Most people don't think about the process that certain animals go through before they become their meal. The purpose of “Consider the Lobster” was to highlight unethical practices inflicted on animals, specifically the treatment of lobsters during the said festival. In 2003, Foster Wallace attended the Maine Lobster Festival and wrote this article for a magazine called Gourmet which published his work the following year. The intended audience is people who love to eat, people interested in topics like this, and arguably chefs who use living ingredients in their dishes. Foster Wallace gets the audience thinking about other aspects of the Main Lobster Festival rather than being one-dimensional thinking only about consumer enjoyment. His writings successfully exposed controversial practices through the use of rhetoric and the sharing of information from his extensive research. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As Foster Wallace begins his article, he describes the festivities and their appeal to tourists. At first, this seemed like a very standard review of what happens at the festival, stating: "Tourism and lobstering are the Midcoast region's two major industries and the Maine Lobster Festival represents less of an intersection of these industries than a deliberate, joyous and lucrative and noisy collision.” As we progress, Foster Wallace speaks for the lobsters, presenting another frame of reference. Then shifts gears to express how these lobsters are treated in their final moments. He highlighted what many of us would have turned a blind eye to and is something that should be recognized more even though it is an uncomfortable topic to talk about. No one wants to worry about the welfare of these animals because they will just be food in the end and would rather enjoy what they consume without that thought in mind. Foster Wallace doesn't insist that people stop eating the foods they love just because lobsters, and animals in general, would suffer greatly. He advises that there are other cooking methods that would be less painful and would simply allow one to be more mindful of their point of view. The tone of the article helps Foster Wallace project his feelings and thoughts onto the subject of his writing. It asks questions about how future generations compare to how we choose to consume our foods, as well as how we negatively view Aztec sacrifices early in history. Which responds to his response: “My own immediate reaction is that such a comparison is hysterical, extreme – and yet the reason it seems extreme to me seems to be that I believe animals are morally less important than human beings.” . His attitude towards this topic is awkward and feels the need to be brutally honest with his audience. The tone is set by Foster Wallace who adds his own opinion where it is deemed necessary to deepen his argument. Whether or not people want to hear about unethical practices done on animals, it is important to at least acknowledge this element. Reading throughout his article, Foster Wallace presents a rhetorical appeal, a philosophy derived from much research previously done. the actual writing has begun. Everyone knows the basics of a lobster, but Wallace takes it a step further and explains in depth how lobsters are classified among other species in the world and where their origins come from.name. Few people would have this kind of knowledge about something as simple as a lobster. The fact that Wallace spends his time researching this information shows his intelligence and the reliability of the content of his article. This shows that Foster Wallace has a personal interest in unethical practices at certain events and wants the public to be able to see things from a different perspective. He has a lot to say about the Maine Lobster Festival, but also provides actual facts to support his claims throughout the article. By sharing complex details about lobsters that are otherwise difficult for ordinary people to understand, he provides knowledge that the public would need to draw their own conclusions. as well as using logos providing factual information to further prove its credibility. There are also facts about how many ways a lobster can be cooked as well as research done that helps bolster Foster Wallace's credibility. It discusses different cooking times that will result in different levels of pain in lobsters. For example, cooking in the oven would be more laborious since it would require the lobster to be heated for a longer period of time. Although microwaving means a shorter cooking time, the pain the lobsters would feel decreases significantly. He describes the subject in simplistic terms so that the reader can easily follow his conclusions, which leads to an understanding of Foster Wallace's argument. Providing specific details about lobsters provides greater insight into how they work, but also helps reinforce Foster Wallace's view that they have the capacity to feel pain. By constructing general information about lobsters, it shows its reliability in explaining specific information. It gives these lobsters human characteristics that many people are able to understand and apply to themselves. Wallace recounts how lobsters are boiled alive, but gives them feelings that people can identify with by stating that "it's hard not to feel that they are unhappy or scared, even if it is 'a rudimentary version of these feelings'. The lobsters' physical suffering allowed Foster Wallace to use pathos to persuade the audience to better understand what he was feeling moments before his death, while also enhancing his credibility. The pain is something people can easily relate to and makes the audience think about how lobsters are treated in certain types of situations like festivals. Emotion is involved, that is, the use of pathos, which allows readers to possibly feel the same discomfort and vulnerability as these lobsters. When readers start to become aware of this different point of view and start asking questions like: Is it okay to treat lobsters this way? Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay At Foster According to Wallace's argument, it is not acceptable to treat these animals as if they are inferior to humans. Every detail written is intended to leave the audience with this thought which will hopefully stick in people's minds during their next meal. That being said, it does not discourage the consumption of these animals simply to make people aware of these practices. By providing a considerable amount of research and using the ethos, pathos and logos that established his credibility, Foster Wallace makes a compelling argument that he must.