Solorio 1

Daniel Solorio

Prof Craig Dolce

English 115

4 July 2022

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

With the increase in global warming and its awareness, there has been an ongoing debate

between those who consume meat and those who have opted for a vegetarian diet. Kathy Freston

in her essay titled, “Vegetarian is the New Prius” (2011) explores the effects of meat

consumption on the environment. She contends that the continuous consumption of meat has

resulted in global warming, air pollution, shortage of water, etc. The author has created a mix of

an informative and persuasive essay, as she informs her readers how harmful consuming meat in

the current age is. For persuading the readers to become vegetarians, she has utilized logos,

pathos, ethos, and Kairos.

The usage of logos, which refers to logic with the usage of facts, research, and statistics is

utilized by the author as she bases her argument on several statistical reports and research. It is

an important persuasive device as readers believe arguments are supported by facts. Freston uses

several sources that make her argument stronger and help deliver to the reader the prevalence of

meat consumption and its effect on global warming. She writes, “The U.N. report says almost a

fifth of global warming emissions come from livestock” (Freston). Through this, and several

other sources, she bases her statements on facts given by authorities. She uses proper statistics

and percentages to stress the increased consumption of meat. For instance, “animal agriculture

takes up an incredible 70% of all agricultural land, and 30% of the total land surface of the
 Solorio 2

planet” (Freston). These numbers appeal to the logic of the reader and create a persuasive

argument.

It is important for people to have the credibility to make an argument as the internet is

filled with people presenting arguments without being credible. Freston establishes her

credibility by appealing to the readers and replying to logos and pathos. The article states that

she is a “health and wellness activist,” which gives her some credibility to talk about being a

vegetarian and meat consumption. She states, “Meat consumption has increased five-fold in the

past fifty years, and is expected to double again in the next fifty” (Freston). Therefore, she

heavily relies on the information and reports she presents to establish her credibility for the

readers and persuade them that she knows the topic she is exploring. Moreover, she presents a

counter-argument at the beginning of the article when she states that it helps more to become

vegetarian than to drive a Prius. This counterargument establishes her argument’s credibility and

appeals to ethos.

Appealing to the emotions of the readers can be a challenge for writers, especially in non-

sentimental work. However, Freston relies on her reader’s emotions to persuade them to become

vegetarians. Throughout the essay, she makes the readers feel bad for the environment, and by

the end of it, she adds a statement that would make the readers think and even make them feel

guilty. She writes, “Ever-rising temperatures, melting ice caps, spreading tropical diseases,

stronger hurricanes... So, what are you do doing for dinner tonight?” (Freston). The readers are

thought to think of the impact their meat consumption is making on the environment and feelings

of sadness, guilt, and even anger towards their actions surface.

Freston’s usage of persuasive devices helps establish her argument as she convinces her

readers to become vegetarians. In this age of increased global warming, when global warming
 Solorio 3

has rapidly increased in the last few decades, her article is published at the right time. People are

getting more and more concerned about the environment and opting for environment-friendly

options. She discusses the biggest barrier to an environmental-friendly lifestyle in hopes of

persuading the readers to decrease meat consumption. She ends her article with a question,

giving the readers the liberty of opting for a better lifestyle.

 Solorio 4

Work Cited

Freston, Kathy. "Vegetarian is the New Prius." Huffingtonpost, 17 Nov. 2011,

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014