And I’m not just talking waistlines, though we’d miss those. I’m discussing dinnertime, the cornerstone of our family’s mental health. (Kingsolver, 125)
The author is showing that the importance of a family dinner and how important it is. She also uses humor as a way to take pressure off of the audience. This combination of humor and correlating herself with the audience makes the author’s argument very persuasive by creating an informal and easy-going tone that doesn’t intimidate the audience. This use of voice and ethos work alongside logos statements to provide strong credibility and evidence.
One of the main logos statements that the author used to move away from processed and fast foods was the issue of obesity. She listed facts and evidence that argue for healthier home-cooked meals. These included the fact that obesity is a major health problem in close to two-thirds of adults. These facts are successful in persuading the audience by providing a cold hard truth to a major problem that can be avoided through healthier home-cooked meals. The use of pathos along with these facts to persuade the reader to steer clear of unhealthy foods results in an emotional factor that can be very