Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON

Obesity in America: A Genre Analysis of a Flyer and a Cartoon

Valerie Serna
The University of Texas at El Paso

Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON

The Rise of Obesity in America

Statistics gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that
obesity has almost quadrupled among children and adolescents in the past 20 years (Childhood
Obesity Facts, 2015). The media has communicated evidence of this epidemic to inform the
public of the health risks associated with obesity. Several genres of writing exist to help
communicate the issue in order to promote awareness and even advocate a solution. An example
of a genre would be a flyer developed by a family resource center on obesity in Laytonville,
California (Preventing Childhood Obesity, 2013). Another example of genre would be a cartoon
illustrated by Brian Wansink (Ph.D. Stanford 1990) which depicts an obese persons behavior
versus a skinny persons behavior at a chinese buffet (Wansink, 2007). Both of these examples
communicate the same issue differently to the public. The essay that follows discusses the
intended audience, purpose, rhetorical analysis, structure and delivery of the information of each
genre.
Audience and Purpose
The first example is a flyer titled Preventing Childhood Obesity that was put together
by the Family Resource Center at Laytonville, California in 2013. This flyer has several purposes
and goals. It informs the public about the rise of obesity and helps promote a healthier lifestyle
for children. The second genre is a cartoon found online and illustrated by Brian Wansink, who
has done research on changing eating behaviors and the effects it has on the body. This cartoon
serves as a way to inform the public about the differences in behavior between a skinny person
and a person who is overweight. The intended audience may be anyone who is conscious of their
own eating problem or someone who didnt know that certain behavior can affect the body and
want to learn more.

Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON

The specific target audience for the flyer is the parents of children who are struggling
with weight in or around the Laytonville community. For the illustration, the specific target
audience is a person who may prefer a visual representation of research results versus having to
read an entire academic article to learn the difference of effects caused by certain eating
behaviors. In both cases the audience is aware of the national issue of obesity and is seeking to
change their lifestyle to match one of a healthy person. Before reading these two forms of media
the audiences have to know how to understand percentages and ratios in order to understand the
information given. For the flyer, the public will also need to know a bit of medical terminology
for the section that discusses side effects of obesity.
Each audience will spend a different amount of time reading the material of each genre.
The flyer requires 3 to 4 minutes of time in order to truly understand all the information
presented on the sections. There is a section for national statistics, consequences of obesity,
definitions, examples of servings, tips on what parents can do to help and various illustrations.
The cartoon will require about 2 minutes because as the reader scans the illustration they can also
learn what each part of the illustration is depicting. Although there is no clear advocacy for
change in the cartoon as there is in the flyer both of these forms of media are trying to inform the
audience of the issues and causes of obesity. They also serve to enlighten the readers of the
relationship between behavior and health.
Rhetorical Analysis
Both genres use ethos, logos, and pathos in order to effectively communicate their overall
message. Each genre has their unique style and execution of each rhetorical device.
When someone tries to back up their arguments it is necessary to use ethos, which will
give an audience a reason to believe information given. The only ethos in the cartoon is the

Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON

source written at the bottom which refers the public to the research articles written by Wansink
and Collin R. Payne, who assisted in the study which resulted in the data on the picture. Even if
the audience does not want to go and do further reading on the facts depicted on the illustration,
the reference alone shows the reader that everything written on the cartoon can be backed up by
observations made in a research setting. Percentages imply that the research was extensive
enough to include several observations. The flyer from California uses the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention as ethos. Since they are a government based association the audience will
be more likely to believe the information as it is considered a reputable source.
Logos is more prevalent in the two genres and it deals with the sensible aspect. In the
flyer it is found in the section that discusses consequences of obesity. If you are out of shape,
then you will have certain health problems which are each listed in the bottom left corner of the
flyer. Another form of logos on the bottom right corner shows examples of serving sizes. For
example, when it gives the choices of bread, rice, pasta or oatmeal for the grain group it will
make sense to the audience that those choices are a healthy and that is how logos is working in
the flyer. In the cartoon, logos is on the part where it explains the number of times obese people
chew compared to healthy people. If you chew your food more thoroughly it will become easier
to digest and help with a persons overall health. According to the illustration by Wansink, skinny
people chew their food 3 more times than a person who is obese. If you take into account how
many times people take a bite, 3 more chews per bite makes a significant difference. All of these
things will make logical sense to the reader.
One way to be sure that an audience will remember something written is to help them tie
an emotion to the information. Pathos is evidenced in the pictures used on both of the genres. In
the flyer, the picture located near the bottom shows a smiling family riding bicycles and playing

Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON

in bright sunshine. The photo of an obese boy at the top of the flyer shows him straight faced
which gives an overall negative feeling when comparing it to the happy pictures on the bottom.
Naturally, people will want to emulate the happiness of the people doing what is necessary to
have healthy bodies so the reader will also want to take part in a more active lifestyle. The
cartoon illustrates the healthy man looking at the obese woman with a serious face. To an obese
person it will trigger a feeling of concern when they wonder if this is how healthy people look at
them as well. The idea is to help motivate change through the feelings provoked by these two
genres.
Structure and Delivery
The structure of the message will affect how the information is delivered and ultimately
determines whether or not the content will be firmly grasped by the audience. The flyers
structure is flawed because even though the layout is organized the different usage of font, colors
and styles of sections becomes distracting and difficult to follow. Headings were not easily
distinguished from other text in some areas which affects the readers ability to effectively gather
information. In the cartoon, however, the title is very clear and tells the reader exactly what the
information will consist of. Each caption is clearly stated and each of them has the same font and
size so that it is easy to transition from one to the other. Since both genres have a limited space to
include information it is important to make the best use of the space by designing a structure that
works well for the specific genre.
Conclusion
Both genres did a good job explaining the issues, causes, and effects of obesity in their
own way. Even though the flyer had more information on it, the cartoon was able to deliver a
strong message effectively with less words. The intended audience will be attracted to each genre

Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON

but they each have the capability to reach other kinds of people. The balance of rhetorical
devices is necessary to help the public remember what they learn from the form of media. If
written correctly these genres will effectively communicate the issues associated with obesity but
in this comparison the cartoon used the space more efficiently than the flyer. Ultimately, each
genre does well in motivating change for a healthier lifestyle.

Running Head: OBESITY IN AMERICA: A GENRE ANALYSIS OF A FLYER AND A

CARTOON
References
Childhood Obesity Facts. (2014, December 11). Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Preventing Childhood Obesity. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.laytonville.org/healthystart/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/NutritionChildhood-Obesity-Flyer.pdf
Wansik, B. (2007). Mindless Eating Cartoons. Retrieved from
http://mindlesseating.org/cartoons.php