taken away from children who do enjoy it and feel as though it is a new gateway to possibilities.

As a writer, I was pleased with her introduction. It made the reader question why she was really running away. Her narrative contained no grammatical errors and she used her verb tenses properly. The story answered the questions who, what, where, when, how, and why with powerful details that made the reader connect emotionally with the writer. Lynda Barry was able to get her point across very well in this narrative by convincing the reader through her influential story that art needs to be kept in the public school system.  

She states her point most directly in the last few paragraphs of her narrative. Art gave Lynda Barry a chance to express herself and be heard when no one else was listening. She thinks that it is very sad that parents neglect their children. If they have nowhere else to turn, she believes that art can help them to broaden their horizons and learn more about themselves, rather than to stand in front of a television set all day and be ignored. Barry uses the word light to mean many different things in her narrative. She first uses the word light in the phrase “light of our lives” to mean that television was one thing that made her and her brother happy when dealing with their family’s neglect. She also uses the word light in the phrase “a thousand points of light” to explain that parents are leaving their children to defend themselves by using good organizations that will help them in their lives rather than their parents showing them the way.