Essay 1 Ideas

For my essay, I chose to use “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji,” by Ellen Goodman. The article first appeared in the Boston Globe in May 1999. I chose this topic for a number of reasons. The first being because it was conveniently located in the textbook, but also because it was a good-read. She employs many tactics and literary devices to assert that television and the media have a negative effect on the self-image of teenagers. I will probably use the previous sentence as my thesis and include the main literary devices Goodman uses. I like Goodman’s analogies and feel that they will be useful in my essay. The background information is also very helpful in providing me with another topic for my essay. It reveals that Goodman is a long-time columnist for the Boston Globe, which means she has probably gained her readers trust by now. This is a great example of ethos. Goodman also employs pathos and logos in her argument. The 38 month research and the statistics and percentages that resulted are examples of logos. She makes numerous allusions to popular television shows such as Seinfeld and Beverly Hills 90210, which can also be used as support in my essay. I think that Goodman’s argument is clear and strongly supported and that even though her article is short, I should be able to pick out many examples for my essay.