Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY, IS IT ABUSE?

Childhood Obesity, Is it Abuse? : Rhetorical Analysis Andres Lerma University of Texas at El Paso

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

For my rhetorical analysis assignment I chose to analyze, Childhood Obesity: Is it Abuse? by Abigail Darwin. This text can be found online on the Childrens Voice Child Welfare of America website (CWLA). The message being conveyed is about the increasing childhood obesity rates across the United States of America, and the resulting issues that are caused for courts and welfare systems. According to Darwin (2008), there is two prominent issues, the first being, whether children whose weight poses serious dangers to life or health are properly considered neglected when their parents disobey medical orders to put them on diets. Secondly, what should the state do in cases where child is considered medically neglected and determining to what extent intervention is appropriate (Darwin, 2008, para. 1). Darwins intended audience consists of obese parents, with children who are obese as well, or children who are at risk of becoming obese. This can be seen throughout the text as the author shows the correlation between obese parents being the cause for the obesity found in their children as well. For example, Darwin (2008) states, Parents dictate this (what children eat and how much they exercise) serving as strong role models who shape their childrens eating and exercise habits early in life (Darwin, 2008, para. 6). The quotation from the text supports Darwins intended audience being obese parents by stating, (Parents serving as the role models) who shape their childrens eating and exercise habits. Thus, it is demonstrated that Darwins intended audience consists of obese parents. The authors purpose is to promote awareness of the increasing childhood obesity population across the nation, by particularly demonstrating the relationship between an obese child and the parent. This is all done while disclosing the arising trouble courts are dealing with when drawing the fine line for a medically neglected child. For example, this can be seen when the correlation between the increased risk for childhood obesity is created due to the parent or

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

parents of child being obese themselves. As shown by Darwin (2008), Parents of morbidly obese children are often not malicious but rather just unaware of the importance and composition of a healthy diet and exercise is the fact that these parents are often severely obese themselves. (Darwin, 2008, para. 23). In brief, the author demonstrates the correlation between children becoming obese when parents are obese as well. When dealing with childhood obesity, the second issue of the ordeal is brought into the light by the author when mentioning there is arising issues with courts at the judicial level. Darwin states that there is no specification showing at what point a child can be considered medically neglected, also including the lack of judicial context stating at what point is state intervention needed and to what extent. In the quotation, no state has a statute on the books specifically addressing how and under what circumstances a dangerously obese child may be considered medically neglected(Darwin, 2008, para. 3). Also including, No state has statutory language addressing what forms of state intervention are proper in cases dealing with victims of obesity-related medical neglect.(Darwin, 2008, para. 3). With the dramatic increase in obesity across the nation, the state and judicial level need to adapt to the newfound issues at hand. The author formulates her essay with demonstration of an appeal to ethos, by showing the affiliation with the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). Also including the contact information on her concluding paragraph, making her approachable to any questions or comments in regards to information provided in her article. According to the Child Welfare League of America (1996), the organization focuses on, underprivileged children whom have experienced abuse, neglect, family disruption leading to the jeopardization of their safety or wellbeing.(CWLA, 1996). For example, Darwin (2008) states, Abigail Darwin is a former CWLA Government Affairs intern and a recent graduate of the University of Iowa College of

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Law (Darwin, 2008, para. 28). By showing affiliation with the CWLA, Darwin gives a deeper level of credibility to the information presented in her article. With the inclusion of contact information at the end of the article, a direct link is made between Darwin and her text making her accountable for it. In the statement, She (Darwin) welcomes any questions or comments and can be reached via Childrens Voice at voice@cwla.org (Darwin, 2008, para. 27). With this concluding sentence, Darwin becomes approachable to any questions or comments in regards to information provided in her article. Abigail Darwin attempts to appeal to the emotion (pathos) of sorrow, in order to make the realization that it is the childrens life which is at stake, all with the use of emotional language. As the purpose of the article is to show the relationship between the direct effects of an obese parent/ parents which conclusively pave way to their children becoming obese, this is demonstrated with charged language. Darwin (2008) claims, The ramifications of obesity are arguably more severe for children than for adultsobese children must often endure excessive teasing, social stigmatization, and discrimination by their peerstends to be a life-long affliction if it is not curbed early in a childs life (Darwin, 2008, para. 5). The author makes it easy to visualize the conditions an obese child might endure, with terms such as, social stigmatization, discrimination, and life-long affliction. These terms are emotionally charged and the appeal to the emotion of sorrow for an obese child can occur. The representation of the rhetorical appeal of logos can be seen in the text with the utilization of statistics and figures, specifically used to represent the percentages at which a child is more or less likely to become obese when a parent is obese. As stated by Darwin (2008), Research shows that 80% of children are obese when at least one parent is obese, while only 10% of children are obese when neither parent is obese (Darwin, 2008, para. 23). In this

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

quotation, the correlating line between an obese parent resulting in a obese child is clearly drawn, with a 70% difference in obesity risk for a child depending on whether a parent is obese or not. In conclusion, Abigail Darwin utilizes the three rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos in order to effectively convey childhood obesity in her article. Altogether, fulfilling the purpose of promoting awareness of the increasing obese children across the nation, all while demonstrating the intricate relationship between an obese parent resulting in a obese child.

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

References

Darwin, A. (2008, July). Childhood Obesity: Is it Abuse? In Childrens Voice Child Welfare of America.Retrieved Sept. 31, 2013, from http://www.cwla.org/voice/0807obesity.htm

Child Welfare League of America (1996, January). Mission Statement. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2013, from http://www.cwla.org/whowhat/mission.htm