That is the exact question most students ask themselves
throughout schools in America. And of course, unless you brought your own lunch
or somehow had a lunch menu on you at all times, you didn’t know the answer until
you were in the lunch line. Unless your school had remarkable meals every day,
you would usually look at the food they had lined up for you and with a look of
disgust said “Ew” or “Not again”. So what can students possibly do to change what
food is served?
The
food in cafeterias might meet new government standards, but (let’s be honest)
it doesn’t really appeal to the students that are eating it. But don’t take my
word for it; the students will tell you themselves. A food coordinator for a
school asked students what they thought about the food, to which one child
replied "We know you don't care about us, because if you did, you wouldn't
serve us this slop." (Cleaver par. 4). Well, there is all the confirmation
you need.
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| Courtesy of Grist.org |
One course of action students could
take is, obviously, just pack their own lunch. If they’re fed up with what they
serve, then they simply bring food from home and problem solved. But what about
the students who depend on school lunch? For instance, the students who can’t
pack a lunch from home because their household doesn’t have sufficient food to
even make a lunch. They have no option, either eat the food or not eat at all.
I’m sure they are so hungry by the time lunch rolls around, that they put up
with the food cafeterias serve. Lunch is supposed to be something that’s
enjoyable and gives you energy to finish off the school day strong, not
something you do not look forward to eating.
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| Courtesy of Giphy.com |
This is
where students need to take action, because the lunch menu isn’t going to
change by itself. Don’t let schools across the nation follow in the same
footsteps as my high school did, where people complained and did not do a thing
to get their voice heard. Instead, students have to take initiative.
And if
there is any doubt that students can actually
make a difference, then take a look what a school in Connecticut did.
Students boycotted the food for a week and finally got through to school
administrators. The school officials actually commended the students for
voicing their opinion. "...I think it's important for the students to be
heard, and I think it's important that they have to the right to voice their
opinion." (Klein par. 5). The administrators agreed to make changes, such as giving
students healthier options.
There are ways to get a healthier and tastier
lunch in school cafeterias, but it isn’t going to appear before students’ eyes.
It’s up to the students to speak up and get their voices heard, only then will
they get what they want.
Works Cited
Cleaver, Samantha. "Change the Menu." Scholastic Publishes Literacy Resources and Children's Books for Kids of All Ages. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.
Klein, Rebecca. "Connecticut School Agrees To Changes After Students Boycott Cafeteria Food." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014
Mario,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job pointing out the many flaws within our nation's school lunch programs while also presenting viable solutions. When you were explaining the gross school lunches, I knew exactly what you meant! I remember countless lunches where a lunch lady would slab a pile of mystery meat on my plate that I would stare at in disgust but would never eat!
In the beginning of your blog, I think you effectively utilize pathos. When you were addressing the counter argument of students bringing their own lunch instead of eating school lunches, you explain how some students don’t “have sufficient food” at home to even make a lunch (para 3). You went on to explain that these students can either “eat the food [at school] or not eat at all” (para. 3). These eye-opening statements make your audience understand the importance of school lunches, and in turn, it makes your audience more likely to want to make a change.
Your use of pathos was effective, but I think your use of ethos was even more impressive. In order to support how unappetizing school lunches are, you not only include your own experience as a student but you brought in a strong quote from another young, unhappy student. This helped show your credibility and knowledge as a writer. Additionally, when you suggest that students should step up and make changes happen, you explain that students boycotted lunches at a school in Connecticut, and after a week, “administrators agreed to make changes” (para. 5). I think this example helped build your ethos by showing the readers that it is possible to make a change if you are willing to step up and do something about it.
Overall, I think you effectively informed your audience about the reality of school lunches by using first hand experience. You were also able to persuade your audience to make changes in their school lunches by explaining that change has happened before and can happen again.
My advice to you would be to expound on the “ways to get healthier and tastier lunch[es] in school cafeterias” (para. 6). If you listed more things that students could do to improve school lunches, I think your audience would be more likely to step up and make a difference.
Mario,
ReplyDeleteYou have a very persuasive argument here because it is one that everyone can relate to. By that I mean that everyone has experienced the lunches that schools serve and can clearly see that there is room for improvement. You utilized sources in an effective and efficient manner. My one complaint is this; I would have liked to see you give some examples of just what type of meals you would like the schools to serve. You say that they need to be healthier but don't say how they can be healthier. You do make a good point by saying that it is in the students' hands to make this change and nothing will get solved by continuing to eat the food that we don't even like.
Mario,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job choosing a topic that everyone can relate to due to the fact that nearly every high school in America is this way. I think you did a great job using appeals to ethos to your advantage. You pulled numerous quotes directly from the students subjected to the food and the school administrators that are implementing the school lunches. The quote that helps your overall argument the most is "We know you don't care about us, because if you did, you wouldn't serve us this slop." (Cleaver par. 4). This quote helps the reader of the blog to truly understand how the students of the school are feeling towards this new lunch program and evokes emotion, which is an appeal to pathos. Overall I thought you did an excellent job in regard to your topic. You aptly used rhetorical strategies to help your argument and I think that you accomplished the goal you set out to do when writing this blog.