Essay: Analysis of the Article 'Against Meat' by Jonathan Safran Foer

This essay provides a thorough analysis of Jonathan Safran Foer's article, 'Against Meat,' exploring the author's personal reflections on food choices and the transition between vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. The analysis delves into the narrative's structure, examining how the author uses personal experiences, particularly his relationship with his grandmother and the birth of his child, to illustrate the influence of acculturation on dietary habits. The essay synthesizes the key arguments, highlighting the importance of valuing food resources and the ethical considerations of modern animal farming. It also presents a response to the author's viewpoints, discussing the subjective nature of dietary choices and the potential environmental impacts of both animal and agricultural practices. The conclusion emphasizes the essay's core message about personal conviction and the avoidance of food waste, while acknowledging the complexities of making ethical food choices in a modern society. Finally, the essay provides references to support the arguments presented in the analysis.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF AGAINST MEAT
Analysis of Against Meat
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ANALYSIS OF AGAINST MEAT
Table of Contents
Summary..........................................................................................................................................2
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................2
Synthesize........................................................................................................................................3
Response..........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

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ANALYSIS OF AGAINST MEAT
Summary
In the article, Against Meat, Jonathan Safran recounts to his readers that how the
transition of the food choices and the overall individual choice is based on personal belief on
acculturation (Safran Foer).
Section 1: In this section the author establishes how the love for his grandmother’s cooking
molded his love for meat. The very attitude of the grandmother of the author nurtured his
thinking that he should eat all he could and not waste things.
Section 2: This section also shows how he was influenced at a young age and when his child was
born he believed the right nurturing would help his child achieve what he could not and become
a vegetarian instead of trying like the author was.
Section 3: In this section the author establishes that he and his wife decide to raise their children
as vegetarians and shows how it is linked to more than a shared belief system.
Section 4: The final section establishes how personal choices and the overall acculturation is
more than personal or forced choice, it is to stick to the choices like his grandmother did even
when it could mean death.
Analysis
The article is very strong narrative and the ways in which the author elucidates his
struggle with the choice between vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism and how his personal
choices lacked conviction and faith in his choices. Since this essay is a personal narrative it does
not have statistical data but a set of different instances which moves the author in his life towards

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ANALYSIS OF AGAINST MEAT
this decision. The article has a strong statement in the article that moves the readers. The choice
of a person may not have a reason or justification for his or her choices but must have the
conviction to follow their choices. The narrative is very moving as it shows how each of the
person in their decisions is justified. His grandmother had a tough time surviving the world war
2, where she survived eating scrap and therefore knew the value of food. The author’s choices
lacked the conviction in this sense as that they moved according to the situation. I think that the
narrative is very strong and moving conveying the message of the problems of the modern
animal farming, the importance of acculturation and the importance of being confident in the
choices in the toughest times (Sentandreu and Sentandreu).
Synthesize
The different information in the essay gives the readers an idea about the importance of
valuing the food and the resources that one has at their disposal. The important lesson to learn is
the resources that the people have should be used judiciously and voluntary wastage should be
avoided. On the other has the information about the animal farming and the mistreatment to the
animals is also very moving as it is a known fact that the modern methods of the animal farming
harms the environment (Gerber). The raising of the farm animals in a different way than the pet
animals harms the rights of the animals. The importance of having a set of personal ideals is very
important as shown in the essay and they should be stuck to.
Response
According to me the choice of being a vegetarian or a nonvegetarian is a completely
personal choice which partially depends on the society and the availability of the resource. A
person will take on the taste of their families but it is not necessary. Being a vegetarian or a

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nonvegetarian is very subjective to the personal choice of the person. The overall choice that the
individual makes is all that matters on the whole. Demeaning one or the other does not make
sense in the context as each and every edible item that we consume is a lifeform in one way or
another and being a vegetarian of a nonvegetarian we have to fulfill our hunger to survive. The
necessity of the survival is the only thing guiding people to eat. The agricultural farming today
causes no less harm than the animal farming (Conway and Jules).
Conclusion
Therefore, in the article the narrative is very moving and I agree to the thoughts of the
author that the feeding habit is a personal choice. I also agree to the point that the food should
not be wasted in the modern society. though not eating an animal just for the sake of not causing
pain or harm to animal is not agreeable as we cause pain and harm to the biodiversity even
through agricultural practices. The choice of not eating animal will further increase the pressure
on the farmland which will also harm the environment. I also don’t agree to acculture people to
have a taste but the author keeping an open mind that is children might have a change of taste is
good.

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ANALYSIS OF AGAINST MEAT
References
Conway, Gordon R., and Jules N. Pretty. Unwelcome harvest: agriculture and pollution.
Routledge, 2013.
Gerber, Pierre J., et al. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of
emissions and mitigation opportunities. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), 2013.
Safran Foer, Jonathan. "Against Meat". Nytimes.com, 2009. Online. Internet. 22 Feb. 2018. .
Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11foer-t.html.
Sentandreu, Miguel Ángel, and Enrique Sentandreu. "Authenticity of meat products: Tools
against fraud." Food Research International 60 (2014): 19-29.