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David Dempsey

Ms.Soring

AP Language and Composition

13 September, 2016

Supersized analysis of Supersize me

In his documentary, Supersize Me (2004), Morgan Spurlock conducted an experiment to

show that the growing levels of obesity are related to unhealthy meals from fast food restaurants,

such as McDonalds. He only ate and drank things from McDonalds for one month and didnt

exercise to show the effects McDonald's had on the body. He performed the experiment in order

to test the theory that eating fast food every day is unhealthy. All throughout the documentary,

Spurlock uses ethos, pathos, and logos, to appeal to and show the audience the effects fast food

had on his body and life to effectively prove that McDonalds, among other fast food resturants, is

dangerous.

The first thing the audiences hears, and later sees, is a group of kids singing a song which

includes the lyrics, McDonalds McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut, Mc

Donald's McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut. While its funny, and makes

the audience laugh, it shows just how much of a role fast-food restaurants, including McDonalds,

have in our lives that there is a song solely dedicated to them. Another pathos appeal using

humor comes later, Spurlock goes to an elementary school, and shows kids famous historical

figures and has them guess who they are. While a few guessed ones like George Washington,
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most couldnt name any, one kid even guessed George Bush when Jesus Christ was shown to

him. But when Ronald McDonald was held up, they all guessed correctly. At this point the

viewer realizes that places like McDonald's are taking over Americans lives, kids arent able to

identify historical figures, yet they know the spokesperson of a dangerous resturant. A third

humorous appeal happens after Spurlock has started the diet, and is a few days in. It is the first

time he was forced to Supersize his meal. After getting part way through the meal, he say he

was getting the McStomach ache. It shows the viewer that after eating only McDonalds for a

couple days, the food is starting to make him sick.

To start off the documentary, Spurlock lists statistics such as obesity is the 2nd leading

cause of preventable death in America, in order to appeal to logos, or the audience's logic. He

also states that people eat out 40% of the time, yet only take on average, 2500-3000 steps a day.

According to Spurlock, McDonald's accounts for 43% of the fast food market, and in Manhattan,

where Spurlock lives, there is 4 McDonalds per square mile, so he jokes that he would have no

problem finding somewhere to eat.

Spurlock, like other New Yorkers, can walk almost 10,000 steps a day, which equates to

about 5 miles each day. He also reminisces of his childhood meals, which were home cooked.

He tells of his healthy habits to add credibility to the idea that he is starting off the experiment in

excellent health. Getting opinions from three different medical experts also increases the

credibility.

Spurlock not only uses humor to appeal to the viewers pathos, but also fear. He had on

an individual who was dealing with the effects of an unhealthy diet and overall lifestyle. This
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individual was severely overweight due mainly to his addiction to soda. At one point he was

drinking almost two gallons of it a day. It got so bad that at one point he went blind for a few

days, no just blurry vision, but full loss of vision. One of the scariest moments was when

Spurlock woke up due to the fact that he couldnt breathe. It just shows seriously the food

affects his health.

Spurlock increased the credibility of his health deterioration by going to the doctors after

the loss of breath, and they all told him to stop. In the beginning, the three doctors he went to

didnt think the food would be that much of a health risk, but as the month went on they started

to change their minds. All throughout the documentary, Spurlock would have clips of him

telling how he is feeling, and towards the end of the month he was having trouble making up the

stairs to his apartment without losing his breath. One told him he was starting to get addicted to

it, as he felt bad until he ate something from McDonalds. Spurlock had interviewee who thought

fast food is terrible for the body. He build the credibility behind the idea that fast food is

unhealthy, by having experts including, but not limiting to, multiple professors, former US

surgeon general, David Satcher, (the first to fight against obesity), Senior Editor at Reason

Magazine, and John Robbins, a health advocate and family member of the ice cream mogul Irv

Robbins. John Robbins spoke of how he had an unlimited amount of ice cream when he was a

child. Since he always ate ice cream, Robbins was always unhealthy and felt terribly. Robbins

also told about his fathers business partner, Burt Baskins, who died of a heart attack, and of Ben

Cohen, founder of Ben and Jerrys ice cream, who also had a heart bypass at the young age of

50. This shows the effects unhealthy food on the body and just how dangerous it could be.
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Towards the end of the documentary Spurlock had a poll among nutritionist about how

often one should eat fast food. He asked 100 nutritionist and only 2 said twice or more a week,

28 said once a week to once a twice a month, and 45 said never. 95 out of the hundred agreed

that fast food is a major contribution to obesity. Out of the entire customer base of McDonalds,

72% go at least once a week, and McDonalds calls them, heavy users. 22% go more than once

a week, and are called, super heavy users. Despite most of the people who are educated on the

nutritional value of food saying that fast food is dangerous, a majority of people go and many

people even go multiple times a week, showing just how effective McDonalds advertising is and

how addictive the unhealthy food is.

After his final weigh in, Spurlock fully reveals the changes that occurred in his body. His

weight went from 185 to 196 to 203 to 202 and finally to 210, he gained a total of 24.5 lbs in one

month. His cholesterol increased from 165 to 225, a dangerous level. In doing this experiment,

Spurlock went from 11% body fat to 18%. He also doubled his risk of getting coronary heart

disease, and his risk of heart failure altogether. Spurlock gave all these statistics in order to show

the viewer what McDonalds food, or any fast food, could do to a body. He is using logos to

appeal to the audience's fear, or pathos.

The documentary Supersize Me is crammed with examples of effective uses of logos,

pathos, and ethos. While there are examples of all three rhetorical devices, the one that was most

effective in swaying the audience was logos. The sheer amount of statistics and numbers in the

film is just short of overwhelming. Spurlocks use of logos closed the deal with the viewer on

just how dangerous fast food actually is. If the documentary doesn't change the way the public
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thinks about restaurants, such as McDonalds, then fast food corporations have truly taken over

Americans way of life.

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Spurlock, Morgan, dir. Supersize Me. THE CON, 2004. Film