Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Fast Food: Four Big Names Lose'

The article, “Fast Food: Four Big Names Lose” employs the readers of such article to listen to an explanation of what other customers all around America value and do not value in the fast food chains that exist today. Written by Consumer Reports Magazine in August of 2011, a magazine dedicated to testing and surveying products and services themselves and to support groups and reporting the results of those tests to the consumers of America so that they may make more informed choices in their futures. Major fast food companies constantly brag and commercialize their success and the greatness of their product, however whether they actually compare to the product they so grandly promote is a different story. Consumer Reports Magazine delivers

By using multiple rhetorical devices such as but not limited to ethos, logos, and pathos, Consumer Reports Magazine assists the readers to make better decisions when choosing a fast food restaurant to go to and also to make better decisions in consideration to their health. In order for a good argument to reach and impact its prospective audience,and in our case magazine readers, it must be credible enough for the audience to believe and listen to it. Consumer Reports Magazine effectively incorporates ethos into the article by using quotes and surveys. By surveying “36,733 subscribers who made a total of more than 98,000 visits to 53 chain restaurants” the magazine has a reliable source of evidence in which it can base its argument on (Consumer Reports Magazine 780). Given a large pool of people, the opinions given by the subscribers represent a diverse group of individuals. Also, instead of asking food experts or critics, the magazine asked average people with whom the audience could relate to. This makes it more likely that the audience will listen to the points that the magazine and survey are trying to establish. Another way the magazine establishes ethos is by including

Consumer Reports Magazines use of rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos, and logos greatly contributes to their efforts of conveying their overall message within the article. With this use of ethos the magazine builds their credibility using the graphs and charts within their audience. Not only that but, they also use the rhetorical device pathos to make the audience feel guilty for blaming their weight gain on the fast food establishments instead of their own willpower to eat healthy. Finally, the use of logos within the magazine helps the article profoundly by using the reports of other people to logically explain why these certain fast food restaurants are good or bad. Consumer Reports Magazine uses these rhetorical devices to their advantage in making a riveting message of health decisions, surveys of fast food restaurants quality foods, and comparisons of the foods themselves helps create a compelling call to action to rethink their next visit to a fast food