"The Lure of the Body Image"

A Rhetorical comparison of "The Lure of the Body Image" and "Canadians: What Do They Want."

For decades, Hollywood has shifted the ideal male body image from Errol Flynn to Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to McClelland's essay "The Lure of the Body Image," the North American media has changed its views on male body images, resulting in the widespread "beefcake-like" appearance. The author sees men's fashionable appearance as a serious problem. In another brief magazine article addressed to Mother Jones magazine in the year 1982, Atwood also invites the audience to think about issues as she debates that Canadians chaff under the US imperialism. The two articles seem intent on eliciting the readers to change their behavior and thinking in response to the issues presented. By looking further at the writers’ purposes, still, it is fascinating to contrast their tones and methods. This metaphoric approach should help to sharpen and thoughtful of the reason (Ward 196).
Evaluation the two essays with consideration to tone one’s instantaneous notion is of the dissimilarity between them, either formal or informal. McClelland's article reflects Maclean's consent to present considerate, relatively reportage respond to present events for a well educated general readership as illustrated by an excerpt in paragraph 3. ‘…Both Signorile [author of the book Life Outside] and Brian Pronger... say that many men, straight and gay, adopted a more generative appearance following the Oscar Wilde trials in the 1890s linked effeminate behavior with homosexuality in the modern mind…(para. 3.)
The phrase comes from the passage with a Fog Index reading of 17.5, from the McClelland which indicate that a reader requires having a university degree to assemble the data with simplicity. Another phrase from Atwood’s work gives a divergence result from the passage in McClelland and here is the excerpt ‘…Last month during a poetry extract.. "...It began by insinuating that one start with the feet…"
In disparity to the university degree demand for readability ease by McClelland’s article, Atwood’s requires a formal education of approximately grade eight. Mother Jones, a political magazine was not troubled by the appearances of argumentations as with believable claims. The readers were not classified by an educational level so much as by a political viewpoint-more of emotional than logical (Atwood 467). The act meant rather better than Maclean’s news to favor “warm” approaches over research-based techniques. Readably formulae cannot reveal emotional nuances of tone hence intentions. However, they help to provide a preface sense of the necessary levels being informal, general or formal. McClelland, as per this analysis, the tone is relatively formal, that is, she incorporates original reference style examples whereas Atwood’s is between formal and general.
Checking further closely at abstract methods in the two essays further characterizes the difference among their tones. McClelland utilizes the third person that increases the tone of relative independence and disinterest. Including this nearly scholarly tone, the author regularly refers to various studies, experts, and statistical results. In the quoted text the author notes that one expert agrees with another, illustrating the need to get confirmation from various researchers. On the other end, Atwood utilizes the first person to increase the personal and informal tone of her article. Whereas McClelland’s tonal variation can be described as reserved, muted, and distant, Atwood drives her essay in an ironical, joyful, and witty manner as illustrated in paragraph nine of the essay regarding what Americans say. In general language, Atwood articulates reversals so as to serve her theme of one-way relationships pretending to be another thing else. In addition to the differences between the tones in the two essays in Atwood's utilization of real experiences compared to McClelland's use of outside resources, Atwood relies on the analogy to bring out her point. Atwood tends to design her analogy and applies the analogy in style of the oral teacher by using a parable while McClelland presents conclusive ideas through the cited reasoning of her natural sources. In paragraph 7, Atwood uses the primary readers that are the Americans to depict Mexico having a population that is ten times larger than that of the United States. She appeals from the judgment of analogy for unique understanding (Ward 198).
In spite of the distinctions in tone, both essays convey a common persuasive purpose that is tailored towards driving and addressing the series of victimizations. McClelland overshadows the purpose with an opening anecdote that focuses on Heighton of Pictou, NS. In most parts of the text, the author uses personal examples or rather “warm proofs.” The hidden meaning that is expressed by the examples in “Body Image” is that the young people are forced to “Beef up” as the author illustrates at the end of the opening paragraph. Heighton further states that the effects can have dire consequences like the use of steroids (para. 6), surgical disfiguration (para. 9), and eating disorders (para. 8). In the event of getting the readers on the move, McClelland put some emotional sentiments of opinion into her significantly detached style for instance, “…statistics show an alarming number… (para. 2)” and “…one of the consequences… (para. 6).” The audience in touch with Jean Kilbourne's media critique pressures the female gender may recognize McClelland's notion of expanding the type of critique when recognizing the similar manipulations of men (McClelland 448). The readers who are familiar with Chomsky's Survival or Hegemony may see the basic relationship between Atwood's critique of the American imperialism and some of the current analyses that have become in most cases increasingly strident and desperate. The two essays seek to depict severe power imbalances and manipulations (Ward 196).
A critical reader may wonder whether there does not exist and fundamental difference of purpose in McClelland's paper that lays emphasis on advertising of images and the negative impacts they may bring forth. Atwood on the other end differs a little with regards to this as she refers Canadians' complicity in their victimization (para.10). She explains that only Americans are not to blame. Such concessions and reassurances that are absent in McClelland's work make sense, although when a person thinks of Atwood's intended audience. It may seem though as if she is addressing the Canadians on "how to like Americans," though her target readers are the Americans, advocating the best attitude they should have so as to build the real friendship with the Canadians. This brief analysis tends to expose how the two essays expose specific issues concerning what some of the readers today may consider as complex and long-standing issues. In paragraph 10, McClelland concludes by calling for increased critical education. Atwood's corrective offering is depicted in her analogy that is the tool for reasoning to make a significant and broader understanding. In their varied ways, the two essays identify the approaches ad styles best suited to the situations at hand during the original publication as they also apply the fundamental principles of changing opinion.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. “Canadians: What Do They Want?” Acting on Words: An Integrated Rhetoric, Reader, and Handbook. 2nd . ed. Ed. David Brundage and Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson, 2009. 467-69.
McClelland, Susan. “The Lure of the Body Image.” Acting on Words: An Integrated Rhetoric, Reader, and Handbook. 2nd . ed. Ed. David Brundage and Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson, 2009. 447-50.
Ward, David. "Speculative Fiction." Contemporary Italian Narrative and 1970s Terrorism. Springer International Publishing, 2017. 195-205.